It is Quiet in the house

Today I went back to bed and dozed.Gary bought me a Hotty. My head and chest still feel woozy and thick. It was stormy last night and through the window bits of trees are in gathered in drifts, broken.
It is 1.35pm and I am still in my dressing gown.

There is no-one home.          

 I can feel the silence.

I can hear my heart beat.

I didn't realize I was still racing until today. With no-one in my house there is time to cry and stop and be still.

Prunus blossom is soft on the ground below the veranda. It looks like a wedding. The sun on the water  is playing with the macrocarpa shadow and shining on the compacted dirt of our lawn. It is all silver with streaks of grass- somewhere between billiard felt and a new tennis ball.

Sue came around a two nights ago and had her listening ears on. I could feel her composure and that she was there to listen, and so I talked. My girlfriends have been away out of the country. She bought us food last night and it tasted like Manna.
Phili ( my Sis) was down in the weekend, we chipped and chopped and dug copious agapanthus..it was so good to have company to get some chores done. Now I have a space of garden that I can transfer things into.

feels like winter and its heading for spring

I haven't had the energy to write in the last week or so. Felt crook all last week and it seems to be a slow drift into this week.I thought I was being overly empathetic with Gary but as Zac has been home all week with the same symptoms I think it was 'the nasty bug'. (when is a bug ever not) There is wattle flowering in my yard and its yellowness is everywhere. I am sick with raging hay fever..urghh. Sometimes I just need to grizzle.
Gary is plodding along with his Radio therapy..it is slow and painful process. He is sick and sore and tired.Because he has scar tissue from the previous surgery his back is reddening up creating a few problems. The staff at the radiotherapy department are awesome and onto it. Gary is feeling well cared for.
Our section is looking amazing due to Dads and Gary's efforts -  building walls and constructing. I am impressed at how organized and capable they both are..lol. We are about to start as much planting as we can afford..there is a lot of ground to fill in with trees..It is all taking shape now though and for the first time I have been outside and gardened properly and planted..so satisfying.
Our lawn is sown.Gary and Graham (his brother) spent quality time with the Holy Roller...laying down bird seed for our feathered friends. Zac counted 21 sparrows , two yellow hammers and "too many other birds to count mum I will make you a cup of tea instead'
We are hoping that enough seed was laid to feed birds as well as grow.
We read that it was best to sow some for the birds some for the dirt and some for chance..so it should be fine.

THE BOYS

A lamp and its reflection

WHAT TO PLANT???

Tiki and the golden cow

Veges for lynns soup

holy 'antique' roller

Orchids

Wet today, Drizzly..rain dripping steadily from my spouting into the garden below.

Went into town with Gaz to keep him company.He was quick today at the hospital and out early.Picked him up and bought some blue cod for tea.I thought I might drive him home if he was tired but he drove and I fell asleep :-/.

Planning on doing some planting early next week.Apparently a good time to prune fruit trees down south too and shift any that need a new home.

I have bought some Australian natives to feed the birds. lovely scrubby looking things with red flowers..their name escapes me. A white camellia with dark licorice green leaves,a greengage and a quince.There is an enticing bare spot of garden I am developing below the veranda.I have cleared out some grasses and ferns and am thinking sub-tropical fruity things might do well.Very exciting thought.I shall photograph it and record its progress. I am about to start on some small blocks..have bought an old dutch masters art book..so cool all the detail in the paintings..I am going to use them as a template to paint from.I will be painting blocks for a local craft gallery.Pictures of the peninsula and local area. Could be fun..I do need to start a bigger project to extend my paint skills.I get better too slowly, as what I am doing more frequently is limited and I am always in a hurry at the finish..I need to push through what i know - to what I don't know..the next stage.

Fire on, cat asleep ,Gaz puttering about.Hana at home working.

The week that was saw Mango go to the Vet and get a small lump cut out of him and a tooth pulled.The lump was benign..good news.He is a very happy dog now and is charging around madly everywhere. He was a tad grumpy before the tooth pulling. Poor dog.

I completed the wee angel pictures..relief..and have started one on Brussel sprouts:-).

Our pet rat got sick but is on antibiotics and it seems to have picked her up,which is good.We like our small creatures.

I just learnt that I have won a prize in the Gardener magazine for my Brussel sprout story..yaaah. I was very excited. A years subscription. And a packet of seeds.

I am feeling a bit flat tonight.Spent the day cooking and cleaning for Zacs birthday dinner.Made a spectacular cake which everyone was a bit too full to appreciate and it was a bit rich..almonds chocolate and eggs basically,whipped up and baked. Zac got new clothes and looked very flash.We had a mexican fiesta dinner party..it was fun preparing the house.Photos tomorrow.

Gary started Radiotherapy yesterday and it seems as if he may be one of the people who get tired with it.He went to bed tonight exhausted at 8.30.I sat up with a cup of tea watching the fire burn down.I missed his face.