Thumbelina walnut shell

Thought I'd do this quickly while listening to Bolero on Classic FM.  If you google Thumbelina walnut shell, as I was inspired to do by Lady Jayne and the Floosie, you get myriad images and info.  Here's a couple of my favourites.

Thumbelina slept in a polished walnut shell with violet petals for her mattress and a rose leaf as her coverlet, though lots of images show a rose petal as her cover. Lovely.

doing the garden, digging the weeds

I had one of those satisfying gardening days today when you go out to do one job and then get lots of unscheduled jobs done.  While weeding I found this little treasure:

a discarded walnut shell growing its own garden.  When I was a child, I bought a tiny doll in a walnut shell cradle on a visit to London.  I've been entranced by them and their miniature possibilities ever since.  The cup contains some of Steve's windfall Golden Delicious apples.

Here's the remainder on the tree.  And here are my Cox's Pippins.

Exultation anticipation

As often happens, Jackie Morris, the woman who is living my life in Wales, and I are thinking of similar things, currently larks.  Jackie's thoughts are somewhat deeper than mine at the moment.  Here's what's on my mind.

These images come from Country Style, December 2016

Our larks begin 2 weeks from today.

Last Tuesday

Last Tuesday I finally got around to going for a walk along the cliff tops.  I need more exercise than yoga and zumba and the obvious answer, apart from going back to the gym (which I may do), is to enjoy the reason we moved here - the sea.  So here's some scenes from East Shelley  to Spring Bay.

You can see that it was just my type of weather.  What you won't see is Pharaoh Jill who trotted along beside me despite being off leash.

At Spring Beach this boatshed is for rent:

making me think of this on the Desire to Inspire webpage .

view from Spring Bay boatshed

I took this photo to remind me that there was a gentle rain,

and that part of the delight of the walk were the post rain scents and the sounds of the sea.

a beautiful rock at the start / end of the walk

On the drive to East Shelley I'd noticed this escaping garden so stopped to have a look.

A lovely idea but rather expensive, I thought.  Silverbeet 50c a stalk.

And for those struggling to understand, this is the creosotey look I'm aiming for with my fence.  Despite 3 coats of engine oil, the fence still looks the same.

Yesterday at the Mill

Things have gone very quiet at the Spring Bay Mill lately and some of us are getting worried.  The 10 Days on the Island Festival is on and, thanks to the Festival's website, we discovered there is an exhibition at the Mill.  No local advertising.  Steve and I visited yesterday.

As usual, just being at the site is magic.  It is hard for me to tell what is 'art' and what has just been left lying around.  This exhibition consisted of 3 walks:  Transition, Reflection and Pro-seeding.

The Mill hopefully is in the process of Transitioning to an arts hub with high end accommodation.  However there is a proposal to build salmon pens in Okehampton Bay with the land-based part of the business in Spring Bay.  The photo above shows part of Spring Bay.

You can follow this headland around to Okehampton Bay.  For the first time I could understand why Graham Woods has said he will not proceed with the Mill Development if the salmon farm goes ahead.  The farm will operate 24/7 so the noise and lights will virtually circumnavigate the Mill constantly.  Not good for high end accommodation.  I had objected to the salmon farm development on environmental grounds and because I think the levels at which the pens are stocked with salmon constitute cruelty.  Now I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the salmon farm proposal is aimed at halting the Mill re-development.
On to other matters.

 I was thrilled to see dichondra growing - which has re-ignited my aim to introduce into our garden / lawn.  Back to the Exhibition.

Visitors are invited to climb the scaffolding

from the top of which you can view Maria Island and the lighthouse at Okehampton

and from which you are invited to make seed laden paper planes and launch them - Pro-seeding.

After all this art, of course you need a good sit down.

I continued on the Reflection walk but couldn't find any of the little discs of clay you were invited to contemplate upon and either throw into the dam or keep.

I did contemplate this eucalypt with wattle growing at its base.

Another look at the as yet unspoiled Okehampton Bay.

planter box made of caterpillar tyre

the image of Triabunna that many want to cling to

birthday greetings, bottle of wine

Thank you all.  I had a lovely birthday.  In fact I stretched it from St Patrick's Day to Sunday because I could.

Saturday morning I had breakfast in the sun and opened my cards and prezzies.  What a fabulous stash.  Thank you soooooo much.  Despite having these lovely new books, I indulged in one I got at the Pop Up Book Sale the weekend before.

Only Georgia will fully understand.  It proved, as promised, a hugely enjoyable book - perfect way to spend 3 days.

Not that I spent the whole time reading.  I've had this idea to paint this fence with engine oil.  On Friday I had my car serviced and the lovely Barrie not only saved the oil but gave me 2 lovely containers for future use.

And this is the result.  I can't see any difference either!  But perhaps after a few more coats it will have that creosotey look that I love.  One effect is that the area smells like a garage and reminds me of my first job working at the Shell service station in Klemzig.  One of my duties was to fill the oil bottles.  And feed the dinosaurs.
Steve cooked me lemon chicken and we had a bottle of wine with a cork!