And This Little Pig said Evie Update

Evie is having her first puppy-hood, because I very much doubt she ever had one when she was a pup. Learning what toys are and that it is fun to chew things. Haven't lost any shoes, but Quincy has lost one of her favourite toys.

Knows what treats are now, lines up with Meah and Quincy, oh and pigs ears really loves her pigs ears, trotters and snouts, and even though that all sounds a bit off, what all my girls really love is 'beef sticks' if you turn the packet over it tells you it is 100% beef pizzle. Really wish I had never turned the packet over.

Evie and Quincy play like they have lived together all their lives, like sisters or mother and daughter, Meah still holds herself above it all, she watches them play, doesn't like it at times, but refuses to join in. I say stubborn, everyone else says spoilt, don't know where they get that idea.

Evie is becoming a very devoted little girl, and overall is very well balanced, loved and the tail does not stop wagging.

Does this look like a contented dog? Or a pair of contented dogs? 

Red eye reduction flash obviously does not work on chocolate Dachshunds, their eyes tend to have greenish twinge.

Quincy being cheeky.

And This Little Pig said Wednesday and Wet

Yep it's Wednesday and it's wet again, I have gone back and done a quick survey of my Wednesday moo cow posts.

Post number 11
Dry and bright 5
Wet and miserable 5
Inbetween 1

But seriously this is one of the wettest Wednesday's I have had at the yards. Not heavy rain, just constant, miserable, wet :D 

But not complaining I get to sit in an office, only have to go out on the catwalk when the cattle are being sold if I want to, and then get to sit in another office to weight the cattle... but today I did all of this with-out-coffee!

So everything today just seemed to be a little bit out of reach.

Peeking out...

leaning on...

and just getting wet

And This Little Pig said Surprise Visitor

Woke this morning, well we were awake, just being lazy and watching the morning news in bed. When there was this thump, thump noise getting closer and closer. Pulled the blind in time to see the Westpac Rescue Helicopter landing on the football field across the road.

Well up and out of bed, grabbed the camera... oh wait, don't think the neighbourhood wants to see me in my pj's so quickly threw on trackie pants and top, flattened the hair as best I could, out the door.

The footie field is often used for an emergency landing, especially at night, as they can light it up so well, the landing pad at the hospital, can often be fogged in or on a windy day, has big trees too close to the pad, and it was a foggy morning.

Took the first photo at 7.36am and the last as it flew out at 7.56am.

The rescue truck, not a good sign, usually means something really major, either a bad car accident or a mine accident. Ambulance arriving in background, and thankfully there was only one.

Patient loaded, doors closed, getting ready to lift off. I didn't take (and don't as a rule) any photos of the patient on the stretcher. Everyone around them was calm, and no frantic rushing.

Lifting off, I was taking photos with the little boy next door 3.5 years old, and he was really funny, he was watching through the camera, but every time I took a photo and the camera 'froze' for those few seconds, he would look up, and then back down to watch through the little view screen.

Going...

Gone... and no offense please don't come back anytime soon.

Found out when I got to work it had been a motorbike versus a truck accident, the bike rider is listed as critical and was flown out to a major regional hospital.

And This Little Pig said Bright Sunny Day

What a beautiful winters day, haven't heard that one on a Wednesday in awhile.

You can tell spring is coming, as there is a green pick in the paddock next to the saleyards, and the kangaroos just love it. They where about 30-40 metres away, around 120-150 feet, a family group grazing together. The yards is only 5 kilometers to the centre of town. Sorry I only had my little camera with me.

As I was saying, while it was chilly today, it was beautiful in the sun, so much so, that this vealer was saying... The futures so bright, I gotta wear shades. I think the sun was just a little bright.

Time to give the cows some airplay, nothing like a jersey, they have such a soft eye, to go with their soft natures.

Can't ignore the beef cows either.

And This Little Pig said Updates All Round

Just a general update. Le Tour de Pig is finish, all backstitching done, have started another le Pig. 

Actually started my major work (wip1) still a mystery, started the first colour.

An early Spring is on the cards, while doing yard work last weekend, I was lucky enough to catch these parrots--Eastern Rosella's--checking out this old down pipe next door as a nesting box.

I had a chat with the male, told him this probably wasn't the best place to nest that I didn't think the babies would be able to get out. I do believe they have taken noticed, as they have not been back. Which is a disappointment in one way, but a hollow log is a better option.

Okay you must be getting sick of my roses, but I left the Camille Pissarro flower until this last weekend to finally prune, love the way the stamens dry off.

My Gourmet Popcorn continues to flower, has all winter.

