Railway gates

Alright this is probably my last gate, at last I found a wooden one. These are the main railway gates in Victor Harbor and I must have passed them so many times but this time they were closed and I had a bit of time before the train left to draw them. School holidays are a good thing as this only happens then. I was interested in the long pivot thing that is on the gate, well there are two gates but the other one made for too many confused lines.
A cool drizzly day and we went for quite a long walk, actually came home a bit cold. More heat in the middle of the week though.

Another 'nother gate

As my children used to say.
This one leads up to the old shearing shed and has been bashed around a bit in its time and added on to and is now wired up which annoys me as I have to try and unwire it.
All of my daughters and their fellows here today, must be one for the books, my friend Wendy came over and we were going to have a quiet afternoon but we had the young fellow from the bank who got lost who found us all standing around the sitting room shrieking with laughter and trying to undo knots in some thread we were dividing up, seemed a good idea at the time, daughters helped.
We had 5mm of rain overnight and some talk of more but we will see. Then it blew like crazy and all the good the rain had done disappeared.

Not a gate, a ramp

This is a cattle loading ramp, I think I may be running out of gates but I am still looking for a wooden one. I think every farm has a variation on this, you may get the pipe version at some stage.
Blogger wouldnt let me put up photos last night.
some light drizzle, we need lots more.

While having coffee

This is a very hasty sketch done of the building what is where I was having coffee, although very hot we sat outside under an umbrella when we got back from Adelaide doing hair cuts and visiting my mother. Adelaide was 38 degrees and Victor wasnt much better but we had to collect mail so it seemed better than going home where it was even hotter.
I did actually manage to get the paints out though to throw over the pen but John was complaining of being hot so it was rather thrown on.
Well after 6 pm and it is still so hot outside, I have fed the dogs but am waiting till later to feed the ponies and water the pots.

Cattle grid

This is an alternate way of getting into a property instead of opening a gate. This one has wonderfully messed up sides to it which look as if it has been hit by trucks or tractors, it is to stop cattle from going through and next to it is a large and unweildy cocky gate, which I havent yet sketched, to allow stock through.
I walked early this morning as it was so hot to find this grid down the road. I saw more on Kangaroo Island, they dont seem to be in use so much here but I think I know where there is another slightly different one.
I have had fun finding rural fences and gates etc.

Children at the beach

I have decided that children do not stay still enough for me to sketch them! This was tryng to get some basic attitudes of children at the beach when we walked. Not that I walked at the beach yesterday, I am cheating again but my feet hurt and it is getting hotter and hotter, I think Xmas and the New Year are all catching up and I am feeling a bit weary.
I did make the dogs walk with me to check the foal, he is gaining a bit of weight and not so ribby but still a tiny little thing.
Hoses are going on early in the morning and at night so it makes for a long day.
Friends tonight to eat the prawns and left over fish and drink champagne, not good for the waist either.

John

Happy New Year to you all and may you get most of the things you wish for! Couldnt possible get them all. I hope for rain, good milk prices and health, and an improvement in my sketching.
Julie suggested I look at what I had done through the year, I cringe at some of the stuff on my other blog, and some here too, but I think there is a slight improvement, occasionally!
This is John at the computer, cunningly not showing much of his face and he says I have made him too heavy, doesnt he realise that he...., well at 69 he isnt doing badly.
A lovely night last night, a hot morning and day but with a friend staying the night made it more fun. I tidied up my work room when really I was going to paint, I think I am puting it off.
My new foal is tiny and looks a bit prem but is drinking well I just hope the now forecast 2 days of 40 degrees doesnt put him back too far, he is so skinny and has to put his head up to reach the teats, and his mother is only about 11.2 hands high, if that. I am walking to check on him about 3 times a day, but am still in the Christmas spirit and eating and drinking too much good food. yummy fresh fish tonight. I think I am gaining weight not losing it.
Thank you to all of you who have encouraged me through the year with your comments, it does make me try to keep on going.