Anzac Morning

 

 

Today is Anzac Day, so we were up early to watch the sunrise. Then we decided to drive out to the Mount Brown Conservation Park to enjoy the early morning quiet before the tourists found their way out there.

 

We walked over two kilometres before returning home to complete the household chores in time to watch the Anzac Day service broadcast from Villers-Bretonneux in France (something that has become a tradition in our house).

 

The early morning walk, and then later watching the sun rise over French fields on the television, made me think that Mother Nature is truly at her most beautiful first thing in the morning.

 

Autumnly.

 

Right up until Wednesday it still felt like summer. This time last weekend we were complaining about the seemingly never-ending heat.

 

Not so this weekend!

 

The weather is wonderful and so very autumnly: Plenty of sunshine and clear blue skies, but with a hint of coldness in the air, a promise that winter is just around the corner.

 

Autumn is my favourite time of year in the Ranges. The colours contrast and work well together: The evergreen foliage, the red tinge to the dirt and stone, the pale blue sky and the purple hue of the mountains.

 

Yesterday it was far too nice to be indoors, so we took a mini-adventure to a local gorge, and then out past the Willochra and into what I (sarcastically) refer to as "Death Valley"- an endless expanse of saltbush plains and stark mountain outcrops, completely void of trees.

 

Then we returned home for a cuppa and an afternoon snack, sat outside under the veranda, listening to the birds and the buzz of the town.

 

How are you enjoying the season?

 

Sunday Blog Spot

 

 

It has become a Sunday tradition for me to sit and browse blogs. However, last weekend, in amongst the travels, the birthday and the long weekend, it didn't happen, so it's nice to be able to return to my routine again this week.

It's a quiet time for me, to just sit and relax, and read about what's happening in the lives of other people - some similar, some not. It's a great way to unwind before a busy week of work kicks off again.

This week I'm globetrotting, flying far, far away to:

 

 

Ngo Family Farm

 

Our Wee Farm

 

Two Happy Hearts

 

 

What blogs are you reading? Perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

 

Sunday Blog Spot

Every Sunday afternoon, I browse blogs.

I catch up on those I follow, and go in search of new ones. It's a quiet time for me, to just sit and relax, and read about what's happening in the lives of other people - some similar, some not. It's a great way to unwind before a busy week of work kicks off again.

This week I'm admiring the cozy and pretty blogs belonging to:

Grass Stained Me

 

Country Living by the Sea

 

Posie Gets Cozy

What blogs are you reading? Perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

Sunday Blog Spot

Every Sunday afternoon, I browse blogs.

I catch up on those I follow, and go in search of new ones. It's a quiet time for me, to just sit and relax, and read about what's happening in the lives of other people - some similar, some not. It's a great way to unwind before a busy week of work kicks off again.

 

I don't mean to be bossy, but you simply must visit the following blogs if you've not done so before. They are all kinds of beautiful, amazing, and wow!

 

 

Manger

 

Madelief

 

Seaweed Kisses

 

 

What blogs are you reading? Perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

Sunday Blog Spot

Every Sunday afternoon, I browse blogs.

 

I catch up on those I follow, and go in search of new ones. It's a quiet time for me, to just sit and relax, and read about what's happening in the lives of other people - some similar, some not. It's a great way to unwind before a busy week of work kicks off again.

 

This week I am discovering and rediscovering the beautiful blogs belonging to:

 

 

Sincerely, Kinsey

 

Ann-Marie Loves

 

The Sentimental Bloke

 

 

What blogs are you reading? Perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

 

 

 

 

 

A Postcrossing Adventure: Week 14

Week 14

 

// outgoing:

 

 

 

A few more of my Postcrossing cards arrived at their destinations this week, so I decided it was safe to send another THREE postcards out. Kelly Country (AU-336105) is travelling to Russia, beachside bliss in Glenelg (AU-336106) is on its way to Germany, and Indigenous leader Oodgeroo Noonuccal (AU-336165) was sent to The Netherlands.

 

 

 

 

// incoming: 

 

 

 

Just the ONE card in this week, from Katrin in Germany (DE-2778018) who made the card pictured above using a photograph, and spoke of her love for books.

 

 

 

 

Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 32

All time: 90

 

 

Postcrossing postcards received to date: 36

All time: 98

 

Sunday Blog Spot

 

 

Every Sunday, just after 3pm, I sit down with iPhone in hand and browse blogs.

 

I catch up on those I follow, and go in search of new ones. It's a quiet time for me, to just sit and relax, and read about what's happening in the lives of other people - some similar, some not. It's a great way to unwind on a Sunday before a busy week of work kicks off again.

I thought it'd be nice to share some of my favourite blogs with you each week, so that the next time you take a moment to catch up on your blog reading, I might have found the perfect, new favourite blog for you. 

On this very sunny Sunday afternoon, I am getting immersed in the pretty blog worlds of:

Sunny Corner Farm

Practising Simplicity

Little Red Moose

 

What blogs are you reading? Perhaps you have a recommendation for me?

 

LetterMo 2014: Let's do this!

 

Since I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew, this year I have decided to take part in LetterMo. 

LetterMo began in 2010 and takes place in February each year. A participant is required to send a piece of mail on every day the post runs. As Australia Post operates Monday to Friday (we do not have weekend delivery in Australia), this equates to 20 post days, and therefore 20 pieces of mail. 

