Kitty Magpie

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The old, nameless climbing tea rose is excelling herself this year - lots of rain and no over-enthusiastic pruning by macropods probably helps a lot! I always fill this vase, which my late sister gave me, on her birthday and usually with this rose. I added a few sprigs of lilac and a few apple blossoms this time. @alexfantastico26 and I went for a walk yesterday and found the gumblossoms teeming with hard-working Meat Ants, and a green view across the hills. The teeny little bagworm he found in his Lego stash - not where you'd expect such a thing! Last pic - my sibs and I on a family holiday, long ago, somewhere along the Murray. Jason (on the right) also has a birthday today - I'm the only one not born in October. #roses #lilac #appleblossom #shelfie #vignette #bouquet #gumblossom #ants #bagworm #australianinsects #green #australiafelix #holiday #familytime #blackandwhitephoto #memories (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVKEoPIBbSS/?utm_medium=tumblr

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It's been a long time since we had a High Tea at Moyston Hall, but with rising vaccination rates, it's beginning to feel like a real possibility for early next year...so teapots are on my mind. I also bought a mixed bag of fancy old serving ware at the Salvos, thinking some of it at least could be used for a High Tea, and found one little sterling silver spoon among all the EPNS. I rather like the look of well-patinated silver, but I'll have to do some polishing if we're serving food with it.🤔 #drawing #inkdrawing #brushpens #pittpens #teapot #highteaatmoystonhall #someday #silverware #epns #sterlingsilver #salvos #thrifting (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVE_9WVLIyB/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Flowers and stitching - perfect companions. The larkspur I bought as speedings from @thediggersclub is almost the same colour as the lilac that originally came from my Grandparents garden. My stitching from today's session @araratgallerytama is finishing a set that I started about 50years ago (!). There are three pieces, small, medium and large, and I recently came across the barely-begun large, then found the other two in different places...I figured it was time to get on with it, but I'll have to try to find matching thread.🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 #flowers #flowersoftheday #larkspur #ranunculus #lilac #cornlily #spring #bouquet #embroidery #semco #vintagetextiles #wip #stitch #stitchingcircle #ararat #araratgalleryTAMA https://www.instagram.com/p/CU_5WEzrr1l/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

@alexfantastico26 and I walked up a different hill last night, more.for the exercise than in hopes of a good sunset...it was a cracker! I only had the phone camera (flat battery in the DSLR 😭), but I took about 50 photos...these being a good sample. Bonus video from today's rainy afternoon. There was thunder, but not while I videod.😒 #sunset #eveninglight #eveningwalk #grampians #gariwerd #cloudscape #goldenlight #splendour #spring #mountwilliam #serendipity #rain #rainymood #soundon (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU9cNTGrCLR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Dewdrop beaded leaves and flowers this morning, for your delectation. #dewdrops #macro #nature #naturephotography #backyard #flowers #flowersoftheday #poppy #sparaxis #lilac #rose #larkspur #colour #beading (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4MUlnrXTp/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

We had a walk in the Nook this afternoon - the sun was shining, but it wasn't quite warm enough for even the Bunny Ears sun orchids to fully open. Hopefully we can go back on a warmer day and find that big patch again! There were quite a few unopened Salmon sun orchids, too. Last night, we'd studied the skies and decided sunset would be unexciting - but we were wrong, and ended up dashing uphill to catch the show. We've decided there's no way to predict it!😅 #theNook #moyston #grampians #gariwed #spring #flowersoftheday #australianflora #wildflowers #orchids #terrestrialorchids #walkinthebush #sunset #sundown #clouds #cloudscape #eveninglight #evening #cardio (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU1wBLRrMlk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Since Spring has sprung, and the grass has riz relentlessly after all the lovely rain we've had, I spent much of today chopping and pulling up as much of it as I can. I may regret it when I try to stand up...😅 I was gratified to spot a ladybird munching aphids on a rosebud. There are lots of pretty things starting to flower including rose "Alexander ", larkspur "Misty Lavender" and a little patch of selfsown Virginian stock. While I was cleaning up thick grass around trees with the line trimmer, I disturbed a little green moth. Good to know they're still around! Not a great photo - my hands were trembly from using the trimmer.😏 #gardenflowers #gardening #flowersoftheday #backyard #backyardwildlife #australianinsects #ladybird #aphids #rosebud #larkspur #diggersclub #virginianstock #moth #macro #nature #naturephotography (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUzG5KgLShq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

No chooks live in the chook shed these days, but @alexfantastico26 and I have been making up for it by painting chooks on the wall. The textured hardiplank is a challenge, but sometimes helps give nice effects. When we started on this project, I tried to find photos of the chooks (and ducks) we once had, with no luck. Then last week I found several, of course when looking for something else. The little kid I painted is Alex, not long after my dad built the very same shed. Unfortunately, our poultry provided feasts and training for cubs for neighbouring (but unneighbourly) foxes, and we called it quits after the last murderous raid.😒 #painting #artwork #acrylic #backyard #mural #chooks #chickens #backyardpoultry #foxes #nostalgia #familytime #thejoyofpainting (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUuGke7LZVS/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

