Monday by the dam

Hi guys Well today i noticed the Roos were not in the street as i went out to the shops..so when i returned from the shops i took a walk down to the dam. I could see a big mob in the neighbouring property..so as i walked down to take some pics i stopped as i noticed a fox was taking a casual stroll through the paddocks. I sat down and started to take some pics..i was watching the Roos watching the fox.. I must admit that they are really a beautiful looking creature but sadly they are also quite brutal..of course it is there nature and it is the way they survive..but any farmer can tell you the devastation they cause. I myself have seen it when we had chickens at our old house..they kill as many as possible with the intent of coming back for them..they seldom do. And they do not stop at chickens or rabbits but also lambs and i think it would be fair to say joeys. So i watched waiting to see if the Roos would give the fox a hard time..seems apart from watching her they did nothing. It will be interesting to see if a Roo with a joey behaves differently..so i plan on keeping my eye out. I know foxes are hated by many people..and they are certainly not native to our country..being bought in by the colonists.but as with  all creatures i try and see the beauty..knowing humans can be pretty brutal also. The second thing that struck me as i took pics was that i spotted a lone Roo..he did not see me for awhile and i actually almost missed seeing him. He was grazing alone but not too far from the others…when i looked at the pictures on my computer i could see he has a tattered ear maybe from boxing with others or from fences…clearly healed up so not a recent injury..i also noticed he was looking a bit thinnish ..his ribs a bit more pronounced than usual for a Roo. Perhaps the harsh summer has meant less feed for him ..when i zoomed in i could see his lashes were quite thick and not so much sweeping upwards..he looks to be a boy who maybe has been trying to start out on his own …i will keep an eye on him and if i feel he gets thinner i will call a rescue to see if they can check him out..he appeared very bright and uninjured and was grazing and quite content..i guess  living on the land can age us all..i feel for this sweet roo…i have called him Shaggy due to his shaggy ear…..he will be easy to spot by them . So please enjoy my time at the dam..which as you will see is almost a puddle..and i hope you can appreciate the beauty of the fox……despite her reputation.. Hugs Fozziemum

Here comes the fox see the Roos posture at first

Then decides this warrants further investigation

Fox using the now uncovered tyres in the dam as a pontoon

Having a drink

Wonder if she is admiring her reflection?

Clearly not at all worried about me

Showing those teeth

We all get an itch

Shaggy

A sweet boy

Yep..like i said we all get an itch!

He has seen me

Now he is smelling the air..is it me or the fox he is smelling?

He stands when i move..keen to show he is alert and aware of my movements

The return

Hi guys..well i am super happy that the roos are back, they have been around but staying closer to water and food sources of which there are little to be found.
I had not mentioned it before but two weeks ago i found a dead roo..on the vacant property in our street.
I had thought it was sleeping and the next day no it was still in place..
I stopped my car and entered the property to find the big roo dead..no idea what had happened there was a pool of blood but the body had been dragged by foxes and no doubt Wedge tail eagles.
It was pretty smelly and flyblown..i tried to see if i could tell what had happened but no idea.
I took some pics on my phone to see if i could try and examine them further but nothing.
Nature is amazing this poor roo within a very short time had been reduced to scattered bones.
Roos can get ill and die,they age or are hurt but this stinks to me.
See our neighbours are ALL very protective of our mobs..but in town just when the big storm hit awhile ago the rescue was called to a female roo with a joey in pouch that had been shot with an arrow and the arrow was still in her.These amazing people went out in that storm dodging trees and danger to dart and catch her.
She is recuperating in their shelter as i type.
The thing is someone in this town has it in for the roos..and if i see anyone near our street or anywhere else with a bow and arrow they cannot outrun my car if you know what i mean.
So i hope and pray this roo i found was not a victim of this sort of thing.
My eyes are out now all the time..watching..
So i went today to see how low our dam is..super low..really bad..the roos have been drinking from it and from the sheeps bath tub of water so we are refilling it everyday.
There is roo poo everywhere and they are camping again on our property and the neighbours over the road.
I was super quiet but they heard me..they leapt through the bushes and stopped at the crest of our property and watched me..so i took some pics and they went on their way..a nice sized mob about 13 with a few joeys in pouch..glad they are here..where no man harms them..ever..

