We've been counted in

No, not the kangaroos....the one in front looks headless, doesn't it? Taken about six weeks ago from our back yard looking into the reserve.

Last night was Census Night so we duly filled in our form, online this time. Had to chuckle when I heard a few of the locals say they weren't going to fill it in online, but would use the paper form instead....because.......

wait for this......

they didn't want the government to have their details!

Isn't that the whole point of a census? The government finds out how many people it is responsible for, and what its future needs will be based on numbers, locations and ages of the population. The information can also, if you tick the appropriate box, be kept for 99 years which can be a great help to genealogists in the future. We ticked. Doesn't bother us. The government already knows all it wants to know about us, anyway.
On our way home from Canberra at the end of April we stopped off in Sofala, an old town that started life in the gold rush days of the 1850s. This large tree was getting into its autumn clothes, and a week or two after this photo was taken would have been spectacular.

Life has been exciting here this week, we actually had some rain! Not much, and certainly not enough for farmers' needs, but water fell from the sky so that is cause for rejoicing. Considering that last year we had three floods - minor, but still floods with water overflowing creek and river banks - this year has been been very dry. Last year was the wettest year for goodness knows how many years; last month, July, was the driest for more years than the locals can remember. Light rain is sprinkling right now and the garden is thankful; my sweet pea seedlings are growing beautifully.

It's been the sort of weather to stay indoors and not do much, because it's also been cold again. The table runner on which I was working is up to binding stage, my latest knitted creation is coming along nicely, and it's been good weather for reading - we have been reading books by Giles Blunt, we like the 'Canadian-ness' of his writing compared to American, British or Australian writers - and for cooking. The other day I used a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes to make one larger cake, the quantity fitted beautifully into an 8in (20cm) square tin, and rather than use icing as a topping I made a streusel topping with brown sugar, soft butter, walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Yummo. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes, but making it into a larger cake will yield more than 12 pieces.

Yesterday I succumbed to a new book of slow cooker recipes, so right now this very minute tonight's dinner of Coq Au Vin is summering away. Very useful things, slow cookers.

"Promptness in answering.

All invitations requiring answers should be answered as soon as possible after receiving them. The French have a saying, applicable to all notes of invitation, to the effect that it is as important to reply as promptly to a note requiring an answer as it is to a question in speaking. All refined people who are accustomed to the best social forms, consider that it would be an unpardonable negligence to omit for a single day replying to an invitation or a note requiring a reply."

So should you receive an invitation from me to join us for dinner, please don't neglect to reply promptly - otherwise I may not cook enough food for you.

Enjoy your days!