News & Updates from Vicki Avcin ~ AusCrafts · Page 60

Last September the two wood ducks that occasionally visit brought two little ducklings to show us. Proud parents, but wary of us. We couldnt get close to get a good photo but they were so tiny it was hard to photograph them.

Each day theyve been bringing them to the bird feeder and slowly weve been watching them grow. We were like proud grandparents and would panic if they didnt show one day. Mainly because we have foxes in the bushland around us and I was hoping they hadnt been a meal for one of them.

But theyd show the next day and since then weve marvelled at how quickly they have grown. They have been getting better at having us around and dont take off like they used to. Today the babies have become quite happy to have us around and camping just outside the blind at the front patio has become a regular habit now.

They even stick around when its bird feeding time because they know theyll get a feed too. This drought has been bad for the wildlife and lots of animals are interacting more with people in the hope of getting fed.

So four more mouths to feed daily now.

We have about 50 or so Rainbow Lorikeets that visit each day. Afternoons they get fed at the feeder in the back yard and then disappear.

Lately there is 2 that like to hang around in the hope that they might be able to scam a bit more seed from us.

They will sit on the hibiscus bush in the front garden and this cheeky fellow has taken to coming and landing on us when we come out the front door.

He also lands on hubbys arm as hubby takes the slop out to put in the feeder dishes and gets into the bowl before any of the others can have a feed.

Sitting out on the patio the other night, we heard something shuffling around in the leaves in the garden. Thinking it was our possum friend, we wondered why the noise continued when we shone the torch around.

Our little possum friend usually sits still if we shine the torch on him. So hubby went to investigate further. Without knowing what the noise was, he is gamer than I am. Around the front of the garden he stopped and called me to come round.

A little hesitant I kept a wide berth to where he was and hubby pointed out this little cutie. We have long suspected there was one/some around as wed see the dig marks in the ground but to now had never seen one.

Echidnas also known as spiny anteaters are found in all parts of Australia.

They are shy mammals that usually hide during the day and forage for food at night. Their main food source is termites which they dig out and then lick up with their long sticky tongues. They have no teeth and grind the ants between their tongue and the bottom of their mouth. It is coming into puggling season and their breeding habits are unique.

They lay an egg into a pouch, which they develop only during this time. The young hatches and stays in the pouch for about 3 months. These young are called puggles and are about the size of a jelly bean when hatched. Once it leaves the pouch it will start to eat ants but will also drink from the mum for several months.

Their life span is about 10 years but can live to 16 years. They are fairly safe from prey due to the spiny spikes. They curl up into a ball with the spikes sticking out. Another of our very unique Aussie wildlife and so excited to find one in our own front garden.

On Saturday 28th September our station opened up its doors to the community to give them a chance to come and look around the station and vehicles, ask questions and most importantly to find out how to make sure their properties are prepared in the event there was a fire in the area.

It has taken me months as the coordinator to make it happen successfully including getting the Bushfire Simulator Trailer, advertising and catering.

Then because we currently have Fire Bans, I had to apply for an exemption to be able to do the Bushfire Simulation Demonstration.

The idea of the Bushfire Simulator demo is to show different properties and how a bushfire would impact and behave.

We had houses that were cleared, houses that had bush right up close around them, flat ground and uphill and downhill slopes and spoke to people and let them see how being prepared could save their properties.

We had a fantastic response to the demonstration with people saying that theyd learnt a lot from it. We let people try on our PPC (personal protective clothing) and the kids loved climbing through the trucks and pressing the magic button which set off the sirens.

We had an area set up where (mainly) kids got to get on the end of a hose and try and knock a tennis ball off a traffic cone.

Even the big kids (adults) found it challenging. It was a great day and now the planning begins for next years open day.

My second youngest son turned 40 on 17th September, and the occasion was celebrated on Saturday night with a party at their house.

His beautiful wife organised it all with caterers and a band and lots of family and friends.

Some of the family havent been together for a few years so it was fabulous to catch up and help Paul celebrate.

The fact he actually made it is nothing short of a miracle really as throughout his life hes faced a few challenges which all couldve ended very differently.

At 18 months old his older brother gave him a dog wormer capsule which gave him an ambulance ride and put him in hospital.

Drs said they didnt know what problems might be caused long term as it was a very potent pill.

It seems so far no residual effects.At 3 yrs of age he fell off a flying fox from 40ft up, landed flat on his face and yet broke nothing! (a kid from down the road took him up and didnt put him in the harness, just let him go and he couldnt hold on).

At 15 yrs old he became very ill (with what I thought was a stomach bug), which put him in hospital with Drs scratching their heads because they said what they thought it was a 15 yr old male doesnt get.

He ended up having his gallbladder removed a week later. He became a celebrity in the medical world as one of the youngest people to have it removed. Then 4 months ago he fell off a ladder while working at home and fractured his skull and had a bleed on the brain from which he is still recovering.

So the fact that he made it after all those things (and a few lesser injuries) was definitely something to celebrate.

The photo is him cutting his cake with the quote saying Aged to Perfection. Was a fabulous weekend and Im a very proud Mum to help him celebrate.