The downpour

I'm late on this post, but such is life. At the end of last month, we received the first decent rain in five months, a freakish downpour that lasted several days. Of course, I rode in the rain everyday, even though it cost me a camera. Due to time constraints, most of the rides were 100km "training rides" rather than epics, so I didn't see the point of typing out massive ride reports. Instead, I'm just going to post a heap of random pictures from the various rides in the rain, just to show why rain is the ideal cycling weather -- and indeed the ideal weather for general existence.

COLOURS OF MY LIFE

I felt in need of some cheery colour today, so I searched the sadly depleted pots on the patio and managed to find these lovely flowers. What I like most about this photograph is the way it looks as though a spot has fallen off the cup (below the handle) and onto the stone.





I love the colour of these too. For far too many years I thought that flowers had to be big and showy, vases stuffed full of foliage and blooms and yet I got so much enjoyment from these little odds and ends.





The bottles were found during excavation work on the house, and the lovely piece of wood at the back was carved by Peter the previous owner of our last house. He was working on carving a replacement rood screen for a church and this was a trial piece. Although it is only a rough piece of carving I really like it.









So, I have spent a quiet day just doing some sewing.





Luckily George has been rather busier and has continued to do some bricklaying, finishing the headers on the patio wall. I can report that it is looking really good, Jonny. I haven't taken any photographs, and I won't until it is completely finished. I think you will be pleased though.





The following photographs have been taken in our garden, but not by me

this little bug has not been photo-shopped in any way - isn't it beautiful? It almost looks like a cartoon character. I wish I had taken the photo but I have to thank Ian (my brother) for this one and the next one too.

So, between happy little bugs and beautiful colours who could feel dull and jaded for long?





I hope today went well for you Jonny.





Lots of love,

Mum

xxx

Wildflower garden

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Wild ginger leaves (Hexastylis sp.)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and little friend

Oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii)

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

New bridge

Celandine poppy leaf (Stylophorum diphyllum)

Brown-eyed Susans and little friend (Rudbeckia sp.)

I would never have believed that moss could capture a leaf

But it can

Thanks for visiting...

How to get to the Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio de Mini

To get to San Ignacio de Minithe easiest way is to fly to Puerto Iguazu, or alternatively to Foz do Iguaçu, on the Brasilian side if you are planning to visit also The Iguazu Falls.
From Puerto Iguazu an early morning bus connects Puerto Iguazu with San Ignacio de Mini.

The bus is comfortable and the ticket cheap, the travel lasts little more than 4 hours.
You can plan the visit to San Ignacio de Mini as a day trip and take the return bus around 4 pm to Puerto Iguazu.
The ticket to the ruins of San Ignacio entitles you to access many other Jesuit ruins scattered in the area and certainly worth a visit, although not as impressive as San Ignacio.
If you want to see also the other Jesuit Reductions of the area you should consider a night step over in San Ignacio.
Definetely, if you are visiting San Ignacio de Mini you should also visit the fantastic Iguazu Falls.
Read about The Argentinian Side of the Iguazu Falls and The Brasilian Side of the Iguazu Falls

Back to Mooball

Last Saturday I had an inclination to ride on some dirt. A quick consultation with my regular ride partner Martin decided that Mooball National Park, in the Burringbar Range in Northern NSW was the place to go. It was also going to be the first dirt I had ridden since having the teeth removed, and a month without riding on dirt is never good for anyone's health. As is obligatory these days, we set off through Urliup on our quest south toward Murwillumbah, passing through the town before heading for the climb of Reserve Creek Road.

We kept a high pace during the early part of the ride, and I was certainly feeling it. Yet the views from the climb near Round Mountain are always worth the effort. A slightly surprising thing was just how little rain had fallen in the area south of Murwillumbah -- I had come prepared to deal with leeches and now they weren't going to be a problem. We continued south before starting the beautiful climb of Cudgera Creek, with it's dirt switchbacks through the rainforest. At the top of the climb we turned onto Wabba Road, following the "hidden road" cut into the side of the ridge (don't worry Dave, we stayed out of sight of the house on top of the hill), taking in the sweeping views from the top of the range.

