garden delights

Weekend Reflections & TODAY'S FLOWERS - Amazonian Waterlily

2012-02-04T18:17:00.001-08:00

Victoria amazonica had a hothouse all to herself at the Adelaide

Botanical Gardens. The sign read that she would start opening at

5 p.m. but she had barely managed to split her sepals at that time.

Unfortunately the superstructure of the hothouse reflects rather

dramatically in the lily pond, making it challenging to get just the

lily and it's pads without posts and girders.

The first petal is open and the bud is stretching allowing her

heady perfume to waft through the humid air.

Every part of the plant that has contact with the water is

protected by spines, the leaves, so smooth on the upper side,

are prickly everywhere else, as are the bud and stalks as well

as the eventual seed casing.

Gracefully she floats . . .

slowly, eve so slowly, flicking another petal from the central

bud . . .

and just when the unfurling drama is reaching it's height, the

keeper of the lily house evicts us . . . we beg to be locked in for

the night, to document the wonder of this flower but to no avail.

We are banished like common criminals although the gardens

are open for another hour. Disappointed, we slink away under

giant plane trees and along hidden paths, back to our car to face

the now thinning peak traffic home.

Enjoy the flower and her narcissistic reflections and visit many

more by clicking on either or both relevant Logos on my side bar.

SkyWatch ~ A Moment Ago . . .

2012-02-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

All week the skies have been grey and bland or just plain bland

and I decided to sleep in and not post at all until I woke up to

this an hour ago and shot outside like a bullet.

They are much better enlarged . . .

These are just the first four

and if this week is like last week, then next week I may show

you some more of this week . . . confused yet? Ah well it was

pretty weak . . .

Happy SkyWarch to you all!

World Bird Wednesday - In Memoriam . . .

2012-01-31T13:13:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday our beloved gander jumped the fence into the cow

paddock. The cows are very territorial and although they tolerate

the humans who feed them and even muzzle up to them to be

scratched, a few sheep who crawl through the fence and small

mobs of kangaroos, they have even looked askance at me crossing

their turf. The appearance of a large white, waddling bird seemed

cause for investigation, they all went to look and the result was one

dead gander literally cornered in the corner of the fence. Whether

he died of shock or of being muzzled we will never know . . .

My heart is heavy with loss, I found him as I climbed through a

kangaroo hole in the fence to feed him. He was my friend and

bridge to the wild birds accepting me as well and is sorely missed

and with him my hopes of goslings in the Spring.

Not much else to report except the European house sparrows

digging up those died up grass areas we laughingly call lawn.

They descend in numbers but are skittish to get a shot of.

Ha, gocha in the faraway tree.

At the lonely pond an unidentified cormorant circled and left.

My bird finder does not feature one with a totally white head and

dark belly and white around the vent. My hopes rest yet again

on Stuart M being able to identify it.

Thanks once again to Springman for hosting this wonderful bird meme.

OUR WORLD - The Lotus Pond

2012-01-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finally met another blogger, our own Dianne of

'Adelaide and Beyond' and 'All Things French'. We met up at the

Adelaide Botanical Gardens, shared a quick baguette and off to

the Lotus Pond for a shooting frenzy. Dianne is thinking of

upgrading to an SLR so we just used my Canon so she could get

a feel for it and see the difference between it and her present

point and shoot.

Here are a few I snapped in action as we had quite a blowy day.

The wonder of the Lotus blowing in the wind with it's last flowers

still perfect but showing seed pods in various stages of ripeness

as proof of the glory that graced the gardens during the last few

weeks.

The flower and the pod embracing . . .

and catch-as-catch-can, as the wind tilted the flower towards

me for a millisecond.

We spent a wonderful day together, getting to know each other

and wildly photographing and talking 'shop'.

Later in the day we shared an even greater wonder but that is for another day.

Sorry I am late posting but I was absolutely bushed after such an intensive shoot

and 3 hours of driving.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Farm Flowers

2012-01-29T03:38:00.000-08:00

The weather has been hot and in the heat the agapanthus

come into their own.

These are flowering at our gate

and these along the driveway

and on the road near the gate a young Eucalyptus ficifolia

is opening it's first blooms after ten years of growth.

Many more flowers are tucked in behind the Logo on my side bar.

SkyWatch ~ A Lean Week

2012-01-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

Its been a hot and dreary week with nothing much going on in

the sky department except for this one, rather fetching cloud.

You will find many more spectacular sky events by clicking on the Logo

on my side bar.

world Bird Wednesday - At the Pond Again

2012-01-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

The other day, just before our heatwave hit, I went to the pond

and fed the gander with the Sacred Ibis watching and an idle magpie

flying past.

Suddenly it seemed as though all the birds accepted me, I

walked around the side of the pond to quite close to the ibis

but they minded not at all. Oddly, the rosellas screeched no

alarm calls, nor did the blackbirds. I sat on my bench, half hidden

by a Wattle and little birds flitted all about me. First the Grey

Fantail (below) and a number of blue wrens.

The Little Grebes seemed bored and turned tail . . .

a Black Duck (right) went about it's business with an as yet

unidentified friend, no longer unidentified due too the kind

response of Stewart M, who recognised it as a Eurasian Coot.

Thank you once again Stewart.

another Fantail posed in the shade quite near me

and a Willie Wagtail checked me out and was joined by a friend

but then the most remarkable thing happened and the White-

faced Heron landed and grazed his way around the edge of the

pond. Here in the shade you can see where he gets his name.

Normally at the first sound of a human or car he would already

have taken flight.

The Ibis wandered over to have a chat with the heron and a

few ducks and after the heron left, I too walked to the other

side

where a Singing Honeyeater joined me

and showed how mean he could look flying straight at you with

that black robber mask on.

Another Grey Fantail. I was surprised that they are already here

in numbers as they normally come in February and presage the

autumn rains.

Here he is again out in the full sunlight.

It was a wonderful feeling to be so accepted only because the

gander ate out of my hand. I know my photos aren't so clever

but the experience was just great.

OUR WORLD - Raiders of the Lost Ark

2012-01-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

Just look at us, aren't we sweet? We would never dream of

touching a leaf in your garden.

How can you send us away like this, we are totally innocent . . .

How could you think that anyone as peaceful and gentle as we

are, would strip all the leaves and twigs off all the young citrus

trees, the roses, the fruit trees and berry bushes and trample

what we had not eaten?

Well, here is the proof of the pudding, the gate is shut and one

is still inside our yard. It just takes one thoughtless person to

leave one of our 8 gates open and the whole flock sneaks in to

demolish all my hard work.

Ah, the joys of farming . . .

This all out war has lately been going on in Our World, what is happening in your's?

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Oriental Lilies

2012-01-22T03:23:00.001-08:00

This year I grew a few lilies in pots where I could keep them watered

and they sort of turned out all right. One even had 10 flowers on it.

I love the bright orange pollen

and the shadow-play of the stamens and pistil.

Enjoy the wonder of flowers and show yours as well on TODAY'S FLOWERS!

SkyWatch ~ Raindance Clouds

2012-01-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

A brief rain had cleared the air and something in the light

caught my eye . . .

as I looked, the clouds performed a mad dance rising

and swirling

madly circling the rising thunderhead

just a brief pause with gentlest of hues

and off into the mad, exhilarating dance once more.

Whatever the sky is up to where you are, do share it on SkyWatch!

World Bird Wednesday - Just a few Ducks

2012-01-18T02:04:00.000-08:00

On a walk along the Gawler River these three young ducks

were on the path in front of my feet. Sorry, the pictures should

read from the bottom up.

Here they are about to go slowly over the side of the bank but

they certainly did not scuttle away at my approach.

The prettily marked Wood Duck posing ,

the drake looking me in the eye

and here are the three youngsters genteelly leaving the path

to let me past. Sorry there is no more today, I took so many

pictures at our dam that I have as yet not had a chance to get

them sorted.

To enjoy birds from all over the world, click on the logo and add your

post to swell the numbers of participants..

OUR WORLD - Kangaroos

2012-01-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Kangaroos on an overgrown road reserve between two of our

paddocks . . .

