Birds: Peewee or Magpie Lark

 A subtle change has unfolded here recently, probably while I was indicated by the Everything  Mechanical I Own Has Broken dramas of last  month. 

Stage one of  the change I suspect was the departure of the Pied Butcherbirds. I've no clue what caused that. It's it possible that the passing of my cat and concomitant cessation of regular feeds of mince,  played a part? As I said,  I  have no real clue,  they've been here for more than 15 years,  all year around. But now,  they've moved out. 

What has happened is something quite delightful is that the ecological gap caused by the departure of the PBB's had been filed with Peewees.  A mid-sized monochromatic bird with a high pitched rasp-ish call. I find their call nostalgic though,  if that's the correct expression.  It is laden with great memories of the first time I stayed on my grandparents' farm at Kingcumber. Yes,  that chic seaside estate with lifestyle acreages was once a sparsely populated rural area. My grandparents ran a handful of Saanen goats for milk, a heap of hens for eggs and a dozen Australian Silly Terrier dogs fort showing. I was placed there with my little brother Pete lover Christmas the year my mum was having trouble with carrying my youngest sibling.  Pete didn't last long,  but I stayed on because I really enjoyed my Nan's peaceful,  no fuss attitude and her love of animals. I still remember when she sighed softly as she discovered the hens were out of grain. It meant a trip to town; glad rags on,  hop on the rumbling old bus that stopped right by the house,  walk to the produce store,  load the hand trolley with a 40lb  bag of grain and bus home again. Even then my Nan was only justtaller that the trolley and weighed as much as two bags of grain. But side never complained,  and the bus driver knew better than to offer a hand. 

Anyway,  in the early morning before the sun was up I would wait for the peewees call.  At the hint of first light the small birds would start twittering away.  Not really calling as such,  I think of it as a soft chatter may be about the night before,  a roll call or planning the day ahead.  Ah, the first peewee sends out a shrill call,  sometimes a call with a stutter.  They would move about in the hedges or the different areas of lawn catching early worms I suppose.  I could tell where they were just by the direction and strength of their calls.  Magic! I would just lay in my warm berth listening to their calls and wondering what they were doing.  Otherwise,  it was just so peaceful and quiet. 

Pretty soon afterwards I would hear nan's slippers get shuffling or from her room,  along the hall, kitchen and down into sheepout where I would smile.  She would look up sheepishly and say "hello love" inn that peculiar way that people without their teeth in did and slightly self conscious as her hair was mussy and she would be carrying the bedpot out to the toilet can.  Amd the day would get noisier,  but not a lot.  

So now, in the early mornings when my new peewee friends call out,  I feel joyful too as I think about that peaceful summer's holiday and how my youngest sister,  born in the February went on to study law and had her own 9 year old now and remains a soulmate. 

The Cargo Bike Affair

Lately,  I've really been getting into Cargo Bikes.  It's fair to say that in Australia they're a fairly rare commodity.  It's also true to say that these bikes are monopolized by found parents doing urban deliveries of their kids to preschool or school.  But, i feel that the design has wider appeal. 

I've also found it really hard to look beyond what the Climate Scientists are saying about the need for humans to make rapid and radical changes to their lifestyles in order to literally save the planet.  I already live of grid and work at my own small business where I earn enough to pay the bills with a little over.  But i can and want to do more,  i want to get out  of my car ...  and the cargo bike is regularly touted as the "car replacement" bike.  

I don't have anywhere near enough money to buy yet,  especially an electric version.  But that's the way I'm heading,  that and moving my gardening business towards electric tools including mower.  

Home insulation

 My Little House (not quite a Tiny House), sits on brick piers, some over a metre tall. Being on a hill though,  it allows chilled winter winds to come sought up under the floor.  So any attempts to seal it off would make the house more comfortable and decrease the quantities of wood burned over winter.   

Unique to this property though are other benefits like keeping the chickens, goats and other wild critters out from under the house.  It would also stop it being used as an ugly storage space.  

So,  using treated timber and old iron sheeting,  it's happening.  I'll paint it a charcoal colour to finish it off, and find some place else to store