It has been a bit hotter lately and I’m obviously concerned about snakes about the place.

Most weekends now involve at least an hour on Penfold (the ride on mower) as I try and keep the grass down and the ground visible for when we are walking around.

Of particular importance is the vegetable garden, as the pond in the middle provides a water source and the variety of lizards and small animals provide a potential meal for the snakes.

Tonight Meg rang as she arrived home to find a brown snake on the concrete outside the roller door of the shed, “looking for a way in”.

After advising Meg to keep an eye on it, I quickly packed up and headed home.

Arriving home in a cloud of dust, I saw Meg standing under the pergola at the end of the shed. The snake had left and she had been following it to where it disappeared, under some rocks on the corner of the concrete slab.

After making sure that it wasn’t still visible and turning a large rock over, we revealed what looked suspiciously like a snake hole…

Meg wasn’t all that fussed though, and we’ll just look carefully when we enter the shed and try to ensure that we don’t have mice. As well as this, Meg taped up a small gap at the bottom of the roller door of the shed.

While this excitement was going on, the very small, male mistletoe bird was twittering around us, landing on the car antenna and also on one of the small blue gums next to where we park.

I grabbed the camera and the 100-400mm lens and snapped him a few times in the approaching twilight.

Before packing the camera away again, I thought I’d capture the new flock of sheep that we have grazing in the paddock. Hopefully they’ll eat their way through our bushfire risk in the next month or so and won’t keep me too awake at night.

Check out more in the gallery.

A week or so ago on a calm, dark night, I went outside for some reason and heard the rustle of leaves in the blue gums along the path between the shed and the toilet.

Being a curious bloke, I grabbed the torch and crept slowly to about where I’d heard the noise and pointed up to see a furry little fellow. It looked like we have Common Brushtail Possums on our property, which are listed as “rare” by the Department for Environment and Heritage.

Tonight I heard the distinctive rustle again and quietly returned to the shed to put the camera together.

Using the Canon 28-70mm f2.8L lens with the Speedlite 550EX flash for starters, I used the torch to identify the general area that the possums were in before clicking off a few shots. Shooting directly up into the branches was a bit of a stretch for me, and after using the torch I couldn’t see anything through the view finder as my eyes didn’t adjust in time to the pitch black, moonless sky.

It must have looked quite interesting from the neighbours place across the hillside, with the trees occasionally lighting up from the powerful flash!

I changed to the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L to try and get a bit closer and this greatly increased the level of difficulty of getting the possum in frame, but the shots that I did get were much better.

I think that it is interesting that the possums were eating the blue gum blossoms and not the box mistletoe that I’ve been told is their food source. There is plenty of mistletoe around, although we have been slowly reducing it by selectively pruning with both chainsaw and rope saw.

Possums are meant to be quite rare in the Clare Valley area. I’ve read that the average is down to one per hectare, the lowest in the area including the Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North and I’d wondered where and when we would see one – we should have more than 40 on our property.

While many people don’t like them, I haven’t seen evidence of them in the vegie garden yet, so as long as they stay in the trees then maybe we can just get along together.

Check more info with the Dept of Environment and Heritage Fact Sheet

Australia can be a dangerous place. It has started to get a little warmer lately and we’ve already had encounters with some brown snakes outside.

Tonight was different though. We have the usual community of millipedes, ants, beetles and spiders, but we don’t generally get anything bad crawling through the shed.

It was late at night, and I was about to go to bed when I saw a scorpion wandering across the floor in front of the tv. I was a little surprised as I’d only ever rarely seen them under rocks and here was a scorpion crawling slowly across in front of me.

I grabbed a pint glass and covered it before grabbing the camera for a few happy snaps.

Initially I just put my 28-70/f2.8 L lens on, but was soon reminded that I’d need the Speedlite 550EX flash to get around the lens on close up shots (the standard flash is too low and the size of the lens causes a shadow in the shot).

I set up the camera and tried to get a good shot, but it was hard with such a small object and the lens is more for portrait work rather than close up macro shots.

To try and get some perspective, I lay down on the floor, trying to get as close as possible and modified the angle of the flash for different lighting effects. I’d lift the glass with my left hand and take some shots, trying to get the detail of the scorpion – the end of the tail, the hairs on the body, the angles of the pincers and the shine in it’s eyes.

See how the grains of dirt on the concrete floor show up – the scorpion was only about five centimetres long.

