Here we go again...

The hospital has just rung.

The skinny one has a pre-admission clinic on Monday, and is booked in for surgery on the eighth of July.

Fingers and toes crossed that this is the last surgery for him, and that the care he/we receive is much, much better than last time.  It could hardly be worse.

Sunday Selections #125

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River I generally run with a theme.  This week I am returning to one of my bigger obsessions - birds.  For a change though, I am not featuring the birds that visit us, but some of the birds that live in our home.

The first is our most recent acquisition.  We certainly don't need it, but it makes me smile.

The second is a piece of bobbin lace - designed and made by my mother.  She decided that she wanted to know how to make bobbin lace, and set about teaching herself.  Incredible.

An antique piece of embroidery I found at an auction.  It is over a hundred years old - and I love it.  And admire the skill.

This is one of the first counted cross stitches I ever did.

 

I DO like our winters...

Winter is (finally) here.  And I welcome it.  I find it such a relief after the unremitting heat of summer and I admire the elegance of naked trees silhouetted against the sky.  I can snuggle into bed at night, and don't become a sad and soggy mess within minutes of going outside.

We are lucky here and while (by Australian standards) we get cool weather, the skies are usually blue.  Sunshine and frost go together beautifully.  And I also love the softer foggy mornings.  Which is lucky, because I can't change any of it.

That said, I am also looking forward to spring. 

In my obsessional way I bought far too many spring bulbs.  Again.  Just as I did last year and the year before and as I almost certainly will next year.

As I have whinged, bitched, moaned often, I am as supple as a brick.  I find getting to the ground difficult, and getting up again worse.  I have crawled across the lawn before now to pull myself up using the front steps.   Not only is it difficult, it is painful.  Which makes gardening a challenge on the days I am feeling polite and multiple expletives difficult on the other and more common days.

However, I am as stubborn as stains.  I love my garden.  Playing in it eases my soul and there is always something to do.  Usually a lot to do.  So I have started rehabilitative physiotherapy.  Whose sole aim is to give me some flexibility back and allow me to play in the garden.  More safely and more easily.

I have some twenty exercises to do.  I have indicated to the physiotherapist that she must take sadistic pills with her breakfast because I don't think that the malevolence she displayed in designing them comes naturally.  She laughed - which supports my theory about sadistic pills.  Many of the exercises make me sweat.  Some make me swear.  None of them are easy.

BUT THEY ARE WORKING!!!!

I have finally finished most (but not all) of the weeding, and have squeeeeezed the last of the bulbs into the ground.  I have focussed on colour and on scent.  And lots of the bulbs are starting (too early) to poke their way through the ground.

These are photos from earlier springs.  I am hoping for bigger and better displays this year.

And today we have gentle, blissful, lifegiving rain.  Which will help the bulbs in the ground.  And will make it easier to put in the 120 liliums which the smaller portion (not me this time) succumbed to, and which arrived yesterday.  Next week perhaps...

Sunday Selections #124

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River I generally run with a theme.  Yesterday morning we started the day with fog and frost.  When the sun started making valiant attempts to break through I wandered out to pick up the papers.  There were many, many sparrows greeting the sun with noisy chirps from within the crab-apple tree and at least a little blue sky...  An hour later, there was nothing BUT blue sky.  As always, clicking on the photos will embiggen them.

Come Howl with me...

Last Saturday the lovely Gary from Klahanie stunned me (think gob and smacked, flabber and ghasted) with the Semper Fidelis Award. Gary epitomises loyalty and support.  Consequently I don't think a week goes by without him receiving a richly deserved award or six.  I was very honoured by his gesture, and will ALWAYS be happy to dance beneath the moon with him.

Needless to say, the award comes with rules/conditions.

1 :  Add the Semper Fidelis Award logo somewhere on your blog.
2:  Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
3 :  Nominate five bloggers whose loyalty, friendship you value and you consider being part of your "pack of wolves".
4 :  Post something special for each one of your nominees and dedicate it to them.  Such as a quote, saying, poem, picture.  Anything you think would pertain to that person.
5 :  Let the nominees know that you've nominated them. 

The first two conditions are easy-peasy.  Done and dusted.

And then the difficulties begin.  I have been blown away by the magic and the wonderful people I have found in the blogosphere.

Each and every day.  I am educated about a wide range of things.  I have wept with and for other bloggers.  I have laughed with other bloggers - sometimes until I wept.

I am shown beauty.  Beautiful creations, and beautiful people.  I am in awe at the many talents that lurk here.  There are writers by the score (and drat them I succumb to their wiles).  There are painters, poets, ceramicists, photographers, makers of books...  I am shown birds, animals and gardens which make me drool.  I have been invited to play on other people's blogs - and have had a heap of fun doing so.  Not only have I been shown beauty, I have been given it too and in some cases I have been allowed to buy it, and bring it into the eclectic clutter I call home.  I have met and loved two bloggers, and would sacrifice small unimportant body parts if I could meet a few other special people.  (Preferably not my body parts.)

Some of you share one or more of my obsessions.  Others have introduced me to their own.  It is such a privilege to be invited into your homes, hearts and minds.  You have supported me while I have whinged, bitched and moaned during difficult periods in my life.  Some of you have been here at my back through my whole journey in the blogosphere, and others I have found more recently.   

You can see my problem can't you?  How can I limit myself to five bloggers.  Fifty-five bloggers wouldn't be enough.  So I am going to cheat a little.  I value you all - more than I have the words to adequately express.  So...  if any of you would like this award to call your own (and I know that some of you don't do awards) please, feel free to pick it up and run with it.

This is for all of you.  Come dance and howl with me - under the moon, the stars and the sky.

 YOU BRIGHTEN MY DAYS

 YOU ENRICH MY WORLD

 

Sunday Selections 123

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River I generally run with a theme.  This week I am trawling through my archives.  I have damaged a shoulder (too much in the garden I think) and cannot take any new photos.

The first bird is a baby galah.  Their voice is typical of many Australian birds in that they are not at all musical.  Just the same, I think they have a lot of charm.

The second bird of the week is a Common Bronze Wing Pigeon.  Not common enough.  We don't often see them, and greet them with cries of delight when they appear.  Thank you to Arija for reminding me about these gorgeous birds.

Sunday Selections #122

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River I generally run with a theme. Just for a change I am back in the garden this week.  Some years ago I was given a Tree dahlia.  Each year it is a bit of a race - will they flower, or will the frost kill them first.

This year they did flower.  For two days.  And a neighbour has just given me some red ones.  They didn't flower this year, but I have high hopes for next year.