The air is mild rather than biting, the swallows have returned as they do every August to their little mud nest above the laundry door, and all the cliches of Spring come rushing to the fore.
Yesterday we had ducks wandering about the back garden, quacking mildly at the dog and I through the glass back door. This morning we were eating our muesli and Son #1 said Mum, quick! Out the window! And there was our old friend the Swamp Wallaby.
He ignored the totem tennis in favour of the [plentiful, ahem] weeds. Then when he noticed the camera pointing at him through the window he moved to the side garden bed. I followed him ... and pointed the camera at him from my bedroom window.
He is bigger than I remember, assuming it's our semi-regular wallaby of course. I do like to think it's the same little chap year after year. He's looking a little worse for wear these days with his grey muzzle and chunk missing out of one ear.
Unlike the ever more relaxed cat, I'm feeling slightly Spring-mad this year. An essay to complete, a new [to us] car and all the associated research and paperwork, a family holiday to plan, a sore throat to combat, craft camp to plan and pack for (two more sleeps), and fresh plans for new lace knitting. It's all a bit fraught n' frantic and here I am blogging instead of finishing the essay so I can breathe that enormous sigh of relief, execute the Happy Dance of Completion and feel the last scrap of weight lift from my shoulders and float away into the middle distance.
By the way, I wanted to thank you for your enormous collection of podcast suggestions. I made a complete list and have been having a marvellous time listening to them on my commute. When I've thoroughly sampled them all I'll post a consolidated list with review notes (because that's how I roll). In the meantime, even though I swore I would never make my poor, embarrassed offspring the focus of my blog, here's another shot of Son #3 who was recently promoted to the first [soccer] team. I recorded his first match for posterity.
26 comments:
Oh that amazing Wallaby, how very fortunate you are to have such creatures visiting your garden. He is beautiful.It's so strange seeing the Southern hemisphere blogs celebrating the new life that is springing into action while we notice the shorter days, the nip in the air the need for a jumper in the evening. It truly is a beautiful thing seeing nature unfold after all those dormant months. Enjoy xox
Thanks for sharing your beautiful blog with us, I hope you finish your essay soon and follow it with the dance of joy xox
ps. My almost 11 year old keeps saying muuuuuummmmm please stop blogging about me!
This is a very tasty post. Love your wildlife & kitty.
Humungo Kudos to Son #3
And...inspired by you, i'm planning to knit a shawl for my dear friend for her birthday.
Lovely post darl. See you Friday xx
Wallaby! I remember the first time I saw an emu, I was out doing some work on the edge of Sydney and one wandered through our excavation and all the foreigners on the team went mental and the locals were all "eh". We lived there for 5 years and I still miss the bush and the animals.
I had a peek at the podcast recommendations and must try a few, my choices are limited to science and ummm...science! My guilty pleasure is Stuck in the 80s, but I'd hesitate to recommend it unless you are! Oh, and This Way Up with Simon Morton by Radio National here in New Zealand.
Oh! how lovely. And how strange once again, to be completely on the opposite side of the world.
Today is officially the last day of Summer.
Spring around Victoria is just wonderful isn't it. I think half of it is just that knowledge that winter is over....probably! I was out taking photo's in Ballarat the other day and spring is even popping up here thank goodness.
Lizzie
xxx
That wallaby looks a little zaftig to me or are they always like that? I'm used to lean and mean wild animals.
I do love the duck.
(My word verification is "pudge" I guess I asked for that)
What an absolutely gorgeous collection of photos! Your cat looks fatter (but not fat) and your son looks taller than the last time I saw them.
That's a very hefty wallaby ! ( I do love "zaftig", gorgeous word ) Perhaps he thinks the grasses make him look slimmer ?
Congratulations to son , who looks in his element in that photo .
Oh Suse -as this first day of Spring draws to a close that was the perfect post to read.
x
You step foward into spring as we snuggle into autumn. Nice to be reminded that the daffs are only six months away here. Doubt we'll see any wallabies though ... what a gorgeous chap is he!
As always Suse, your photos are just gorgeous. How very exciting to capture the pictures of the wallaby -- he looks like he loves it in your backyard!
Autumn is headed our way~ woodsmoke and colored leaves, wool sweaters and crisp air. We have much flooding here after Irene, but its on the way down, and hopefully our roads will be rebuilt before too long( and ice and snow!) I did see an osprey Monday though, a bright spot on my travels of the island that my little town had become.
Happy Spring to you!!
How nice to have found your blog. Your spring photos are stunning, as is your fine young soccer player… mine would never allow such open display!
Janine
Aw,, swamp wallaby looks like a bunyip!
Re podcasts...have you listened to 'A history of the world in 100 objects'? You can still find it on the BBC Radio 4 website.
15 min. progs, narrated by the wonderful Neil Macgregor.
Lovely Wallably by the way. He does look like he's been in the wars!
If you're getting spring, then how come we aren't getting even one tiny hint of autumn? Huh?? I am in love with your swamp wallaby. No. 3 has legs as long as my entire body. And I hope you're having a blast at craft camp.
Suse, not linked to this blog post at all, however, I thought it should be noted, that I am eating Pea (and ham) soup while reading your blog! This made me giggle - perhaps I should be in bed, rather than eating a VERY late dinner! Siobhan (shivi1)
Heading towards Autumn on the other side of the world, your photos were a real treat for me. Seeing Spring made me smile!
Amazing wallaby! But I could have enjoyed this post so much more if you'd promised me right at the beginning that I would not be seeing an echidna. I had to look at the rest of the photos through interlaced fingers.
Echidna phobia?!?
BUT THEY ARE SOOOOO CUTE!
What a lovely post. xx
It's so true, you don't even realise the hold winter has until it lifts. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos. I want to come over and see the wallaby and rub the cat's belly.
Thanks for this lovely post. The wallaby is magical to my eyes (never having seen one in real life). I hope craft camp is/was great fun.
Re the echidna phobia- a long time ago, when my boys were quite little, there was an echidna visiting in their sandpit; so I took them out to see it. As it poked its little nose over the edge and started wobbling towards us, Max sprang to his feet and yelled 'RUN Leo, it's coming'... and fled. Guess he thought I could fight it off by myself.
It's something about the contrast between the hairless paws and the spiky fur. I agree the face is cute, though.
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