This morning I woke up early, very sad.

My knees have both died, so both will need to be replaced. This will be 2 major surgical procedures, each with a 2-3 month recovery.

How will I get through that, especially with not being able to go for walks?

As I lay there, sadness tugging at my belly, I heard black cockatoo calls approaching. There were lots of them – it must be one of the western suburbs flocks! How wonderful! I jumped out of bed and raced onto the balcony to watch.

They landed in the gum trees and the tamarisk in our back yard, feeding, calling and preening each other. There were definitely a number of pairs there.

What if I managed to find a nesting box to attach to one of our gum trees? They might be able to make babies then. The reason they are dying out is that the big old gum trees that have nesting holes big enough for them have been chopped down.

Even with my dodgy knees I can make this happen!

Today, at the inaugural Duck Derby, we watched 10,000 sponsored yellow rubber duckies released into Claisebrook inlet. Despite the best-laid plans many of them escaped, bobbing down the inlet into the Swan River. We will be finding little numbered yellow duckies along the Swan River banks for quite a long time.

However it was a good chance to meet up briefly with Tristan, Blaine, Jeanette, Tom and Thea:-)

This morning, while we were quietly reading the papers, I spied a moth on the back glass door. On closer inspection I could see that its wings were still slightly furled. As I watched, they filled with whatever wings fill with and the furls slowly unfurled. It must have just hatched out of a cocoon!

What magic to have in our own back yard:-)

3rd March:

Thea Campbell wrote:

Dear Aunty Elwyn

Thank you very much for the “Little Miss” books that you gave me on Thomas’s birthday. I really like the pictures in them, and I am learning to read the words. I like all the Little Misses!

Love from

Thea

Elwyn Campbell wrote:

Dear Thea,

I thought you’d like it! Thanks to Grandma for arranging to give it to you on Thomas’s birthday.

Love from Aunty Elwyn 🙂