The larkspur - a speeding from @thediggersclub - makes a fabulous colour combo with the pink and orange ranunculus. I kind of wish they were growing together, but in a vase will do. All sorts of flowers are appearing around the garden The wonga vine has flowered visibly for the first time in years - I thought it hadn't at all, but found that it had been flowering on top of the carport roof when I tackled the banksia rose that was also colonising the roof. Lots of buds on the blackberry! I'll have to invest in bird-safe netting. Yesterday, a lot of small birds were scolding something, which I thought might be a snake on the move - but it was a Bronze Cuckoo, first I've seen here for a while. It moved when I tried for a photo, but it's a lovely pic of the new leaves on the maple.😅 #gardening #backyard #backyardwildlife #flowers #flowersoftheday #larkspur #ranunculus #pink #orange #scilla #blackberry #wongavine #spiderweb #japanesemaple #spring #birding #bronzecuckoo #photography #naturephotography #macro (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUrZvW2rQw1/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

The big old lampshade that I decorate for my "Punk's not dead" 60th birthday party (a few years ago) has been sitting on top of a cupboard for ages. The orange lampbase had no shade, so now it has. I wrote and drew on the shade, and also stenciled, using a Thermofix screen made from a photo of graffiti. I took the photo somewhere along Birrung Marr in Melbourne - the graffiti had been cleaned off the next time I was there. Ephemeral graffiti, preserved on my lampshade.😏 In the garden, one lilac has unfurled her blooms, and ranunculus are flowering away nicely. #nostalgia #punksnotdead #lampshade #upcycle #wastenot #vintagelamp #homedecor #stencil #diy #bestpartyever #lilac #ranunculus #flowers #flowersoftheday #gardening #backyard #vintageglass (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUb9pHbLKwV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Quince and Red box blossoms in later afternoon sunshine - a fitting reward for my hard work on reducing the cactus patch to manageable proportions. I'm not there yet...but making some orogress. I also dug up several South African orchids (highly invasive!). All but one of these was in a flower pot with other plants, and I definitely didn't put them there! They produce millions of dust-like seeds, so I'm guessing that the wind planted them. #sunshine #spring #flowersoftheday #gardening #backyard #quinceblossom #eucalypt #bonfire #cacti #gardencleanup #environmentalweed #southafricanorchid (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUUSQXqLDvA/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Playtime! A collection of seed heads has been sitting in the studio for a while, waiting for the right lighting to coincide with a spare hour. Much as I love bright and deep colours, I also love these quiet neutrals, especially with the textures and shapes of dried seed pods. There's one token pink one though - from oregano. #macro #nature #naturephotography #seedpods #gardening #neutralstyle #allium #aquilegia #nigella #honesty #poppy #rocket #oregano #pink #studio #studiotime (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUO_OpGrhrE/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Some colour around the garden today - anemone, Sparaxis, weevil, tulip and ranunculus, all doing their spring thing. Inside, my transparent acrylic chair casts interesting rainbows, and I cleaned the bathroom window!! Must be spring... #spring #flowersoftheday #gardening #backyard #gardenflowers #macro #nature #naturephotography #colours #rainbow #spectrum #bathroomddecor #jungalow #indoorplants #springclean (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUJ7FmzLGHd/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

The @art2life_world Breadcrumbs challenge is ending today - I managed to get a little arting in, in between grocery shopping and weeding...I had fun with whatever was handy, beginning with ripped pieces of old sheet music and continuing with watercolour, a couple of stamps, Pitt pens...During the weeding phase of my day, I picked one of the 6 red tulips that grow themselves in the courtyard garden. #breadcrumbschallenge #art #artwork #playtime #artsupplies #lansscape #sheetmusic #red #tulip #flowers #flowersoftheday #gardening #backyard #springbulbs (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUHXPeCPQpo/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

I joined in with @art2life_world breadcrumbs challenge this week, looking at what drives (or dampens) creativity and art making. There was one exercise per day for 5 days. I haven't yet done day 5, but here's a sample of my efforts. On day 4 we were invited to cut loose with favourite colours, which I did, but then I did some simple line drawings as well.🤔 The 7th pic is drawn with a piece of charcoal I found near the fire pit. Once I've done day 5s exercise, I'd better go and finish the painting on the easel in the painting shed - it will be interesting to see if my painting is any different post-challenge. #breadcrumbschallenge #art #artwork #artsupplies #drawing #sketchbook #linedrawing #inspiration #colour #pinknorange #cactus #cups #babayaga #artforartssake (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUEzjF8hUy5/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Close encounters of the gardening kind...I came across the weevil while I was weeding yesterday. It was hanging upside down, pretending to be dead, but it gave itself away by wiggling it's antennae. Apparently what looks like an eye isn't an eye, and I clipped on the macro lens to get a better look! The spider's egg sack blew down from somewhere, empty apart from a couple of tiny discarded skins. Last image is a fuzzy leaf of Greater Mullien. #weevil #australianinsect #gardening #macro #nature #naturephotography #backyard #backyardwildlife #spidereggsack #greatermullien #blanketleaf #lookcloser (at Moyston, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUB1qTrh9Xu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sukiesoriginal]

Lots of colour in the garden now, with more flowers opening every day. Yesterday, @alexfantastico26 came to get me and the "real" camera, because he'd managed to find a sundew in the paddock with an insect trapped. His phone camera wouldn't focus...Off we went, and I got down low, pressed the shutter...and nothing, apart from the dress words "change the battery pack" on the screen. 😖 I don't have a spare, so I pulled out the phone instead - and it focused perfectly! If I wasn't already on the ground, I might have fallen over.☺ (image 8). The evening slant of light was magical back in the garden. #spring #flowersoftheday #gardening #backyard #ranunculus #sparaxis #pink #orange #red #borage #sundew #drosera #australianflora #insect #nature #naturephotography #macro #serendipity #gardenpath #eveninglight https://www.instagram.com/p/CT6eEa-BlFU/?utm_medium=tumblr