Sea / Tree Change and or Retirement

[think positive]

lots a rabbits!!!!
a magpie that fights my 4 old chooks, man they gang up on i,t it's so funny! some eagles flew over and i didnt have my camera dammit!

today i cut all the verges, along the creek, the front garden, side garden, and the chook paddock/bbq paddock in 1.5 hours, first time i did the verges it took me that and i didnt do anywhere near the job i did today! go me!!

i saw the old owners today, they recently paid a heap for the antenna installation, so they are trying to find his number for me! internet is getting hooked up and hubby has nearly finished the front gate!

what do you get where you are? i doubt we will get any kangaroos, we are in a small green belt of 2 - 5 acre lots surrounded by houses

[partypie]

We have kangas, tiger snakes, goanna, skinks, bandicoots, blue wrens, parrots, cockatoos, crows, to name a few. Also have rare plants, including banksias and blue boronia. The rarest plant is a type of grass that grows everywhere. Mobile reception is ok.

[Bruce Gonsalves]

lots a rabbits!!!!
a magpie that fights my 4 old chooks, man they gang up on i,t it's so funny! some eagles flew over and i didnt have my camera dammit!

what do you get where you are? i doubt we will get any kangaroos, we are in a small green belt of 2 - 5 acre lots surrounded by houses

Yeah rabbits, plenty of them, I don't mind them actually. The good stuff are the birds, Eastern Rosella's, Crimson Rosella's [real characters], Kookaburra's, Whip Birds, Galahs, Wonga Pidgeons, Blue Wrens, Wattle Birds, Willy Wagtails, Currawongs and Magpies.
There's a few koalas that wander around occasionally, plenty of Roos. Since I fenced our place off to keep the dog in, the Roos avoid our place. There are a couple of large muscular males close by that like to flex their muscles. Up the road a short distance are a couple of flocks of Emu's, rather special seeing these.

Reptile wise we have Jacky Lizards, these run on their rear legs when in the open, crazy things. The odd Blue Tongue and as you know a few snakes. Since we've become permanent the snakes seem to be avoiding us, so I hope this continues.

[Bruce Gonsalves]

We have kangas, tiger snakes, goanna, skinks, bandicoots, blue wrens, parrots, cockatoos, crows, to name a few. Also have rare plants, including banksias and blue boronia. The rarest plant is a type of grass that grows everywhere. Mobile reception is ok.

How do you cope with the Tigers? Have you had any close calls?

[partypie]

I’ve seen a few. I nearly picked one up mistaking it for some old black plastic pipe left lying around by a previous inhabitant. It was a frightened as I was and went on it’s merry way. I always wear boots that cover the ankle (partner wears gaiters or thongs!, make a bit of noise, am careful around areas they are likely to be. They love eating frogs, and seem to get moving when the weather warms up in late spring. My worst experience was with some dugites on a narrow coastal track. The first hot day had them uncoiling from limestone formations onto the track just ahead. We calmed ourselves and waited for them to move on, which they did. I once saw a western brown snake try to attack a car as it drove past, it made me not want to encounter one of those.

[think positive]

Geezus, the brown snake I saw end of last summer was HUGE, fat and long! The new estate had just been established and Im guessing pushed all the snakes to the duck pond, this is across the road from the beach house in indented head. I’ve spoken to all my new neighbours now and they have only seen them near the lake over the road from the new place, hope they stay there!

I’ve cleared what I can near the creek, rang and emailed the council, ran in to the grasss management guy next day, had a good chat and engineering rang me about fixing the mess they made when they got bogged! There is a strip of grassed council area about 8 metres wide from our boundary fence to the creek.

Yesterday I left here at 7 and went and cleaned out the chook shed, let them out to run around while I cut the last lot of over grown paddock, some was waist high. about 1/3 of an acre left to do, the worst bit, rough as guts, got a wheel into a huge rabbit borrow the other day, had to get hubby to help me get out! Got snagged on a hidden plank from the neighbours fence yesterday, got off and used every ounce of me to unhook it! You can bet I fist pumped in the paddock when I finished just as the rain started again in earnest! Sore shoulders today from unhooking it! Chooks have a decent shed and run, but I don’t leave em locked up longer than 3 days, we are going to build a better one after Christmas. They don’t lay much now but god I love em, so funny! I’ll get some younger layers soon. One of the neighbours trees has snapped in the wind, not quite completely off yet, but it’s over our fence and blocking the sheep from the bottom paddock. Friday I’ll go back and if it’s still down I’ll have a chat to them. Lucky the sheep were not near it!

[Bruce Gonsalves]

^ Don't think you'll need a gym membership!!!

[stui magpie]

Speaking of wildlife, with all the forest on the Vic side of the river under water, the local fauna has made its way into Tocumwal township.

I've seen small mobs of Roos happily standing around eating people's front lawns, and others have posted photos of wombats and koalas wandering through their yards, as well as a few snakes.

[think positive]

^ Don't think you'll need a gym membership!!!

Hehe,
I slept here last night, first time couldn’t be bothered driving to the beach house! Man it was awesome, peaceful, bed from the conference centre auction is so comfy! Got up at 6.15 opened the blinds and the chooks are lined up looking at me! Let them out , had an iced coffee and still warm eggs! Had a shower, I’ve done a heap of gardening, ripped out the last of the broad beans(Ive given about 10kg away!) Watched The sheep head butting each other as they fought for my attention! Bobcat arrived, put it in the shed, having a spell, some water and a ww snack bar! Do a bit more in the garden and clean out the chook shed and go find a feed store. Hubby is at a car thing with his mates! Then off home, we had the floors sanded and everything got junked in my gym and studio. I’ve cleaned out the studio now for the gym! I shot 2 Christmas studio sessions yesterday so lots of editing!! I’ve dropped 3 kg since I got my hearing aids! Yes that’s correct! It’s changed my life, I’m ready to go again!

Life is good!

I’d love the kangas, koalas and wallaby’s to visit! You can keep the snakes! I have a bee hive in the tee out the front! Hubby is like be careful as I almost stick the 400mm lens into the guts of it!

[stui magpie]

Sounds great but you can keep the bee hive, I'm allergic.

I have enough fun mowing up in Toc when the bottlebrush hanging over the fence is full of bees, as is the lemon tree, lavender and rosemary.

I probably should wear a shirt but I'm hoping they don't like Aeroguard.

[Bruce Gonsalves]

Yeah we also have a beehive in an old dead tree out the front of the neighbours.
A couple of times they've swarmed, sounds like a squadron of planes going over, scary though.

I chatted to a local beekeeper; she said half bees swarm with the new queen seeking a new hive. I think we're stuck with it unfortunately.

[stui magpie]

I had a swarm a few years ago in my front yard in Watsonia. Buggers took over a Possum box I had in a tree, I wasn't game to go out the front door so had to call a bloke I found online. He took the box and hive away to where he had other hives.

[Bruce Gonsalves]

They are a bit of a worry, another guy said they may be able to strap a portable hive to the dead tree, hoping they may move into it.

Anyhow I got crazier things down here to worry about.

[Bruce Gonsalves]

Did I tell you about the scorpion?

[stui magpie]

man, you need a gun, shotgun, air rifle or .22.