Australiana Redwork + PIF

In between packing I managed to get two more Australian Red Work blocks completed. I think I would have gone completely insane if I didn't have a needle in my hand at some stage over the course of packing.

The Tasmanian Blue Gum.
Isn't it a pretty tree? The species has been widely planted in New Zealand, South Africa, South America, California, India and Mediterranean countries, in farm windbreak, forestry and ornamental plantations.Tasmanian Blue Gum is so abundant in coastal areas of California that many people assume it is a native species. In recent years concern has been expressed that it appears to be becoming naturalised. If you're interested in knowing a little about it then follow this link: http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/tas.emblem.html

The Red Kangaroo - NT ( Northern Territory)

The red kangaroo is Australia's largest kangaroo of the nearly 60 species in the kangaroo family It is the Kangaroo which dwells in our "Red Center" the arid portion of Australia. They normally move in groups ranging from a few dozen to several hundred individuals. and are known as Mobs . The makeup of the red kangaroo Mob varies but usually consists of a dominant male, a number of adult females, and juveniles of both sexes. The weight of a red kangaroo ranges from 18kg up to 90 kilograms. Males are larger than females usually 65 kg Females rarely exceed 30 kg. Height ranges from 74-140cm - two metres The tail of a red kangaroo (used for jumping) ranges in length from 64cm to 1 meter. Lifespan in the wild is thought to be around 15 years. For more information and great photo's follow this link:
http://home.iprimus.com.au/readman/red.htm
Although we never got red kangaroo's, we did however get many grey kangaroo's in our backyard, and there were many times when I couldn't get to the clothes line because of a huge buck (male) protecting what he considered to be his territory. Any Australian farmer would tell you that the kangaroo's are a pain in their pocket book, they eat the crops that the farmers plant for their cattle or for harvest. They get to plague proportions and then the government brings in a period of time where the farmers can cull (kill) off the excess numbers. We lived on 40 acres, just a little farmlet and there were many times when you couldn't see the grass for the roo's. This was quite a common site.

If you owned dogs, then you needed to keep an eye on them, as the roo's have a habit of drowning the dogs in dams (ponds) given the opportunity. There were many times when we had to go to the bottom of the paddock to rescue dogs who thought they were tougher than the roo's. It seems to be a common thought that you'll see kangaroo's hopping down the main street of just about any town... Not so. Although if you live in an area where they are prolific then you need to take care driving at night as they will jump out in front of you so quickly, a little like the deer here, in the US. As much as they may look cute and cuddly, they are also extremely tasty...lol... Now I wouldn't recommend that you go out into the backyard and kill a roo for dinner as you're likely to get one that's infested with tapeworm, but they do breed them just for the table. I've had a kangaroo burger and it was very yummy. Now that I've probably got you running for the bathroom or feeling sorry for the poor kangaroo's, I'll change the subject.

I'll be putting the last ........ into the PIF gifts and hope to get them into the post on Saturday, so ladies keep a look out for them in your letter box in a week or so.

We have the handyman coming on Saturday to finish off the few items that need tending to, like being able to hang a trouser hanger without it falling off. Once all the small repairs have been done then I hope to get curtains up and yes Bren, I'll show photo's of the sewing room....