@ jeannie...that's Oipe, my dancing Queen...despite her size she's very nimble and does a little dance for her bowl of dinner. She's a Norwegian Forest cat. In the winter she grows another coat on top of her shorter curly woolly one...not FUR but a long straight coat of waterproof wool! Here sh'e in between seasons so no "Puss in Boots" UGG BOOTS and no gaucho pants! Can you imagine that!? After one litter she decided she wasn't doing that anymore...and I was sort of glad too....with all that wool around her nether regions! She gets shaved mid Spring, looks very funny but its more comfortable for her. Her favourite red mate 'Yodle' is smaller. Oipe is classed as 'red' ( ginger) even though her coat colour is much closer to a pale apricot. Have a friend who collects all Oipe's wool from her periodical groomings and her annual shear, spins it, crochets baby clothes and sells them...much in demand, better than Alpaca and as rare as....cat wool! I think Oipe weighs a bit more than 22lbs. Everyone is taken by her and she's such a " lol-about and couldn't give a darn" that she allows all the attention and loves it. My lifestyle is every bit as fantastic as it is just plain hard Aussie 'yakka'. I planned that this house would be where I lived and died. All sounds so romantic and close to Nature...and it is...but one can get really muscle sore, and brain weary working oneself into this lifestyle. Thankfully I am quite a strong Aussie country woman now..but getting here from being a thin city lizzy with not much strength, let alone country naus, was an ordeal I thought I would not survive. I've needed every bit of brain and braun I could accrue... and all on my own. I've met some wonderful country folk who have taught me bush skills I never knew existed. Did you know, for example, that we should never kill ants? Black ants are the natural enemies of the white ants or termites. You need to know where your black ants live and keep them fed so they'll stay outside and hunt the termites. If you find termites just surround them with a handfull of sugar and bring a clump of dirt and black ants to where they are...you won't need to spray...ever! Once they know they'll alert all their relatives near and far and anything wooden in your dream home will be safe. Glad you all like my story..THANKS...it makes all the hardship all that much more worth it! Oipe reaps the full benefit of my, at times, sore, tired body. When I'm flaked out on the lounge from hauling in the heavy ironbark firewood for the night...she just ambles up and plonks her voluminous self right in my lap and up my chest and decides I need grooming and exfoliating with her raspy tongue. Then I get a massage! She purrs and vibrates like an idling diesel engine...its kinda relaxing! P.S. Never thought anyone would catch me wearing Jeans! The only place I wear a skirt is to church..and sometimes I'm too tired to be botheredironing it...so have a pair of Sunday jeans ...there's no such thing as a day of rest...but time for the gentler jobs...like cooking enough to last the week! All the girls get together for that...NICE. I think I'm one of the lucky people!

Gudday Luke, I think all fungi are totally cool. You would be surprised how many of our Australian fungi haven't been named let alone studied. They look like a variety of puffball. Are the grey ones more mature or juvenile? Anyway just enjoy their kookiness. You are providing an environment that they enjoy. All our natives support another batch of natives and are supported by yet another batch of natives. It's not a bad thing. Run with it!! :-)

Never ever used sponges - And I've been a house and garden maintenance dudette for over four decades!! I have never owned a bucket and mop either ... I have a dozen or so purpose bought facecloths instead of sponges and the like (in a colour that ties in with the kitchen accent colour) The "facecloths" are used and are allowed to dry out for about two days ... then machine-washed with the bathtowels and dried outdoors. M My current "turquoisey" kitchen facecloths are still going strong after 12 years!! For pots, oven and casserole dishes, etc. I use stainless steel scourers - with a softer stainless steel flat scourer for non-stick stuff. The scourers - as well as the kitchen sink drains - get spray-sanitized with a no-smell 1or2% strength bleach after every use!

Yeah, my alarms test me too, they love to go off around 2am for no reason at all. At least the local Fire Brigade are happy to come and disconnect them for me so I can get some sleep - gives them something to do in the wee small hours. Sparky has checked and double checked and can't find a problem at all, but still they go off.