Klara - growing up

Klara is growing into such a dear little girl.  We haven't had anything destroyed or stolen in a long time.  Oh, except when I put a box with apples in it down beside the door while I unlocked it, only to turn around and find her chomping happily on an apple!

She has settled in well at the shed and seems to enjoy having open space around.  It's colder overnight here and it was below zero the other morning.  I bought Klara a little coat and she seems to like that.  She isn't too keen on her new "run" but we need to have somewhere safe to lock her up while trucks make deliveries that need to go in "her side" of the yard.

Autumn lunch at Lavandula

My mum and I had lunch at Lavandula lavender farm a few weeks ago.  It was so picturesque.

Getting ready to move.... again

It's taken a while but Mick's made a start on proceedings out at the shed.  There was so much to do to prepare temporary living quarters that the actual building project took a back seat for a bit.  Now the formwork for the concrete slab (our first house built on concrete!) is in progress after a messy and tiring few days for Mick in cutting trenches in the existing concrete slab to lay the pipe work. We feel like we are finally on our way.

We will be moving on Friday as we now have a tenant lined up for the house. The cupboards are mostly empty and we're down to the essentials. I feel like I've done nothing but packing and driving back and forth to the shed.  It's nice to be able to do the moving over a couple of weeks rather than all in one day like is usually the case.

Klara and I got a bit of a shock the other night when I took her out to do her business before bed.  We do have a street light just down from us and it casts enough light to see your way around our front yard for the most part but we have a large tree that blocks the light on one side.  I walked down and just as I passed the tree there was a rustle and a loud thud and an old man kangaroo jumped right in front of me.  I'm not sure who had the bigger fright.... me... Klara.... or the roo!  He took two more bounds and was over the front fence and out of sight.  Klara decided she'd finished whatever she was doing and raced to the back door to go back inside.

I've been remiss in photo taking out at the shed..... due mainly to the fact that it appears I've packed the camera charger!  I will take some on my phone.  Soon!

A visit in the planning

Well, she doesn't muck around!  One day we chatted on Facetime about airfares, the next day the flights were booked.  We're so much looking forward to seeing Carol when she comes for a visit from mid September.   Can't wait to show her our country.

We had a lovely impromptu FaceTime chat the other day before we went to work.  nb Winton's Folly has been out on a little cruise.  Carol had some visitors to accompany her and she was the steerer.  Lovely to hear and lovely to see photos of Winton's Folly moored out on the cut.

At the moment we are packing.  Once the agent finds a tenant we will move out to our temporary living quarters.  We will stay in the house in the meantime and pare down our belongings to the absolute minimum.  It's not my favourite job.

The weekend before Easter we had a visit from Maggie and Ray who live in Warwick.  It was one of our favourite moorings, tucked up in the Saltisford Arm.  We were sad to hear that Wylies Ironmongery has closed down.  It must be disappointing for the town to lose a piece of it's history.  We are glad we got to visit while it was still open and enjoyed our afternoon tea in the tea rooms behind.  Maggie thinks the tea rooms are still open.  Its worth a visit!

The Aussie "half year" narrowboaters are all preparing to head off the England.  We love to hear of their plans but oh, how we wish we could go too.  Tore and Kirsten had an Easter cruise on Parisien Star and we enjoyed receiving an email or comment from folk who saw her out and about.

Klara and I had a day trip to Melbourne today.  We went to visit my friend Vic and guide dog pup, Patrina.  The dogs had an absolute ball running around and rolling around and Klara teaching Patrina to splash water everywhere using her front paws.  Before we knew it the kitchen floor was a mess of mud, water and dog hair with the pair of them racing in and out of the house.  Vic's pretty relaxed about these things.  We let them go for a while and then sent them out while we gave the floor a quick mop and wiped the muddy streaks from walls and kitchen cupboards.  Trying to get them to sit beside each other to have their photo taken was an impossibility despite Vic's best efforts.  We have a very tired pup tonight.

Lovely sunrise on the way to work

 

Klara and her auntie Grace

Dog socializing group

Visitor to the pear tree

Today's fun :

 

Roos and Rainbow Lorikeets

We had a red sky this morning and the roos were out in force.

Then when I got home the pear tree was alive with rainbow lorikeets.

Cheeky chicken

One of our chickens has a bit of personality.  She's taken to getting up on the roof of the chicken run and house.  When she hears us come near she rushes to the edge of the roof to peer over.  It seems that she's worked out that if she flies down off the roof onto Klara's side of the fence she might be in a spot of bother.  She watched Klara for ages this evening.  Very funny.

And then there's a couple of photos of Klara to show good she is inside these days!  It's a tough life.