The Birds and The Beads

It has to be said...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:06:00 +0000

...that here is nothing anyone can say that will make it better. In fact, most of what people say, serves only to twist the knife. But what surprises me most about this is: the way no one says anything at all. Not one word about what happened. No one calls us just to ask how we are, or if we would like to talk.

Everyone seems pretty happy to just pretend nothing happened. And in fact, they all act as if nothing did. Maybe thats partly my fault, see, I didnt want to ruin everyones 'christmas' and I have to tell you, I wasnt the life of that party, but from where I sit, I gave a goddamned great performance of 'handling it'.

So now we get joke emails about dead pets, emails about of how loving and appreciative their children are of them, or texts telling us how their god has blessed them with appliance repair - which are just three examples that show no one has any hint of an idea about what we are going through.

In calmer moments I realize I cant expect friends and family to understand, but, it seems sometimes that they, to be perfectly frank about it, that they just dont think. I guess thats because to them, nothing happened.

Why does "life goes on" mean we have to pretend nothing happened to us?

And even the two of us do not experience it the same way. We still love one another, and there is nothing we wouldnt do for each other. But he can not experience it the way I am, just as I can not experience it the way he is.

Except for: What are we going to do now? Who are we going to be? Whats the fucking point of any of it now?

It wouldnt matter how many people you surrounded me with, there is just no one who can understand, nor comfort. I must walk this road totally alone. Its a good thing Ive had a lifetime of practice.

Mommys still fighting for you my little babes...
Christian Mather Sage, lost Easter 2002
William Bradford, lost Dec 23 2010

Bromeliad: Neoregelia Blushing Tiger, blooming

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:56:00 +0000

Orchids are a wonderful group of plants to grow, but you spend a large part of the year tending plants that appear happy to do stuff all for you. I thought it would be nice to have some colour going when the orchids were not in bloom...but what could be happy in the same environment?

Bromeliads!

And so it came to pass that I acquired some Bromeliad 'pups'. It was very difficult to choose which to try because the variety and colours are staggering! Quickly I realized that a new addiction could be in the making, and have learned not to even open the emails and catalogs that come along anymore - its just too much temptation.

This is my Neoregelia "Blushing Tiger". Ive only had it a few months and already its bloomed for me - what a charming envoy for its species - but I must not cave in! I must not order more plants...till at least next year.

Calm before the storm

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:53:00 +0000

Non-verbal goings on

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:32:00 +0000

Cat with one hundred names: #1

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:05:00 +0000

Priapus will sit next to his dish until I fill it to its correct level. He would rather starve to death than eat the last few kibbles left in the bottom. Also does this with his water dish.

Future Food: Macadamia nuts

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Super sweetly scented, almost like honey.

Spring Blooms & Hope Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 21:36:00 +0000

Life has been toying with us lately. Not with a sense of fun and adventure, but more like a barn cat with the last mouse of the night. Tossing us away only to catch us up over and over again, all claws and teeth but no merciful kill. There is no malice in it, but it is indeed hard not to feel so.

And yet still - I hope! Despite thinking it foolish to do so! Hope must be one of those things that humans "cant not" do.

We are due a win, and look forward to it.
_______________
Native rock orchid with Johnny Jump ups, in the neglected back garden yesterday.

Epidendrum seed pod

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Id love to know who pollinated it, this is the first time any of our Epidendrum have set seed and then both of the pods were on the same flower stalk where some one could have sat on the porch railing and done their work....one to wonder about.

But mostly Im just posting this, and quickly, to prove I am still alive - just seldom near the computer these days. Heres hoping for more sedate days soon, Cheers!

Whoa Geeze!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:09:00 +0000

Friends in High Places

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:59:00 +0000

We wouldnt have attempted this steep climb with deep holes on our own, but when out with your local 4WD club you can try more challenging tracks than you would when out alone. A little tug with the 'snatch strap' was all we needed to get out and up to the summit. Another couple this hole trapped were not so lucky...4WD can be a very expensive hobby if bad luck strikes.

Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:57:00 +0000

Bush Birthday Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Bad Haircut #16

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Here is the picture I gave the stylist (Rachel Welch):

And what I got was (David from BBC's Psychoville):

Hmmm. You know, now that I look at those shots together like this, I can see how she got there. Still, she will be having nightmares involving curling irons for a long time to come.

