Why are the native animals revealing themselves to me?

 What is it with all of the native animals revealing themselves to me lately??

Yesterday I was walking around in the paddock looking for a lost electronic dog collar.

It is only 2 weeks old and cost a small fortune.

I swear that particular dog has lost 4 collars this year!

I was stunned when I spotted this guy.

He burred up and started to flare up his puffy thing around his head.

I think he is some sort of dragon. Not a real frill neck.

The true name will come to me later.

He started to step towards me as I stepped towards him. 

I just wanted a better photo.

Then the kids arrived home from school and I called them over to have a look.

WE started to worry us that he was going to run up me like a tree!

When I first spotted him, I thought he was dead.

My little fella had mowed all the paddock on the weekend and he looked like he had squashed him by accident.

So as you do I threw a stick near to him.

With that he responded!

He does look dead though.

Lucky I didn't try to pick him up!

Dead snakes and lizards really, really, really stink!

He was quite well camouflaged, wasn't he?

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This is a common view right out my window at work.

This one often comes and sits right outside my office window.

The kids were trying to feed him something.

Biscuits!

I told them that was not really his diet.

Later on after Homework club had finished and I was waiting for a student to be collected, we saw him or a relative with a sandwich quarter in his mouth.

HA!

 So much for a natural diet!

This is him trying to catch the biscuits.

I've said before how much I adore them and I'll say it again.

Beautiful creatures they are.

Keeping all the snakes out of the playground!

;) j



3 Annies Camera Bag

Last Friday my 3 Annies Camera bag arrived.

I ordered it after reading about the bags on Fat Mum Slim's blog, she was running (and still is) a giveaway of these bags. I could not wait to 'maybe 'win one and pondered it for a couple of days, then ordered a black one. There are Pink and Aqua available too.

I took my lunch break to collect the mail from the Post Office and go to the kid's Mini Olympics. I had thought it was an all day event so when I found out that it started at 1.00pm, I had a bit of time up my sleeve.

So I opened my mail and had a go at getting my camera and extra gear into the bag. EASY!

 I ran around tonight as the sun was setting getting some photos of it!

It is the most wonderful camera bag I have found.

Beautiful soft pebble(I think that is what it is called) leather which suits me perfectly.

Instead of looking like the Paparazzi (when I have all the gear in the Lowepro bags) walking into the kid's school, it looks just like a normal handbag hanging off me. Large, but then so are all my other handbags!

The bag comes with its own calico cover.

I doubt this bag will ever see the inside of its protective storage pouch!

The inside of the bag has a lovely cotton striped padded insert. 

This can be removed if you wanted to use it as a normal bag.

There are a couple of outside pockets at the ends.

They were probably a bit too narrow and deep for my phone, but they would be perfect for lens pens or normal pens, they are deep pockets!

There is an outside pocket that more than comfortably fits my Ipad 2, which is a bit thicker than most with its front and back covers attached.

It would also fit some paperwork -airline tickets ;) in addition to the Ipad.

There is a great big long, removable, adjustable, padded shoulder strap.

Perfect for not having it on the shoulder but across the body with the main part pushed around the back or worn like a messenger bag.

Those attached straps are very generous, able to fit over my big guns even with a jumper and padded winter coat on!

 

There are quite a few pockets on the inside.

One side has 2 small open pockets (where I had my spare batteries, spare memory cards and lens covers) and the other side has a large zippered pocket, more secure- I will place my used memory cards in there so they won't be confused with the new ones.

There are 2 zippered pockets on the outside.

I like them zippered so that things can't fall out.

I put my small wallet in one and my phone in the other.

I would probably put the battery in one if I had a pocket on me for my phone.

I had my big Canon 70-300mm grey L series lens packed in it, plus my Sigma 50 mm, this tucks nicely under the right side of the camera, also the big Canon 600Ex flash unit, then I put the Canon 5D mk lll in it with the 24-105mm lens attached.

But it will also fit then zip up with the 70-300mm lens attached. Oh yeah!

It is a bit of a tight squeeze, put certainly not tight enough to place any pressure whatsoever on the closure zip.