Day out on Sunday, belated birthday lunch with friends at a local nursery, their cafe is divine, we were lucky to get a table, forgot to ring ahead and reserve. Lovely sitting just in the sun and right next to an outdoor gas heater. Was very restrained, I only brought one new rose, but that was only because I couldn't find the other two I was looking for... purchased a Delbard, France Libre, very appropriate considering my love of the Tour de France. I can't wait for it to flower.

And This Little Pig said le Tour de Pig 1

My le Tour de Pig is all but finished! The only thing left to do is backstitching.

Also this is a bit embarrassing, I have had another finish this year! I am going to make a big mattress pincushion, like my Kirk & Spock, still have to finish the back and do the sides. It is called Too Hot by AuryTM http://aurytm.com/blog/ she does lovely Quaker patterns, and has many freebies.

I always find it a bit funny doing Snowmen in Australia, seeing as to me the represent Christmas, and 40 degrees C, is definitely not Snowman weather, So this chart was perfect. Oh nearly forgot, the linen is hand dyed, when it first came out I thought, My God! What am I ever going to stitch on this, but I think it work out well.

The girls decided they couldn't be left out either, so an Evie update, here she is last night on the lounge with Quincy, I think you can call this settle in.

And Meah on the other end of the lounge curled up on my dressing gown (bath robe), staring at them both, Moo is such a strange little thing, and I wouldn't change her for the world.

And This Little Pig said More -How I Did It- Than -Tutorial

This is more of a 'How I Did It' than a Tutorial, as there are plenty of tutorials out there for this sort of thing, I just chose to do my pincushion/pinkeep a little different.

When I was doing my Rabbit/Rabbits, I didn't want to 'hop' on the sewing machine and sew round the edges, turn it back the right way out, stuff and then try and hand stitch a neat little edge which I hoped wasn't 'that' visible.

I know my limitation, when I did a quilting course many moons ago, a couple of us decided to create an AA group... Appliquer's Anonymous.

I digress, first, I don't like to stuff, the feel just isn't right for me, it's always lumpy even when it's not, so I use wadding the flat quilting kind.

Copied a template from the outline of one of the Rabbits, just a little smaller. Folded the wadding so it was four pieces thick, pinned the template, and cut out. Loosely tacked/backstitched the pieces of wadding so they wouldn't move.

Whip stitched round the top of the Rabbit/Rabbits, then inserted the wadding, and continued whip stitching the edges together.

The shape made it difficult to pull the edges together in places, but overall not too bad. I think that if and when I do something like this again, I won't have as many acute angles, make it more square.

And This Little Pig said Wet, Windy = Miserable + Long Post

I seem to be saying this alot lately, but this is the first wet winter we have had in quite a few years, leading everyone to hope for a really good spring and summer. We have been more in drought than out in the last 10 years.

Today was so strange, woke up to pouring rain and then became more windy as the day went on. This also means there were less cattle yarded, and to be perfectly honest, not a day for taking photos.

But by the time I had finished weighing, this is what the day looked like. Above photo taken at 8.34am the photo below 10.58am. 2 hours and 24 minutes difference.

Now for an Evie update she is settling in well, learning to get a long with Quincy an energetic, roughhousing seven month old, who won't take no for an answer, well she did that one time, but that is the natural order of things.

And a snooty Meah, who does not want another thing taking away Meah-time.

She seems more happy when we are out in the yard, not as ridged, enjoys running round, always comes when she is called, tail wagging, even if she does drop to the ground, when you bend down to pat her, but I believe this is a symptom of not being patted, not of anything sinister. She has begun jumping up on my leg for a pat, so progress.

Toilet training is going great, even if it means getting out of bed between 5 and 5.30am when she starts to whine, but for a girl who has spent no time inside.

How much time has Evie spent inside, well she did not know what a lounge/sofa was for, I mean they are for laying on right? We showed her how to get up, and she laid their and watched me iron my work clothes, and what a quick study, showed her in the morning, and that afternoon after I came home from work, and we came back inside, straight up on the lounge. Good Girl.

Yes we have taught her some bad habits :D but isn't this the natural order of things?

One sad note, Evie has not learned to give kisses… yet.

Note to Moo (that's Meah's nickname) you sleep on the bed, Evie sleeps in a crate.

About a week ago I complained about my camera, well before I went home for my newphew's Christening, I invested in a new little camera (discounted), this one is a Panasonic Lumix, and I am happy with the results to date, I have not enhanced any of these photos, and my geranium now looks red, and dead :D

Definitely one of the last of my roses, a Delbard, I think Camille Pissarro.

And my ever faithful Gourmet Popcorn.

Plus a macro, a dandelion gone to seed, or as children we called them wet the bed.