" What's up Frank, why are you pricking those ears?"

"Will you just look at that? The cheek! She's walking right

towards us."

"It's old an old lady with a camera Frank". " Ha, ya never can

tell with these ol' biddies . .

I'm outa here . . ."

Our World Is a fun place, show us what is in your corner!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Australian Natives

2012-01-14T14:38:00.001-08:00

With over 1,000 species of Eucalyptus trees native to

Australia, there are always some in flower no matter the

season.

Their leaves are aromatic and many are excellent dye plants

as well. Their colour range in flowers is from white, through

a variety of pink and orange to startlingly bright red through

all possible shades.

The flowers on this lemon variety are spectacularly large.

Another tree of many species is the Melaleuca. This lilac

pom-pom variety is a favourite of mine. A fairy young specimen

with aromatic leaves and bark, it is a large and dense bush in

my garden, a host to many nests of little birds and a very busy

place in Spring.

Eucalyptus ficifolia, a native of Western Australia, is just coming

into flower and bursting it's little caps off to reveal it's pretty

flowers. In full flower, the tree is one mass of colour.

Flowers brighten our days and you will find many more by clicking on

the Logo and adding your's as well.

SkyWatch ~ Shades of Sunset

2012-01-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

With daily maxima having dropped from 41C to 18C I felt like

getting my winter woollies out again. All this chopping and

changing did however make for a splendid sunset.

A peek at the main event,

a slight shift to let you see the streak of greenish blue near

the horizon,

gentleness a little further south,

a complete change of mood slightly northward

and back to the main event which during these few moments

has managed to pale a fraction.

Please leave me a comment if you can. I will do my utmost to come and visit,

however, events in my life beyond my control have severely restricted my blogging.

Happy Skywatch everyone!

Our World & World Bird Wednesday - Pondlife

2012-01-10T02:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry my posting has been rather sporadic lately, least said,

soonest mended, some skeletons are best left in the cupboard.

Haven't been anywhere much so my posts are close to home.

Another dip into the pond in our park, shooting across it hand

held, I was rather pleased with the result of my new Canon 600

with an Emron 270mm . The shot is nothing to write home about

but it is right across the pond and, to labour a phrase, a long shot.

Only when uploaded, did I notice the optional extra underneath

the platform.

Unfortunately too unfocused for a clear ID but from Stewart M's

identification of my other waterfowl, I would guess a Bush Hen.

I was amazed at the clarity I got when cropping out the Ibis

at their antics. There were many birds there that day, not just

the gander, the ducks and grebes but also a couple of cormorant

after the white-faced heron had hightailed it out of there on

hearing my approach.

The other interesting bird sighting was a pair of Emu the Prof

spotted in our little special tree woodlot at the top of our Windy

Hill paddock. That is our first sighting in over 40 years of Emu

this close to a settled area. Normally we see them in grasslands

near National Parks or Nature Reserves. There are so many

anomalies in wildlife movements this year that I wonder what

is happening.

Hope you all are having a fun and satisfying week.

SkyWatch ~ Sunrise on the Trot

2012-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Expecting more hot weather, I got up before the sun, grabbed

my camera and went for my daily constitutional walk. With

the extreme heat I had missed a few and my body had sent in a

written complaint in triplicate.

It was just light enough to see but the sun still had her sleepy

head tucked under the blankets.

As I headed up our undulating road, I stopped now and then,

usually after having attained yet another rise, to look back at

the sky. Didn't look like much . . .

At the next stop there seemed to be a bit of colour emerging,

reaching a yet higher elevation, suddenly she popped above

the horizon

and almost burned my eyeballs out but the colour was great.

Well, that's all folks! Time to hoof it back home keeping my

eyes lowered for safe keeping as well as the angle of my hat adjusted.

Thank you Skywatch Team for keeping this long standing meme going!

Our World & World Bird Wednesday - Goose on the Loose

2012-01-02T01:36:00.000-08:00

Nothing really special, just one of my evening walks . . .

You may remember our goose forever sitting on infertile eggs?

Well, someone hearing of this at the cherry orchard our

granddaughters help out at during their holidays, offered a

gander. Granddaughter thought it was a kind gesture but laid

not much dependence on it. Imagine her surprise when next day

the lady was back with a box full of gander as a present.

The gander was duly installed in the farmyard but goosie was not

much interested as she had grown up with another gosling and a

matriarchal duck who was superseded by a bouncy, bossy bantam

who had met her untimely end by flying into the German Shepherd's

pen to steal his food.

What with one thing and another, Mr.Gander decided to

emigrate to the dam in the park where Goosie, who feels at

home among the dogs, cats and cars, occasional sheep and

horses in the farm yard, goes to visit and for an occasional swim.

Mr.Gander is more concerned with over-flying birds than with my

presence.

To get there, I climbed through a barbed wire fence, using the unavoidably

rattling chain on the gate instantly alerts the parrots who raise

the other birds.

While doing a photo session with the gander, a couple of cormorants??

lifted off our old diving platform. Sorry I can just show you a glimpse

of one, I inadvertently erased the shot of both of them.

The pond was teeming with life, the whole family of little grebes

was at home as well as a number of wood duck and black duck

and blackbirds coming down to drink.

One of the adults near the far side of the dam

and a very curious youngster who hotfooted over to within six

feet of where I was sitting on the crossing stones.

Isn't he just the cutest?

Some of the other residents keeping to the other shore

or having a quick bath on Golden Pond.

Just one more shot of the gander as the light fades, doing

his swan impression after an Olympic swim around the pond.

Since these few shots, the temperatures have been in excess of 40+C

so I have been housebound under a fan to prevent my brain melting

and leaking out of my ears.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year and lots of fun visiting both

OUR WORLD and World Bird Wednesday. Both accessible from the

relevant Logos on my side bar.

Also linked to Weekend Walkabout, Watery Wednesday and Nature Notes

A New Year has begun . . .

2012-01-01T01:07:00.000-08:00

The old year is washed away, a mixture of joy and pain, of

hope and utter frustration.

On New Year's Eve 2010, my beloved 22 year old cat Millie

left for good . . . no more moonlit rides on my broomstick.

A cat of distinction, my very personal friend and companion.

My broomstick sulks in a corner, I have no heart for flying solo.

Thank God for all my blogging friends who have kept me

partially sane through the shoals and shipwrecks of the past

year. I don't know what I would have done without those of

you who have become very special friends and all of you who

have left comments and/or are following my meagre

photographic efforts. My trusty Nikon became unfocused and

had to be sent to hospital. In some ways a good thing since I

replaced it by a Canon with slightly better optics. Yet both

cameras have their good and not so good points and I am looking

forward to my Nikon being resuscitated.

This year has many challenges ahead, both with the Prof and

my darling sister, I will be yo-yoing to Melbourne again shortly

to see her.

When things get too gloomy, I check out the wormholes, both

on Windy Hill, as well as a few other locations nearby.

Who knows when the call will come to step through one of them?

I wish you all the wonders that this world can provide if we just

keep our eyes and minds open. Stay well, be happy and dream . . .

New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball

2011-12-30T23:29:00.001-08:00

It's been a tough year but now it is, at long last,

time to kick up my heels. There is, after all, nothing

like a masked ball in my cousin's little pile up on

the hill to see in the New Year.

Isn't it great what Oil of Ulan will do, you'd never

know I was an inch over seventy!

I digress . . . the Emperor awaits, as does my

beautiful sleigh full of furs . . . my mask, ah, here it is.

Anyway, it's not at all far, just across the valley between

Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanschtein, with the

sleighbells tinkling and the snow glistening in the lamplight.

I am looking forward to seeing Gaelyn host this delightful

event. I do hope Michael doesn't get jealous when she

stands up with my cousin Ludwig.

Oh, Franz Josef is waiting so, see you there!

One of the rare posts where the photos are borrowed from the web.

After all, it is a cyberspace party!

To join in the fun and festivities in the grand ballroom of Neuschwanstein,

just click on the Masked Ball Logo on my side bar and enjoy!

A little problem with lifting the Logo so I am linking straight to Geogypsy instead.