What follows is the prettiest section of the ride. Evidently the grass covering Wabba Road had been cut since my last visit a few months back. The going was much firmer under wheel this time around. This ride also passes through some very attractive forest, with the occasional gap in the trees to take in a sweeping view in whatever direction the road happens to be facing at that moment.

Once the climb had finally been conquered, the general trend back to Murwillumbah was going to be downhill. At one point I was forced into producing what may be the save of the year after going into a corner way too fast, losing the back wheel, jumping over two parallel corrugations, leaving the road, yet still remaining composed enough to keep the bike upright and continue without even slowing down. Just don't ask me to do it again. Martin, for his part, was on high alert for snakes after some interesting experiences with them in Mudgee of all places. He spotted one curled up by the side of the road that I missed badly enough to almost ride over it.

Eventually we cleared the national park, descended on the deeply rutted final stretch on Smarts Road (around about the same time a heap of trail bikes decided to head the other way - great.), and returned. This time we detoured around Murwillumbah on the infamous Cane Road, somehow avoiding the traditional Cane Road headwind, and returning home over the final climb of Tomewin. This time it was Martin's turn to destroy the mountain -- taking a full three minutes out of the time he'd expected on the climb. I settled for merely riding to expectations. At the top of Tomewin the rain arrived, and stayed with us for most of the ride home. A great way to refresh after a memorable ride.

LOVE-The Greatest Thing

"I tell you the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." Vincent van Gogh
I've been thinking lately about what it means to truly love. I think the opposite of love is judgment; the bad kind that is critical, proud, and not done in order to help another person. I guess that could be called hate. It's more about tearing that person down in order to built yourself up, although I think there are many motives for being judgmental. I know sometimes I don't even realize I'm being that way until someone points it out to me.
There's a good kind of judgment that everyone takes part in every day. You decide which kind of shampoo to buy or someone performs an action that isn't good and you decide to talk to them about it. We do this thousands of times a day. We couldn't live any other way. I'm not talking about this kind but the destructive kind.
I'm watching two of my friends right now play this 'bad judgment' game. Actually, one is playing it and the other is trying to be likable to the judgmental one. It's painful to watch, because I used to be pretty judgmental myself. Not vitriolic but not kind either. I didn't like this about myself, so I started praying to God, the author of perfect love, to change this about me, and slowly over the years I've become able to love the unlovely.
It hurts me to see a friend being abused by hateful judgments against her, because I love her and don't want her to get hurt. But also because I see myself as a harsh judge and wonder how many people in my past (and probably present) I've left bleeding on the side of the road from the trainwreck that is my tongue.
I think the first time I acknowledged my judgmental attitude was when I was about 21 years old. We were newlyweds and friends with another recently married couple. We lived on the same street, went to the same church, and hung out together. But she drove me crazy with some of her mannerisms! They weren't wrong; just got on my nerves big time. I began praying that I would love her in spite of those things, and God not only did that...those things actually stopped bothering me at all or I just started finding them amusing. I never could have done that on my own.
And look at the effects of being judged in an unloving way. We all know how that makes you feel. And does it accomplish anything good? Does it bring about change for the better? No and no.
Contrast that with what love does. It draws you in and causes you to desire change; maybe not immediately but at least a crack may occur in the heart. Have you ever been around anyone that just exudes love and acceptance? I have and it draws me in like a magnet would metal. I want to be with them and I want to be like them. Only true, Christian love will change the world for the better.

Animals, a Dovecote, and Lots of Snow

This beautiful weather vane pointed the way to Arnold's field...

...sure enough, he was waiting patiently for his treats. Ninety-six year old John was busy filling a hay net for him, checking on his water trough...a truly remarkable and immensely likeable man. He was not going to let a few inches of snow get in the way of caring for Arnold.

We continued our walk through the fields and along the Great Eau, making our way towards Belleau.

