It's Been Busy!

Wow, let me catch my breath, so much has happened since we last caught up here! The bore is fixed and working well which is a relief. 
First it was the busy busy busy of the baking and the wrapping and the bed organising.

 We slacked off one evening and popped over the Boston for a bite to eat, isn't it nice when someone else cooks your food and cleans up, all along with a nice glass of red.

 I have been in a crochet frenzy.  Most of the frenzy has involved scouring the internet for patterns and inspiration, and I have 4 bulging files of patterns and photos I've printed out, that will keep me busy for every and a day!

 Above is simply a coaster, but I really like it and was very pleased with the simple colour scheme.  I always agonise over colours and sway between the mundane and the psychodelic!  Below is the start of a mandala, which I will attach to a big metal ring when finished.  I have a desire to hang it in the garden somewhere, so the wind catches it and the sun glints in the patterned holes.

 I've made more Xmas balls.  This one is for Sam and I also made one for dad, and I know I took a photo of it but do you think I can find the photo? Nope :-)

 Meanwhile in the garden Steve has been pulling potatoes ready for meals over Xmas.  Just have a look at this monster, it weighs over 600g!  He found a couple more this size too, from the same plant.  That plant must have been wiggling its roots in some mighty fine soil!

 Do you remember how excited we were about our very first ever grown eight cherries? Well, we tried one a week or so ago, it was a bit sour, so we left the others on the tree, safely under a net.  Alas the net had a small hole in it and a lone Silvereye snuck in then couldn't get out, thus needing to have some dinner, it ate the only thing available - the remaining seven bloody cherries!  Basically what we have here is cherry skins and a cherry stone inside, it did a darn good job of scoffing all the yummy cherry flesh.  Next year the cherry tree will have a stronger net!  We live and learn :-)

 

 Okay people, can anyone tell me what this little plant is?  It has sprung up next to the blueberry bush, it has long leaves and these interesting striped seed pods.  I didn't notice it until this point so have no idea what the flowers looked like.  I am intrigued as to whether it is a noxious weed or a beautiful little flowering plant.

 

 We set to decorating the living room.  We love running sparkly lights up the flue of the fire, it  looks really pretty at night.  Mind you, the weather turned really chilly and we could have almost done with lighting the fire except we'd have ended up with crispy fried tinsel and lights!

 Our visitors started arriving, and it is at this point that I forgot to pick up my camera for days and days so have scrounged photos from my phone and other people.  So bad of me!
This is mum and dad arriving on the plane from Perth.  Dad has trouble with stairs so the airport staff attached this nifty platform to the side of the plane so mum and dad could be lowered to the ground.  Very impressive and efficiently done. 

 Neo finally made his way out from behind the bed and consented to being petted by visitors.

 My friend Claire dropped in with her joeys so everyone had cuddles.

 They are called Pippa and Poppy and weigh about 5.5 kilos

 It was all very cute until Paul got wee-ed on by Poppy.  We didn't laugh.....much

 So I have no photos at all of our Christmas meals as I forgot and also as I was very distracted.  You all know I love our wild kangaroos, give them names and watch over them.  Well, while we were sitting down for Xmas Eve lunch we saw next door's visitor walking his large dog, who spotted one of our roos, a young female called Marx, jumped the fence and bailed her up against a gate.  It was over in a flash with Marx struggling to get away and the man calling his dog off, but she finally got away through the fence and hopped away with some other roos.  We thought that was the end of it but a few hours later we found her at the bottom of our place on the ground, unable to get up.  And her joey was missing.  I called my other neighbour Claire who is a Wildlife Carer and she and I spent a lot of time keeping an eye on her.  We held her down while Claire examined her and treated some wounds, we left her some food and water and hoped overnight that she would recover and baby would reappear.

6am Christmas morning Claire and I were back with Marx, who still couldn't get up.  She got on the phone to a couple of other carers to work out a plan of action, and Toni, a carer nearby said she had a pen so could take Marx.  So we covered Marx's head and held her down again so Claire could give her Valium to sedate her, then we bundled her up in a sling, popped in the back of my car and took her to the care facility.