SkyWatch ~ Ten Minutes of Wonder

2011-12-28T21:51:00.001-08:00

Another of those coldish mornings where getting out of bed

seems a drag and I really wanted to turn over and close my

optics a while longer. It definitely did not seem promising but,

one has to get something for skywatch, right?

Less than a minute later the sky came alive

as the fire burst forth and took over,

burning so fiercely that I almost wanted to flee. The flames

engulfing the clouds above and turning the whole landscape

rose red.

To the south there was a golden haze with touches of pink

in the east, it became apparent where the golden fleece originated

and the trees were a blood red. The whole show, and I have

30 shots to prove it, lasted just ten minutes.

What better way to see the year out than another spectacular sunrise?

Wishing everyone a wonder full 2012, may you all stay safe and healthy

and retain the eyes of a child as you click your way through the year!

Our World & World Bird Wednesday - A company of Crakes

2011-12-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

I sincerely hope you all survived Christmas and the various

assorted cholesterol pies, I also hope no paramedics had their

feasts interrupted due to over-eathin heart attacks . . . ho, ho,

ho, t'is the season for much folly, fa la la, fa la la, la, la, la . . .

On my way to pick up some cherries from our local orchardist,

I passed his dam opposite to the golf course and was treated to

a massed nursery of young Spotless Crake, Porzana tabuensis.

It seems my ID has been called into question, thank you

Stewart M and on further research, it could just as easily be a

Black-Tailed Native Hen, Tribonyx ventralis, either way, its a

newby to me.

There were hundreds of them and, although I pulled up behind

some light tree and grass cover, by the time I crept out to get a

decent shot, most of them had taken to the air and disappeared

into the rough of the golf course.

These last two shots are rather heavily cropped but were at least

enough to identify them. Another lifer chalked up.

A little further from home, just a few Pelicans at the little Wetland

just outside Murray Bridge.

Stay safe, be (reasonably) good and, with all the goodies around

that we all make at this season, a little of what you fancy does

you good.

SkyWatch ~ Angel Wings . . .

2011-12-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Hark, the herald angels sing . . .

spreading their wings across the sky

sometimes just wings

and sometimes with hints of an angel.

A very merry Christmas to all you skywatchers and a fulfilling and

Happy New Year !!!

Our World & World Bird Wednesday - Christmas is coming . . .

2011-12-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming

and the geese are getting fat . . . all except this one which has

been dieting for two months sitting on a clutch of nine infertile

eggs and fiercely protecting them until I snuck in the other end

of the shed and managed to hide the stinking things while she

snatched a few mouthfuls of grass. No, she certainly will not be

Christmas dinner.

Today I must make a foray into the big smoke to locate a few

elusive presents. Haven't managed any Christmas baking as

yet and have a birthday cake to bake before Friday. I hope all

of you are better organised.

How can I get anything done when I have little distractions like

this Superb Blue Wren around?

Or kangaroos checking me out as I stalk a bird or two,

like these Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, a few couples of which,

in our twenty years here, have passed through on their annual

pilgrimages. Last year a small flock decided this was a good

spot to linger and colonised one of our paddocks. This year

there has been a population explosion and we have well over

a hundred of them screeching between our houses. The noise

of feeding and begging babies is deafening and they, together

with a flock of Galahs, are stripping our Eucalyptus trees where

they roost and snipping off new shoots on ornamental evergreens.

At least some of them hide their heads in shame . . .

And so, with a few meadow flowers sunning themselves, I wish

all my dear blog friends wherever you are, a Happy and Blessed

Christmas and/or Holiday Season. May those of you in cold

climates stay warm and those in hot ones stay cool. Enjoy your

time with family and friends, be they two or four legged.

Stay safe on the roads, everyone else drives like a maniac!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Poppy & Roses

2011-12-18T04:57:00.000-08:00

WISHING YOU ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS !

Share your love with family and friends, remember, not

everyone has someone to share Christmas with so wish some

lonely person a Happy Christmas in the street or at the checkout.

You have no idea how much that can mean.

Time for TODAY'S FLOWERS :

this just opened poppy caught my eye all crinkled still from

it's cocoon, with stripes painted

on it's petals.

Roses against the light, romance personified . . .

It is worth enlarging them, especially the poppy.

Pick your best flowers and send a bunch to TODAY'S FLOWERS so

everyone can enjoy them !

Shadow Shot Sunday & Weekend Reflections

2011-12-17T01:24:00.000-08:00

My thanks and appreciation to Tracy of HEY HARRIET for

single-handedly hosting the delightful Shadow Shot meme

for such a long time.

So, for the last time under Tracy's management, here are a

few assorted shadows as well as unmistakeable reflections.

Yes, you see me shooting from the car . . . never miss an

opportunity!

Daylight on one of our dams . . .

and dusk on the same dam with a little grebe.

Thanks to the sponsors of both memes, now those of you who

have not joined in as yet, gird your loins and post something brilliant!

SkyWatch ~ Sunrise Surprise

2011-12-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have often seen wonderful red gold sunrises but this, as I

opened my bleary eyes was a sufficient surprise for me to leap

out of bed . . .

it started out as superimposed pink on blue

but quickly deepened into an almost magenta hue

and for a moment, gave me this striped effect before as

suddenly as it had come, like a dream, it had gone.

It just goes to show it is worth keeping a lookout.

Join the hundreds who post their skies on SkyWatch each week, it is

so interesting to watch the skies around the world.

Our World & World Bird Wednesday - Birds of a Feather . . .

2011-12-12T03:39:00.000-08:00

I've had these up my sleeve for a while, it's getting a bit crowded

there so, here goes . . .

OK, OK Susannah, I'm listening already . . .

Lake Burrumbeet at Ballarat Victoria, where the Olympic rowing

was held in 1956. Luckily it has water in it for the birds to nest

this year. A couple of years ago, during the drought, it was

completely dry and people were walking across it.

The swans had obviously had numerous cygnets, in the

foreground, is one already changing to adult plumage while

the one in the rear is a much younger bird.

There are nesting islands for any number of waterbirds in the lake

as well as lawns for grazing, waterlilies for tubers and walkways

for people to admire, photograph and feed them.

Feed me, feed me, feed me . . .

hey, wait for me . . .

a family with small children tossed in loads of bread, everyone

was happy, including the tiny tots who were eye to eye with the

swans and just a tad overawed by it all.

The gulls moved in to clean up the leftovers while the cygnet

and waterhen looked on

and the grownups were at leisure to pose for photo opportunities.

If you like birds, you can enlarge them, if you are not a birdlover,

just disregard this post and and go check out someone else's world.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Summer Roses

2011-12-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

We all strive towards the light. I think these roses at the height

of their bloom have reached the impossible in this lifetime.

In the pink of unconditional love,

the white of purity

and the golden light of hope.

Do join this beautiful Sunday meme hosted by Luiz Santilli Jr.

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ Me and my Shadow

2011-12-10T05:07:00.001-08:00

So often that which we tend to ignore cuts more sharply than

reality itself . . .

Click on the Shadow Shot Logo to be enveloped in a wealth of shadows.

SkyWatch ~ Sunset, a Moment of Glory

2011-12-08T01:27:00.001-08:00

As the sun was setting, there was a blaze of gold on the skyline

over Moon Hill.

Startlingly bright against the dark land,

after the brightness faded, the clouds changed to burnt orange

and moments later the show was over with just a touch of

soft pink lingering in the easter sky.

OK, this is my sky, now let me see yours . . .

World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - Farewell Biggles, hallo Egret

2011-12-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

Biggles blundering in the bushes

or perched in the cherry tree or on my shoulder is but a sweet

memory. Last Saturday he was called to the Great Galah in the

sky. He had a misshapen tongue and yesterday there was another

dead baby galah on the paddock. Our resident flock of Galahs

nested away from home. Therefore they also could have ingested

pesticides on neighbouring farms. We steer clear of applying

chemicals on our land, it may look scruffier but at least we know

it is 'clean and green'. My neighbour with a property 4 times the

size of ours went on an aerial spraying spree against cockchafers

one year and we lost all the frogs in all our dams.