Just enjoy the moment...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:17:00 +0000

...after all, this moment is all we ever really have.

Swimming in deep, profoundly thick stuff lately. Heres hoping we find our way to shore soon. In the meantime, a butterfly from last April. Be good to yourself today.

Manys the time...

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:38:00 +0000

...I set out to post something but could not decide what to say or what photo to lead with. Everything has been unsettled around here since mid-march when The Most DH found himself made redundant at work. Oh, so much involved there - at least one hundred tirades I could launch into! But whats the point of that really? I might get it all off my chest but, whoopie doo. You know. Anyhow. One day at a time and all that rot, eh?

But hell, the homebrewed beer has been great. It gets better every week! Now we really need to get the next lot going, but the cider is not quite ready to bottle yet. And horrors! Said cider needs about five weeks in the bottle before it can be drunk - bummer!

Im not ignoring you.....

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:19:00 +0000

...but we have started homebrewing again. Once this ale is ready to drink, then I may be ignoring you, a bit. Certainly I will after we start the next batch, cause that will be a cider. Ive recently become quite fond of 'hard cider'. Will let you know how it all works out, but in the meantime, back to work for this little black duck.

Alternate uses for your Hi-lift Jack

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:15:00 +0000

The Hi Lift Jack is an important 4WD Accessory, but that shouldnt discourage you from using it in other inventive and imaginative ways.
__________________

Quite by chance I noticed a brick falling out of the bottom of our house, and pointed it out to The Most DH. After investigating we found that the South side of the house was suffering from being wet all the time. In a drought. Go figure.

So, we need to dig a drain to deal with it. The bigger, and more immediate problem was that the concrete footing the hot water heater sits on, had been undermined. The hot water heater was attempting to pull itself free from the house. Oh, no you dont, you tricksy bugger!

The Hi Lift Jack was employed to re-level and hold the hot water tank while we excavated, and poured a new footing. A great day was had by all.

Bonne Chance: Unaware of the camera

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:46:00 +0000

Rock Climbing in a Land Rover Discovery Series 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:18:00 +0000

Proving its all about picking your line, here The Most DH pilots the Disco up some fairly serious rocks. And all this on 29 inch Cooper ST's. A couple weeks later, we went back at night and did it in the dark - now that was a gas!

Bonne Chance: Happy Cat Nap

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Wed, 05 May 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Our sun-drunk feral friend pretending to be an ordinary domesticated pet.

Leaf Cutter Bee in Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Snagged a few minutes this week for photography, at last. It must have been my week for insects as I bagged a few goodies, the first of which to share is this Leaf Cutter Bee. Ive seen their handiwork about the garden, and Ive seen them muscle bits of leaf into cracks in the brickwork of my house. Too bad they are too busy to wait till Ive got the macro lens on.

She's more articulate than I am lately

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Here our trusty Land Rover Discovery powers her way up a punishing 4WD trail somewhere in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. You can not only see some good wheel articulation, but you can also just glimpse the new front diff guard* underneath. (Its the bit thats still shiny.) Later in the day our new rear diff guard* paid for itself by taking a nice hit during a water crossing - but no pics of that this time.

Anyhow, here is a shot from the top for you to enjoy.

* diff guards
Metal housing designed to protect your differential**

** differential
(disclaimer: this is a nutshell explanation - do not write and complain)
A vehicle's wheels do not always rotate at the same speed (like when going around corners) Your differential compensates for that, preventing one wheel spinning while the other drags.

So obviously, 'cracking a diff' leaves you S.O.L.***

*** S.O.L.
S**t out of luck.

Just a picture today

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Sulphur Crested Thugs

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Another archive shot. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos prune my Acacia Cultriformis last August. As you can see, I wasnt able to sneak up on these guys to get better shots. To add insult, they mocked me from thier aerial retreat.

3WD Action

noreply@blogger.com (Lavender) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:52:00 +0000

I snapped this one at a recent 4WD rally event that The Most DH and I attended. We had a great day and the only damage sustained was the passenger side mirror got ripped right off.

Hey! That tree jumped right out in front of us, shouting "Stop logging now or there will be more attacks!"

Honestly.