OUTSIDE Developments

Excellent progress has been made with establishing a pasture in front of the house.  A couple of weeks ago I wrote about throwing around some seed and hoping for rain.  We now have little green shoots popping up out of the paca poo, and with rain forecast off and on for this week, all the hard work looks to be going to pay off.  Some large boulders have been added to define the driveway and some native grasses planted around the rocks to try to achieve a more natural effect (when fully grown).

Another addition has been a little windmill which serves as a means to find wind direction.  Once constructed, I had envisaged placing this near the house until I realised it is quite lethal to get near it when the propeller is spinning and the tail moves quickly with wind direction change.  Once the little grasses have grown, it will also look more in place.

Out the back the 2011 steel sculpture is now on display.  Incredibly heavy, our fish has been welded together using plough disks and various other farm pieces - some stamped "made in France".

This is the second year we have visited the Wundowie Steel Festival.  Last year we purchased a seat made from various farm objects and in this sculpture, the plough disk has provided the base.  Two rabbit traps have been used for footrests and most people squirm at the thought of putting their feet near the traps.

The wonderful rain has also provided green pastures again for the boys and each night they come in with green stains on their bottom jaws.  In addition, the dam is almost at peak height and should surpass previous years due to the new contour banks either side.

The vegetable gardens are also thriving with the much appreciated rain - lettuce ready for each day's lunch in one and spinach, celery and beans powering on in another.

The little banksia garden planted a couple of weeks ago still looks promising.  I scattered some seeds (collected from last year's everlasting flowers) around the banksias and they have sprouted.  As this area is fenced off from the boys, I am hoping that each year they will self-seed and this may be a little pink paradise each September when the wild flowers are in bloom.  There are 8 different varieties of banksia which accompany our one and only mightly oak tree.

That's about it for outside news.  There will be some interesting felting coming up.