Hooray - Have you heard the News - A Halt to live exports (2nd post today)

Prime Minister Julia Gillard halts live cattle exports to Indonesia

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/julia-gillard-halts-live-cattle-exports-to-indonesia/story-e6frfm1i-1226071368446#ixzz1OdeZvLlx

But....

At this stage the ban is only in place for 10 days and since Indonesia accounts for 60% of our live cattle exports an outright ban is not likely to be the long term solution.
So we as the general public need to make sure the issue is not just swept under the rug.  Yes we need to support our farmers, but we do not need to support animal cruelty. 
As intelligent human beings we need to use our brains to come up with a long term solution that supports everyone in their desired outcomes without suffering to animals.

And for anyone who does not know what this is all about I would suggest that you go pack a strong stomach and got to the website and watch the News Story that Four Corners aired.

A Post for the Duchess

Recently I commented on a post by the lovely Duchess Declutter about one of her bantums called Little Banty.

I let her know that we have Little Banty's twin Bubble is living at our place.

The photos are not great (sorry) but as you can see there is quite a resemblance.

Bubble has been a great mum to all of the chicks she has hatched and loves having a little brood to look after.

Sadly Bubble is almost permanently clucky so when she is not sitting on eggs for us we have to either keep getting out of the nest box and putting her out with the others or put her in the broody cage to try and break the cycle.

We pretty much stick with just getting her off the nest morning and night as she is so often clucky that the broody box is not practical (2 days out of the broody box and she is clucky again).



The face that says do not disturb

So there you are Duchess, photos as promised, albeit a bit late.

Op Shop Finds

Now like a lot of people I love a good forage around in an Op Shop.  There is something exciting about it.  It is not like going to a retail store selling new items where you pretty much know what you are going to find.

No, Op Shopping is like a treasure hunt and sometimes like a sport where rules apply and more than one person is after the prize and it is best done on a regular basis.
There are a number of qualities that make a good op shopper. 
You have to be patient and take your time to dig through, sort through and look high and low because little gems can be hidden between under and behind other items somewhat less appealing.
You have to know what is a bargain and what is not.
You have to be a good sport.  If someone else picks it up first it is theirs, but if they put it back on the rack/shelf it is any ones.  All savvy op shoppers know that if you want to think about it, keep it with your while you keep looking.
And finally, you have to know when to say no, this is by far the hardest of all.

Yesterday was our second wedding anniversary (cotton) and over the weekend we went out for lunch and while out I found some great little goodies.
The first 2 items were my husbands wedding anniversary present to me and very fitting.  They are something I have been keeping an eye out for over the past few months and thinking surely some will turn up in an op shop soon as I really didn't want to pay full price.
And there they were.  2 white cotton Valances, one for a queen bed and one for a double bed.  Both in perfect condition and made by Sheridan.  Total cost $9.95, thank you very much.  I haven' included a picture of these as they just look like a crumpled sheet at the moment.



My next little find was this Tupperware container used for beetroot, olives or pickled onions etc. I already have one of these but for $4 I will definitely have another.



Then I came across some Fowlers preserving jars 6 size 27 jars, 5 lids and 7 clips for $14.50. Bargin.

Then I found this lovely platter for just a cople of dollars, it has crazing but no cracks or chips and is very pretty and a good size at slightly larger than a dinner plate but not heavy.

And finally some old coffee jars in a rage of sizes for $1.80 for the 4.

Well I was pretty with all of my finds and I love the thought that not only did I not have to pay full price but I also get to give a new life to someone elses old things.

Have you found any bargins lately?

Things that go bump in the night

We live in a old house in the country and the reality is that it is not really secure to the small critters that inhabit the area.

There seems to be constant parade of frogs in the bathroom and laundry as well as the odd one in the kitchen and living areas.  This is much more prevalent during summer when all the windows are open day and night but even during winter they find their way in.

The other night I came across this lovely Emerald Spotted Tree Frog bouncing about in the bathroom.  Sadly because of the poor light and my poor photographic skills you cannot see his lovely emerald spots, but look him up online for a better look.

He gave me quite a fright.  He blended in with the wall and as I walked to the basin he jumped out at me.  Nothing like random wildlife hurling themselves at you in the wee hours of the morning to give the heart a bit of a jolt.

I really love that we can get up close and personal with some of the native animals that live in our area, although because we are surrounded by open paddocks we do not see Marsupials on our land (yet), but we see lots of birds, frogs, lizards, and the occasional snake ewwww. (Sorry snakes)

We plan on re vegetating the land so perhaps one day the Marsupials will come and visit.

What native animals do you have visit at your place?



Pretty in Pink

The other day I was felling a bit sorry for myself and how poor me does not really have any flower gardens where I can grow lovely blooms, plant out perennial boarders of plants and grasses and generally have a garden worthy of the Australian Open Garden Scheme.

Then before letting my mind wander down the path of woe is me, I dragged myself back to the reality that is:

a) I do have a bed full of flowering Lavender running the length of our veranda

b) I do have 2 dedicated rose gardens either side of our front steps

c) I do have a shade house full of Bromeliads, Orchids and Ferns

d) I do have plenty of room for planting out gardens but have put off doing this as we are aiming for a new house one day.

e) We may not get a new house for a while and garden beds can be moved and plants transplanted.

So after coming to the realisation that the only thing stopping me from having (more) flower gardens is me and time, I decided to look at what I did have and here is what I found.

Air Plant Flowering

Orchid

Silk Rose

Zygo Cactus

African Violet

Bromeliad

I guess sometimes you just have to look a little closer to see the beauty around you as you may be walking past something spectacular without even knowing it.  And most importantly focus on what you do have rather than what you don't.