If you read this blog, you would have noticed that I am somewhat partial to letter writing. I thought LetterMo might be a good opportunity for me to send some snail mail to those people with whom I would normally either text, email or Facebook (and let's be honest: I hate all those things).

 

But, alas! I am also a slave to the wage, and during the week I simply do not have the time and/or energy to write a full-length letter (and for me, a full-length letter can be pretty darn long). So, I have decided to incorporate postcards into the challenge. On the days that I work, I will send a postcard to someone. On the days I am at home, I will send letters. I know this is the ONLY way I am going to send something every day.

Postcrossing cards will not be included. Since I send these out every week anyway, including them would kind of feel like cheating.

At the end of the month of February, I will share with you my success - or failure, whichever it may prove to be!

If you'd like to have a crack at the LetterMo challenge too, you can find out more information here.

 

But HURRY! It starts next week!
 

Summer Surprises (in the garden)

[Where the lawn used to be!]

 

Oh! It has been so HOT!

 

We've just come out of a heatwave that lasted over a week and saw temperatures nearing the 50 degrees Celsius mark (that's 122 degrees Fahrenheit) just about every day. We spent the entire week inside, in the dark, with the air conditioning on. The temperature wouldn't fall below 35*C at night, so to stay cool and to limit our electricity use, we camped in the living room, ran the air con on low at a very comfortable 24*C, and shut out the rest of the house.

 

That's another good thing about these old stone buildings: They're not open-plan, as is so popular with modern design, so there aren't large, open spaces that require a lot of energy use to keep cool.

 

 

The garden has suffered a little, as is to be expected. I only water the lawn once a week, just to keep it alive (but not thriving). However, the rest of the garden has not suffered as much as it has in previous years thanks to some well-timed pruning and a heap of Lucerne hay as mulch.

 

In early December I cut back the hardy Hardenbergia to the point where it was nothing more than a twiggy vine. It is now bursting with new growth! It certainly doesn't seem to mind all the sunshine we are having, that's for sure.

 

There are other small surprises in the garden too, including bulbs in flower, sweet alyssum, and button daisies peeking through the mulch. The mulch has been a miracle worker: I only water every few days, and yet the ground stays moist. I have used other kinds of mulch in the past (pine bark, and pea-straw), but Lucerne hay is proving to be the most effective. I would recommend it to any gardener, especially those living in dry, hot climates.

 

It is always nice to find plants thriving and in bloom, but even more so on a day that is 50*C.

 

A Postcrossing Adventure: Weeks 9 & 10

I am back! I can't believe it has been a fortnight already since my last post. We were without internet at home for around ten days, and I was quite surprised by how reliant I have become on the World Wide Web when I just didn't have it.

 

Having said that, though, we are now back online, and a whole lot faster than before. Our previous internet connection was so slow it made blogging quite a challenge. Now that we have catapulted ourselves into 2014 with 2014 internet speeds, the blog posts should be a little more forthcoming.

 

But right now, I need to show you my Postcrossing outgoing and incoming for the past two weeks...

 

 

 

Week 9

 

// outgoing:

 

 

Finally, the postcards I sent in December have arrived at their destinations and been registered by their recipients, which means I have a bit more flexibility in the number of cards I could send out this week. So as to not overdo it, I limited myself to two cards, and sent a postcard that I picked up on our recent trip to Sydney to China (AU-330087), and some adorable Australorp chickens (I really want some as pets) I have sent to Belarus (AU-330088).

 

 

// incoming:

 

Postcards finally started coming in again by the end of week 9. I received four cards: 2 funky ad cards from Singapore (SG-126947 and SG-126951 - from the same person, no less!), a card featuring art by Paul Gauguin from Germany (DE-2777596), and a temple from Taiwan (TW-1123767).

 

 

 

Week 10

 

// outgoing:

 

This week my recipients asked for tourist cards and cards that are meaningful, so I sent some golden reflections over Balcanoona Creek here in the Flinders Ranges to Germany (AU-331757), whilst the legendary Mr Eddie "Koiki" Mabo has been sent to Russia (AU-331758).

 

 

 

// incoming:

 

I was absolutely floored when EIGHT cards arrived over the course of this week, and from a fantastic selection of countries to boot.

 

From Thailand I received the Penguin Classic A History of the Countryside (TH-156017), and a temple in Sukhothai (TH-156015); a colourful landscape (JP-484855), and an illustration (JP-484863) arrived from Japan; an interesting abstract card came from South Korea (KR-85776); a lovely handmade card was sent to me from Germany (DE-2777079); a totally non-scary anime demon girl was sent to me from the Netherlands (NL-2266664); and a stunning landscape card arrived from China (CN-1171321).

 

This week my favourite message came from Alina in Germany, who wrote:

"I'm 19 years old and I live near Germany's oldest town Trier. Trier has many World Heritage Sites! I'm a student at a highschool for design and media engineering. In my free-time I enjoy reading, baking and creating Mail Art. Like you, I'm a vegetarian. I've lived on that diet for about 14 years because I love and respect animals. Since November I've been living a vegan diet. It works very well for me and I'll continue doing it. I've read your blog with great joy. I loved everything about it! My cat Eddie lived with my family for almost 10 years. 4 days ago he died due to cancer. It broke my heart and I miss him so much already. I hope he's fine wherever he might be now."

 

[Here's to Eddie and all those wonderful animals that come into our lives and complete them!]

 

 

 

Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 23

All time: 83

 

 

Postcrossing postcards received to date: 25

All time: 87