Ducking and weaving!

[Robin4]

With the terrible loss of wildlife this summer season due to the Australian bushfires my family were good enough to give a me a couple of animals for Christmas.......

Now, the Praying Mantis is fine....just sits there and gives me a green look every now and then.

But the duck is a pain in the a*se, it just won't leave me be. Everywhere I go in the garden he/she needs to be involved!

Just loves the big succulents......little bit of dry litter there, don't want to encourage a bushfire!

Caught you.........

My Brown coat almost blends in with the Madagascan Periwinkles!

Hmmmm, Petunias need a water!

My God, look at the state of that verandah post....definitely due for a rub down and re-paint

I will just hide outside the guests door and give em a 'quack' when they come out.....better than getting 'goosed'!

Maybe I will hide in the driveway, they will never see me in amongst this purple.

Fancy a tomato or two or three.....hundred, they are everywhere!

Or a strawberry or two......

Zuchinnis, garlic and climbing beans .....a duck could actually get fat here!

It is possibly not proper to poke fun at the animal world when so much of it is suffering at present but I think that's one of the great things about living in this country,.....we never lose our sense of humour, and, as Monty Python said .....'Always look on the bright side of life'!!

Cheers.......Rob

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  You are too funny! What a playful thing to do.

Hey, I saw a praying mantis a few weeks ago that astounded me- it looked just like they all do, but it wasn't green- it was sort of burgundy/salmon color. I don't know if it was just some mutant or what.

[Robin4]

@Sarah977 

Sarah, the Praying Mantis  was burgundy because it spent a night of two in my wine cellar! Every Praying Mantis likes a nice drop of Cab Sav, or if they are in a robust mood, a nice Barossa Shiraz!

Sarah, I had eldest daughter Sarah and her partner Lisa over here for ten days  over Christmas. As you know I have an Airbnb sign I put up at the front gate when I am expecting new guests....

Well I picked the daggiest photo I could find of Sarah and Lisa for their welcome sign!

They were out in their boat and the motor broke down and they had to call on the coastguard to rescue them......So I thought this was an appropriate photo to put at the the front gate to welcome them!

Here they are when not so stressed.......

Geez it is great having ones family around you, the tyranny of distance means it only happens a few times a year, but boy oh boy, when we get together, the times are memorable!

Cheers.........Rob 

[Susan17]

@Robin4 

Lol! Love it, Rob! What a fabulous little sanctuary you've created there for yourself and Ade - those beautiful flowers in all their glorious colours would do anyone's heart the power of good! No wonder Sarah and Lisa look so happy to be there... 

Have to say my favourite pic is the first one, with yourself and Ducky Lucky - that deadpan look on your face is priceless! Thanks for giving me a good giggle and brightening up a very cold and dreary Saturday morning in Dublin 😉🌷🌼🌻🌹

[Robin4]

@Susan17 

This is our time of year Susie! Sometimes we sit up under the market umbrella until 10.30-11.00 pm before we think about getting ourselves an evening meal. Life and time is too precious to let a moment escape.

*

We attended two funerals yesterday....one of them was beautiful, it was a memorial get-together, much the way you Irish do it......have a big piss up and reminisce about the good times. The other was so sad, he was a great mate of mine, the four of us were going to go on a cruise this year, he was looking forward to Christmas and the years to come.....yesterday he was consigned to the earth amid much sadness! 

I bellyache about what I have to do here....I have to lead two lives, I have to think and act for two people, I have to put in double the effort to keep the ship afloat! But I wouldn't have it any other way. I married the woman of my dreams, she was 50 years ago, and she still is today, I think that is pretty special.

But I need to make fun of situations at times because it gives me that balance in life, that validation that we all crave, that acceptance.

I get paid to answer questions on another site! I get paid one US cent per up-vote ( Per Like) ....not the path to riches you might say but, I have 940 answers, most of them with a handful of up-votes, but I have a some that have gone over 10,000 upvotes and I currently have one that has hit 40,000 upvotes.....that is $400 US.

When 40,000 people say 'Hey that's a good answer' it makes me feel worthwhile Susan, it makes me feel my lot in life is worthwhile!  

Every time I log into my PayPal account there is another $300-400 in there...and that is only there because I have helped someone....

And mate, that makes me feel good!

Cheers.....Rob 

[Susan17]

@Robin4 

So sorry to hear about your mate's passing.. you must be heartbroken. It's so very hard to have to say goodbye to our loved ones - be they family or friends. Tears the heart out of you. But yes, we certainly know how to do send-offs here - there's no funeral, like an Irish funeral! 

You and Ade are so, so blessed to have shared a life-long love, and such an unbreakable connection. Not many get to have that. I know you're dealing with many challenges too though, and I hear what you're saying about having to double the effort to keep the ship afloat - I've been a single parent for most of the past 25 years, so I'm familiar with that concept, and it can be a tough gig at times. But once you have lots of love and laughter in your life, you can get through anything 🙂

I love that you're making a few spends by answering questions on that other website - and you're right to be getting paid for your efforts! -  but you know what, Rob? I've been reading your posts, bantering with you and getting little glimpses of your life for a few years now and from everything I've come to know about you, it's very clear to me that everything you do, is with the biggest, kindest heart, and with others always at the forefront of your mind - be it Ade, your girls, your friends, your community, your guests, or your online readers. 

