Drongos

 

NO,not the politically incorrect Aussie epithet of years ago,meaning a dull witted or stupid person,
but a distinctive iridescent black birdwith red eyes;
stout black bill surrounded by bristles and having a long fishtail- shaped tail.

A migratory bird,our visitor ('he" chases other drongos away) arrives in April and hangs around until sometime in November.
Most of its food consists of flying insects taken in flight,but 'ours" doesn't mind swooping and catching a small piece of raw meat thrown in the air. 

In black and white

 
Not all our bird visitors are colourful........On the left is a male adult Magpie;
The drab one on the right is one of last year's hatchlings an immature magpie with it's father keeping an eye on proceedings.

The two birds central stage are Pied Butcher birds.
Great mimics of other bird song,their normal call is very similar to the opening stanza of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
When the whole family ( seven or eight, currently) burst into song about 1.30pm most days,who needs the Boston Pops!
These Butcher birds also share as a group in the rearing of the chicks when they arrive;the previous year's hatching act as baby-sitters and feeders for the newest chicks.
Their name derives from the fact that they tend to "hang" their spare food (grubs,lizards,frogs) in crevices in bark or from twiggy branches.

Of course,there are always opportunists........Magpies,Currawongs;Crows and Black-faced Cuckoo shrikes who will rob the pantry. 

Breakfast with the birds

 
One of the many Rainbow Lorikeets who "free-load" at our place 

Foreman material!

 

Jesse never knows whether he's feline or human: regardless,he has
to check everything out...even the ride-on mower 

Begonia

 

Tiny Begonia blossom....leaves of "cathedral Begonia" in the background 

A pair of Galahs

 
Regular visitors to our yard for a free feed.These galahs are the first birds captured with the new digital camera....the extra 12X zoom is great! 

Mark your diary..........QUILTMANIA

  

The jury is out.............

 
This is the result of today's attempt at making "Elephant-apple jelly"!
Somehow,I don't think the elephants will be getting too much competition from 'yours truly'---taste tests make me think it will be too sweet for my taste buds,but I'll leave the final verdict until it cools and possibly sets a little more.
In the meantime,take a closer look at the picture---
I had been going to crop it tighter,until I noticed one of our regular feathered free-loaders ( a Sulphur crested Cockatoo) outside in a feeder,and keeping an eye on proceedings 

Elephant apples,anyone?

 

Until yesterday,I'd never heardOf Elephant apples (dillenia indica),much less seen one!
(It's amazing what turns up at quilting groups isn't it!)
Anyway,Ann had some elephant apples to share,plus a recipe for making jelly from the fruit.
Needless to say,I had to try them,didn't I?
First up,a Google search revealed that officially they do exist and are known by various names ranging from Chulta (Indonesia) to wood apple,monkey apple and indeed elephant apple and that the trees grow to 50 foot in height.


Anyway I thought I'd share a pic with you...the matchbox in the foreground is for size comparison,and the fruits weighs between 500 and 750 gms.
I can understand why Ann says they don't park their car under the tree when it's in fruit......imagine the panel beaters bill!
Okay I'm now off the chop and cook.....will check in after the jelly-making exercise 

Autumn leaves

 
I found this beauty in a local bead shop,and thought to use it on my Autumn Crazy AJQ,but instead used only skeleton leaves,and will turn this into a pendant for moi 

Bitten by the bug!

 

My DiL has been seconded to the Arts and Craft stall for her daughter's school fete in October...........
AND she has been bitten by the "beading bug"............it seems to be a family concern,with mother,father and daughter getting involved.........
The family that beads together stays together....
I'll take better pics when I go visit! Promise. 

  

Another view.....

 
of THE Yamaha! 

Bikers and quilters.....

 
After a few years without the wind in his face,our son Mark has gone back to two wheels!
He tracked us down at the Mountain Quilters' at Peachester today to show us his new baby!
Yes.....he did come in to the quilt show, and he bought beads and bead containers to take home to Kim. 

PASCUA LAMA

I don't very often get up on a soap box,and when I do,it's generally because my daughter has made me aware of something ......

PASCUA LAMA is a case in point!
Please read the following,and if you agree with the sentiments expressed,cut and paste the PETITION to an email and start circulating it among your friends.


