Trams, whales, pink lakes and salt

Dear Great Gran,
we have just returned from our holiday in South Australia - here's Ruthie and Julie on the Granite Island bridge at Victor Harbour with a horse drawn tram coming towards them.
And here's a self-propelled tram using the same tracks:

We saw fairy penguins on Granite Island and southern right whales with calves lazing just offshore on nearby beaches. On the way back, we camped by Pink Lakes in Murray Sunset National Park and took this photo of Pink Lake at Sunset in the National Park.
Ruth found licking the salt on the salt pan irresistible. The strong wind dropped at sunset - and we saw a wierd phenomenon where the crystal clear water of the lake moved back over the salt pan like an incoming tide.

And finally here we are on an old salt stockpile - rock hard now - from when salt was mined from pink lake.
much love
Brendan

Dear Gran,

We really had a lovely time with you in Melbourne the other week. Thanks so much for having us!

Since we got back, we have made some additions to our family:
Nugget (above) and Queenie (below).

They live in a hutch out the back, although since it is still so cold we put them in a box in the laundry overnight.

On your recommendation I have been reading the Alexander McCall Smith Scotland Street novels. Why are they enjoyable rather than boring? It is very pleasant to sit on the couch reading them with a little guinea pig on your lap. (Don't tell Ruth that we let the piggies inside the house at night.)

Some people say that it is the first day of spring tomorrow. These silvereyes in the backyard seem to think so.


Much love,

Julie.

Exercise trailers + butterfly masks

Dear Great Gran
Julie has been riding an exercise bike as part of her knee re-hab- but unfortunately she's not yet up to riding a real one. Ruth figured that even exercise bikes need a childeren's trailer! So here they are going for a ride together!
Ruth has been increasingly interested in craft activities lately. Here she is with a butterfly mask
much love
Brendan

Kid Gloves

Dear Great Gran
Heres's Buttons modelling a pair of Kiwi Gloves (wool-possum-nylon) posted by Nana (who made the connecting woolly string thing). She is also wearing the latest in Nepalese Yak Hat fashions from Nana (doubles as a teapot cosy) and some choice expressions of her own design.
much love
Brendan

Leaves, Moles in Holes and Winter Soup

Dear Great Gran,
After months of not corresponding, here's some colourful early June scenes by the lake.
Julie throwing leaves in air.
All the world's a stage.
Reaching highMole in a hole (checking depth of post holes for espaliering the apple trees)Tucking into soup while Stephen and Julie work in the kitchen.much love
Brendan

Boolarra fires

Dear Gran (and others!)

when I left Boolarra this afternoon, Mum and Dad still didn't have phone or internet, though they do have power and water. Mum gave me some photos she took: here are some of them.



Smoke seen around the house















Sean in full SES gear hosing down the garden.



Fire below the house.






























Fire above the house, seen through the taped-up kitchen window. The above two photos were taken less than a minute apart.

The spruce tree below the house, burning.

The woodshed burning.



The supersoaker is not, apparently, standard CFA issue. Yet.


This explains why they lost water pressure halfway through the fire.



One of the two mudbrick houses on the hill above Sue and Neil's house that was burnt.


much love,

Julie.

Cakes, Flowers, Butterflies & Mountains

Dear Great Gran,

Back on Boxing Day, Momo and Ruth are getting ready to 'help' Lorraine ice the birthday cake -

And here is the most genial host of the party with the birthday girl

We had a great time at Dinner Plain - not least because of the new year's eve overnight hike.
Here Julie frolics amongst the wildflowers - in the background you can see the burnt forests from 2006 bushfires in the Kiewa River valley:

A green butterfly landed on this flower while were having lunch...

Here's the same flower with Mt Feathertop beyond...

...I am very tempted to cut and paste the butterfly from the previous photo onto this one using Photoshop!

love
Brendan