You know you are over the hill when...

This morning church didn't start until 9 o'clock which gave us a bit longer than usual to have breakfast and get ready for our 60 km trip into town. I was feeling pretty happy that we were going to be early (a rare thing I'm sorry to admit).

Today was special because the Sunday School conducted the whole service and the children did one of the most entertaining Christmas pantomimes that we have ever seen. We got home in time for Mr Sunshine to attend a six year old's birthday party. You can't say 'no' to special invitations like that from your adoring public year one students.

All in all I thought things had been coasting along pretty well until Mr Sunshine asked me if I noticed anything different about him. I looked carefully at his face, but no, he hadn't forgotten to shave or plucked his eyebrows. He suggested I look lower. I was expecting a busted fly zipper or a food stain down his shirt. Suddenly I saw IT and it was nothing like what I was expecting. I couldn't stop laughing. As far as we know, no one at church even noticed. I didn't and my handbag was on the floor next to his feet. I'm wondering who will be more embarrassed -- Mr Sunshine or his children.

 

This is what happens when you are over the hill. Mr Sunshine turned 60 only two weeks ago. It doesn't take long for the rot to set in.



Sunbirds living dangerously.

After successfully raising one chick from a nest right outside our louvres, our sunbirds encountered tragedy on their next attempt. Unfortunately on a windy night, their nest blew down and the little chick died of exposure. It was a sad day for all of us. Father sunbird kept coming back to the nest site, calling out for his family. Eventually they built another nest under the neighbour's lean-to. It was a very sensible nest site -- protected from sun and wind and kookaburras who were too large to get through the lattice barrier. 

But now the sunbirds have built a nest outside our bathroom and practically next to the laundry door.

You might remember this post from a couple of weeks ago, where I said that Charlotte, the Bird-eating-spider, was back in her burrow about 30cm from my laundry door. You guessed it...the subird nest is directly above the spider burrow -- about two metres above it and I hope that is enough. One thing is certain. If the baby falls out of the nest it won't die of exposure.

We had another visitor this week. I could hear scratching noises in the back room and it was this gorgeous sand monitor goanna just having a look around. We have at least three of them living nearby. Two boys and a girl, I suspect, after the agressive confrontation I witnessed a couple of months ago. It was all for show and no one got hurt.  This fellow is welcome anytime if he promises to eat spiders. Mind you, he will be just as happy eating baby sunbirds.

Next photo is a slightly less welcome visitor squatter. Geckos...we have dozens of them and with no insect screens they come and go as much as they please. Mostly they don't go. They just stay, but at least they eat some of the bugs which also come and go as much as they please.

Last photo is the little double bar finches who are using our bird bath as a meeting place. One of our friends says he photographed fourteen of them all sharing his birdbath at the same time. They are very amiable little birds.