Cold and wet

We've had the fire on almost every evening because its been so cold and wet. See? It does get cold here. Not a cold that huffs your breath or stings your fingers, but cold enough for soups and jumpers and fires. Life is settling down into more of a routine now. Here's a few winter scenes.

Cold enough so there's nobody swimming at Black Head beach. Well, no humans anyway.

Wet enough to fill the lagoon to overflowing...

High tide laps over the dunes from the sea into the lagoon,

and then, the lagoon opens and it all rushes out to sea. It's different every time you look at it, this bit of the beach.

The rainwater tank is full again. So is the dam. The magpies stand out in the downpour, water dripping off the ends of their beaks.

There was a bit of cooperative neighbourhood handymanning in the design and installation of a new gutter and drainpipe for the terrace.

 Thing of beauty it is, works like a dream. No more rain falling on the terrace tiles.

A bit of gardening between the showers. This is me at my glamorous best, with saggy bottom trackies, knee pads and crocs, pruning what I hope is a native bush and not some environmental weed.

We propagated dozens of casuarinas and planted them all at the back of the dam. One day, that will be a sighing screen of weeping she-oaks. One day.

The baby butcher birds arrive every morning for a little snack when they see the blinds go up or hear the coffee maker going. Sometimes they sing and its just gorgeous. They sit on your arm. Their little feet are warm.

This one is for you, Wim. It's your carnivorous plant, pruned and repotted. I hope those new red shoots will turn into fly catching pitchers when the weather warms up.

This is what's left of a house at Tuncurry that disappeared in a massive gas explosion last week, killing its occupant and spraying asbestos over the neighbourhood. They say there was a gas leak in the line under the house. Poor old fellow wouldn't have known a thing.

This is Charlie the sheep on a neighbour's place. She's a breed that moults its fleece off so she always looks sort of ragged. She just loves a scratch. That must itch, that stuff on her back.

In other news, Lian has sent photos from New York where Wim came to stay briefly.

 She will be back in Melbourne soon, and he is off to France. David is to spend 3 weeks in Sydney soon, attending the Royal North Shore Hospital's Pain Clinic program. We are hopeful this will help deal with the neuropathic pain in his arm and foot. It's there all the time but much worse at night. But he's not letting it get to him. I'm not sure how I'll cope with living solo while he's away. Maybe get a few things on my job list done!