the yin and yang of it

back home after the long trek from Australia.

 as Dorothy says "there's no place like home".

I walked into the kitchen in the early morning hours from the airport

to spy the box of ashes from our ewe, Jackie-O on the side table.

her tests (demanded by the state and here)
all came back negative, as I knew they would.
she died from natural causes
despite the frenzy to find a deeper reason.

although cremation for farm animals is over the top,

in this case I was not willing to have her 10 great years spent with us
 tossed into some firepit with all their other specimens.

so we took her ashes and spread them this week across the fields where she lived her days here.

and the last handful was spread near her old companion Ashley and another lost lamb. 

Luna has done it again...her gregarious, friendly self
met an abandoned barbed wire fence.
it is nasty and will take a month to truly heal at this writing.
I won't even dare to show the actual damage.
Luna is amazing. her heart is huge and her spirit soars.
she never complains and is always a happy soul.
she needs to teach me a few things!
but I do think she needs to find a part-time job
to help pay her vet bills

the composted manure has been tilled in for the 

Polygonum tinctorium (indigo) and Isatis tinctoria (woad) planting.

our planting timetable is still 7 weeks away 

but for now the manure and soil are

having a love fest.

our neighbors belted galloways have offered up a new calf

this week. it is a regular stop enroute to watch
him go from nursing to napping to sproinging.

our far field protected a family of goose gourds
all winter yet
showing their wear this week

I got the last round of sheep coats washed
and ready to mend before shearing next week.
ghastly job.

permanence.

although the stones shift in these old walls

it usually goes unnoticed to the naked eye.

a century plus and here they are.

solid, stable, comforting.
and a spring sun sets beyond.
there is balance.

guiding principles

At the suggestion of the Dalai Lama:

instructions for life

Once a year go somewhere you’ve never been before.

Travel Lambie came with me from young Morgan's house

in Connecticut

and this fine elephant gent is

leaving the Melbourne Zoo with me for the US.

traveling light and together.

last look

time to head for home.

gravity won't hold me here.

the ride was an education.

I put my boots up and down across

a tiny part of a very large continent.

a few memories..

 the Overland train across South Australia
and views of The Grampians

as the miles rolled by.

making wine ...thank you!

a tree that once housed a man, his wife and

where they bore and raised 16 children.

faith and fortitude in the 1850s in a very

rural australia.

one sheep shearer watching another compete.

I had the pleasure of meeting a few.

It was a great day.

a kangaroo along the road

a cat I fell in love with

an amazing evening
at Paris Cat Jazz Club with guest Mirko Guerrini from Florence

on tenor sax. each and every musician was exceptional.

a rock stack I left in a hot but beautiful

preserve

the most amazing head of hair

at Circa Vintage

back country

a happy swim at the Melbourne Zoo

parting shot....

one laid back kangaroo.

thanks for the ride Australia!

riding the rails

stepping on a train in the morning for a day's journey across

southeast Australia to new digs.

I wish I could give a proper photo

but you get the gyst until I can provide my own.

of sea and sheep

a walk in the country first thing in the morning

followed by a trip down to the Southern Ocean in Goolwa,

for those of you with an interest in Australian geography,

where I happily popped my toes into the surf.

there is an amazing walkway all the way around

the edge of the sea from Goolwa,

(with it's rocky beauty

reminding of the rugged coastline of

my beloved New England)

to Victor Harbor which is to the very left in this view.

there was a sweet beach where just two

seagulls took to the beach

reminding me of my own beloved.

the walkway along bore the marks of decades of weather

since it's construction in 1949.

a heart burst forth.

my camera is not able to capture the colors of the sea which

ranged from aqua to a deep indigo. absolutely magnificent place.

another day I spent at an agricultural show

and found myself in the shearing barn most of the afternoon

watching the competitions.

 the ladies and gents wait their turn

at the whir of the shears.

there were two types of competition. One was

4 people simultaneously shearing 5 sheep
 each in the fastest time.

there were different levels from novice to pro.

the gent on the left was the announcer and

was most entertaining. you can see the

clock running for the overall time. 

The second division was speed shearing and one

shearer at a time would shear from quickest time

against his competitors.

This fellow, Shannon Warnest, who took the pro

division with a shear time under 45 seconds.
all good fun.

Australia's countryside

out of the city...into the country.

it's late summer now. on this day it is in the mid 80s.

 

yesterday a rousing band of thunderstorms

blessed the lands

a pair of parrots flitted above me

today I hear a Kookaburra and look forward
to a sighting.
it's a peaceful place in the world.

talisman dresses in the spotlight

a strong diversified effort during this week and especially this final day of class.

our team of 11...each stitching forth dresses of our own, in the company

of each other, completed our work around 3pm.

well, kind of. no one is really finished. after all a Talisman Dress

takes time to create. Perhaps a lifetime.

below my table at 1 pm.

I pricked my finger with my needle, the underarm binding got

stained with blood. good solid energy affixed.

clock ticking.

 there were times of utter quiet and

others we regaled in laughter

 one by one our dresses appeared from the workspace

with hang tags and set on pretty hangers

for the exhibition at Beautiful Silks.

abject apologies for the horrible quality of my photos

every one's work is amazing.

all under the watchful and support of  India Flint.

for better views please visit

the talisman dress