On a happier note, my first ever sighting of an Intermediate

Egret, Ardea intermedia, or any egret for that matter in our

area within the last 20+ years. I have only seen them on the

coast or much further north before.

Imagine my surprise when we crossed the Torrens river close

to its source in Mt.Pleasant. The footbridge made a great

vantage point while my ever lovin' trotted back to the car for

my camera. No zoom on the first shot to show you the habitat.

This one mainly for identification, the beak says it all, it is

yellow more than orange so it is in non-breeding plumage.

Our son was here for one night on his way to a shoot at a

steel plant so I was lucky enough to get an over breakfast

master class and will no longer be over exposing my whites,

well, providing I can surf the menu quickly enough!

Don't you just love the way birds have their knees bending

the other way from ours?

After fishing for ever so long, he decided to go mountain climbing.

I think he was just showing off as it would have been so much easier

to fly over those jutting rocks.

Finally, playing hide-and-seek in the bushes and giving a

perfect swan impression.

Enlarge them if you are so inclined . . .

Both these memes can be accessed from the relevant Logos on my side bar.

My thanks to Springman and Michelle for hosting them.

ah,

OUR WORLD - Friends at Home

2011-12-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

Just a few critters I have floating around my place. These fellows

have felt free to destroy miles and miles of fencing, in consequence,

the sheep can wander down the road at will. Even this near

to blind sheep who almost blundered into me and had to be

alerted by her lamb to my presence.

How Sparky got out I have no idea but he was doing a great job

mowing the last of the green grass in the yard

until he noticed me and decided to stop for a chat.

The Moon Hill paddock is the only one with even kangaroo

proof fences, so this beautiful lady can safely mind a number

of youngsters.

Looks like the Magpie is looking after these four frisky

little ones.

I hope all of you are having a great beginning of the week, now

come on over to Our World and get your post up!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Shadows in Nature

2011-12-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Callas enhanced by shadows

and a blue wren enhancing the shadows in the scrub.

Pop over to Tracy at HEY HARRIET and join in the Sunday fun.

Weekend Reflections - Looking in the Mirror

2011-12-03T00:02:00.001-08:00

Recently while in the big smoke, I stayed in a super apartment

with my nephew and niece-in-love. As I looked over the balcony

just after the sun had risen and was illuminating our side of the

street, I was surprised to see our replica in the windows of the

uninspiring building across the street.

A lone smoker was enjoying a cigarette in the cold morning air -

smoking in public closed spaces is banned in Australia.

I tried to get our whole house in but did not have a sufficiently

wide angled lens

and opted for a quality vignette instead.

Thanks to James at Weekend Reflections who hosts this meme.

SkyWatch ~ Sunset Changes

2011-12-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

The golden promise

darkens into orange,

casting a smoky reflection in the dam

and moments later fades into quite different shades

yet still some colour lingers to set off the windmill . . .

only to pale into an afterglow

as the sky mourns the loss of yet another day .

All photos enlarge as always.

With many thanks to the great folks at SkyWatch who host this meme.

OUR WORLD, World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - A Rainy Day

2011-11-28T10:29:00.001-08:00

The night before I left for Melbourne, It drizzled, a Scotch

mist obscured the view and dusk sent the birds into one

last baby-feeding frenzy. A family of Galahs was making a

racket directly in front of the house.

Nothing unusual you might think, except that galahs

normally keep a respectable distance . . . they will silently

sneak into the almond tree to steal the nuts while you are

weeding under it but this was different.

Here they were flying in again and again and making

encouraging calls.

I watched as the runt of the litter blundered around in the dense,

wet undergrowth in my rose bed. The parents kept calling but

not feeding it, so, out I trotted with camera of course . . .

it trustingly made a beeline for me at my approach. I picked

it up, unsuccessfully tried to make it fly, and sat it in the

cherry tree hoping the parents would take it from there . . .

it promptly went to sleep.

Later I saw it had flopped back to the ground and was heading

into the dripping weeds again. I was in a bit of a quandary,

with rain and darkness setting in, this was no place for a

fledgeling to spend the night. My morning it would have made

a feast for a cat or a snack for a fox.

Out I trotted again and it once more made a beeline for me

and clambered onto my shoe . . .

from foot to hand to shoulder it went and, 'though I seldom

feature myself in these pages, here is the old bird-lady herself

imitating a tree.

The little chap settled in for some serious preening

really getting into the swing of things

until he was ready for some conversation.

All well and good, but what now. He was hungry and

as yet unable to feed himself, his first flight was not a

great success and I was leaving in the morning . . .

when in doubt, 'look to the hills, whence cometh my salvation'

so, piratically perched on my shoulder, we crossed the paddock to

my dd's* house where grandson lit up like a Christmas tree,

a large cage and food materialised and young Biggles was

settled in.

* dd = darling daughter

All photos featuring me, by courtesy of obliging husband.

My thanks to all of you, my fellow bloggers who left encouraging

messages for my sister and wished me well on my pilgrimage.

A big thank you to the hosts of all three memes, it is good to be

back in the fold again.

OUR WORLD, World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes

2011-11-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

I don't like lumping a number of memes together but since I am

off again tomorrow to be with my sister for a couple of days plus

two days travel, this is the best I can manage.

Last week's bird post (two posts down) showed Horsefield's Cuckoo

and my consternation at the appearance of this bird on our farm.

Here is precisely what I was afraid of : - a begging cuckoo baby,

more than twice the size of it's host parent, a tiny superb blue

wren hen working her butt of to rear this monster in her nest.

I don't hold with irresponsible parents inflicting their young

on others and am concerned at the prospect of our Superb Blue

Wren population taking a backward step just when they had

managed to build up their numbers a little.

On a happier note, on my walk across our cows' favourite

paddock last night, three Quail lifted into their low lumbering

flight at my approach. I was pleased to see them as I had not

spied any for a few years and feared they had fallen to the

imported foxes to this country that have been the bane of native

ground-nesting birds.

If you see this, please leave a sign of life as I appreciate your

comments so very much and my own visits will be even more

restricted than usual this week.

My thanks to the hosts of all three memes which can be accessed

through the relevant Logos on my side bar.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Orchids

2011-11-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

I grow my orchids in a shade-house but unfortunately I have

no covered area to protect them under as they come into bud

and flower. This hanging basket, 14" in diameter, I put into my

studio and hey presto!, perfect flowers for the first time.

The little orchid at the back of the pot is doing well because

it is sitting on the moist mix in the hanging basket

and this is the bigger one complete with cobwebs.

TODAY'S FLOWERS showcases flowers around the world, click

on the Logo to join in or just wander at the botanical wonders

others bring to this meme.

SkyWatch ~ Sunset Contrails

2011-11-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

The sun has set, yet leaves it's passing written in the sky

like a plume of golden smoke

dispersed by a passing breeze . . .

Time for more skywatching, click on the Logo, be brave and

join in the fun or just go and feast your eyes on the skies of others.

World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - Around the Farm . . .

2011-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

New boy on the block and a lifer for me, Horsefield's Bronze-

Cuckoo, Chalcites basalis, conveniently sitting on the power

line to our house. I heard the unfamiliar call and made a dive

for the camera.

Much as I like to see a new addition to our home birds, this

is one I would prefer to see elsewhere since the dear girl lays

her egg into our little Superb Blue Wren nests just when our

blue wren population has increased again and we dearly love

those cheerful streaks of blue in the garden.

I tried to get a shot at the wing that has a shimmer of green

but the bird was unobliging and did not turn around.

With warm days and rain, the weeds have grown to high heaven

but even so I spotted this Stumpy-Tail Lizard having a feed of,

and this surprised me, of all things the sharp and spicy green

seed-pods of the wild radish.

I had never before given any thought to what these creatures eat.

I am always happy when I see them in the garden since they use

the same nesting holes as snakes and if you know a lizard inhabits

a certain hole, it is unlikely that a snake does as well. Of the two

reptiles, the lizard usually manages to protect the hole.

This is only a teenager at most, isn't he/she cute?

Moving to the dam in the park, a White-faced Heron and

Wood-Duck companion sitting on the children's diving platform.

