Kenneth the Koala - Part 1

Nana Kayzy noticed straightaway that Kenneth was different.

Kenneth

 Not for him the usual curiosity of a young koala, or a zest for the great outdoors, like his elder brothers, Kelvin and Keiffe.

Keiffe

Kelvin

Instead, Kenneth would sit on a windowsill in the kitchen or loungeroom, gazing into the distance with a wistful expression on his face.

Nana tried to encourage Kenneth to take his first steps out into the garden, but Kenneth would not be moved from his windowsill vantage point, and hunkered down as if his life depended on remaining in that spot. So Nana Kayzy decided to leave the little fellow to his dreams for awhile.

A day or two later, on a beautiful sunshiny day, it was time. Nana Kayzy retrieved Kenneth from his  windowsill, gathered him up in her arms, and sat down in a comfy chair. Holding him up to her face, Nana looked at him intently.

"Kenneth, my dear, won't you tell me why don't you want to go out into the lovely sunshine and explore the bush?" As Kenneth looked wide-eyed at Nana he trembled,  and she saw a flicker of fear flit across his furry face.

It's so big out there

"Oh, Nana - it's so big out there, and I'm not very big at all. I feel safer just looking out of the window at all that bigness."

Nana Kayzy gave the little chap a big hug, and then together they continued to look out at the beautiful sunny greenness of the cottage garden and bush beyond.

 However, Nana was hatching a plan.

Spring has sprung!

What glorious weather - I love spring! All around us is evidence that here in the Adelaide Hills it has finally sprung. Outside the sun is shining, and up the hill I can see our neighbour's horses contentedly grazing on our pasture, basking in the sunshine.

Honey, Moni, and Sassy posing nicely for me

A symphony (or cacophony) of happy birds surrounds me, and the bird baths are getting a real work-out, with White Naped honeyeaters doing laps of the pool, watched by their mates,

White-naped honeyeaters - very polite birds.

 and New Holland honeyeaters simply revelling in a wonderful splash around!

New Holland honeyeaters - they are such characters!

Driving up our track to the road I come across a neighbour's ewe with her newborn lamb. This protective mother kindly allows me take some pictures of her precious baby.

What a gift is new life!

My neighbour Sharyn, Tuska the dog and I head off for one of our regular walks on this beautiful day.

Tuska and I blaze the trail

Yours truly

Native Grevilleas in bloom

Through the bush the spring wildflowers are just beginning to emerge, and on a day like this it's just good to be alive!

Three ducks in a row? No, three Sulphur-crested cockatoos!

Then on the way home, down our track we come across three cheeky Sulphur-crested cockatoos, feeding on nutgrass.

 Mmmm! Nutgrass - it's the best!

and as I approach our side gate, I pass the beautiful rosemary bush in full flower, intermingling with viburnum. What a day!

WELCOME TO A NEW FOLLOWER

A warm welcome to Ana Garcia, who has just joined the little company of friends who follow our blog. Ana makes the tiniest and most exquisite porcelain mini babies. Her blog is misminipekes.blogspot.com

A Furry Friend is Found!

I'm sure we all have one or more treasured possessions whose worth to us is far beyond its monetary value.  One of my most precious possessions is My Furry Hat.

My Furry Hat

The hat was purchased for me in 2003 by my husband, Martin, when we visited the wonderful Salamanca Market in Hobart (Tasmania), at Grizzly Hatters. It is a handsome hat, made of New Zealand possum fur* and sheepskin, but I was a reluctant recipient of this gift. However, Martin said it looked great on me and would be very useful, and I could tell he really wanted me to have it, so I relented - the hat was mine.

My furry hat and I, just after we became friends (on Mt Wellington, Tasmania)

I didn't realise at the time how precious this hat would become. However, from the moment My Furry Hat (MFH) and I were united in 'furhatimony', I have not ceased to be thankful for it, and for my darling husband, whose wisdom is far greater than mine (most of the time).

The winter weather in the Adelaide Hills is often cold, wet and windy, and I quickly realised MFH's wondrous way of keeping my head warm - we became inseparable. Over the years MFH did go AWOL at times, and I would cry, "I can't find MY FURRY HAT!" A concerted search would ensue, and whoever was with me at the time joined in the rescue operation until it was located - often under a car seat, left at a friend's home, at work, at my physiotherapist's rooms or in some other obscure spot.

However, on a fateful day in late May MFH went missing and could not be found. I searched everywhere I had been that day, and asked everyone I met, including the local police. I returned a couple of times to search the remote track where my neighbour and I had gone for a bushwalk that day.

After awhile and much grieving I came to terms with the loss of MFH, and two months passed. My neighbour returned from a long holiday in the bush, and we resumed our weekly walks along that remote track. With a long winter almost over and both of us in need of extra exercise, we decided to add another walk to our weekly regime, and last Tuesday set off with enthusiasm.

On our return journey we came across a walker we had met before on our walks. He greeted us with, "Have either of you lost a leather hat?"

 "Yes, I have!" I cried.

The gentleman told us he had picked up MFH on the track two months earlier, and thinking it might belong to one of us had kept it in his car. When he saw our cars parked in their usual place, he left the hat under a windscreen wiper of my friend's car, and came looking for us. How kind!

And what rejoicing followed MFH's return safe and sound to its unworthy owner! I feel a little like the widow in a story Jesus told.  She had lost something precious, and when it was found, she called together her friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found what I lost!’"

So rejoice with me - My Furry Hat is found! 
 

Rejoice with me!

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* First imported from Australia in 1837, possums have become a real pest in New Zealand. To read more go to http://www.kcc.org.nz/possums/