community garden

One of the things that drew us to Barwon Heads was the sense that this place was a community, that we could belong here. One of the first groups we joined was the Barwon Heads Community Arts Garden.

Imagine this;

a shared green space

a beautiful garden with a myriad of growing things

artistic sculptures

benches and seats for rest and contemplation

a poly tunnel

a wood fired pizza oven

a kids corner, bee hives and that's just the beginning. There is a meeting room that is utilised by other community groups, an information board, an outdoor kitchen, compost heaps, storage shed for tools and the list goes on. It is a beautiful place, a useful place, a productive place and a meeting place. It is a place for passions and experiments and learning and sharing. It has a special something and we are looking forward to being a part of it...

where's spring

Like most southerners we have been whinging about the weather. The rain and cold has outstayed its welcome, by a long way. Every now and then there is a hint of warmth in the air and a snatch of blue in the sky, but it is momentary, a fleeting, tantalising glimpse of what is yet to come. Part of the problem is our expectations; it is the end of October, winter should be well behind us. But this year it is not. A few weeks ago I picked up some blossom that had fallen to the ground, a fluffy pink pompom, something tangible to say yes spring is here.

I waited weeks for a morning where there was some sun so I could photograph a canola field in all its yellow glory. For a short few weeks the flowers blaze a brilliant and bedazzling gold, then they fade and die away ready for harvesting the tiny black seeds that remain. The flowers are all but gone now and the paddocks water logged.

It's kind of weird that it is spring and it is not, a confusing in-between where one season lingers and another appears to be running rather late...

too cute

This week is a Tassie week and Johanna was sooo excited to meet the newest addition to my sisters menagerie. Another rescued baby, two weeks old, this one a little bigger than the lambs and goats from previous years, though he will join them in the paddock when he is bigger and stronger.

We arrived to find the newest addition sitting at the front door with the dogs. He doesn't have a name yet, it was touch and go whether he would survive. My father calls him Bully and my sister Little Moo, it looks as though he will make it now, he is one lucky little fella.

Soft brown fur, big dark eyes, a love heart in the middle of his forehead. This is going to be one spoilt cow.

you yangs

Blue sky is a bit of a rarity at the moment so a rainless Saturday had to be made the most of. Johanna had a nine o'clock bus to catch in Geelong, an airport shuttle, the beginning of her journey to Queensland. After dropping her off we had breakfast in her favourite cafe, sending snapshots and updates of our breakfast, revenge in advance for all the photos she will be sending us of blue skies, beautiful beaches and the places we lived and loved in Caloundra!

The You Yangs is close to Geelong and somewhere we had never been so why not check them out. It has been a while since we have been bush walking and in Tassie Johanna and my mother were usually along for the ride, so it felt like we were missing a couple of buddies. It so happened that the Geelong Mountain Bike Club was having a whole lot of races on the You Yangs tracks, fortunately they were different from the walking tracks. We weren't prepared for a longer walk so took a short one instead. Colin was super impressed when he realised he could down load an app rather than carry a map and that it showed exactly where you were in relation to all the tracks and better still the app was for Victoria and Australia and anywhere....I think....I tuned out early on in the explanation. I prefer to follow the wooden sign posts.

It is quite dis-satisfying taking photos in the middle of the day, harsh light and deep shadows, but that's what is.

Winding paths

Sugar Gum trees

The big Rock

On top of The Big Rock

Yep, cyclists up here too

These guys made a wrong turn somewhere

There is something so restorative about being in the bush, it is good for the soul.

oh what a feeling

Another milestone for Johanna, her first car and hopefully a reliable one - hard to go wrong with a Toyota Corolla, especially with one elderly owner and low kilometres. Fingers crossed. She will be taking it to Queensland with her when she leaves after her final exams. Speaking of which, she is flying to Caloundra tomorrow to surprise a friend for her 18th birthday. Colin and I are feeling a bit of envy, sunny and mid to high twenties up there, we are so over the very ordinary weather down here...

across the bay

We live on the Bellarine Peninsula, Colin's brother and sister in law have a place on the Mornington Peninsula, the other side of the bay. It is a few hours drive all the way around, or alternatively, a ferry ride across. We opted for the ferry ride, Queenscliff to Sorrento.

it was a grey and drizzly day, typical of late

top deck

a quiet Sorrento pier

not so quiet on the return journey

a passing ship

sunset in the middle of the bay

And the best part of the day (other than being with family), watching the Bulldogs make history...