On the vantage point of one of the birches we lost in the drought,

an Adelaide Rosella poses. The beauty of my new camera is that

I have a much longer reach as these birds are notoriously shy here.

My evening walk bagged this Shrike-Thrush with it's late

supper. I really thought it was too dark for photos but the

camera surprised me

and lastly, a Sacred Ibis, again at the dam. This is the first

time in 20 years that I have spotted one on our home turf.

Who knows what I shall bag next week? As you see, I have been

exercising my new Canon EOS 600 D and am reasonably pleased

with it.

Wonder over to WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY and Nature Notes and

check out what else is going on. Both memes are accessible from the

relevant Logos on my side bar.

OUR WORLD - 1 Hour in the Flinders Ranges

2011-11-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Treasured memories from last year's trip to the North Flinders

Ranges and Wirrealpa Station. A number of you have asked

about the stove in my header. Unfortunately it is not mine, I

wish, but has seen service in the shearer's quarters of Wirrealpa

Station for well over 100 years. There was of course also a new

electric rage which we scorned in favour of the real thing.

Two great kettles for innumerable cups of tea and some large

aluminium pots that we used for natural dyeing under India

Flint's guidance.

Fate decreed it was time to leave and here is a selection of

just one of the wonderful hours we spent on the road.

Do enlarge for more detail.

Above, a natural wall of China wends it's way over the hills

and below, the hills folded and kneaded like puff pastry.

It had been an unusually wet spring so the normally dry and

sere country side magically burst with colour.

My favourite kind of road . . .

and unexpectedly vibrant shades of gold and green along the way.

A consolation as we again hit the tarmac, was the exposed

geological features of these ancient, weather-worm mountains.

The further south we came, the more grasses had already dried

off, but there were plenty of colourful patches still left to feast

the eyes upon

and Emus, too many to fit in one frame, grazing in a veritable

Garden of Eden. All shots from a moving car in the space of

just one hour as one of our number had to catch a flight back

to the US.

I revel in these memories and only wish I were back there now.

I hope you enjoyed a little of what my world has to offer the intrepid traveller.

If you haven't yet, do put up a post and add to the wonders OUR WORLS offers!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Flowers of Hope II

2011-11-12T04:56:00.000-08:00

In the same Rehab. Centre as last week, I discovered these

wonderful delights in a number of enclosed courtyards.

Beautiful Rhododendron specimens which I certainly appreciated

but was surprised that only one patient took advantage of this

lovely sheltered spot and he had been wheeled thereby someone

else.

Whenever I have been in a like situation, I have always sought

out any little place that had vegetation to regenerate the soul.

Another courtyard had these warm colours in it. Oranges and

glowing reds and still no-one taking advantage of all that

beauty.

Thanks to Luiz Santilli Jr. we can all share the most beautiful flowers

with each other so click on the logo and join in.

SkyWatch ~ Yet Another Sunset

2011-11-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Time to see what the sky is doing and what better way to try

out my new camera. Here are some of the first ten shots I took.

I just went outside to shoot at anything and the sky decided

to put on quite a little show for me.

The clouds changed their character virtually in moments,

creating an unexpected softness,

only to blush a deeper red the next instant.

Hope you all can enjoy whatever the heavens bring your way

and share it with the rest of us on SkyWatch Friday!

World Bird Wednesday - Feeding Time

2011-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

I am slowly coming to terms with my new Canon EOS 600D.

Haven't got it quite set up to what I want but here are a few

rushes from yesterday's trial run.

An uncropped view of a Magpie youngster waiting to be fed

and here comes mom with MacDonald's take-away.

A high-wire balancing act as they change places

and a bonus of a Galah feeding session.

Not quite as sharp as I would like them but, given a little time,

even I will get my head around the myriad possibilities of all

the settings.

Meanwhile, Happy birdwatching and sharing on World Bird Wednesday!

OUR WORLD - Angaston in the Barossa Valley

2011-11-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

I dug into my archives again (not quite conversant with my

shiny new Canon while my trusty Nikon is languishing in

hospital), to share some photos I took for a MyWorld post.

So, in memory of Klaus, whose brainchild the meme was, I

post them now for the sequel.

Angaston is one of the old towns in the Barossa Valley wine

region. We go there on Saturday mornings to the farmers'

market but this time we just went for a walk and lunch.

Most of you will know that I have a great love of oaks so,

what better place to park, than under this magnificent

golden canopy?

Sometimes I like to explore what lies behind the facade of the

main street. We took a little path along the creek just off the

main drag to discover this storm-felled giant resting on the

grassy bank.

An old shed I have had a soft spot for for a long time

and chimneys reflected in the gold strewn creek.

The Angaston Hotel where we lunched,

sun shining through these forerunners of modern gladioli

and back to the golden drapery of one of my favourite oaks

to retrieve our car.

The end of a pleasant walk, that I hope you have enjoyed as

much as we did.

Share what you love or even dislike about your world to give

everyone a broader picture.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Flowers of Hope

2011-11-06T01:34:00.000-07:00

To clear my head and give my sister a rest while incarcerated

in hospital, I went for a walk in the neighbourhood.

Peeping over the side fence near the emergency entrance was

this great snow-ball bush.

Spring in sub-urban Melbourne brought forth these arum lilies

against a rather monotonous house.

Normally, these lovely grevilleas would be a goldmine for

territorially fighting honey-eaters protecting their food

source. I was surprised at the lack of birds. Despite the masses

of flowers on all sides, I only saw a few Miner birds.

Roses were just starting to bloom with some unfortunately

damaged outer petals from the recent heavy rains.

Lastly, cherry blossom on a small street tree of some caring

gardener who had planted two on his nature strip.

The fresh air and flowers restored me to a semblance of normalcy

so I could keep my sister slightly more cheerful company.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Spring/Autumn wherever you

are. Forgive me if I do not manage to visit you all, I do as much as I

can manage at the moment.

TODAY'S FLOWERS make it possible for us to see what is blooming

around the world, so post your own and check out everyone else's!

SkyWatch ~ Fog

2011-11-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

Wake up in the morning, look out the window and see . . .

nothing???

Well, nothing but the closest roses to my window.

At least the fog camouflages most of the weeds . . .

You can hardly see to the end of the house . . .

whatever happened to my view?

The fence has faded . . .

so have the roses on the fence-line

the roses have disappeared on the arch and the paddock

beyond is just a blur.

Oh well, at least it's good for the plants to soak up all that moisture.

Happy SkyWatching everyone!

World Bird Wednesday - Turn of a Tern

2011-11-01T19:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys 'n gals, my camera is on the blink so I draw on a

few shots from times gone by.

On one of my trips to Goolwa, near where the Murray finally

makes it's way to the sea if the mouth is not silted up in a drought.

In the dark and decidedly threatening sky I spied an Arctic Tern,

Sterna paradisaea.

Yep, that speck in the sky is, da da!!! an Arctic Tern believe it

or not . . .

with a little iPhoto enhancement, I was even able to identify

this graceful conglomerate of feathers.

I just loved that swallow tail in the above shot and the splayed

tail at the turn below.

and the wings held high like a Cessna with it's wheels tucked up.

PS this was a lifer for me and I wondered what an Arctic Tern was doing

so close to the Antarctic.

Enjoy the many birds at World BIrd Wednesday and thanks to Springman

at Pine River Review, we can all join in.

OUR WORLD - Rain in Desert Country

2011-10-31T04:41:00.000-07:00

Rain clouds banking over Wirrealpa Station in the North of

South Australia, a place I dearly love.

After the deluge, the sun comes out and the deep red of the soil

quickly turns back to a light pinky sand, yet suddenly the grey

green of plants stands out more.

Within days, there are flowers, however small in the gullies.

Most desert flowers are small, even tiny, yet always a wonder

to see.

These little darling morning glories are less than half an

inch across,

as are these against the still wet sand.

Somewhere I have the name of this very prickly plant, one of

the few with a flower almost 3" across.

Suddenly you see a patch of bright red and stand in awe at the

wonder of Sturt's Desert Pea.

