12 of 12: September 2010

Another month, another 12 of 12.  This one on a Sunday, but a Sunday full of visiting and trying to track down sheep poo for the garden. 

Although we would be heading for the dog beach later in the morning, since we were going to visit Scott’s father in the afternoon I decided Lottie needed a bath. She wandered into the bathroom with me (as she always does) so I just quickly shut the door behind her and soon she was a wet, sorry-for-herself dog. And not long after that she was a clean, happy dog being released from the torture of the bath. Why does she hate it so much?! The groans she makes sound like she likes the massage she gets, water in its non-shower forms is popular with her, and she likes the extra cuddles she gets when she’s clean. I guess it’s just a dog thing. 

Taken while out handing washing on the line and giving our new garden beds a watering in. We’ve gotten some help to establish our fruit and veggie garden; we’ve put a lot of work in in the past and not gotten very far. You can follow the progress of our edible garden at Lottie’s Lot. That’s right – for once Lottie gets something named after her! 

I find culling my day down to 12 photos almost impossible. For 12 of 12 I don’t always go for the best looking photo but for ones that speak of my day or of my daily life. I was at the turn in the stairway taking a photo out of the window at the garden. But Lottie was right there watching me. She’s still wet from her much-despised bath. However she loves me enough that she has to follow me, plus she knows Sundays usually mean she’s going to the beach for her dog date. She thinks she REALLY can’t afford to lose sight of me when it’s time to go to the beach! Although she always sticks to me like glue, her desire to watch my every move almost becomes feverish as the time approaches to leave. 

 We walked up and down the beginning of the beach where we meet Felix each Sunday at 12:30 for Lottie’s run. But Felix never showed. I knew his people would be going away to Queensland for a few weeks, I thought that was in October. Oops. The bonus is Lottie will be much cleaner for her visit to the nursing home later!  However we didn’t walk very far and I didn’t let her bounce around.  Poor Lottie.

After Lottie having a short walk at the beach, we went to to meet up with Scott (and get more wash on the line). Then we went off to Franklin. The first order of business was lunch, which we had at the Franklin Gallery Cafe. And I must say our food was good! 

After lunch the husband headed off to see his father while Lottie and I went on a drive in search of sheep poo for our garden. We have no trouble getting horse poo close to home, but horses don’t digest as well – so using their manure actually add weeds to our garden.  Definitely not what we need! I went as far south as Waterloo but didn’t find any sheep poo. I took this photo when headed back to Franklin; when I’d driven past on the way south I could smell these apple orchards before I could see them. They were FULL of unpicked apples – lots rotting on the ground too. In the background of this photo you can see the red of the apples down the rows and the green of the grass dividing the row; that’s a LOT of apples. I think you can see why Tasmania is called The Apple Isle. 

Almost 2 years ago my in-laws were in a car accident while travelling around Australia in their RV; they were on the freeway between Adelaide and Hahndorf. Although he seemed OK on the day of the crash, my father-in-law collapsed the next day – he had bleeding in the brain. It was touch-and-go whether he would live it first, but he’s pulled through. However he’ll never be the same. He’s gone from being an active retiree to living in a nursing home. Luckily he was able to get a spot in his home town. And considering it’s such a small town it is amazing the nursing home is there. But it is, and it’s a good one. The staff are great. 

Lottie is allowed to visit – apparently all well behaved dogs are – and is VERY popular. It took us at least a quarter of an hour to get through the halls to Boney’s room because of the number of pets and cuddles she was getting. But you can’t choose who your dog will like. Lottie doesn’t know how to take Ian; my MIL Patsy is her favourite of my in-laws. (She was Snuva’s favourite too; they both refer to Patsy as ‘The Food Lady’.  I think that explains everything.) So although Lottie had been gregarious in the hallways, in Ian’s room Lottie wanted to sit on my feet and not next to him. 

We took the scenic route home, via Glen Huon and Ranelagh, in search of sheep poo. We’d asked around at the nursing home, but no one had seen any lately. Not a bad drive though! 

Finally! Never did see any sheep poo despite seeing plenty of sheep in paddocks, but alpaca will do! We grabbed 3 big bags of it for the garden. 

Christina, our FiMBY garden guru, got some fig cuttings from her mum’s tree this morning and stuck them in the ground while we were out. Yesterday we’d moved woody herbs from the other herb garden – thyme, lemon thyme, sage, marjoram, etc – around the edges of the dirt patch. In the wine barrels will be 2 varieties of olive, a lemon, and a bay tree. 

After we got home, Lottie got into her favourite chair and didn’t want to move. Despite not having the long bounce at the beach she usually has, she seemed exhausted with all the visiting and gardening that had happened over the weekend. Maybe she wasn’t as energised because she didn’t get her long walk; usually after a long walk she races around the back garden like a mad thing! Although she raced around a little, she seemed happy to settle once I’d finished bringing in wash and watering the fig cuttings. 

We had artichokes before dinner, and steaming them certainly steamed up the kitchen as well!