SkyWatch ~ Somewhere Along the Way...

Most of our road trips are accompanied by dramatic
skies to which this was no exception. For the six or so
hours we travelled, my eyes and shutter finger were
very well entertained.



Rapidly banking and changing clouds promising
thunder and downpours surrounded us on all sides,
yet our drive remained dry.
Now and again the clouds gave way to patches of
bright light and glimpses of blue.



This is a group of afternoon lit trees on a bare hill
which I have always loved. It is opposite 'Pink Lake'
which at present is still sleeping in my Nikon. My
computer is down to its last 5% of space, mainly
because I have stored 22,000 photos on it in less
than one year!



Although we could see the rain in the distance, the
road remained dry,



but just before the flaming sun sought shelter beyond
the holizon, the humidity increased as though we had
just landed in the tropics after a downpour. I had never
driven in a sauna before, the air was saturated. The
day had been a very hot one and the downpours on the
hot earth evaporated like a steaming kettle.



Next week, God willing, I shall post the next exciting
episode of the weather as the day ends and the
moon turns pink with excitement.

All photos enlarge with a click as always.

To fly around the skies, click on the SkyWatch Logo.

Thanks to Klaus and our great SkyWatch team, we
can all join in with this great fun meme.

Back Home Again.

Hallo again my friends, followers and casual
droppers in, it is good to be back and blogging again.
I'll come and visit you as soon as I have rested.

This young couple, some 52 years later has just

returned from a 1,000 + mile trip to celebrate

my brother-in-law's eightieth birthday.

*

It was a wonderful weekend with my sister who still

had a copy of this old photo of the two of us while we

were still courting. As you know, all our memorabilia

was lost in a fire more than a quarter of a century ago,

so it was doubly nice to see this and augment our

memories by sharing them.

*

About a week ago our elder brother would have had his

90th birthday had he lived. One day I will share his story

with you. At present if is still rather raw. His life was the

hardest and most tragic of anyone in our family. He was

the eldes and I the youngest, yet we were so very close.

It is hard to keep the tears back when I think of him.

*

My sister, as always, spoiled us rotten....her cooking is to

die for! Enough! I must have put on half a stone and

havn't looked like the above picture for years.

SkyWatch ~ Halloween

Enlarge them if you dare....



As the sun was setting, I hiked to the pumpkin patch
to await the arrival of the great pumpnin.

With darkness setting in, strange things came flapping
at my face.



Others, wrapped in their black cloaks, were still
hanging about waiting for the blanket of night to
take to the skies...did I see the glint of fangs?



Shivering a little, I hurried on, breathing a little faster
and desperately curbing the impulse to look behind me.

Passing the graveyard, whisps of grey fog? floated on the
breeze curling around my knees and sending chills up my
spine. I forced my eyes to look away fron the shadows
and stumbled along my teeth chattering in my head.



An owl's wing or was it someone elses, brushed my
cheek, my knees crumpled beneath me and as I looked
up I saw the hanging trees on the crest of the hill....
That was the last straw, I turned tail and stumbled
back past the graveyard, breaking into a run with
rustlings all around, my hands flailing cobwebs from my
face,



when the moon rose darkened in the midnight sky,
bats and larger darker shadows outlined against it.

In a cold sweat, I barely made it back to be met
by witches and skeletons dancing around a bonfire,

ah, the comforts of home.

Thank you Klaus and the SkyWatch team for giving us

this outlet for Halloween.

Watery Wednesday ~ White horses on the Wind

Click to enlarge.

*

*

Sea horses galloping

white manes flying

noses into the wind.

*

Where do they run to

what do they seek

snorting in the storm.

*

They seek their freedom

they seek their home

far, far from churning foam.

MY WORLD ~ 48 Gold of a Different Kind

While on our recent trip to Sydney, we had to cross
many miles of New South Wales' erstwhile gold country,



now gleaming with a different gold that rewards one's
labour with a little more certainty.



With the blue hills surrounding this wealth of gold,
I could have, like Dorothy, happily sunk down into
a hundred year sleep...woops, seems my bedtime
stories are getting tangled.



The road side weed, Echium plantagenium, covered
the road verges just in time for a welcome colour change.



All photos enlarge so you too may be blinded with gold.

Thanks to Klaus and the My World team for hosting
this informative meme.

TODAY'S FLOWERS ~ The Life of a Poppy

The Poppies, Papaver somnifera, are still magnificent.
From this shy curtsying bud bending her head,







to the proud young girl standing tall.



throwing off her shackles she invites in her admirers



and shares her bounty with all comers.



They come in droves, all hungering for succour
are sated at her breast.

At night she shuts her doors to rest.

Enduring wind and rain with fortitude and using it to

adorn herself with miriads of rubies

until, reaching the height of maturity and power,
she begins to fade yet increases in beauty

even as she fades away.

Please enlarge at least the last two shots to see the

the wonder of glistening raindrops.

Thank you to Luiz Santilli Jr. and the Flower team

for hosting this beautiful meme.

Birdphotography Weekly ~ Red Wattlebirds

The Red Wattlebirds, Anthochaera carunculata, have
dramatically increased in numbers as our garden has
started to mature.



With Grevilleas flowering for many months before
the Eucalyptus trees begin, food is plentiful.



They are quite large birds, up to 33cm, and can be
extremely frightening when dive bombing my poor
antique cat.



Swooping low over her back and loudly clicking
their beaks, they do not actually harm her, but
give her one h... of a fright.



The red wattles are clearly visible in these two photos.
Wattle birds have a very loud and grating raucous call,
a very unmusical sound indeed, and are not particularly
nice to smaller birds in their vicinity.

The bird was so intent on terrorising the cat at my feet,
that I was standing no more than 2' from it, snapping
away with my camera and it did not even notice me.



There is nothing like getting up close and personal
to catch all its antics.

This year they have had an absolute population exlposion

with a whole flock inhabiting the park. I have never seen

a flock of these birds before.

The vast numbers of Galahs we have had in other years seem

to have moved elsewhere. This year for the first time we have

had Crows and Wattlebirds vieing for nesting space with

the large numbers of resident Magpies.

For more birds around the world, click on the Logo and enjoy.