The first one gives you the kind of thrill a first flurry of snow

sends through your being, then suddenly, you are surrounded

by them

and the wonder leaves you speechless . . .

OUR WORLD is full of wonders, add your own and visit others

from all over Our beautiful World.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Dry-land Irises

2011-10-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

Recently, I spent some time with my sister in a Melbourne

Rehabilitation Centre. I sat with her for a few days but while

she rested, I had some fresh-air R&R and walked around the

outside of the facility breathing in the green energy of the trees

and feasting my eyes on the general vegetation.

Most people coming and going passed these lovely irises with

unseeing eyes . .

they bloomed regardless of the visitors or inmates, just glorying

in their own beauty and freedom to be.

To my troubled soul they provided balm . . .

If I can manage it, I will show you some more next week.

SkyWatch ~ Weather coming in . . .

2011-10-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

When I see promising clouds like this, I rejoice. There is

nothing like a a good drenching for garden and paddocks alike

and some healthy run-off into our storage tanks.

When no-one provides reticulated water for you, you have to

conserve and manage what the heavens send you.

With a hot, dry summer coming up, every drop that comes

our way is precious, so thank you, you beautiful cloudy skies.

Watch the skies for the wonders they bring, then share them on SkyWatch Friday!

OUR WORLD - Somewhere along the way . . .

2011-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Murray Bridge station, as the name suggests, on the banks of

the 'Mighty Murray'. My suitcase waits patiently for the Overland

to Melbourne, connecting Adelaide, the capital of South Australia

with Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, one of our neighbouring

states 8 1/2 hrs away.

It was still a fair wait after a couple of goods trains had passed

and the weather moved in and favoured everyone with a drenching

since the station and all facilities were closed.

It is a long time since there was a manned railway station here

as can be seen by the unfortunate state of the station master's

house on the other side of the tracks.

I had things other than photography on my mind as we pootled

along at the sedate pace of 80km. My thoughts as grey as the

landscap, I would have much preferred to be clambering amongst

the rocks of that shadow clad outcrop.

A break in the clouds lit up an occasional spot of gold

that had not yet gone to seed.

A country road taking someone home to the farm sheltered

amongst the pines

and with these peaceful sheep on a paddock in the vicinity of

Ararat, nearer my destination. Only an hour and a half to go . .

I hope you will forgive me if I cannot visit you all this week,

life has a way of intruding on the fun of blogland.

Do show us what is making your particular corner of OUR WORLD tick.

SkyWatch ~ Sunrise for Train Ride

2011-10-20T03:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I rose at dawn to catch the train to Melbourne

to spend 3 days with my sister in hospital. The morning

dawned beautifully,

the colours deepening and painting the sky

by the time they had fully coloured the sky, I was up and

ready to leave for the 8 1/2 hr train ride.

I am back now but in not too fit a state for blogging. Please

excuse it if I don't manage to visit your particular blog. I hope

the time will come again when I can engage fully again with

the blogging community.

Show the wonders of your skies and join SkyWatch!

World Bird Wednesday - Birds in the Wild Wood

2011-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

While walking in our little Wild Wood the other day a Wood

Duck took to the sky at my sudden appearance at the dam.

It flew like a speeding train, if you enlarge it, you will see the

relative speed of duck to background.

Then, in a tree near by, a Willy-wagtail started serenading me,

lifting up his head in song

and really getting into the swing of things. I was rather chuffed

by his solo performance just for my delectation.

Moving along, I gathered this little Superb Blue Wren to my

bag for the day. He must be a young male, the blue was quite

light compared to the mature males we see strutting their

thing in full mating plumage.

Thank you Springman for providing this venue for sharing our birds.

Just click on the Logo and add yours too.

MY WORLD ~ Temperate Rainforest

2011-10-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

Let me take you to a place I really love, the

temperate rainforest of Victoria, where the

trees are tall, the rivers flow and the air smells

sweet at this time of year.

Although most of the area has been prey to major bushfires

throughout the years and the giants of the forest that used to

rival the redwoods of California are gone now, there is still

magic in these mountains.

When the understory Pittosporums spread their scent and

feed butterflies on ambrosia, you know it is springtime.

I love the trees being too tall for my camera lens and needing

to crane one's neck seriously to see to their heads in the clouds.

The scars of the last fire are still clearly visible, yet the forest in

its majesty is no less impressive than before.

Show us what touches your heart in OUR WORLD, the more, the merrier!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Magnolias

2011-10-09T05:09:00.001-07:00

Spring brings the wonder of Magnolias, white . . . .

pink . . . .

and the glory of Magnolia stellata.

Enlarge for detail.

Thanks to TODAY'S FLOWERS, we can all pool our flowers for

a stupendous bouquet.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Short, Sharp and Shiny

2011-10-08T20:06:00.001-07:00

I just soot 'e where I see 'em,

who else has their camera even in the kitchen?

Go to Hey Harriet and join in the fun, just click on the Logo!

Weekend Reflections - Windows and Water

2011-10-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

These are from our trip last autumn. People and sails from

the out-door restaurant brought inside the empty indoor space

by the obliging window in between

and peaceful reflections in a placid river . . .

Both enlarge with a click.

Hope all your weekends are going well . . .

World Bird Wednesday - Red-Rumped Parrot

2011-10-05T04:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry I'm late. Some things are going on in my life at the

moment which make it hard to get up a post, let alone visit.

These little guys are a little bigger than Budgerigars and a

smaller than our Galahs. I snapped them at dawn in really

bad light and had to soup them up a little.

I tried really hard to get a decent shot of the red rump.

Here is a pair of them. It is quite a sight to see them in the air,

they are very fast flyers and all you see is the bright, almost

iridescent green and a flash of red as they pass by.

This is the best I could get of the red rump which is much

more visible when they lift their wings.

There were at least twenty in the flock but as soon as there

was enough light to photograph, they did the disappearing trick.

Photos enlarge if you wish and please leave me a comment it

you can, they make it easier to get through the day.

Thank you Springman for this enlightening meme.

OUR WORLD - A Little Philosophy

2011-10-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

When the world seems dark and dreary and your troubles

weigh you down,

look over your shoulder and see the sun that shines upon the

beauty in your life,

that, no matter what the difficulties, still brings you beauty

in abundance in every season of the year and of life,

wherever you go new wonders surround you . . .

Learn contentment from the goose, happiness is green grass

to nibble, as long as we have food and shelter, we are rich.

All photos enlarge and are from our fall trip in May.

Cone one, come all and show us what is happening in your world

on OUR WORLD.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - A few flowers from winter past

2011-10-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

Living in a temperate zone, our winters may have some nasty

frosts and every 20 years a snowfall that lays for a while, not

necessarily more than a day but our flowers still give us pleasure

regardless.

Some begonias in my border . . .

Early Cheer jonquills that can be relied upon to flower in mid-winter,

and a rose in my bathroom, that refused to stop flowering all

winter long.

All photos enlarge with a click.

Today's Flowers is a great Sunday meme where you can feature

the flowers that brighten your life, do show us what you enjoy.

Weekend Reflections - Puddles, big and bigger

2011-09-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of shots from our trip last autumn (May), this

one is a depleted farm dam somewhere in New South Wales

and morning fog on the recreational lake in Wodonga, Victoria.

Autumn is my favourite time of year so sometimes, in the middle

of a flower filled spring, I like to think of quiet autumn mists . . .

Pop over to Weekend Reflections hosted by James, just click on

the Logo and bingo, you are there.

SkyWatch ~ Softly Goes the Sun . . .

2011-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

The white hot sun sinks over the hill,

gently colouring a few clouds,

shedding its light over a few little clouds with it's last rays,

and leaving some pastel gold in farewell.

Watch the sky, whether blue grey or rosy red and when you have

enjoyed it's wonders, share them with the rest of the world on

SkyWatch Friday!

World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - A Thrilling Find

2011-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

This lovestruck pair of NankeenKestrels, Falco cenchroides,

that were doing the 'John, John, - Marsha, Marsha' thing, I

would have missed except for the noises they made.

