The sounds of magpies warbling in the morning

We are blessed to have a little family of magpies that visit us each year.  We love seeing their arrival as for me, it heralds new life, and spring.  We have been in our home for six years now, and they have been coming here for the past four or five.  Which is amazing really, since we are in a housing estate where there are next to no trees for them.  The bushland surrounding us has been bulldozed over the past year or two to make way for more housing.  While I know our living here has ultimately contributed to this destruction (supply vs demand) I do miss the early years when we would have kangaroos, snakes, echidnas, wallabies, cockatoos, honey eaters and the like as part of our surroundings.  I know there are dingoes nearby, but so far they haven't come near our house - that we know of.  We have only seen one kangaroo (well, the Groom has, on our front grass in the early hours of the day when he was heading off to work), and one echidna in our yard since 2007.  We do have birds, which I call 'rain birds', that call out all day every day leading up to the storm season.  I love hearing them, but none more than our little magpie family.  Each year they bring us their latest family member to show off, it's almost like they are part of our family coming up on holiday!  Amazingly, despite their being mostly on our front lawn, they have never once swooped any of us or anyone in our small street that I know of.  Curiously, the day we see them most is on rubbish day - I think they wait for any maggots that fall off the bins!  I love this family of magpies as much as I love the little family of bush-stone curlews that come out and walk around our front yards at night.  

I didn't end up getting the washing pile sorted and folded yesterday.  I decided to do basically nothing.  I like being alone with my thoughts and today was a lovely day to do just that.  Today, though, I really must tackle that mountain.  I have fabric shopping bags that I want to get a start on for gifts for my sisters and mum for Christmas - if I don't start soon I shall never get around to it!  My grandmother called last night and I was telling her about the bags, so she kinda-sorta dropped a hint that she would like another one.  I gave her one that I had made and had with me when I visited her during winter, and I think they must have been a big hit at the retirement village where she lives.  She said she gets lots of comments on it and I think she just likes telling everyone it was made by her grand-daughter.  You see, my nana knits - a lot!  When we were little it was always jumpers, leg warmers, gloves, beanies and the like.  Now, she is happy making knee rugs "for the old dears in the nursing home" (mind you, the lady herself is not far off 90, so I think that is amusing), as well as coat hanger covers.  I covet every single coat hanger cover she sends me.  So while my knitting skills only extend to plain and purl stitch squares and rectangles (ie: dishcloths and scarves) I am more than happy to make bags for her to brag to her friends about.  

I was sorting through old magazines this morning before putting them out for recycling and came across an April edition of Australian Women's Health that was passed on to me.  As I was about to put it in the pile my eyes glanced upon a title on the front cover about a "Smug-Free Guide to Planet-Friendly Living".  I don't remember reading this so I've set it aside to read later.  I am going to note the things on the list that I already do and commit to making a few more that I don't.  I shall list them tomorrow I think.

Remember, kick off your shoes every opportunity you have and just be free.  After all, who on earth can feel the grass or sand or dirt between your toes if they are enslaved in fabric?