A picnic up the coast today at a place called Piermont.
Normally the setting is perfect.
And our weather like this.
Till today – 15 degrees with an icy wind which made the idea of picnics out of the back of cars not the best thing in the world. And reminded us that summer might indeed be over and autumn here with a vengeance.
Driving the hoggets to new pasture…
Almost there…
My offsider…
Waiting at the Old Highway pass for husband to drive the breeding ewes up over the hill with the ATV…
Through the pass and waiting in the holding paddock to head to the underpass beneath the Tasman Highway to the paddocks on the other side…
This weekend we went to the southeast coast’s annual agricultural show – Bream Creek. We are regular attendees and have even entered fleeces in the fleece competition. There’s so much to see and enjoy and one runs into many familiar faces. It’s a grand day out…
We all began kayaking about 11 years ago, and in that time have paddled together in many different places up and down our east coast. But over the years we have decreased in number through age and injury and we’re now trying to have one BIG kayak per summer, to add to the little ones we try to have once or twice a week. I’ve not been for many this year because of Mum’s accident and because of windy weather but I wouldn’t miss the BIG one for the world. We augmented our shrinking numbers with two extra ladies this year. A lovely group…
Remember a while back, I said my blogs for the moment would be mostly photo essays? Well after writing 3500 words and editing 50,000 over the last two days, I took the day off with my husband!
Went away for the day to a place we call Fourmile (a little beach on Maria Island across the Passage from House, about 9 nautical miles). It was the first day that I have really relaxed since Mum’s accident 6 weeks ago. I mean really relax because we played Robinson Crusoe. In all the years we’ve been going to Fourmile, we have never seen anyone-else there and this was no different.
At last.
After the worst December and early January in my memory with our weather (not to mention Mum’s accident!), we have finally hit pay-dirt. Yesterday was lovely but the water was very cool for swimming as we’ve not had many sunny days. I emerged with skin burning and bones aching.
This year I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to include pieces in two historical anthologies. One fiction, one very factual. In two of the three pieces for the editions, my forbear, William Owen Millington was the subject and the inspiration.
Why indeed?
Without even mentioning my childhood, I would say that when one is an islander like me, being surrounded by sea one comes to terms with the ocean very early on in life. It’s as natural to living as breathing.
Still playing with the camera. Looking for colour and detail in House’s garden.
Nasturtium … have to say, love it in salads. Nutty flavour, and the colour? Fab…
African Daisy … boring but always colours up in summer despite droughts…
NB: new camera and an amateur who doesn’t read the instruction book – sorry if pics are ordinary!
Drafting ewes and lambs through the yards.
Jackeroos having to hold hats in wind.
Crutching the ewes (taking the mucky wool from their bums so they don’t get flystrike in the summer), husband waiting to go into pens to drench the ewes (so they don’t get worms). Blurred image…
