Oh, it sounds beautiful where you live! Now I not only want to go to CA to visit Sally, I want to come down under to visit you!! :D
The "Manicured Patterson's Curse" made me laugh. It isn't free range out by you at all, I suppose, or you couldn't have that. The cattle come through here daily. Some of our neighbors planted oleanders in their front yard and I worried the cows would eat it -- it is highly poisonous too. I suppose none of the cattle have tried it or we would have heard by now.
Eucalyptus trees are planted often here because they do well in this climate. We don't get the lovely blue haze from them. Wish we did, it sounds lovely! So do the Ghost gum trees.
Thank G-d you don't have arthritis from your hips. One less thing to worry about today.
I love "Bombo" and could almost see it from your description! Will check out the URL you posted...thank you for sharing it!!! My favorite places involve large trees and rain...the sounds of drops falling, the smell of damp wood and grass...gorgeous dark cloud patterns in the grey skies...yes, I am weird, I live in the Valley of the Sun and it's rain and big old trees I really want. In my mind's eye, I can have all the foul weather I want, whenever I want it. <G>
Of course I finished reading your post, and I'm sure others did too...you have a wonderful way of describing things and I really enjoyed hearing from you. :)
Hope today is a pretty good one for you, and that you are feeling decent. And that Shane is too. Take care and talk later!
Love,
Lynda M. in AZ
"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." -Marcus Aurelius