In my book, that makes you a very, very worthwhile person, dear man. The best kind of person. And you don't need me or any other random strangers on the internet to validate that! Just keep being you, Rob - and know that, even though people don't always express it, your efforts - and humour! - are always very much appreciated! ❤

[Robin4]

@Susan17 

Ah, cut it out you bring me to tears!

Thanks mate.

[Andrea-and-Francis0]

Hilarious, thanks for the laughs & sharing this post 🙂

[Colleen253]

@Robin4  This post provided several smiles, Rob! The lush green garden photos with the whimsical duck...my garden is long buried under mountains of snow and we're staring down a week of subarctic temps in this corner of the world 😣

The pic of the duck among the petunias reminded me of a long forgotten but beloved childhood book called "Petunia", about a silly goose. I think Petunia would be a good moniker for your duck.

Your reminder of the value of humor, and looking on the bright side, which is vital to the ability to keep going when times are tough. 

Finally, your pic of Betts, in the comment up above, anticipating new arrivals. Precious! She reminds me so much of our best friend we lost recently. Thanks again for the 😊

[Robin4]

@Colleen253 

Your on Colleen....Petunia it is!

Got any suggestions for the Mantis? :-))

*

You are right Colleen, humour and tough times do have to go together. I think Ade having MS has put real quality into our lives, we have done things together we never would have. My bucket list is full...and I am just about to fulfill another one....I going 'Ultra lite' flying,  just a bit more paper work and rules to attend to...... and I am off!

But with the MS,  I and probably Ade would have been like everyone else and put those things that we should do off till a 'rainy day'!

I would have been one of those people who tip toe through life hoping to make it safely to death!

We have dined in Rome......

Walked on the Great Wall of China.....

Taken in the view on a deck in Santorini.....

Stood on the spot where Meg Ryan found a Teddy Bear, and lost her heart in 'Sleepless in Seattle'.....

Walked up all those spiral steps in the Sagradia Familia

And the even mightier Sanctuary of Truth in Pataya in Thailand.......

 

Eaten street food in Busan in Korea.....

Had a beer on the beachfront at Waikiki on a father daughter trip......

And Colleen from your part of the world, played the fiddle in Nova Scotia........

We have cruised on the Rhine, we have sat on the ancient ruins on Carlton Hill and watched the massive banks of floodlights take over the city during the Edinburgh Festival, I have even slept a night on the Antarctic continent...not that would call it a night, the sun barely dipped below the horizon!

I have had my Porsche 911 Targa.

I have witnessed something truly majestic! The curvature of the earth from 45,000 ft through the cockpit windows of a 747 returning from Tahiti in 1990.

The Multiple Sclerosis, although a tough road for Ade has meant we did these things instead of waiting till it was too late. We spent our retirement, but I don't regret a minute of it!

From that Morgan Freeman/Jack Nicholson film, 'The Bucket List' there is only 2 of those 14 bucket list items I haven't done.

I haven't seen the Taj Mahal, and I haven't been buried on top of a mountain!

Cheers......Rob  

[Colleen253]

@Robin4  Someone else can have the honor of naming the mantis, lol.  You have illustrated  that there is blessing in everything, if you choose to find it. 

I've been ultra light flying, it's amazing! 

[Robin4]

@Colleen253 

Yeah I have been up as a passenger, a neighbour 4 doors down for us has two motorkites. He made a movie a few years ago called 'Motorkite Dreaming' !

https://youtu.be/NiYQO2reUiU?t=111

I was so inspired I decided it's time to take the controls now!

Cheers......Rob

[Charles224]

@Robin4 the Taj Mahal is something magnificent. I remember backpacking India in 1986 and expecting some tourist trap. I still think about it and the Red Fort (Great book: 'The Anarchy').

I'd recommend Peking Duck but it looks like Old Mate would be a tad stringy at best... Happy New Year from the lower part of the Hills..

[Robin4]

@Charles224 

Charles there used to be a restaurant on the ground floor of Australia Hall in Angas street on the corner of Gawler place called, the 'Beijing' ! They served the traditional Peking Duck, and mate, it was magnificent. It was a real ceremony. First would come the waiter and chiffonier with the whole crispy duck which he would carve off the skin and serve with plum sauce rolled in small crepes he would make at the table. The body of the duck would then disappear and come out as a magnificent stir-fry and lastly would come the soup made from the remnants of the carcass. It was an absolute banquet and it was an experience everyone should partake of at least once!

Charles, if you never had a Peking Duck at the Beijing, you missed a superb treat!  

You are right though Charles, Petunia, the orange waist-coated duck, would be a mite on the tasteless side! Can't say the oven would crisp up her skin!

But she is a nice addition to my garden ornaments!

Hope all goes well for you too this year mate.

Cheers.......Rob

[Beth80]

@Robin4  It is always with great joy when I have the opportunity to enjoy one of your posts! You are the host that I strive to be!! The way you approach life with wisdom and a bit of whimsey, thank you for brightening my day. Btw, your gardens are beautiful and an inspiration. Thank you!!