Migrating seven days ahead of the mutton birds

After 10 days of packing up, cleaning and doing all the other things required to leave our home for six months (including social activities and goodbyes) -- we've left Phillip Island and are heading north to Mitchell in outback Queensland.

In the photo you'll see that the ute is fully loaded. When we left, we felt more organised than ever before. Practice helps, of course, along with sufficient time to do things properly.

At Euroa, rain fell steadily throughout the night and the temperature dropped to cold. But we were snug in our caravan with electric heating and most mod cons.

Katy Siamese travels well on her sheepskin bed in the caravan (and sleeps in my arms at night with her head on my pillow, both at home and in the caravan); and Stego lizard has hibernated in a grass nest within his travel box. This time around we're only carrying three plants; one silky oak and two oolines that Doug grew from seed. We'll plant them in our garden at Mitchell

Our two German shepherds are comfortable on the thick mattress in the back of the ute. This area has additional insulation, airflow and an extra this time -- an extension to the cab air conditioner, to give the dogs cold air on hot days. At night, Major sleeps inside the caravan with us and Del sleeps in the back of the ute, a position she prefers.

Major and Del love the ute and wouldn't dream of wandering off. Usually we stop every two hours to give the dogs water and a lead walk. This routine is, of course, good for us too.

So that's it -- our travelling circus that departed Phillip Island seven days before the mutton birds left on their migration to the Bering Sea near Alaska.

Figs are the fruit of the gods

In our backyard at Phillip Island Doug planted five fig trees, and this season has seen them laden with lush fruit. Although my stomach can't handle figs, Doug's can -- also I have friends eager to receive figs and experiment with different ways of serving them.

Harry's on the Esplanade in Cowes offer a tempting and tastefully presented luncheon dish that reads: Baked figs filled with shadows of blue and wrapped with prosciutto served with rocket salad with a sherry vinegar tarago blue cheese dressing.

The preparation is as follows: 1. Select two large ripe figs and slice off the bases, so they sit straight. 2. Split each top four ways to open up the pink fleshy interior. 3. Smooth three-quarters of a teaspoon of blue vein cheese into the top of each fig. 4. Wrap each fig in a thin layer of bacon, ham or prosciutto and secure with a toothpick. 5. Bake in a moderate oven until hot and tender. 6. Serve with a rocket salad that includes red pepper and red onion. 7. Make up a sherry vinegar tarago blue cheese dressing and drizzle over the salad.

Figs, when plump, ripe and picked straight from the tree deserve their reputation as the fruit of the gods. When dried, made into conserves or baked in the above manner, figs take on a rich sensual character.

Meadows where sea horses graze

Western Port Bay is well-known for its sea grass meadows, which are important breeding places for fish, as well as sea horses and leafy-sea dragons.

A couple of times over the past two years we've had the thrill of finding large-bellied sea horses and leafy-sea dragons washed ashore on our Phillip Island beach.

It's the male sea horse that's the mother! The female lays her eggs into the male's pouch, where he incubates them until they hatch. The male continues to care for the young sea horses until they are mature.

Tasmania is home to a multi-million-dollar sea horse breeding industry. This farm supplies sea horses for the aquarium trade, medical research and Chinese medicine. It's hoped that this industry will guarantee the survival of the species in the wild.

I love the feel of soft sand and leafy sea grasses beneath my feet and have a romantic fantasy that one day I'll be fortunate enough to swim with a sea horse in the wild.

Phillip Island 'armour' comes in many forms

When Doug roars off on his 1949 Ariel Square 4, for his Saturday morning get-together with motorcycle friends at Phillip Island's Cowes jetty, he wears full body and head protection. For this I am very grateful!

While walking along the seashore this afternoon, an example of animal armour caught my attention. In order to accommodate its growing body, the crab sheds its protective shell every now and then.

Discarded and washed ashore, it's usually the large pretend 'eyes' that stand out in the flotsam; that capture my attention. The colour of the armour varies from creamy-white to rusty red, and when observed through a magnifying glass is remarkably beautiful.

This mutton bird will miss the migration flight to Alaska

On April 18, around 2 million adult mutton birds will leave Phillip Island and head off across the Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea, near Alaska. Three weeks later their fully-fledged chicks will leave too; the migration flight encoded in their genes.

This photo, however, shows one adult mutton bird who won't be setting out on its migration flight. Although we live alongside a mutton bird rookery and walk the beach most days, dead mutton birds are a rare sight. In fact, this is the first I've seen since December.

On September 26 the mutton birds will arrive back on Phillip Island to dig out their burrows, mate and begin yet another reproductive cycle.

These migratory seabirds fly an extraordinary 32,000 km flight across the Pacific Ocean -- but they call Phillip Island home.

Mountains of seaweed: compost and fun

'Mountains' of seaweed provide an adventure playground for our dogs. Sometimes waste-deep, this seaweed is Nature's compost, the nutrients of which wash back into the sea to feed all the plants and animals growing in Western Port Bay.

In a playful mood, Major loves to dive headfirst into a heap of seaweed, and then use his head to toss the sea grass into the air. Another game involves me sitting on top of a 'mountain' of seaweed, and then Major digging a hole beneath me, thereby undermining my seat.

I've also watched groups of children create all manner of cubby houses, castles and moats within large banks of sea grass washed up on to the sand.

Most of the seaweed that forms large masses is sea grass, which grows in the shallows of Western Port Bay. This seaweed is an excellent source of nutrients and mulch for vegetable gardens on Phillip Island.

Olive trees and jade protect our home

Although I'm not superstitious by nature, I like the thought of having a jade plant growing at both our front and back doors. Easy to grow by cutting, my plants go back 40 years to a piece of jade given to me by a special friend.

This one piece has been propagated countless times -- for gifts to other people and also to protect any new home we've moved into. Some people believe that jade brings prosperity; others think it maintains the flow of positive energy throughout the home.

The fact that jade is a small leafed succulent means it grows well over a wide range of climatic regions -- from Phillip Island to Mitchell in outback Queensland.

All my life I've loved olive trees, especially those ancient, gnarled trees I saw growing in and around Assisi, in Italy. I think of olive trees as a symbol of peace, consequently we have one growing in each of our homes. Even though young, each is growing well, and I like to think that in 100 years time they will give pleasure and tranquillity to the people who live on the land where they grow.