don't you just love collective nouns?

A prickle of porcupines, an exhaltation of larks, an acne of adolescents, a tough of lesbians, a scolding of seamstresses. With owls you can have a stare, a wisdom or even a sagaciousness but the old favourite has to be a parliament of owls.
These are just little baby owls, just woken up.



Also, these owlets have been made from recycled fingerless glove seconds- a parliament of owls made from an elicat of gloves!

(I have to admit I love Wikipedia for that intant middle of the night encyclopaedia fix. Try it for their list of collective nouns, it's a hoot- sorry.)

the migration has begun

The reindeer are migrating across the frozen stainless steel tundra of the kitchen bench plateau.
Xmas must be coming.





(I must be really bored at the moment. Too much to do. Nothing to focus on. Taking silly pictures instead. Wildlife photography can be diverting.)

it's too damn hot

Being the fair skinned creature that I am, this November heat is just getting me all hot and bothered. I hate being sweaty and Melbourne's humidity just makes me think that if I wanted to live in climes like this I'd move to Sydney.



Anyway on a happier note, the jam season has started. I scored a big bag of cumquats last week and headed out to buy 120 glass jars and 6kg of sugar (not all for the cumquats, just prepared for the next fruit crop delivery). Cumquat marmalade for all my friends!

Am feeling slightly under the gun with Xmas and the studio sale coming up. The frankenboot is still a large part of my day and slows me down just a bit. Think I've overdone it a bit as the foot has been swollen a fraction by the end of the day. Oh well- things to be, places to do, people to........ you know how it is.

nothing like a cup of tea

The lovely ladies of HML dropped in to the studio this afternoon for a cuppa and a chin-wag.
They brought this small floral tribute. As you can see I didn't have a vase big enough.
They love the understatement those two!

life can be prickly

I wasn't away from the studio for that many days but this was there to greet me.
One of the cacti that the 4th year girlies gave me as a thankyou present has flowered. It had three magenta pink blooms on it- I've never owned a cactus that has flowered before (never owned that many cactussss actually) so was quite chuffed. Had I gone up a day later I may have missed the flowering altogether. Ah the impermanence of existence.

life is a battle

A couple of days after I broke my foot, I was crutching my way to the studio and spied these two guys belting the crap out of each other on a window ledge. Obviously one of them was victorious as they aren't there anymore. The winner must have gone back to his campsite to brag of his success to his fellow knights, but I like to think the loser staggered off around the corner into the laneway where a Bratz Doll, lost and down on her luck (even perhaps high on Bindeez) took pity on him and nursed him back to health.

just too ridiculous

The last two weeks have been a series of mishaps, falls and exploding machinery.
The hot water heater has finally come to a steamy end.
Plumber is booked in for Monday, to pick up his cheque for $1000+ and hopefully also install a new one.
Had it exploded last Saturady I would not be sitting here with Franken-boot on my foot.
The back rent is going towards its replacement (hot water heater not foot).
Luckily a consignment cheque came in otherwise it would be cold showers 'til next Easter.
'Such is life' as Mr Cousins would say.
Hopefully we'll get the new clutch motor installed in the binding machine on Tuesday, I'll find the money to pay the tram ticket and seat belt fines and things will start to balance out........
Really, if I was superstitious or paranoid I would think someone was out to get me. May be its a message.
A letter or phone call would have been simpler, less painful and cheaper.
Really the omniverse needs to upgrade its communications system.