I was more intent on walking home and scanning the trees

on the road verge not on the paddock. It is amazing that at

this range a) I saw them, and b)managed to sneak up to the

fence and steady both elbows on a fence post without

alarming them.

Luckily I had carted my 300mm lens all the way up the hill

like the grand old Duke of York, and then back down again!

Here is a mighty smug Nankeen Kestrel (I hope! I spent a while

on the identification), just chilling out . . .

contemplating the world and having that soothing cigarette,

while her Ladyship elected to have hers on the other side of

the tree.

This is our resident pair that has not nested in the Lombardy

Poplar on the road verge for more than three years, ever since

I have had my SLR. I had misses them very much and am very

glad they are still in residence, even if in some other tree.

Hope you enjoy my meagre efforts, at least the tree is pretty sharp.

Do post your birds on World Bird Wednesday and show us what graces

you skies. Thanks to Springman, we can enjoy so many birds around

the world.

Hop over tho Rambling Woods and post your Nature Notes to show

what is going on in your neck of the woods.

OUR WORLD - Mt.Arapiles

2011-09-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

Driving home, we came upon this sea of gold and could not help

ourselves, we just had to detour to Mt.Arapiles. Himself wanted

to drive to the summit but ran into a solid veto.

I desperately needed a walk and found this prostrate Acacia

along the way.

We pulled into a camping area where I bagged this Common

Miner bird.

Being very self-serving, I suggested the Prof walk to the top

while I went birding. Looks like I only bagged a tennis ball

sized fungus.

I headed up to the foot of the cliffs where there was tree

cover and I could hear some chirping . . .

The wattles (Acacias) were out in full force, whichever way

you looked was covered in gold,

with just two exceptions, one of them, this native hop-bush.

Higher up in the scrub, I met these Kangaroos and companion

sat with them for a while.

There were many straw flowers in bud but only this one patch

in full bloom.

This mountain is renowned for it's climbability. There were

groups of climbers everywhere. A lot of people come here to

learn the art of climbing, the rocks have good holds and do not

crumble under your weight. A really good beginner's mountain.

Gold, gold and more gold . . .

and just one patch of the Native Mint Bush.

Sitting high up on a pillar of rock sat this leader of a climbing

group, encouraging the other climbers.

Last but not least, a native clematis. There was so much more

but my post was already getting too long.

Although I heard a number of birds and especially the Fantail Cuckoo

with his mournful, falling trill, not one presented itself to have it's

portrait taken in the three hours I was lucky enough to spend there.

Do join Our World and show us what is dear to your hearts.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Birthday Wonders

2011-09-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

On this special day for me, when I reach my first

three quarter century, I went around the garden

and park to show you the wonders mother nature

has blessed me with on this one day. This is but a

selection of all that is flowering at the moment.

My shade-house full of scented and other orchids

is not even touched upon here.

The wisteria along the house is in full bloom.

On first waking very early, this Adelaide Rosella was nipping

off the new shoots of my rose bushes.

I went to the farmers' market and on my way back, saw this

amazing tree peony. The elderly gentleman kindly invited me

into his garden to photograph it and insisted on presenting me

with a bloom for my birthday!

With these few hardy tulips, I would like to thank all those of

you who so kindly prayed for us, sent kind thought and light.

Your intervention on our behalf has already paid dividends as

the prognosis for my wonderful sister has changed from an

impossibly frightening one, to a more hopefully operable

contained brain tumour close to the scull.

The operation is scheduled for Monday so please if you can,

continue with your support a little longer.

Below is my birthday tree that never fails to have at least a

few blossoms on the day. This year it is in full flight and a joy

to behold

I thought with all the turmoil in the family my birthday would

pass unnoticed but to my great surprise, suddenly last night

my son, daughter-in-love and youngest granddaughter

materialised on our doorstep!

Above, a close up of my birthday tree and below a mountain

of gold . . . am I rich or what??

Everyone should have a daisy a day . . .

Heading into the park, I was greeted by Sam who excitedly ran

towards me faster than I could get his tail into my sights.

The Judas tree is full of pretty pink buds,

This ash that I cannot remember off hand has bright pink flower

like leaves.

the Choke CHerry, Prunus padus, takes me back to my Latvian

childhood with it's wonderfully heady scent.

The Banksia is covered in golden birthday candles just for me

and even the young oak that I grew from an acorn is flowering

for the first time

and lucky last, these deep pink blossoms on my red-leafed

crabapple.

And that is not the half of all that is in bloom at the moment.

I wish each and every one of you a happy day!

Just click on the Logo and fall into a wealth of flower and show

your own as well.

SkyWatch ~ I Look to the Hills

2011-09-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

I look to the hills whence cometh my salvation . . .

Our family is sorely troubled so I may not be able to visit for a while.

If some of you wish to pray for us I would dearly appreciate a prayer

'for the greatest good of all concerned'.

World Bird Wednesday - Rainforest Adventure

2011-09-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

While visiting in Melbourne I spotted a couple of ducks in the

wetlands and thought 'yea, right, same old, same old . . .'

but to my surprise, when uploaded and looked up, they turned

out to be pair of Chestnut Teals, Anas castanca, a lifer for me!

We also headed up into the Great Dividing Range and it's

temperate rainforest, a magnetic attraction for us who hiked

these mountains extensively in our salad days.

Stopped at the Mt.Dom Dom saddle recreation area where himself

wanted to climb to the top as any good mountain goat would do

and yours truly, camera in hand, had other intentions.

First (unavoidable) catch, the ubiquitous magpie at my feet as

soon as I opened the hatch to get a mandarin.

Hearing lots of bird sounds in the Acacia re-growth scrub,

I headed to the thicket but the dense growth totally foiled me.

I tried the steep descent towards the creek where a lot of tweeting,

twittering and chirping was going on . . occasionally I spotted

a fleeting glimpse of tiny feathered things flitting across my path

but nothing at all that I could even try pointing my shooter at.

Pretty exhausted, I shlepped my trusty hand extension up the

hill again. Huffing and puffing like a steam engine I wormed

my way back up . . .

and just when I had accepted my empty handed fate, this

little Silvereye moved enough so I could see it and landed

close enough so I could land it too.

Where there is one, company soon appears. I have no idea

what this little one is but I was grateful for anything barely

within the range of my 135mm lens.

Pretty indistinct, yet definitely a bird not a kangaroo.

The flash of a wing caught by pure chance as it fluttered to

another twig.

Thank the Lord fasting for the photoshop cropping device,

Can you pick the little bird in this?? I could definitely not see

a bird that sat still and when it moved, I often could not find

it in my sights. Pretty useless being addicted to stalking when

you are blind as a bat and can't carry a decent sized lens with

you. Yet still, like a blind chicken, you sometimes find a barley

corn.

Hiding behind a branch and heavily cropped, my lucky

last shot before I stopped to give my eyes a rest.

Hope you all had fun birding this week and show us the results

by adding your posts to World Bird Wednesday!

OuR WORLD - Spring in the Grampians II

2011-09-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Our world is big beautiful and diverse and all our little corners

of it are different. Here are a few snaps of one of my special place,

The Grampians in Victoria, great granite outcrops and a wonderful

garden of Eden after rain. This year there has been plenty of rain,

in fact, enough to wash out most of the roads and bridges in the area.

A little sun orchid smiling at my camera.

A great big patch of hooded green orchids, you really had to

mind where you planted your feet to avoid damaging them.

The white stems of trees burnt a couple of years ago

behind ghostly white bushes.

Mind your feet, a tiny bright green bush, no more than 4-5"

high with a citrus coloured bud.

A great big Banksia, tucked between Eucalypts and Acacias.

The ants are building high again, looks like there is going to

be more big rain. I hope it does not wash out any more roads.

A recent fire seems to have wiped out all vegetation but the

Xanthorrhoea has survived and is sending up a great flower

spike.

An odd plant that I had never seen before with leaves like a

Holly only softer.

Some of the erosion caused by the great rains earlier in the year

and the footprint of a wallaby in the soft moist sand.

I know this is a very long post, have I put you to sleep yet?

If so, just leave me a thank you note and hit the hay. If you are

still awake, bear with me, there are only 3 pikkies to go.

