Funny how the most obvious things can bypass me sometimes. And amazing how much more there always is to learn about a place if I just stay still long enough. Changes of seasons bring new rounds of wonders….. and colours… and challenges too. Many of our days here in the Australian desert are still sunny and warm, but the nights are getting bitterly cold already. The nocturnal moths have mostly stopped coming to the windows. But the cooler weather is bringing out some more interesting day critters.
So, the Chameleon requests permission to talk a little about bugs again. Only the nice ones, mind. He thinks he was very restrained last week, and should be cut a little slack. He wants to mention the birds and the bees this week, if that’s ok. And rats. All fun things humans are known to be a bit touchy about, but he promises that is nothing icky involved this week. Chameleon’s honour!
Flowers this week. Lots of flowers. No more creepy crawlies…
The Chameleon objects, naturally. But I am more sympathetic to the bug-not-lovers out there…… I’ve just realised that the size of the local insects dictates the size of the local spiders. I’m a bit off bugs this week.
So, luckily for me there is a new interesting array of flowers out to show you instead. We’ve been having yoyo weather…. it was up to the mid thirties (degrees C) the other day and now we are heading into the mid-teens, tops. And we’ve had a little rain. The plants seem to like the funny weather though, another wave of blooms has appeared.
A big wave of blooms has appeared on the Lunarcy New Year Zodiac quilt too. I believe I am ready to sew the appliqués down now…… The quilt is decidedly living up to its name, there are approximately 600 cherry blossoms on this thing….. Pure lunacy really!
Is it a plane? Is it a chameleon? No, it’s a Superb Katydid!
Confession time. Staying at home absolutely all the time messes with my head a little. Paul and I are, (in theory at least), two grown adults with: lots of hobbies, study and work to do; a couple of kids to nurture; and plenty of internet friends in different circles. But things are degenerating here regardless. Bug Spotters Anonymous is likely launching its inaugural Chapter in our lounge room….. read on for reasons if you dare!
In my saner moments though, I have been doing some more work on my Lunarcy quilt…. I know…… quilting two weeks running?! Yes indeedy! I’ve been working on my lantern and flower appliqués to go with the Zodiac animals. There was a slight complication with the lanterns however. Let me explain….
Just double checking…. yup, it’s only been two weeks since my last post. It certainly feels like an age, doesn’t it? Life has flipped on its head a bit since then.
Last week, my family went to our once-a-term face-to-face school event for my kids’ School of the Air. I’ll admit: I second guessed the wisdom of it the whole time as the coronavirus situation worsened. Which made it quite stressful. Now we are thankfully home again, and essentially barricaded in within the (considerable) boundaries of the wildlife sanctuary we call home. Arkaroola as a tourist destination has stopped accepting guests as of yesterday and staff/residents who go off site now will be required to self-isolate on return. So I am cancelling everything except online schooling, blogging, chatting via email, sewing and exploring the wilderness in my immediate proximity. I feel fortunate…. it’s pretty much what I signed up for in 2020 anyway. We are disappointed not to be hosting friends/family in the coming months of course, and worried for everyone too, but we are also mindful that counting our blessings is much easier for us than for many people.
How are you?
So today I am just really checking in to check up on you. I hope you are well and safe and comfortable, and can stay that way. If you are confined, I hope that you have a long sewing list to keep you occupied, and a variety of other interests. If you are ill, I wish you mild symptoms and a speedy recovery. And that’s pretty much all I am going to say about the coronavirus situation unless things change dramatically. Not because I don’t care. But rather, because I do. The news gets depressing and scary if you follow too much. Life is difficult for many at the moment. And so some of the things we really need now are friendship, laughter and a little light relief. There are many things I can’t do for you, but this one thing I can. And you can do it for me too. We can stay positively connected online.
Coming home tonight after dinner, this is what I saw. It seems the Chameleon has already committed to keeping in contact with everyone. He has upgraded our satellite internet connection to colour. Excellent!
Soooo…. clearly, the Chameleon is putting his hand leg up to continue being the light entertainment for now. A coronavirus-free zone of “normality”. One place where you can come with your cuppa to be distracted for 5 minutes, and protect your mental health…. So sit back, and let us crazies here remain slightly unhinged to keep you sane!
Including the weeds. This week we have been madly helping out with weed control around the Arkaroola village. It’s a crucial few days where the weeds are big enough to easily identify amongst all the beneficial plants, but haven’t started dropping seed yet. The window of opportunity is short, and for the Bindii is almost shut already.
Between that, and schooling, I have still managed a little sightseeing and a little sewing. It helps that we had a public holiday yesterday to get a few things done. I’ve got all my Lunar New Year animal appliqués cut out. And a flimsy sewn, ready to put them on.
And apart from the one, lonely boatman bug next to the frog in our colour board, there are no creepy crawlies in this week’s post. You might not have guessed it from last week, but there is actually a bit more to the Outback than bugs and flies!