Caught him by suprise

Striking a pose

So proud looking

Time to go

Hi ho hi hi it’s off to bed i go

Big  day my friends,i am trying to catch up and getting not much done hahahaa..I have been getting my crochet on which with four cats is no mean feat…all those balls of wool beggin for trouble…

I found a single bed tartan doona cover at a thrift shop for 5 dollars so the plan is to re do the pups bed covers…almost done…well kinda…

I have a big meeting tomorrow and am making little headway in the house cleaning department..

I did manage to make two delicious leek tomato and cheese quiches got my pastry hat on and whipped them up in no time..did my shopping…blegggh..had some road rage…got some pruning and weeding done played with the pooches and now it’s bedtime..

I leave you with a picture to help you relax for the day ..have a good one folks 🙂

What you looking at lady?

Despite all odds

It started as a tiny little seed..it took weeks and weeks to grow into a little seedling….when the timing was right it was transplanted.. well it was an attempt at transplanting as the whole tray of Hollyhocks  I flipped upside down on the verandah.. cursing the whole time.

Then with the remaining seedlings it was popped in the garden…they struggled.. locusts gnawed some…then the cats dug others up…slowly the amount of seedlings dwindled…they sort of did okay..then the dogs jumped on some….more went to the big garden in the sky and more cursing…the ones left picked up a bit….the snails moved in…chewing them to nubs….I really lost all hope at this point…but a few kept on going…I tried the beer traps…the snail came they drank they came back for more…grrrrrr…then the cats dug them again and the dogs…yes jumped on them…then the heat started….well that was the death knell for some more…I was so beside myself..all I wanted was to have some colour…something that contrasted with the green and grey …but a couple still kept going…I talked to them…watered them and yes they got nibbled by snails  but seemed to fight for life…the heat kept up and in  fierce way….our water bill..which arrived yesterday showed the amount of water we have used trying to save our garden and grass.. over 400 dollars…it is a lot …the fact is our plants trees and grass have cost way more to establish and to let it die would be more expensive..water tanks are on the long long list of must gets…thing is we have had no rain anyway..

So it seemed that in one week all of a sudden I had this stunning flower…at six feet tall it is a standout…it has held firm…it even has some friends that seem to be catching up with it…I have been telling it what a stunner it is.. and every day I have been blessed with more buds opening…I hope I really hope it sticks around..i know it’s a cottage garden plant and I know I live in a rural area in Australia ..but my love of English cottage gardens is strong and I so need colour to break up the bush tones all around me..i present to you my Hollyhock….the toughest little flower in rural Victoria that  know of.

Yes Forrest one you missed!

 

 

NEW YEAR NEW PLACES

PHIL AND I DECIDED TODAY TO VISIT CRUSOE PARK AND RESERVOIR..NOT FAR FROM HOME BUT WE HAVE NEVER HAD THE TIME TO GO…SO OFF WE WENT…WE HAD RAIN TODAY AND MUST ADMIT APART FROM IT BEING A PAIN FOR PHOTOS  WE WERE GLAD OF THE BREAK FROM THE HEAT.

WE STOPPED AT MACCA’S AND HAD OUR LAST BURGER FOR AWHILE…TOO MUCH EXCESS HAS LEFT US BOTH FEELING LIKE THE BLOB! (LAST OF THE TRIFLE WAS PIFFED IN THE BIN..DELISH BUT…)

THE CRUSOE RESERVOIR WAS THE ORIGINAL PLACE TO FILTER THE WATER IN OUR AREA DURING THE GOLD RUSH DAYS..WE ONLY WENT TO THE LARGE RESERVOIR AND WILL VISIT THE SMALL ONE ANOTHER TIME TO SEE THE FROG PONDS AND OLD PUMPING EQUIPMENT ..EVEN WITH THE RAIN I WAS WISHING I HAD MY TOGS BECAUSE THE WATER LOOKED SO TEMPTING..YOU CAN SWIM FISH AND SAIL IN THE LARGE RESERVOIR NOT THE SMALLER ONE..IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL 3.4 KILOMETRE WALK AROUND THE RESERVOIR WITH ME STOPPING ALL THE TIME FOR PICS..

FUNNY I THOUGHT YESTERDAY THAT I WOULD LOVE TO FIND SOMETHING NEW EACH DAY TO CAPTURE FOR MY BLOG FOR THE WHOLE YEAR AND INDEED I SAW NEW THINGS..I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE..LOVELY AT 52 TO BE SUPRISED BY THE WOLRD OF NATURE STILL…I HOPE YOU ENJOY AN AMBLE WITH ME THROUGH THE PICTURES..

Wordless Wednesday