I was having trouble getting a full frame, so I swapped lenses to the 100-400/f4.5-5.6 L zoom. With this lens I had to be much further back, but it gave slightly different lighting from the flash.

After taking shots from all angles, I put him back in the glass and walked outside, releasing him along the driveway.

OK, it wasn’t really a scorpion attack, but it did raise the heart rate just before bedtime.

One of the things that I really enjoy about living in the country is the birds.

From the top of the hill where the vegie garden is, you can look back to the north and east and follow the horizon along a ridge. Sunset provides the “Golden Hour” and when it is still you can stand there for ages watching and listening to various birds as they prepare to roost.

The Kookaburras are my favourite. There are a few pairs around and they often call to each other, with the call starting at one end of the road, passing through the pairs of birds to the other and back.

I’ve had a couple of tries at photos, but today was a day where it worked.

Previously I’d heard or seen Kookie about and headed for the camera, changed lenses and the like and come back to the spot to watch him fly away.

Today I was in the shed and heard them in a tree outside. Before heading out, I swapped to the long lens and then quietly opened the shed door.

Rather than going for the perfect shot, I clicked off a couple on the way to where I thought it would be, making sure that I at least got something.

Kookie sat there for a while, letting me take a few shots from about twenty metres before flying off.

Thanks Kookie!

Just a quick post to show some of the effects of the golden hour, a favourite time of the day for me and my camera.

I love the softness of the colours in the light just before sunset. It can be difficult to work with as the light levels drop, and working with a fill in flash can have adverse effects as well. Maybe it is this fine line of low light and harsh flash, the volatility of the situation that makes it good.

I think it is just the results. I love a good sunset and hope to never be too tired or get too bored of it to pick up the camera and walk over the hill.

Sure, it is the same sun on the same distant range, but it always changes.

Check out the gallery for the rest of the pics.

We’ve been very busy lately and haven’t been taking enough time to enjoy what we have.

With the “Shed Raising” party a few of weeks ago, Meg and I realised that we hadn’t walked the property enough and should be doing it more regularly, noticing changes and getting fitter.

The days are almost getting longer and there is some good sunshine now so we really should make time to do it.

We started last weekend with a Saturday afternoon wander. I had an ulterior motive and had taken the mattock to do battle with some artichokes that have been rapidly spreading across the property. We walked and talked about life and plans and views and trees.

Today was also a nice day and I’d taken the camera instead of the mattock.

First stop was the bore. The tank hasn’t been filled for a few months (a testament to our water saving lifestyle) and it was time to fill up.

This would also be a test of water pressure to the shower as I’d installed the instant LPG water heater in a tree and wanted to see what it could do. As the tank is on the hill above, I was wondering whether adding a metre or two in height to the water level in the tank would increase the pressure noticeably.

The late afternoon sun was broken by the trees as we wandered down the valley away from the bore. The valley was peaceful, with no wind or traffic noise – just the sounds of birds playing in the trees.

As we came to the main creek I saw a slight movement on the opposite hillside and watched as a couple of kangaroos looked back. (Sure, they might not be “kangaroos”, but Euros or something similar, but until I find out which is which anything that hops and looks like a kangaroo will be a kangaroo.)

I clicked off a couple of shots, but I was using the 28-70mm lens. If I’d had the 100-400mm lens we could have seen what they were thinking but I’d only taken the camera and not the entire camera bag.

Walking a few steps further on spooked the kangaroos and they were off.

We walked the creek line and stopped to check on the artichokes that I’d had a go at last weekend. I’d dug a fair bit  of them out but had heard from others that spraying or using pellets is really the only way to get them. We’ll see what happens.

I saw a photo opportunity in the creek and entered. The tree on the left side of the creek had roots that had been exposed by the bank and with the late afternoon sun and a little bit of flash, I thought I could get an interesting perspective.

Meanwhile, Meg was being creative on her own, creating a monster out of an ant hole, some bark and moss. Arrrggghh! The monster!

The artichoke population increased dramatically as we reached the western boundary of the property. This is turning into much, much more of a priority.

We took some time to take it all in, sitting around a huge, old gum tree that must have some stories to tell. It must be at least a metre across – how old does that make it?

Wandering up the step climb I spotted a different type of thistle. It has a purple flower and reminded me of Scotland for some reason.

A storm was heading our way over the Blyth plains and we watched the changes for a while as it moved before heading back along the road and checking out the neighbours sheep.

