On Friday during my morning walk I revelled in the soundscape of a flock of black cockatoos calling, and of a flock of rainbow bee-eaters trilling as they caught insects during their pre-migration feed-up. The only time we hear and see rainbow bee-eaters gathering in flocks is this period in late summer when they gather in bushland to prepare for the their long flight north. Their babies have fledged and learned to fly, and they are now preparing them for flying the long distance towards Papua New Guinea.

Yesterday, when I was on our balcony with Tom and Thea, watching the various birds who make our tree-filled garden their home, we again heard rainbow-bee-eaters calling as they fed.

This morning, Rob armed himself with his camera to catch glimpses of them before they left as we walked in Bold Park, but the park was eerily quiet.

They had already left:-(

The next time we will hear them, and catch the brilliant flashes of bronze and green as they catch insects, will be in spring when they return once more to make babies in the nests that they dig in the sand.

This might look like an ordinary black house spider, but she has just been on an incredible journey!

Some weeks ago she fell down from the ceiling window where she had made her web, and I spied her wandering around the floor of our bathroom. She had fallen from the ceiling, down by the shower screen, onto the floor by the toilet. Then over some days she made her way across the floor to attempt to make a web under the left-hand side of the cupboard, incorporating the bathroom scales. Her web, so painstakingly constructed, was continuously broken when we opened the cupboard or moved the scales.

Then a miracle happened. This morning, when I got into the shower cubicle to have my shower, there she was on the rim of the ceiling window! Somehow she’d found her way right across the bathroom to the ceiling window where she’d been born!

By the time I’d finished my shower she had nestled into her spot and begun spinning a new web. Hopefully this time she’ll get it right and the web will be a safe home for her:-)

Tom learned about death today.

For some years, a family group of magpies have been coming to our garden each spring to make and raise babies. Last spring was no different. However, as all but one of the young learned to feed and take care of themselves, it became more and more obvious that one was a bit behind the 8-ball brain-wise. It fell off the shed roof, it couldn’t feed itself, and eventually it’s family abandoned it to stay unsupervised in our garden.

This afternoon while Thea slept, Blaine heard a commotion in the front yard. She went to investigate, and found 2 big crows attacking a magpie. She shoo-ed the crows away and gently carried the mortally wounded magpie in, calling “Wendy!” As soon as I saw the poor little bird I knew exactly which one it was. Tom came running too and of course wanted to know what was going on.

Although nature was taking care of its own in its own way, we thought it kinder to this little bird that had endured so much that it died in peace. So we called Rob and asked how much of the anaesthetic that we keep for just such occasions we should administer to put it to sleep. We gently placed the little creature in a big airtight container, put a cloth soaked in anaesthetic in as well, and shut the lid. The struggling ceased. Some time later, when we were sure that the little one was dead, Tom helped us to wrap the body in a beautiful cloth, and he chose where we would bury it in the back yard. He helped to dig the hole, and we prayed for it to be at peace as we put the wrapped body in the hole and gently covered it with earth.

Tom shed a lot of tears when he realised that even his beloved Pa could not make this one better. And then he shed tears for the sadness that the “Mummy and Daddy” of the little guy would feel on the loss of their baby.

A very big day for our Tom.

We never got a photo of this magpie, but this photo is of a very healthy magpie in Tom’s back yard:-)

This afternoon it was 43 degrees in the shade!

As I was sitting at my desk I noticed a butcher bird land on the bird bath just outside and have a long drink. Then another one arrived. The first bird tried the usual response of chasing the other one away – they are very territorial! However it almost fainted in the process so let it be. Instead he held his wings out to try and get cool.

Soon there were 4! All panting with their beaks open, holding their wings out and having long drinks.

After losing a lot of our precious endangered black and white cockatoos on our south coast in the heat last week, it was good to be able to help these little guys through this awful heat:-)

Today we made the most of Elwyn’s last few days and celebrated the first day of 2010 on the golf course! Yesterday Rob and Elwyn carefully hauled the spider-web laden golf club sets out of the back shed. They hadn’t seen the light of day since Elwyn was last here about 20 months ago.

This morning Rob, Elwyn and I met Tristan at the golf course. We hired 2 golf buggies – I drove Rob and Elwyn drove Tristan. These things are so much fun – I can’t wait to get old and have  my own gopher!!

I trailed around after the 3 of them as they played the first few holes. The highlight for me was finding a rainbow bee-eaters nest by one of the fairways, dug into the sandy bank! Joy when a bird flew out of it!!

When Blaine and kiddliwinks arrived I drove my buggy back to the entrance to meet them – what fun!

After that they both helped me to drive the buggy. They were OK with help on the wheel but when Tom “lead foot” tried to use the accelerator we went flying! So that was immediately banned and he was only allowed to steer.

It was a great way to spend a morning together, and Rob won (see one of his winning shots in the pics)!

Today we sailed across to Garden Island with Elwyn and her friend Belinda. Lovely sail!

After some talk of going ashore for a walk, everyone but Rob was asleep for the usual after-lunch nap. Rob was gifted with this scene and put his trusty camera to work – an osprey fishing:-)

The left-hand photo catches the osprey flying down from it’s tree. The top right catches the osprey flying up out of the water with its fish. The lower right catches the osprey back in its tree, eating the fish.

Beautiful!

Last night we babysat (Rob, Elwyn and I) Tom and Thea so that Tristan and Blaine could have some well-earned “quiet” time in town, finishing their Christmas shopping and having a nice dinner together. Thea was her usual dear self, but Tom was pushing the envelope, perhaps for Elwyn’s sake?

At the park that afternoon he wanted to go off by himself. As there were a number of older boys we weren’t too keen on that idea, so I just trailed around after him to keep an eye on him. One bigger boy approached Tom with aggression in his eyes. I watched. He must have sensed something because he turned back towards me and asked “Are you his mother?” “No,” I replied in a very firm voice, looking him straight in the eyes, “I’m his Grandma.” He backed off!

At dinner, Tom made much more mess on the floor than usual. Elwyn took the picture of him and I discussing how he was going to get the floor below his chair spick and span after he’d finished his dinner. Before he agreed to clean it up, he asked if I had had to do that when I was 4!

When getting ready for bed (after he’d cleaned up the floor), Elwyn was attempting to get Tom to go to the toilet, and Tom was ramping up his arguments why he should use the toilet on the other side of the house instead of the one next to him. His final argument was “But Elwyn, I LOVE the other toilet!” Elwyn and I were very controlled in our laughter, but he did go to the toilet next to him!

Elwyn was quite tired by the time he finally settled.

Rob snapped this gorgeous photo of Tom at his favourite playground today. Tom names his playgrounds by their dominant colour – no prizes for guessing the colour of this one!

It’s a matter of love that we are members of the John Muir Trust in Scotland – we LOVE Scotland!

The Trust buys, rehabilitates and cares for increasing numbers of land tracts:

http://www.youtube.com/johnmuirtrustvideo#p/c/521FF30C04584034/0/faC-4jd6nnI.

You can see from the video why we do this…

Today we took the whole family (minus Elwyn who arrives here from England on Tuesday) to Rottnest on Dusky Dolphin. It was windier than the forecast (as usual!) so the ride was a bit uncomfortable for Blaine and Thea.

However, a half way across a pod of dolphins raced in behind us, leaping and splashing as they fed on a school of fish. The joy that flowed from them was electric and immediately dispelled any sadness aboard!

This photo was taken after that, when Thea’s smile had returned:-)