Dear friends who care about our earth. Judge for yourself if you want to
> take action.
> In the Valle de San Felix, the purest water in Chile runs from 2 rivers,
> fed by 2 glaciers.
>
> Water is a most precious resource, and wars will be fought for it.
>
> Indigenous farmers use the water, there is no unemployment, and they
> provide the second largest source of income for the area.
>
> Under the glaciers has been found a huge deposit of gold, silver and other
> minerals. To get at these, it would be necessary to break, to destroy the
> glaciers - something never conceived of in the history of the world - and
> to make 2 huge holes, each as big as a whole mountain, one for extraction and
> one for the mine's rubbish tip.
>
> The project is called PASCUA LAMA. The company is called Barrick Gold.
>
> The operation is planned by a multi-national company, one of whose members
> is George Bush Senior.
>
> The Chilean Government has approved the project to start this year, 2006.
>
> The only reason it hasn't started yet is because the farmers have got a
> temporary stay of execution.
>
> If they destroy the glaciers, they will not just destroy the source of
> specially pure water, but they will permanently contaminate the 2 rivers
> so they will never again be fit for human or animal consumption because of
> the use of cyanide and sulphuric acid in the extraction process.
>
> Every last gramme of gold will go abroad to the multinational company and
> not one will be left with the people whose land it is. They will only be
> left with the poisoned water and the resulting illnesses.
>
> The farmers have been fighting a long time for their land, but have been
> forbidden to make a TV appeal by a ban from the Ministry of the Interior.
>
> Their only hope now of putting brakes on this project is to get help from
> international justice.
>
> The world must know what is happening in Chile. The only place to start
> changing the world is from here.
>
> We ask you to circulate this message amongst your friends in the following
> way. Please copy this text, paste it into a new email adding your
> signature and send it to everyone in your address book.

Please will the 100th person to receive and sign the petition send it to noapascualama@yahoo.ca to be
> forwarded to the Chilean government.
>
> No to Pascua Lama Open-cast mine in the Andean Cordillera on the Chilean-Argentine frontier.
>
> We ask the Chilean Government not to authorize the Pascua Lama project to
> protect the whole of 3 glaciers, the purity of the water of the San Felix
> Valley and El Transito, the quality of the agricultural land of the region
> of Atacama, the quality of life of the Diaguita people and of the whole
> population of the region.
>
> Signature, City, Country

Ironic?

"Help send a message of peace around the world!
The Dove of Peace flies from site to site, through as many countries as possible. It does not belong to ANY belief system.
Please help make a line around the globe by taking it with you to your site, by giving it to someone for their site, by passing it on to another continent or to the conflict areas of the world.
May trouble and strife be vanquished in its path."


Ironic isn't it that I saved this quote for my weblogs on the same day that an over zealous online moderator vented her spleen at yours truly!
Only regret I have is that I was unable to copy and save the gif that accompanied the message.........it might have flown on to a certain site as a reminder!

A postcard from..........

British Columbia!
Today's mail yielded this beautiful postcard from Vivian K in British Columbia,Canada.
Vivian has printed onto fabric a photograph of
"Golden Ears Mountains reflected on Allouette River after the first fall of snow"
The print has then been embellished with machine stitching to represent forest and reflections.

My photography does not do justice to a beautiful piece.

Thank you, Vivian! 

Foreman material

Jesse has to check whether it conforms to workplace health and safety! 

This morning's villains..............

 

Don't you love it when...........

................the quiet day you planned goes rapidly downhill before you even get out of bed!
Early this morning(well it was early for me because I'd planned a lie in,or as Darilyn puts it a beach day)
I was disturbed by a persistant horn beeping just after 7am;
finally curiousity got the better of me and there at our front gate was a good samaritan informing me that
"Your cattle are loose on the road.You'd better do SOMETHING!!"

Okay,we have land and cattle do graze there..............NOT our cattle though!
A neighbour gets free ajistment as long as he maintains fences and pasture.
Get back inside phone cattle owner to come round up his beasties and another neighbour phones.......:"do you know....??"
Finally get owner, do traffic warden bit slowing down traffic;
Breakfast is an hour and a half late;Said cattle owner returns from driving cattle back to their block and complains that "Your fence is down and that's where my cattle got out"
STIFF!
Anyway half morning is gone and so have my plans for a peaceful morning sewing.

Things I'm grateful for:
Good neighbours
Living in Australia
Summer is over
Strong black coffee to jump start me each morning