Spring Things.

It's spring so it must be time to mow and mow, and brush cut and brush cut.  This was my effort up the block this morning.

Some brush cutting under the trees and we'll be done up there, I think, unless we get more rain and it all grows again.

This was my gift from nature over the weekend... and I was so excited when I saw it waiting on the grass for me!  It is very rare to find a tail feather from a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, and I always see it is a sign of good things to come when I do!

We had a good weekend, with a fantastic Saturday morning at Fireys.  We did a jolly breakfast first and handed out choccies and bandannas (the most valuable thing you can have on the fireground) to the new members joining our team this summer.   We have nine newbies, which is so fantastic.  I'll have to be quick when the call-out alarm goes or I'll miss out on a place in the truck!  Just joking, I should think with the bad fire season forecast there will be plenty of work for everyone.

We also got to show off the new auto hose reel for the Light Tanker that our Fundraising Team has raised $5000 to buy.  What a great effort!  Go Team!  We had fun too, making sure meetings were social and chatty as well.  You gotta have fun as well as work when you do these things!  

Andy loves having another new gadget to play with!

Saturday night I went out to dinner with my friends, Amy, Jenny and Lisa, at Lisa's lovely house.  Lisa is one of those people who can make any house into a home with her great eye for art and design.  I met her at Uni when we were both studying art teaching, something neither of us do now, but lucky we did it, or we wouldn't have met!  Sister Jen has worked with Lisa.  Amy we met when I was tutoring at-risk kids and she was Jen's house mate for a while too.

Funny how you can meet so many people with each thing you do, but only some come along with your beyond that thing.  These lovely ladies are some of those people who have stayed.  Nicki, who lives in Tasmania now, and who we met through the amateur theatre days, should have been there too. This was us, minus Lisa, last time Nicki came to visit, quite a few years ago now, (gosh in fact six!) since I forgot to get any pics on Saturday again.  Too busy laughing and chattering!

Aww, look at baby Kelly there!  We had champers for you, Nicky!  (Well, the other three did. Boring me had water.)

Lisa made a gluten free version of this Apple Sharlotka. Nom nom nom!   I asked for the recipe so I can make it again!

Anyway, we had a lovely dinner cooked by Lisa, lots of yummy snacks, and talked so much (as usual) that my voice was croaky next day.  I didn't get home until midnight.  That is unheard-of lateness these days!


Sunday we did lots of chores, which sounds dull but actually if you've been feeling them weighing you down, it feels very good to do them.    

Spring also means lots of baby trees germinating.  This was a little poignant, a baby Jarrah seedling sprouting in the stump of its grand old relative, long gone to Dieback.  I wonder if it will survive?

       
It might if the wood has softened enough to let it get its roots down in there.  Good luck baby!