Bird watching

We have heaps of birds around the house and this little red robin came for a couple of weeks with two females last spring before the house was built, hoping they will come back.  Was so excited as I had only ever seen Red Robins on Christmas Cards and was unaware that they are in Australia.  This is the reason that we haven't got a cat, as much as I would love one. 

 This little guy is a baby red tail cockatoo, he squawked all day from morning till night, was ready to shoot the demanding little bugger

 The neighbours chookpen is on our fence line, they all run up to our side when I go down to the vege garden, they are getting more of my kale and silver beet than we are.

 Through summer we don't see any little birds, all the big birds come in, Pink and Grey Cockatoo's invaded our gum tree down the bottom of the block, this is just a few of them in the tree that we can see ,heaps more in the foliage.  Every now and then they all fly out wheel around and back again.  Often they swoop down the valley around 4.30 then sleep in this tree when it gets dark.

A few fly down to the chook house, not game enough to try and pinch the chooks food.  The chooks can be quite vicious with other birds and will kill them if they get in their house.

 Got a photo of this lovely Magpie preening in the Sheok near our back verandah, the birds are able to look inside the house from this height.  Damn Green parrots would perch here and taunt me, I am now about to swoop down into your orchard and eat your fruit, knowing I would have to rush out the front and then down the back to chase them away. But we have come to a truce now, net those trees that I want the fruit off and they can have the rest.

Now its Autumn the little birds are coming back, they flit around almost hitting you, they are unafraid of humans.  They are loving the grevillea's that are starting to flower on the bank at the front.  Spend a lot of time watching them while building the retaining walls recently.

New challenges are fun

Sorry, I have been so busy that I have neglected my blog.  Our journey into our new home has had a few challenges.  Not to do with the house itself, but with Electricity and Telephone companies.  However we have been in nearly 5 months and had 2 seasons, summer and autumn.  Summer has been very long and hot but now it is my favourite season, autumn.  Autumn with the lovely deciduous trees turning beautiful shades from yellow to red and many shades in between.  We have had a few good falls of rain to soften up the soil and a chance to get started on the gardens, more of that in the next post.

 For our flooring we are trying the very latest paint effects called spilt paint on floorboards, very versatile the pattern just keeps growing, soft on the bare feet walking. Jokes aside son-in-law is so busy up in Perth that he hasn't had time to do the largest area of flooring.  However we have two rooms carpeted, the theatre room and one bedroom, so thats a start and there is no rush as each area we get done is a new delight to be enjoyed.

 We don't have a separate kitchen, dining and family area its all one big room, was a bit of a challenge placing furniture but really happy with this layout.  Plenty of light (important to short sighted people) and lovely views from the large glass dooors to the back verandah of the nearby hills.

 My studio is off this room and nice and roomy, will give you photo's later as still not sorted out.

 Doorways here lead to theatre room, passage and my greatest achievement a large walk in pantry, just love it.

 John's man cave the theatre room and below looking back into the kitchen

We are so happy with our new home, the layout works really well for us.  We are taking our time and gradually putting up our artwork, learning how to put hooks into gyprock after only having brick walls is a whole new ball game.  John is really enjoying being more involved in doing all this, in the past because he was working and usually we moved in a weekend he had little time to do this.