I couldn't resist this shot which shows the wonderful, old dovecote and to the left of the photograph you can see the tower of Belleau church. My attention was taken by the sight of a tiny clump of primroses on the far bank of the river (which I photographed, but blogger won't allow me to upload it, grrr) suddenly there was a squeal from Toby.

He had tried to cross a cattle grid, got his back legs caught and was unable to haul himself out. Luckily, only his dignity was hurt. I hauled him out and he walked very nicely to heel, for a few minutes!



Our walk continued through the village and out across the fields, miles of fresh, crunchy snow.

The first job when we returned home was to check on the hens again. They were all in good form and quickly demolished their bowl of 'hot' mash.

Remember those poor scrawny girls of a few weeks ago? Don't they look different now!

Xiao Ji is in the foreground, then we have Isadora, Frankie, and Boudica. They don't mind the snow at all and are still producing three eggs a day. Good girls!

Yea! Singletrack

Last night I was so tired that I did not even eat. Hungry this morning - so I went to the Durango Diner for a hotcake and sausage. They are known for their large hotcakes. The one was enough for me this morning. (Could have eaten more, but did not want to stuff myself.)
Set out to check out Durango singletrack. The trail head at Horse Gulch was packed. Anyway, I wanted to ride the Animas River trail to see if I can now handle the altitude. Feeling good, and the trail ended near the local Trek dealer (Hassle Free Sports), stopped in to see what they can recommend.
They suggested Colorado Trail (at least for the first 2.5 miles, where then there are sharp switchbacks). I headed to the trailhead. The trail surface is anything from rocks, native soil, gravel, pine needle-covered. I did pretty well. Negotiated the rocks better than I have done before. Had to walk up a couple little sharp rises in the trail. As I got 1.5 miles, the trail was on a ledge, overlooking the creek. It got to the point that I was not feeling comfortable walking the bike up the trail. First photo shows the point where I decided to turn back. I was pleased that I was able to ride among the rocks - gained some experience.

Now, I was not ready to give up on singletrack today. Headed over to Horse Gulch. I had to walk up most of the gravel road (about .5 mile). The altitude was also getting to me. Guess I should do these kinds of walks/rides in the morning. Anyway, had a good ride. Rode the Meadow Loop and Stacy's Loop (about 3 miles of singletrack). The second photo was taken on Meadow Loop. Some wildflowers are in bloom. There were a couple sections of the trail that I did not feel comfortable riding. That, and my heart rate spiked from riding in the afternoon and the altitude.
Plans are to ride Horse Gulch again in the morning. Then later in the day, perhaps hike up the Colorado Trail.

A Gift

I'm making a romper for Bauer, my youngest grandson, for Christmas.  I haven't sewn anything for him since he's been born.  Laurel's three boys have worn all the clothes I made for my three boys.  They had daygowns, button-on suits, John John suits, and much more.  They were all smocked or French handsewn.  I saved them all and passed them along when my grandsons came along.  
Therefore, there was no need to sew for them.  But I wanted them all to have one special outfit made just for them by me.  So this is going to be Bauer's.  
The smocked toy soldier insert and collar used to be part of a plaid button-on shirt I made for my boys.  Over time, the buttons up the back were ripped out of their holes which made the shirt useless.  So I salvaged what I could and saved the pieces for such a time as this.  
The black and white gingham lining is made from a pair of curtains I saved from the trash heap at one of Laurel's former houses they were restoring.  I knew they would be useful someday!
I tried the unfinished romper on Bauer today to see how it would fit.  It fits perfectly, which isn't a good thing.  He'll outgrow it in a month!  So, I'll have to add some extensions to the crotch area.  I'll have to finish it tomorrow as well as begin cooking for the twenty-two people coming over on Christmas Day.  Oh, and Mallory's present (my future daughter-in-law) isn't finished yet either.  And Darcie's got a giggly eight year old BBF spending the night.  Ain't life fun?

Ready to turn

All that's missing now are the gondolas, and then the big wheel will be ready to turn.