Wednesday morning.

First a howling blizzard woke us,/Then the rain came down to soak us,/And now before the eye can focus -/Crocus. ~Lilja Rogers

I know it is spring. The weather can't make up its mind at all. Issi has moved onto the verandah where he surveys a world gone mad with enduring interest. Yes, he likes the glass topped tables, which soak up the heat, & when I go to pick him up his fur is so hot I nearly burn myself. The honeyeaters sit on the the sapling growing through the verandah & serenade the birdbath before plunging in & out, shake all over, in & out. Putting a birdbath on the deck was one of my better ideas. It gives us endless delight as our small visitors come & go during the day.

The water is blue & hazy through the trees, the early morning air still crisp & smelling richly of damp earth, salt & eucalypt. The sun sets golden fire to the edges of the leaves & the shadows dance across the decking in an intricate weaving. One's soul could burst from pure delight on such a morning as this.

I have been busy. It is pleasant sitting outside slowly painting my way across the deck. Bit by bit it is actually getting done, though a slow old process given I am gone so much & Dearest can do so little. Still we have had blue gum slabs sitting in our yard for years. If you aren't Aussie *blue* is often the term used to denote something reddish so blue gums actually give a rich red timber. Dearest used one of the slabs to make this permanent seat on the verandah & I have finally managed to seal it. The estapol really brings out the grain & the rich red hues. The sapling grows through the deck beside it & one day it will grow above the roof line & shade the whole lower deck. The birds haven't waited & perch there happily before & after their bath.

Grab a coffee & come sit a while with me contemplating the wondrous workings of God & the good things it was His pleasure to make for our enjoyment. We should get our coffee drunk before the sandies & mozzies find us & start biting.