nicola

 one of the lovely things about working on farms are the lovely people you can meet. Nicola, from Scotland, worked with us on the community in Healsville and end up in Daylesford too. 

 we explored around the lake, Janu scootering like a rocket.

dirt brown

while Adrian is up high on a roof hammering down panels, Janu and I explore compost. Juicy, rich, dirt brown heaven.

today was a two-snake day. a black tail sliding from the garden as I raked long grass. flash of red belly as it slid under hot tin.  a grey-green shape reclining in the sun near the apple tree.  languid.  I know they mean no harm, but a sighting sets me back: frozen, watching.  janu stays near; knows what to do if he sees one.   stop! walk back! call for an adult! luckily he's never been one to shoot off in all directions without us.

cabin

janu looks a little spoooky here, but he's into facepaint lately! this was adrian's creation...

 here is the little cabin where you can find us - some before and 'getting there' pictures (hard to say 'after' pictures: when is anything ever finished?)  adrian leveled the dirt floor, then put plastic down, then underlay, and then carpet on top.    there will be many more pics to come.

goldies

 a local tip from a friendly greengrocer led us to this aboriginal reserve behind lancefield, northern victoria.  we camped here and loved exploring the bush, fenced off from cattle. thriving with wildlife compared to the paddocks surrounding it. i found this tiny orchid among the grass.

gentle earth walking

 our second woofing place is a property called 'gentle earth walking', just outside Daylesford, NW Victoria.  (We seem to find it hard to leave, writing this in January and we've been here pretty much the whole time!)

 In exchange for food and board, for the last month we’ve been getting an old run-down cabin into shape – it’s transformed from a junk-filled dirt floor shed to a cosy 3-room home. Adrian is in his element, using all sorts of recycled materials the owners have been collecting for years.  One day we may have electricity or a stove! We’ve also whipped the veg garden into shape.  Also helping with their on-going work of building tipis, steam bending timber and teaching straw-bale building.  did i mention lying around reading, too?

love affairs

 the 3 of us have a lovely time together (most of the time!).   we did some short walks near our campsite.  we still need inventive methods to cajole janu to walk any distance.. exploring wombat (or troll??) holes worked well. 
mama kangaroo was hiding a joey inside.

first night in matilda

 leaving the community in healsville, we headed west.  our first night sleeping in the van 'matilda'.  a friendly king parrot helped us settle in, and all was well - dinner by the fire and janu nestled up inside the pop-top. we've told him that he shouldn't grow too much, or he'll be too long to fit. 

kinglake

 this town, kinglake, was one of the towns decimated by fire in 2009.  only a few houses remained by the time the fire had swept through.  the community has been incredibly resilient, and the town is looking wonderful. for example, this playground is without doubt the best I've ever seen (and I'd like to think I've seen a few!). 

this water contraption needed lots of cooperation to get it all moving, and the kids just worked together in all sorts of ways (getting marvellously splashed!)

dinosaur bones hidden in the sand, amazing balancing stones all set amidst greenery, a small creek, sculptures - all with the scoured trees beyond.

the mountain

heading away from moora moora, towards melbourne again.. next stop daylesford! 

moooora

exploring and playing on a rainy day at moora moora

catriona and baby niamh visited; we baked cookies and huddled by the fire!