crayfish at last

January yielded only one crayfish in David's pots so this month he and Rory have been diving off the back of Rory's boat using a hooka.

With some success:



 

Then today there was one in the craypot - so perhaps his luck has changed.

 

 

catification of Beechwood begins

Willow has not returned so we are adopting two Burmese kittens.
They are both females from the same breeder but different litters born a month apart and we can't collect the first for another 5 weeks.
We're going to make sure they don't roam freely: they'll have interesting things to do inside and a large enclosed run outside, centring on the shelter shed with trees to climb and cosy spots for a nap.

Alison came for a sleepover and erected stage 1 of making a cat-friendly house - the cat gym - which will connect to a runway over the windows leading to the top of a high cupboard.

 

It's all done with an allan key

 

no more Willow

We had a miserable Christmas: Willow our cat went outside at midday on  Christmas Eve and didn't come back. It was dusk before we realised that this was far too late. We were awake all night and can state that Father Christmas didn't come, only mosquitoes in the open door.

Next morning Angela and Josef, Judy and Jon - our neighbours - and son Jon combed the scrub to no avail and checked surrounding sheds. But the place is full of holiday-makers who would have seen her. No body so the options are: snake-bite and overnight fox or cat-napping. The internet informs me cat-napping is common, especially for pretty cats like Willow and the prime time for it is just before Christmas. OUCH! Wish I'd known that before, I'd have locked her up.

I've advertised at all the vets, the animal shelter and in the local paper and she is micro-chipped so there is a slim chance that somewhere down the line we may get her back.

As Di McEwen said: "She had a wonderful life."

 

 

forgiveness?

 

 

My walk yesterday was accompanied by seagulls overhead.

Does this mean they've forgiven us for Willow's misdemeanours?
More likely they remember I threw them some pork fat this morning...



not not-gardening

With the arrival of a trailer-load of sheep manure I have to admit we are gardening. Thanks Max for donating it AND helping to scrape it out from under the shearing shed.

With this good stuff the asparagus will be fatter next year

 

Wildlife continues to wander by: there was a blue-tongue lizard in the shed this morning and last night a wallaby came in search of water from Willow's bowl on the beach deck.

 

 



wandering wildlife

We've got weird snails here: this lot seem determined to get as high as they can and all on one solar light, even though there is another one unscaled nearby:
 

"I'm the King of the Castle, haha haha!"

The pigface we planted is doing well and the bees seem to appreciate it:


Bee with full yellow pollen sacs either side


A pair of brolgas recently arrived in the rapidly-drying swamp and we just happened to be driving back from a newspaper run to Port MacDonnell as they flew in:

This wandering echidna went off-course and found himself/herself - how can you tell? - on our house deck and unable to get down the steps.
Willow was interested but wary: she has possibly learnt a lesson that it doesn't pay to harass wildlife after her seagull experience.

seagull experience:http://babyboomerbooks.com.au/willowswindow%20-%20cat.htm



 

strawberry season

We're still not-gardening.

My early plantings were either blasted by salt-laden gales or eaten by a wallaby: it ate a big rhubarb plant, roots and all overnight, and promptly got run-over on the road - serves it right!

So my efforts have narrowed to the western end and the tunnel house where I try to maximise the space by going upwards, the latest endeavour being two strawberry towers. We read how to make them online at http://www.apieceofrainbow.com/diy-strawberry-tower/ and so far it's working.

 

We've picked one feed, more to come.
The fruit is lovely and clean as it is off the ground.

As it gets hotter David will relocate them outside, but in early spring it's nice to have our own soft and sweet strawberries. Peas have finished, with zucchini and yellow squash replacing them, tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum still small. My new rhubarb plant from Fred is outside, growing happily in a Woolworths shopping bag where I hope wallabies won't find it and the dwarf lemon, laughingly called "Lotsa Lemons" has finally decided to grow after sulking for a year in the tunnel house and has ONE LEMON.

potatoes and rhubarb in shopping bags, basil in pot outside

David transplanted asparagus from Foote Street and planted it in a long line between the road hedge and the house where is has sent up spindly little sparrow legs not worth picking this year. We've  been offered some lovely mature sheep manure but as it's still under the Lightbody's shearing shed  he's not too keen on retrieving it.

Can't interfere with fishing - 37 nice garfish last Sunday.
Crayfish count for this season is still 1.