It was a pretty good walk and taking the camera really made me look for things and take notice.

All wasn’t right when we returned, as the tank wasn’t full or even noticeably better off!

I raced to the bore and after a while discovered that a switch had tripped inside the control panel. Fears met worries and frustrations as they bounced around my mind. Had we run out of water? Had I blown up the expensive submersible pump? Had we hooked up the tank without the right valves and done some damage?

I reset the switch and turned the pump back on. A short while later, the switch clicked off and the pipe moved – it was off again.

The questions went around my head again as I failed to learn anything from the process and was left with the realisation that things are always going to break and go wrong and it was up to me to deal with them.

I love spending a little while walking around in the morning and checking everything out.

Since finding the camera again and making sure everything still works, I’ve felt the need to take some pics.

This morning was cold and even at nine am there was still a hint of frost about.

I wandered about in the crisp air, thinking about all of the jobs that we’ve done lately and remembering those that I hadn’t taken pics of.

The first was the securing of the flue to the shed roof. Pa and I did this the other day with some stainless steel wire. It even looks half professional!

Then there is the half finished path to the (also half finished) toilet. I’ve had Pa working hard – here he was shovelling and raking gravel.

I’d originally thought that we’d pave a path to the toilet from the shed, either in cheap pavers, old bricks or just flat stone from the property. Then there was the suggestion of gravel, combined with the memory of the stack of posts and the quick, cheap and easy path was born.

Three trailer loads of gravel were $60, the posts were free and so was the labour! Thanks Pa.

The toilet is a little more than half finished. It just needs the front panel and some tidying up.

The exhaust vent is on, although some might say that it has a little “character” as Meg and I put it together on the Sunday afternoon after “the 24”. I’d had about 2 hours sleep and a couple of drinks on Saturday night and was a little worse for wear.

We zipped the vent to the adapter with some self tapping screws and then glued the angles together after cutting the pipe to size. It was only when we held it against the wall that we noticed that the top was crooked. Too late – the glue dries fast!

I’d also added a line of self tappers to the cladding that afternoon to make it more secure. It’s easy to see which line I added – it squiggles up and down in about the same way that I was seeing the world.

Meg had surprised me with some projects when I’d returned that weekend, the first of which was the sink stand. She’d got the timber cut to size as she didn’t want to use the circular saw and glued and nailed it together. It works really well and now we have a full size sink to wash the dishes, complete with bucket drain.

One of the next projects is the pergola to contain the shower, washing machine, sink, and hot water service. It shouldn’t be too hard as we don’t have to dig footings and make sure they are level, just dyna bolt it to the concrete.

It really rained yesterday and I noticed that there was a lot of water pooling behind the shed. A couple of hours later I had some long drains out either side to steer the water away.

The rain didn’t help the road situation and I’ve been switching to 4WD almost daily to get in and out. When it rains, the mud seems to attract moisture and hold it for days. It squelches as you walk on it and Meg has had to park at the entrance for the past weeks.

Hopefully the earthmovers will be able to get in before the 21st and everyone can drive up the hill!

The garden is coming along and the most promising is the broccoli, broad beans and silverbeet.

Meg and I have also had time to install the solar pump in the pond and get it functional so that the fish can see where they are swimming.

It was so calming to take a moment to look around the garden this morning with the camera. I was reminded of a few years ago, when I took photos professionally most days and switched back to that mode of thinking about light, subject, focus, and frame.

Seeing a bubble of water on the broccoli inspired a few shots, as did the reflection of the pond and the flight of the Willy Wagtail. If I’d had my other lens with me I could have done the little bird justice, but had to be content with what I ended up with.

After taking a few pics, I wandered through to the citrus and was a bit surprised to see frost still on the ground around the base of the lime. Shaded by weeds, it hadn’t melted in the sun, even though it was getting on to half past nine in the morning.

It was a nice hour of reflection, walking around the garden and being reminded of my former life, working at racetracks and travelling the world.

I don’t see the two lives as good or bad but different - different times and different priorities and goals. These days I enjoy seeing the mist over the hill, kangaroos in the valleys and sunsets over the range in the distance.

I’m also glad that I can take the time to capture the scenes and see the changes from season to season and year to year.

So much has changed here already, but there is always so much left to do – build the house, design, plant and grow the food forest, chooks, livestock and more. What a great journey is to come.

I must remember to take the time on mornings like these to enjoy and lose myself in the moment, but also to remember experiences from the past.