There's nothing quite like sunrise with a sprinkling of stars.

Autumn is here again.
And we welcome it with open arms in Queensland.
We step with Autumn away from Summer's heatwaves towards cooler weather. I must say though that this Summer was one of the best I remeber in a long time - as far as not melting goes.
Still, I did fall a little behind on posting online, and gardening, and sleep but I had lots of fun anyway. And even though I didn't spend a lot of time in the garden I still had some interesting visitors come and say hello just outside the window.
Like Mr Lizard here, He was fast, and slinky, and sun powered!

Isn't he lovely? The photo is a little blury because of the flyscreen on the window but I thought some of you might like to see Mr Lizard anyway.
It's the first time this particular Mr Lizard has come to visit. He had such a pretty black and yellow pattern I just had to take a photo of him!
I also met a tiny little baby goanna when I was walking in the garden early one morning - it was super cute and so tiny - about the length of a ruler. I didn't have the camera with me so didn't get any photos to share with you.
There seemed to be more lizard races in the garden this year than usual... maybe they're were training for a marathon or some other special lizardy event - it's hard to say for sure.

​Do you like lizards?
Why or Why not?
​Or maybe you have a lizard story to share?
Have you ever been in a heatwave?
How would you describe a heatwave to someone whose never been in one?
​And how did you stay cool?
Tell us in the comments below.

At the beginning of this year I decided to start a Facebook group where people could speak about the little things they are grateful for and where they could also share the things that inspire them.

It's a small group and so far it's been wonderfully positive. It makes me so happy to hear about all the little things that make other people happy! But also, I think gratitude is a very important step towards hope. Without hope it's almost impossible to dream big, and I really want to encourage people to dream big. 

So if you're reading this, I'd like to invite you to join our closed facebook group, it's free to join and although I encourage people to post at least once a week I understand some people prefer to spend a little time in groups before they begin to participate so it's all very relaxed.
Either way, I hope you all have a most wonderful year. Thank you for dropping in and as always I'd love to hear from you!

Contact me through the contact page or connect with me on social media though the links below.

Today,
​I am grateful
for gossamer threads
and
​dew drop gems
sparkling in
morning's first light.

​August wept last beat of your heart
September followed breathed his last breath
Cried dry for the orphans you left 
Words muted not ready to say farewell
May you both rest in peace

I'm enjoying listening to Bill Bailey's version of Scarborough Fair - it makes a wonderful accompaniment to my current sewing project.

I like Australian Bell birds, they always seem to pick lovely places to call their homes. Places where the trees are tall and the air is sweet, places where you can stand in dappled light and simply enjoy their song.
Next time I go walking in the forest I'll try to remember to take a recording of bell birds, in the meantime you might enjoy listening to these clips I found on Youtube.

Nature is full of wondrous things like the Arothron Meleagris.
As an artist, I do believe in that old saying - fact is stranger than fiction. 

I like to listen to music while I work. How about you?
This song sits beautifully in the air with lacings of morning bird songs drifting in though the little window.
It's Winter here, I like Winter it's coffee's perfect companion.
Tell me what you like,
​I'd love to hear about what makes you smile today.