Except for the bare Birches, one could think it warm, serene
and summery. Think again, it is a wet, windy, winter's day.
Don't let this patch of blue fool you although my resident
Grebes are happily chasing each other about making cute
gurgling noises.
Moments later, the dam reflects another story but they still
have fun.
The sun has briefly lit up the clouds but one of them has decided
to go deep sea diving.
A moment of warm sunshine to enjoy while hiding from me
amongst the reeds.
Just so you can getter a better look, enlarge the cropped version
to see how cute they are with their fluffy bustles.
Meanwhile in the next paddock, part of our population explosion
of kangaroos. Since we planted some Bluegum forests, they have
moved in and are multiplying like rabbits. They are lovely to have
around being one of our national emblems, just not in great
numbers and I don't at all mind sharing our pastures with them,
if only they did not turn our fences into sieves. Due to this
destructive habit of theirs, our sheep now roam at will . . .
Here is the cropped version, in case you could not spot them
in the above. These last few years we seem to be having the
biblical plagues not just singly but overlapping. As though an
eight year drought had not been enough, when the rains came
and we relaxed as our dams filled again, it did not take long to
see that blessings come with conditions. First a plague of Locusts
and Crickets last summer, concurrent with Earwigs out of
control invading houses, as did the Portuguese millipedes.
Powdery mildew stripped the leaves the Locusts had left only to
be followed by a second wave of them coming through.
You might be forgiven for thinking that was the end but wait,
there's more, at present we have a double whammy of millions
of tiny white snails munching their way through everything
including the bark on fruit trees and, waaiit for it, another
pet the settlers brought with them, yep, now we are tripping
over field mice by the hundreds. The cats are so sick of the
sight of them they don't bother any more and prefer
cat-crunchies. After all, one can only stomach so many mice!
If you think me rude not visiting your sites, think again, you
can 'put the blame on Mame' or rather blogger, if I am lucky,
I can open 3 consecutive sites and if I am even luckier, leave a
comment on one. Sometimes comment boxes don't upload, at
others it just revolts at sending the comment and I cannot
even copy it! Small wonder I am tearing out what few grey
hairs I have left. If this goes on you will have one bald blogger.
Please leave me a sign of life that you have been here lest I
feel like Shirley Valentine talking to the wall.
I encourage you to click on both the SkyWatch and Nature Notes Logos
and join in.