If you don't enlarge any of the others, at least embiggen this

one to see God's own garden.

Normally this country is dry but after rain, ah, after rain it

all comes alive

and, aha, there it comes.

Click on the Logo to join in the fun and show us what your world

looks like!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Pink and Pretty

2011-09-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Spring is in full swing, daylight lasts longer, the days are

warmer and blossoms abound everywhere.

Prunus persicum, in my daughter's garden just down the hill.

A closer look - isn't it pretty?

I just popped in this one to see if you were awake, no, this

is not pink but it is a Prunus and looks like a veritable snow

queen.

Just to whet your appetite, one of my all time favourite trees,

Malus floribunda or flowering crabapple. I'll show some

Weekend Reflections - A Thoughtful Little Grebe

2011-09-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I took a tumble, smack on my face on a rough,

unfinished path, my teeth landing on my camera and the

rest of the face on the stones, You will be happy to know

that my camera came away unscathed - unlike yours truly.

The bruises are starting to really come into their own, also

on knees and my left hand. The face however definitely came

off second best and looks like it has been hit by a brick.

I seem to be sore all over and a little unsteady in the brain

box so please excuse it if I cannot get to your posts just yet.

I am feeling a strong magnetic attraction to my bed . . .

This Little Grebe is contemplating a dilemma of her own,

where to build her nest since the water level of the dam has

drowned the reeds which normally hide her brood.

A dilemma indeed!

All photos enlarge with a click.

Hop over to Weekend Reflections by clicking on the Logo at right,

to see great reflections around the world.

SkyWatch ~ Spring Skies

2011-09-15T06:45:00.001-07:00

Spring is in full swing, the air is balmy, I need to do some

spring cleaning and masses of weeding but instead, I take

a much read and much loved book into the semi-shade of

the almond tree and give myself up to the heady perfumes

wafting on the breeze, the twitter of birds, the croaking

of frogs and my well written novel . . . aah, bliss . . .

There is nothing nicer than feeling vaguely naughty whilst

reading, knowing that just maybe there are more important

things that need to be done . . . but . . . if I drop dead in an

hour, will it matter? At least I will I will die happy, having

savoured this moment.

The garden is already drying out and tomorrow I will water

but today this mousy is all for play.

Enjoy your day wherever you are, as I am enjoying mine.

Click on the SkyWatch Logo and add your bit of sky for all to see.

World Bird Wednesday - Common Suburban Birds

2011-09-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

On one of my walks in suburban Melbourne recently, I shot a

few common birds of the area. It is seldom I catch a Sulphur-

crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita with the crest so visible.

Ubiquitous to our whole continent except the very driest

desert, the Magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, has a voice like

burbling water, also warbles on moonlit nights. It is very

protective of it's nest and will attack passers by in the

breeding season.

Another common bird, the Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus

haematodus, fast flying and hard to catch in the field of a lens.

I was just plain lucky to get this pair in one frame, no points

for guessing which one is the male.

The Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis, looks like big bad

Leroy Brown, meanest man in all the town. A very cheeky

customer and certainly not a kind bird, breeds like rabbits in

an urban environment.

The Noisy Miner, Manorina melanocephala, has also flourished

near human habitation and steals material for its nest, even

unravelling the ends of ropes and tenaciously braking them off

strand by strand or unpicking shade-cloth.

Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, as the name implies,

is very common indeed.

The Piping Shrike, Murray Magpie, Mudlark or Peewit,

Grallina cyanoleuca, is a common sight in Australia and

surrounding islands. Smaller than the Magpie and with a

totally different call, watching over the wetlands sign.

The Red Wattlebird, Anthochaera carunculata, is quite a large

and raucous bird. It seems to have increased it's numbers

greatly in the last ten years, possibly because many more people

have turned to planting native gardens that are less reliant on

water during our recurrent droughts and produce the nectar

bearing flowers they love.

Australian White or Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis molucca, that

I came across in the wetlands near my sister's house.

Spooked by the landing Intermediate Egret, Ardea intermedia,

one of the Ibis took off.

Intermediate Egret in flight . . .

A purple Swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio, posed for me for

a moment before disappearing amongst the reeds.

Lastly for today, the Spotted Turtle-dove, Streptopelia chinensis,

a pretty little thing that is rather stupid with it's nest building but

it does coo so nicely.

Naturally the 'burbs are full of many more birds but this is all

I bagged in one walk.

To see birds of all persuasions, click on the Logo at right and show

us what's flapping around in your world!

OuR WORLD - Spring in the Grampians

2011-09-12T04:02:00.001-07:00

The main from Hall's Gap to the Great Western Highway was

still closed after a rain-even at the beginning of the year that

washed away steep roads and bridges. To get home, we had to

take the dirt road to Rose's Gap and Mt.Zero. It looks rather

unprepossessing,

the bush was still fire-scarred but if you get out of the car and

look more closely,

you are bound to be surprised at what you can find. Pink heath

in bloom,

a gentle touch of yellow,

up close is a little beauty.

The much rarer white heath,

and in thick scrub, tiny white stars.

This looks like nothing much but if you enlarge it you will see

that all those bushes are actually in flower!

Little things with not only pretty flowers but also interesting

foliage.

This bush was a good 5' high, with pretty pea flowers.

Little things blooming literally underfoot,

and this pure white grevillea providing nectar for honeyeaters.

Behind it all, the backbone of these mountains towering up high.

If you are still interested, next week, there will be a second instalment.

All photos enlarge of course.

Come one, come all and show us what your world is made of! Click on the

Logo at right to enter a world of wonders or show us what is special in yours.

Weekend Reflections - In- and Out-doors

2011-09-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

My poor, neglected scented cyclamens trying to recover after

our long absence

and my resident grebe on the pond in our park greeting me

with her delightful chatter.

Click on the Logo on my side bar to join in or just view this meme and enjoy!

SkyWatch ~ Rider in the Sky

2011-09-08T01:59:00.001-07:00

About a hundred miles from home, I noticed a galloping

horse keeping up with our 110 kilometre speed. At first,

I thought nothing of it and enjoyed the company but when

I saw the little girl sitting well up on it's neck, I kept my

eyes peeled to make sure she stayed on at that pace.

As the sun dropped lower and lower in the sky, they still

kept pace with us, obviously they were happily riding into

the sunset together.

With the setting sun, they disappeared

as we drove on towards home.

As the sun was turned off, the lights came on . . . sixty miles

to go and we'll be home.

Most of you will know by now that all my photos enlarge with a click.

If you haven't joined SkyWatch yet, here is your big chance, click on

the Logo on my space bar and you can both fly the skies of the world

and add those that you see every day wherever you are.

Watery Wednesday ~ St.Ronans's Well

2011-09-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

St.Ronan's Well is situated on the roadside in the temperate

rainforest of Victoria. The water is sparklingly clear as it flows

from the mountain. It was littered with coins from people making

wishes but rather difficult to photograph in the shade of the

rainforest giants.

This was the overflow burbling over the side

and where the light caught it, at the top of the overflow, the

water appeared to flow in criss-crossing cubes. I had never

seen water do that before.

Do enlarge to see the effect.

Click on the Watery Wednesday Logo to join this great meme

hosted by 2Sweetnsaxy.

World Bird Wednesday - Long-billed Corella

2011-09-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

Very like the Little Corella I showed you a few weeks ago

but a bit larger and more colourful, the Long-billed Corella,

Cacatua tenuirostris, is a seed eater and, as you can see, digs

up lawns with it's long, sharp bill. People with lawns tend to

complain when a whole flock of them attack their precious

greensward.

I however, am rather partial to these cheeky birds. They tend

to look at one as though they were planning to play some

trick on you.

These were on the lawn where I photographed the kangaroos

in the post below.

I love the blue around the eye as well as the bright red trim

of their breeding plumage, their cheeky strut and occasional hop.

In large numbers in grain growing country they can become

very destructive to the crop but here in a National Park I

welcome the sight of them.

Do join World Bird Wednesday hosted by Springman, just click on

the Logo at right and get to see a lot of birds you have never seen

before or have no access to on your home turf.