Rain and Spider

Today I measured the rain after feeding the chooks, and there it was, the same young huntsman spider I tipped out the gauge yesterday with 3ml of rain, this morning there were 5 ml of rain.I don't know how it squeezes itself through the tiny hole in the funnel.It certainly would not get out by itself, so I tipped it out again. Not only do we have a frog with a cushion fetish we now have a spider with a rainguage fetish.

Fabulous rain at Willunga

Measured 50ml or 2 inches plus an olive in the raingage this morning and it has continued on most of the day.Amazingly tomorrow, 25th of May is our wedding anniversary and 21 years ago the opening rains came then too.People came out with umbrellas for me as I went into St Anne's church at Aldinga.Our reception was held in the shed which I'd worked very hard at to clear and paint and got forms and tables from the local church.I had done all the food prepping as well for 50 guests! What energy I had then...Chrissie next door did all the serving with a girl to help and it all went off splendidly as I remember...since then it has been an interesting and very different life I have lead compared to the first 50 years.Tomorrow we are going to lunch at D'Arry's Verandah to celebrate and I will get a netsuke as a memento.

Wasting time contacting big companies

How irritating it is to ring internet providers,Telecom, modem companies.They seem to think your time isn't  worth a brass razoo.You ring them up and you are told to press this number or that number and when you finally press the right number you are told you are a valued customer but you are put in a queue. Only 5 minutes you are told but 30mins later you are still waiting and the awful music they play in your ear I know is designed to drive you insane and make you hang up so your problem does not become their problem. And whats more they succeed  as I will go and buy myself a new modem and not expect them to honour their supposed promises about customer care and replace a faulty modem. We will be very careful never to deal with those companies again if it can be helped.
Luckily my friends were here today to play music together and sooth the savage breast. We have also had some beautiful rain which has topped up the pond. Winter is here and it is lovely to have a warm fire in the evenings.

Another busy week

Wednesday my friends and I played through the pieces we have selected to play for some special friends we will invite on Sunday 10th of June.We'll entice them to come with the promise of afternoon tea.I'll make my fig and ginger cake and the others will bring some goodies too. Thursday I spent in the 0ff the Slate gallery on my own for the first time, we sold one piece of art so that was good.Yesterday I drove to our Passap group in the Adelaide hills.The hills look so good in their autumn colours. Last night we had 20 points of rain which is so good.This morning my friend came and played the piano and we managed to get a bit more acquainted with Vivaldi and De Fesch, it is hard work though and the time flies.This afternoon I managed to complete a back in knit weaving for a short sleeved top which will drape across the front.I'll take a photo of it when it is finished.I will add the photo of the origami knitwoven jumper I completed at last and have hung it in the Gallery.

Super bags revisited

As I was sweeping the back verandah this morning and lifted the new u- beaut supposedly hygienic, latest artificial material mat, which is leaving its supposedly non staining sweat mark on the pavers, I pondered on where did the superbags we used to use in the 60ies, go? We had any number of them and the moment they were too grotty to grace the back entrance, we got another  clean one out of the shed. We used to use them to rub down the sweaty horse we rode back from mustering the hills, we used to use them for working dogs' bedding, we used to put them in the shed where the car was parked so you didn't put too much dirt in the car as you got in.....those were the days!
I was doing all this before my computer tutor came to give me more instructions on how to fly this jet engine of a laptop and I certainly learned a few more applications which is great.The really good thing is though, that I discovered by myself how to actually get a clear photo insert onto this blog.

Afterwards my tutor was able to get some wonderful photos of the pair of tawny frogmouths  which I had seen in the gumtree on the northern fence. In one photo the frogmouth had its eyes open which is very unusual in the day, they generally sit with their heads up and their eyes mere slits.

Where does the time go?

Monday has flashed by in the blink of an eye.Went to the library this morning and had the Sonata 3 enlarged to A3 so I can see it better and notate it more easily.Then went and had my cello lesson which is always a delight.My teacher is very knowledgeable and we seem to get very involved in correcting the hand positions and finding the best way for me to master them.I always come away inspired. It made me very late so rushed home to pick up Brian and go to the pictures at Noarlunga as we had been given free tickets to see a film of our choice.When we got there we were so late the film we wanted to see was full up.We saw The Way instead.This is a very enjoyable film with beautiful scenery and wonders of wonders ,no sex or violence!!!A film of loss and redemption beautifully portrayed by the actors and not done to death by them.Came home feeling uplifted,got the washing in and fed the chooks etc etc. Yesterday I did a swatch in reds for an interesting pattern for a top with a twisted front.I'll use my summer batwing pattern to make it in knitweaving of a mixed yarn with a chenille yarn as weave in yarn.I also finished the red origami jumper at long last, sewed the neckband on so it curls up and hides the sewing stitches.I'll take it to the gallery on Thursday when I am doing my first stint on my own.