Meanwhile we were watching all the time for the joey.  We spotted her a few times with the mob but at that stage she was too quick to catch.  Yesterday morning gave us an amazing sight, we'd put some food out to encourage the roos in close so we could see where the joey was, and we watched what we thought was Jane's joey trying to get back into the pouch, when we realised that there was a joey already in Jane's pouch, and that little rear end is Marx's joey trying desperately to get in too.  Jane wasn't particularly bothered and we think this joey might have grabbed a few sucks of milk which was very heartening.  By lunchtime though the joey had disappeared so it was back to worrying again.

Then last night at dusk, I was sitting out the front watching Jane and a couple of other mums feeding (minus our missing joey), when I heard off in the distance a small barking sound....roos in distress make that noise.  So I very quietly and slowly went for a walk in the direction I heard the sound, and eventually on our boundary I spotted her, all alone.  I took off my windcheater and held it down in front of me sort of like a pouch and walked towards her very very slowly, talking quietly and making the clucking sound that roos make.  She watched me nervously, hopping away a few time slowly, but finally she let me get right up to her and she looked in the windcheater as if trying to decide whether to get in or not.  At that point I dropped the windcheater on top of her so she wouldn't get away, then gently wrapped her in it and picked her up.  Poor little darling was really cold so I cuddled her right up against me for warmth and went back to the house and rang Claire, who came over with a proper carer pouch, had a quick look at her and announced she was dehydrated and a she.  Here she is, I named her Noelle as she is sort of a Christmas miracle don't you think.  She had been on her own for four days when she had barely even been out of Marx's pouch before then, a tough little cookie.

 Claire got in touch with Toni, the carer who has the mother Marx, and mum and baby were reunited last night.  Apparently it was beautiful, they both recognised each other instantly and there was lots of nuzzling and licking going on.  Toni stayed the night in the shed with them to make sure joey Noelle didn't get out of the fabric pouch and try and get into Marx's pouch, as there was a big risk that Marx might lie on her as Marx can't move much.

 The update on Marx is still a waiting game.  Toni the carer has been amazing, rolling Marx hourly, massaging her four times a day and treating her with remedies.  A vet has seen her twice and thinks she has an injury to the base of her tail that has causes numbness to the end of her tail, which is why she cannot get up.  Her legs are strong and she is now in good spirits.  She had one bad day when she was dull eyed and listless and had a discharge, which is what they think was her aborting a tiny jelly bean baby.  The vet put her on antibiotics and she has come good, eating well with more energy.  The arrival of her lost joey Noelle has helped her spirits too.  Apparently the vet is coming back today with a mobile x-ray machine to make sure she has no fracture, the vet is hopeful that the nerve damage is inflammatory and she will recover with time.  It's a waiting game.

I am in utter and complete awe of the Wildlife Care Network, this particular group is the Born Free Wildlife Carers.  The compassion and giving and expertise of these people is mindblowing, and to have a vet willing to give up time to visit sick roos for no charge too is wonderful.  I dropped off a bag of kangaroo food and a thank you card to carer Toni's place, it seems a small gesture but hopefully it will help.

 Back to our place, here are a few of our regulars.  Do you remember Lucy and her daughter Rabbit, and that Rabbit had lost half of her ear?  Well her she is now, a chubby, healthy looking young lady who couldn't give a hoot about having half an ear.  Lovely.

 And here is the gorgeous Growler, complete with joey legs poking out of her pouch.

And this is what you do when you are a great big male who has spent the day busily bonking the lady roos, and you are now a bit tired.  Basking in the afterglow :-)

So, it's been an interesting Christmas!  It's been a wonderful Christmas, we have so enjoyed having the family here and we are looking forward to seeing our granddaughters this weekend, and then my brother, niece and her partner next week.