in the garden

i have been emailing and texting a friend in canada recently and we were talking about things that can kill you in australia.

the very next day there was this red back spider right near the tap in my backyard (middle of photo)

 

from a distance you can barely see it but it is right near where i have to put my hand to turn on the tap. danger in my own back yard. luckily they are not aggressive so i am ok. 

also in my backyard, my trees for life are beginning to sprout. one little tree there

 

and a few more of the other variety coming up

 

its exciting and stressful watching them grow, but i think its going to be ok.

recently in Radelaide

here are a few of the things happening recently in Radelaide

i got to check out the bee hive at our studio with bob

 

they are a happy, passive hive, busily filling their home with honey

we may not get any honey this year, but it a long term project so that is ok.

 

there have been plenty of baby ducks and swans along the river - watch out for their territorial behaviour when riding your bike past

 

otto and i had a trip to the beach the other day for a walk 

it was perfect weather for a stroll on the beach and a quick dip in the water

 

here is otto before he ran through the puddles

 

there was a panda cake made to celebrate a friends birthday

this was enjoyed over lunch last weekend

 

and until today the weather here has been perfect not too hot not too cold - and today is perfect inside computer activity weather - 39 degrees and only to get hotter tomorrow!

10 days

this is my wrist a day a couple days after surgery

 sore, puffy, strange

it doesnt look like it belongs to me

 

but just 10 days after the surgery and look almost normal. well more normal at least.

still swollen but stitches out and doing physio. now just time and exercises to build my strength and movement back to normal.

wrist

this is my right wrist wednesday before surgery.

thursday morning i went to the sportsmed clinic and had surgery

this is my swollen sausage fingers after surgery. my hand/wrist/arm is sore just need to rest

 

this is me today 3 days after surgery with the xrays taken during surgery. 

my one less hand means a uniform of track pants and little activity. i go back to surgeon in 10 days to find out the details of what happened.

2015 holiday

i know it is only the last day of january today, but borris, otto and i have already gone for a camping trip.

we drove south along the coast and through some lovely australian bush areas.

 

this was the first time we have been camping in the kombi in over 3 years. I know this because otto will be 3 in march and this was his first time camping.

here is borris and the drivers seat

 

and otto next to him on my lap looking out the window.

 

we camped overnight near victor harbour and then the next day made our way to goolwa.

this is a new or recently restored steam engine train that runs along the south coast between goolwa and victor harbour.

 

it was really loud.

 

on the way back i stopped an bought these flowers,

they are proteas and amazing. i love the zig zag leaves that look like they have been done with scissors. and these flowers are still doing well in my house 2 weeks after our trip.

hopefully the first of many camping trips this year.

new years day 2015

i am not a huge fan of new years eve. it is all hype. i would rather celebrate new years day. a new beginning early in the morning, a fresh start to the year, with all the shops shut. perfect!

 

borris, otto and i made plans to meet with tom and rosie and xi and chris and patsy at belair national park. otto enjoyed mostly being in the shade of the trees, but really would have preferred being inside during the hot weather if he had a choice.

 

so we met at the park and tom and chris managed the bbq area in style

 

borris and xi played some golf,

 

and we all enjoyed lunch under the shady tree before going for a stroll in the park and playing at the adventure playground area.  it was a nice way to celebrate the new year together.

maybe this can be a new tradition as well. i would like to go back to the national park and do a few of the walks. that is on my to do list this year. otto can come too as long as he stays on his leash!

oh and we also go to use a christmas present from my brother.

the kombi looking like the millennium falcon! cool!

garlic, otto and roy

last week i could not wait any longer to harvest my garlic crop.

the leaves were starting to brown, and i think all the growing was done

 

i planted them in sections by variety, but i cant find the bit of paper where i wrote down the order. but i kept them in bunches of the same variety as i harvested them anyways.

there are nine types all together. some are really a good size and others a bit small. i did better this year than last, i made sure there were no weeds for competition and mulched the area around the garlic really well. i did forget to feed them regularly, so next year i will try that too. but i think it was a successful crop and should see us in garlic for a few months. they are now all hanging under the stairs near the front door of my house, so as soon as you walk in you are greeted with a string garlic scent.

otto's best friend roy was over the other weekend for a visit.

 

they had a great time playing and running around and biting each other. they were both worn out by the end of the visit.

 

borris had a good time with them too

 

training for treats is more difficult with 2 dogs!

what's new?

 from the smoke exhibition that i was in last month i made an art purchase.

it is the large photograph of an old workshop.

i think it looks pretty good in the space. the space is large with high ceilings, but the photograph is large too 1.5 m x 1.5 m.

as a result of the artwork purchase i then decided i needed a piece of furniture that i could use to hide away some of the stuff in the room to keep it looking less full of stuff.

i found this unit second hand for a reasonable $200. i moved the artworks by my mom and hoola hoop to this wall next to my favorite shovel to make room for the new artwork.

 

   

 i think that it has worked out really well, now the juicer and blender are hidden away along with the dog food and dog treats.

and speaking of dogs, otto is now 2 years old.

still as cute as ever!

mini holiday

life has been a bit busy and full of things to do lately, so borris and i planned a mini holiday a couple of weekends ago. it was only for 2 nights but it was great to get out of the city and chill out.

 

this was the view from the balcony towards the ocean.

this was the beach right close by,

otto and i enjoying a glass of wine before dinner

 

otto had a great time, barking from the balcony, sitting in the giant bean bag chair,

and many many walks on the beach

 

borris on a morning walk

it was a nice holiday but as with all holidays, too short.