Fridays musings

We had a lovely meal at the pub last night but unfortunately missed a call from my friend who did a stressful journey from Mollymook NSW to Maldon Victoria on her own with a dog called Daisy and 4 white peace doves in the car to start a new and more interesting life.Her message on the answering machine sounded so whacked and tired, but she at least let me know she had arrived in her new home.I can't contact her as I have no phone numbers.How we rely on our modern communications these days.How did our forebears cope with having to rely on handwritten letters which took at least a month to get to Europe or even further back, more like 6 months..... My friend came this afternoon and played the piano while we again tried to master Vivaldi's Sonata no 3.The largo movements are getting there but the Allegro is a different matter even though we play him at largo speed.I wonder if he was a hyperactive child when he was young? Vivaldi ,I mean, perhaps he would have been very happy in this modern age of furious speed.... We also played Willem De Fesch and that may be an easier piece to play in front of friends one day. Two crested pigeons at different times today flew into our windows with terrific bangs, it didn't kill them or even stun them, but I did worry they may break the windows, another reason for not cleaning them I suppose as they can see through them and see the trees at the other side I guess.

Thursday was Craftday

Our little group was formed back in 1991 and we have met every other Thursday since then. We have lost a few members mainly through moves to Adelaide.We mostly do our own thing but we did go through a patch of making embroidered quilts by each member embroidering a square and two of our members sewing the squares and then hand quilting them. we each finished up with a quilt.We also did some which were sent to the Victorian Bushfire relief.Today we met at a members place who lives on the foreshore at Aldinga so we have beautiful views to distract us from our various projects. We also discuss books and the state of the world which at present is pretty chaotic. I also went into the Aldinga library as they have a much better selection of craft and art books and have the American Magazine Threads, which very often has great new ideas. So I brought some home and will peruse them when I get time.We are going out to have a pub meal in Willunga in a little while so that will be the end of the evening probably. I won't bother to insert an image as they are not coming through well at all.We got 1 egg today.......and the share farmer has sprayed the paddock ready for sowing I guess, a little while ago I was worried he may no longer be farming it as we are tied in with next door who looked as though they were going to put in posts for vines...

Tawney Frogmouths It was a real thrill this morning to find the pair of Tawney Frogmouths sitting contentedly in the fork of a gumtree north of the house.A friend came and took some photos and was delighted to see how well camouflaged they are, the feathers looking so much like bark.I think they look very aboriginal with their deepset eyes half closed against the sun.They hold their heads in this aloof manner pretending you are not there looking at them. It was a warm day today but we did get a bit of a shower late afternoon.The roses are flowering so well they are a real pleasure.

Fabulous Baroque Music

Fabulous baroque music.... Was fortunate enough to be given a complementary seat at the Coriole music festival for the 1st concert on Saturday night and for the third concert on Sunday night..what bliss to hear such fabulous live music by wonderful talented professional singers and players. I had never heard anything by Stradella or by Pergolesi so to hear his Stabat Mater sung by two very competent sopranos and an even more competent baroque ensemble was pure sadness and delight if that is possible.... On Sunday morning we visited and Open Garden on Mosquito hill road which was interesting with its numerous garden beds and little rooms.There was a couple playing live music on a keyboard and an instrument I had not seen before with a very beautiful clear and bell like sound.It turned out to be an American mandolin which is almost like a guitar without the long fingerboard.I had thought it sounded like a balailaka No cello lesson today as I felt my tutor needed time to recover from the very strenuous playing at Coriole over the whole weekend. Made some knitwoven wrist warmers on Saturday ,they were fun to do

More learning today...the perpetual student I seem to be...using Firefox does seem to make it easier to transfer photos

lovely rain today but won't measure it till tomorrow morning,probably only about 4ml or 10 points.