Taking the plunge

Goodnight @Bunniekins. I am still watching the cricket and also the rugby league world cup grand final. Both between Aust and Eng. Yes you might have gathered that I'm a sports nut.

@Maggie @Former-Member @outlander @utopia

Sherry xx

Rest your hand if you can and be gentle with you @outlander

Lovely birds @Former-Member

Hello @Maggie, @utopia, @Bunniekins, @Former-Member

@Maggie - I can picture that scene with you and the dogs cuddled up on bed watching a good flick. I love the actor Grant somebody too haha (I for the life of me can't remember his Surname at the moment either!!) But he is that cute Englishman - a good actor. He is always in the best movies.

I am glad you like the new cross stitch "Unmasked". It will be one of my next projects - I will be starting two projects at the same time - one being the pictured "UnMasked" and the other my "Mermaids of the Deep Blue" (the latter has beads and metallic threads as well). They are both more modern than my usual Victorian cross stitch art. Am looking forward to doing them both. I am getting quite addicted to this craft - I love it. I can't see me ever stopping.

Oh wow @Former-Member - just saw the pics of the parrots and hawk - just adorable. I love birds.

I smiled when I read you didn't move on the coast so as to avoid seasonal holidayers. We can't move up here at this time of the year because of them!!! I often say to my husband every Christmas "I want to go bush". Just to get away from the crowds. But then we have it mostly to ourselves the rest of the time I suppose. It was very difficult for us to go from countless acres to a residential block. I felt claustrophobic at first. We were lucky that we found and bought a home that only had two houses in the street, being surrounded by park reserve. Very rare here and in suburbia. It helped the transition.

I miss acres but do love being by the sea. I would of loved a small bush acres block somewhere near it, but impossible to find here. Hubby had to be close to medical facilities/specialists. How do you find the latter where you are? Is it sufficient for your husband's medical needs or does he have to travel? I would be really interested to know. I have always said that if our new home by sea (in a golf resort) does not work out I am going further North on bush acres (lower maintenance). Any by the sea where you are. Yes you aren't that far away.

That would of been heartbreaking losing a beloved pet to snake bite. So sorry to read this 😔.

I had neighbours who also lost their dogs this way - our dogs would chase them they were lucky (came close a few times). We lost a horse this way though. We had a lot of brown snakes, red belly blacks and some tigers as well.

I was working crutched down in my front rose bush garden on the farm on a nice sunny day (had 200 roses) - when I heard a "Ssss" sound. I immediately thought it was our recycling water system turning on, only to look up straight into a six foot browns eyes. I thought I was doomed. The shock was extraordinary and I was not going to keep still (which we were advised to do in such circumstance), as I would rather be bit on the foot than the face, so I stood up and ran on air!! - well expecting to be bitten on the foot/leg area as the King brown was hissing in strike mode. Screaming on the top of my lungs I bolted to the house. Amazingly the snake never bit me. Someone was watching out for me I think. My husband ran out saying "have you been bitten by a bee?". To which I replied "it's a big bloody bee!" - pointing to where the snake still was, it had not moved. Can't say much more as they are a protected species but they are too dangerous to have hanging around!!!

That must of been very hard leaving all your family behind. And it's a long way to return for a visit. We are thinking of doing this when hubby is better, seeing old friends again. We were forced off our farm really as a big mining company was moving in and around us making staying there unliveable and the roads dangerous. As a community we fought it and did win many legal conditions (a 5 year legal battle), and the company ended up buying us out. It spoiled the community and divided it. Such a shame as it was a wonderful community and place to live. That's what corporations do and they are usually ruthless.

We enjoy our walks along the beach also and buy fish and chips - it's a great day out. My hubby loves the footy and cricket and is watching the football as I type. I stitch next to him while he watches as it's not really my thing. I hope hubby does feel well enough to enjoy tomorrow - I will be thinking about you both and look forward to hearing how it went. It's been lovely chatting with you @Former-Member 💕

Goodnight @Bunniekins@outlander@Shaz51 😴

@Maggie 😂❤️

good night @Former-Member sleep well

@Maggie, you dont mean Hugh Grant do you? He was good in 4 weddings and a funeral.

Regarding medical facilities here, its pretty good. Although when hubby had his recent hospitalisation he had to go to Newcastle, but that was because he needed a cardio thoracic surgeon to operate on him. We dont have one of those here at our rural referral hospital. But thankfully we do have an oncology unit here at the public hospital, and an oncologist. We also have a private hospital, which is very good. Plenty of good Doctors and most specialists here. So I would have to say that we have most things anybody could possibly need. Unfortunately while hubby was in hospital for 3 weeks down in Newcastle it meant a 2 hour drive each way in order to visit. Thats not so good, but it could have been a lot worse, had he needed to go all the way to Sydney. But the immunotherapy treatment he has commenced last week is all done here in our local hospital, which is only a 20 min drive from where we live. So its very convenient.

Oh dear, that would be very frightening coming face to face with a large brown snake. I remember I came across my little dog Abbie once and she was all wrapped up in a large red belly black snake out on the back lawn. She had a hold of it though and was not bitten thankfully. But she was a fiesty little dog and thats what got her in the end. We had a 410 gun which we used for snakes that came around the house. Although I was usually happy to allow the black ones around, but had a major objection to allowing the brown snakes nearby once I knew they were there. They were usually quicky dispatched. Yes ... protected or not ... human life is more important than any snake, and we had grandkids around.

Mining Companies or any large corporation for that matter cause no end of problems in the bush, and divides communities. At around the time we sold our farm there was a big wind farm development trying to establish itself in our area. Some farmers were all for it, others were not. Personally I was against it, and was pleased to be out of there before they came through. I see it as an intrusion of privacy, a danger and an eyesore. But a lot of people were in favour as it paid decent money to allow access to them and for turbines to be build on your land.

Its been good chatting to you also @Former-Member. I hope to do so again sometime soon. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend.

I'm off to bed now, so goodnight everyone ..... @Former-Member @Maggie @outlander @Shaz51 @utopia @Faith-and-Hope @Bunniekins. Sleep well.

Sherry xx

Goodnight @Former-Member .... 😴💕