Too Sweet

Ain't they sweet?
Little girls talking little girl talk.
Totally engrossed in their own little world, oblivious to everything else around them.

They have their highland dancing outfits on - they performed at the Ararat Gift.



Photo:
Alexandra Oval, Ararat - Feb, 2008

Remembering...

Remembering boy soldiers and how they had no idea what they had let themselves in for.




Photo:
Langi Morgala Museum, Queen St, Ararat - 5 Mar, 2008

This Isn't Going To Be Pleasant.....

This photo isn't pleasant.
Unfortunately, it's a fact of life around here.
I know foxes kill our native animals and they do
awful, awful things to lambs, but it's not like
they mean it - there's no malice in their actions.
It's just the way God (evolution, the universe, whatever)
made them.
I know they need to be exterminated in Australia,
but is this necessary?
I've asked why people hang them on the fence like this
- but nobody seems to know.
I think I did read somewhere it is to deter other foxes
- I didn't know foxes were that smart!






Photos:
Outskirts of Ararat - March, 2008

Canna Lily (I Don't Know, Can It?)

Oh man, I have to grow some of these next year!
Aren't they beautiful?
They are Canna Lilies - they come in all kinds of beautiful, bright colours and look best in a mass planting.

Yes, definitely on my wish list for the garden for next year!




Photo:
Alexandra Gardens, Ararat - 24 March, 2008

One Moon One World

There have been so many beautiful moon photos on CDP over the last couple of days.
I love how something so primal unites us the world over, by the way it moves us all.



Photo:
High St, Ararat - Easter Sunday, 23 March, 2008.

Can You Guess What This Is?

No hints!


IT'S AN ECHIDNA!

Someplace else

She's concentrating very hard to make sure she hasn't forgotten any ingredients for the spectacular Easter lunch she's putting on for all the rellies.
Yes?
Or...
I wish Easter was over, I wish Easter was over....





Photo:
Saturday afternoon at Safeway, Ararat - 22 March, 2008

Church Gates

Good Friday.
Church gates.



Photo:
Ararat Anglican Church, High St, Ararat - Feb, 2008

Blokes & Scaffolding

Fiddling with Paintshop, of course.
These blokes are adding scaffolding to the old post office.
I dunno why.
Normally, when you see scaffolding like this, it is to clean the bricks (stones, whatever).
But this is bluestone (contrary to the nice orange in the photo!) not sandstone - you wouldn't be able to tell if it was dirty or not.




Photo:
Old Post Office, Barkly St, Ararat - 19 March, 2008

Is She Obsessed With Food, Or What?

It's definitely possible!
Ever since I first visited Ararat my love of food has been re-awakened.
And how could it not be - look at these mulberries!
I know I've posted this photo on my other blog but I can't help showing it here, too.
They just look soooooo good.
It was wonderful to pick these berries fresh from the tree, warm and juicy and sweet and stuff them straight into my face!




Photo:
Mulberry tree, Great Western (10mins up the road from Ararat) - March, 2008

Mmm....more sausages!

OH!
THAT'S NOT RIGHT!
My apologies to the vegetarians out there.

Sheep bums and Mt Langi Ghiran.



Photo:
Outskirts of Ararat - Jan, 2008

Mmmm.......sausages!

Hunting down a good sausage is well worth the effort!
(or so I've heard!)
And these sausages from The Pyrenees Gourmet Butcher were very popular at the recent Farmers' Market.
Yes, I had one.
Yes, they were delicious.



Photo:
Ararat Farmers' Market, Alexandra Gardens, Ararat - March, 2008

Ark! Ark!

I walked into Safeway and saw these birds hanging from the ceiling.
I thought they were for a promotion.
It took a couple of visits for the penny to drop.
They are there to deter sparrows!

Craw! Not Craw!

See his claw?
Cool, isn't it?
It's a ball picker-uperer!
I saw a couple of home-made variations on the design, too.



Photo:
Sunday afternoon at the Ararat Bowls Club, Lambert St, Ararat - Mar 2008

Boring, Right?

I know - it's a bit boring, isn't it?
But for some reason I keep coming back to it.
I don't know what it is!
It's just an ordinary street on an ordinary day.
That's it.



Photo:
Lambert St, Ararat - Mar, 2008

My... ..What Big Googles You Have

Just think...70 odd years ago, these binoculars looked out over here.
I wonder if they ever spied my Grandfather - he served in New Guinea during WWII.



Photo:
Langi Morgala Museum, Queen St, Ararat - Mar, 2008

The Cattle Are Lowing

They're what?
Lowing.
You know - lowing.
That's what it says in the Christmas Carol.
I always thought they were "a'lowing".
I've never understood the use of this word, but these cows, they look like they are doing it.




Photos:
Outskirts Ararat - Feb, 2008

The Cupcake Lady

I had run out of money by the time I'd made it to The Cupcake Lady at the Farmers' Market.
Damn!



Photo:
Farmers' Market, Alexandra Gardens, Ararat - 9 Mar, 2008.

Pot Boiler

Offerings from the local library.
Actually, I can't say for a fact that they are pot boilers,
because I haven't read them.
But their covers certainly scream "hello, darling!"



Photo:
Ararat Library, Cnr Barkly and Queen Sts, Ararat - Mar, 2008

Windmills

I really love these wind turbines - they seem so whimsical.
Like giant landscape sculptures.
These are just outside of Ararat - east.
Their website blurb says they generate enough electricity for 26,000 homes thus avoiding the emission of 180,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas each year.
That's pretty good, right?


Oh Petrea - I just realized, your last post must have sub-consciously influenced this one - thanks!


Photo:
Challicum Hills - eastern outskirts of Ararat - 2007

Blokes

Blokes from the Ararat Y's Men Club cooking sausages at the Ararat Gift at
Alexandra Oval.



Photo:
Feb, 2008

BoddalabeerBoddalabeer

Old stuff at the Ararat Trash & Treasure market.



Photo:
Alexandra Hall, Lambert St, Ararat - Feb, 2008

Freak Out!

She's cool, right?!
I visited the local museum yesterday - run by volunteers.
I think they get sick of cleaning the clothes on the mannequins, so they all
have heavy plastic on them (er - the mannequins that is, not the volunteers)!
Very creepy but wonderful!



Photo:
Langi Morgala Museum, Queen St, Ararat - 5 Mar, 2008.

What a Day!!

Beautiful, beautiful weather today!
It's good to be alive (the alternative isn't much chop!).
The Ararat Rose Garden (beside the Performing Arts Centre).
I love roses!
They are so happy!
And roses love growing in Ararat - we have the perfect climate for them.



Photo:
5 March, 2008

Weird Looking Giraffes

Not strictly Ararat - certainly within the Ararat Shire Council region.
Grain storage outside Willaura - a little town about 30clicks south-west of Ararat.
This photo doesn't really capture how enormous those mounds are - I wish I'd captured something to show proportion (or is it perspective?).

Those are the Grampians in the background.

Can you see those thingys on the right of the photo - do you reckon they look like giraffes?

Books

Books at the Ararat Trash & Treasure.
Don't you love the green wall?
Monthly market - held second Sunday of the month - that's this week-end.



Photo:
Ararat Trash & Treasure Market, Alexandra Hall, Ararat - 10 Feb, 2008

Refuge

Inside the dark and cool shire hall on a hot Summer's day.



Photo:
Shire Hall, Barkly St, Ararat - Feb, 2008

They Go Uppitty Up Up

Saturday afternoon at the Ararat Aerodrome.




Photo:
Ararat Aerodrome, Western Highway, Ararat - 16 Feb, 2008