Today started off grey and overcast after a night of clear skies and bright stars. At least it was warm and for the second day running I didn’t need any wet weather gear. I did the same old! Wandered down the track with our dogs after giving Holly her nuts. She broke her cover the other day and I will need to take it to someone with a commercial sewing machine to fix it. I remember when I was a lot younger my father once said to me something like: “once you buy a car you’ll always be spending money on it to keep it running.” He was right and it’s the same with a horse too! Covers, nuts, hay and farrier visits! Still I have been around horses most of my life and I feel as if a part of me is missing if I don’t have one. That feeling when you hug into a horse’s neck and breathe in the horsey aroma, Mmmmm can’t beat it! (I’m laughing as I read this to myself – you’ve gotta be a horse person to understand!)

The river has come down after the heavy rain and it has also cleared up. From up at our place you can hear the water moving over the rapids below the bridge. Some times we also hear vehicles when they drive over the bridge. The big double trucks are loud but also motorbikes, cars aren’t so bad. I quite enjoy the low number of traffic on the road, but I guess it will begin to pick up again from next week.

I moved Holly’s fence and walked down to the road. Looking up towards the Radiant Range I could see that it was raining further to the East. Those mare’s tail clouds in the sky yesterday were right!

When Laurie and I began developing our property he built some fences and we planted some trees on our boundary with the road. The cabbage trees have grown really well as have some of the flax. I’ve been noticing some of the native bush is starting to look healthy and strong as it grows up through the gorse. We don’t spray so it’s extra exciting to see the natives coming through. There is a stand of lance wood trees that I especially like. They are such a cool tree! These ones are still at their juvenile phase, with serrated leaves.

I had a bit of a tidy up this morning; the kitchen was getting a bit tatty! Kayden had a Facebook video from one of his teachers and I had a Zoom meeting for work. I’d cooked up the quinces that were left in our mail box a few days ago, hung the fruit overnight and made quince jelly this afternoon. There isn’t much but it will add a bit of variety to the other jams and jellies that we have made with Autumn fruit. Now that Laurie has finished building the store room, we have a nice cool place to store our produce. It gives more space inside too.

I had another Zoom meeting this afternoon to prepare for going back to work, Work? Eeekkkk!! Still I am keen to get the transmitters changed on those birds and I know Mica is itching to do some work. It is going to be different with all the new health and safety regulations – more paper work!

As I write this I am wearing my new knitted hoodie. I actually quite like it! It is quite long – almost mini-skirt length and very warm and comfortable. It has taken me over two years to complete, so that in itself is a major milestone. I’ll leave you tonight with a couple of photos of it. I’m quite late tonight because we had another zoom meeting with friends from our church this evening. Three Zoom meetings in one day … is this an indication of how we will meet and gather in the future? I sure hope not!

• 

•