The Mystery Blob On The Floor

 The weather has finally turned, there is a chill in the air and we've had over 50 lovely millimetres of rain in the last week.  Steve has lit the fire a couple of times as the house has been getting a bit cold.  Neo has been freezing, he keeps roaming around trying to find warm places to snooze during the day.  He is very happy in this photo, have you spotted him yet?  Silly dag has parked himself in the wood basket!

 

 A decent amount of rain is not before time.  Some of the big peppermint trees down the bottom have been suffering badly.  This huge tree has split off nearly a third of itself, the leaves are very dry and sick looking.  The rest of the tree is okay we hope, and with the soaking rain we hope the dry, parched trees will recover.  It's interesting how one big tree is clinging to life, yet another, only 10 metres away is as happy as Larry.  Anyway, Steve has been busy with his chainsaw today, cutting this big broken section into next season's firewood. 

 It took him a while longer to clear up the fallen tree part, because he had helpers.  Helpers that got in the way.  These marauding chicken helpers!  They roam all parts of our property now, it is bizarre to find them right down at the bottom near the creek bed.  They are slowly turning over every square inch of our place, nary a bug will remain!  They are pretty savvy, they ran for cover the other day when an eagle was circling overhead, and when they were caught in heavy rain they all stuffed themselves inside the hollow base of an old Jarrah to keep dry. 

 

 But with all that intelligence, they still haven't quite got the hang of their Treadle Feeder!  They know food is in there, and if I put my foot ever so slightly on the treadle and they see it open the lid a titch, then they will step on it to make the lid rise and thus begin to eat, but they haven't quite made the connection yet that they can begin the process themselves.  Apparently they will in time, I hope!

 

 The kangaroos are enjoying the spate of succulent, green grass that is poking through after the rain.  Here is Elsa having a munch.

I came staggering out from bed minus glasses this morning, to make a cuppa, and in the dim light of the living room, noticed something little lying on the floor.  As I can't see a thing without glasses, I collected it up onto a piece of paper, found my glasses and looked to see what it was.  This is what it was, alas he was as dead as a doornail and stiff as a board.  A tiny little bat!  To be precise, it's a Chocolate Wattled Bat or Chalinolobus morio.  We know they are around as if we sit outside just before dark we can sometimes hear the faint clicks of their echo location and see the hint of something flying by.  Apparently they are known as a micro bat, and feed on moths and beetles.  We can't work out how this poor little fellow got inside the house, we can only surmise that as he is so tiny, he may have squeezed through a minute gap at the edge of the bird-proof cat netting around Neo's enclosure and then got inside through the open laundry door.  I suspect Neo may have had something to do with his demise in that case, although there isn't a mark on him.  Neo is an indoor cat for precisely that reason, but sometimes even that is not enough.  I'm sorry little bat.

 Another crochet project finished, an earflap beanie for Michelle.

 I ended up making quince paste with the 4 quinces from our tree.  Everyone raves about it with cheese, to be honest I don't understand the fuss about it.  It's okay but to me it doesn't quite go, maybe I need to try it with a stronger cheese?

Until next time.... xx