All in!

I am absolutely thrilled to bits!

You can find them for sale at the 3 Annies Facebook page here and the store is up in the top right corner.

At the moment Fat mum slim is running a giveaway of this very bag!

Visit her blog here to get the entry details.

Plus there is also a discount available for her readers at 3 Annies for the Pink one that she gave away last time.

Good luck if you enter, and if you don't win, consider buying one, they are really, really nice!

Happy shooting

xx j

Good Morning

This was the view right out my window about 20 minutes ago.

The sun is moving further south, annoying me by shining in my eyes as I sit on the lounge reading emails and blogs.

Summer is coming.

The furniture painting went well yesterday.

I finished the test top coats on the stools.

But not before returning to my paint specialist at the Hardware store.

I was thinking I needed an oil base enamel for the table and chairs.

She told me the water base was just as good and to be patient waiting for it to cure.

Saved me a motza!

I put the second coat on the stools, and yes I am happy, so did the first coat on the table base.

It is good. I am happy.

Hhhmn I think that verandah may need a paint next!

Here it is again.

Pretty!

Have a great week!

xx. j



Mini Olympics, Making baking easy and Painting!

My Kiddo's school had a Mini Olympics

I ducked across town in my lunch break and was able to watch their opening ceremony.

The kids had been planning costumes for a week or so.

The Tshirt had the sleeves cut off,

then he spray painted it with the coloured hairspray I had to buy from woolies- twice.

He sprayed everyone in his country with those cans!

I think he is very IRISH.

He won a silver medal, YAY

For sharing and hairspraying!

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In other news I have recognised that these kids are right into cooking at the moment,

especially good old damper.

To make things easier for them I have bought these big jars to sit out on the benches.

I have big spring loaded preserving jars in the cupboards, but they find them a bit hard to get out.

I bought the one in the middle last year and it doesn't quite match the new 2 so have ordered another one from the current batch that the shop (Alfresco Emporium) has in.

I'm feeling very Marthaish- she has these bell jars all over her TV set.

Things are looking a bit cluttered over there.

All those other canisters have various coffees, teas and hot chocolates!

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The painting of the chairs and table base is happening at last!

LET THE PAINTING OLYMPICS BEGIN!

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I have just discovered new photo related apps, am suffering a massive headache from all the bits I have learned this morning.

Stay headache free!

xx, j



How do you heat your house?

A few years ago it was necessary to cut this big old tree down. It was interfering with the wind to a windmill close by. When it was felled it landed in this precarious position.

I have been terrified of it ever since.

Whenever we go and check out the windmill, I constantly scream at the kids to stay away from it.

The cattle have been hanging out underneath it.

Rubbing their backs on the wood.

It's only a matter of time!

One will get squashed.

And that would be sad, and expensive (as any loss of stock is)

We have lost cattle with their heads jammed in the fork of trees before.

We are pretty on to making it as good as possible for them to be safe and happy.

I convinced them that it had to come down and we thought it would be great firewood.

Gotta love those Toyota Landcruisers!

Attaching to that bit was a big FAIL, only the branch came away.

Ha! Go to the source of the problem.

Fail again- broken straps!

Fail- no movement.

This was getting very tedious and the kids were getting scratchy.

I had heard lots of creaking and moving around the other side.

I suggested that we put the straps around there where I could hear the stress point.

These young preggers heifers came to check things out.

Of course daughter tried to get a pat.

They wouldn't have it!

The ground rumbled as they ran away.

But we had success, possibly 10 ton of firewood.

The cutting up is always the hard bit.

Well, hardest on hubby's back!

The kids do a really good job of loading it into our big trailer.

Welding gloves are essential.

You never know what might be in those hollow bits.

Snakes, centipedes, mice! 

That should keep us going for a while.

How do you heat your house?

Is the electricity bill killing you yet?

Fires are unbeatable in their warmth and character.

However, I always tell people that they are filthy, high maintenace and labour intensive!

Even loading the wheelbarrow and dragging it up from the woodpile can be a real drag!

There's someone here always pretty happy about a fire!

Stay hot!

xx j