SkyWatch ~ 53 Turbulent Melbourne skies

All photos enlarge with a simple click.

The skies held magic as we spied Melbourne from
the main highway from Sydney.



Normally this country mouse is not too happy in a
city environment but Melbourne is a city dear to my
heart, after all we lived there for twenty years.



The city centre is almost unrecognizable from that
we left in 1971 but it is very alive and growing.
Heading along a 6 lane highway at 110kph shooting
was not perfect but the clouds certainly were.



Arrived at my sister's house we celebrated my
birthday and even the sky got in on the act by giving
us a glowing sunset.



Click on the Logo and join the meme or just enjoy the skies.

Thanks to Klaus and the skywatch team we see wonderful
skies every week.

Watery Wednesday ~ 19 and Nature Notes The Dams are Alive...

With the good late spring rains we have been having
this year our dams are alive with the sound of music,
the concert of frogs from all sides, the dam in the park
and the wild wood in particular and the garden and
paddocks all around us, has been almost deafening...
especially at night.



These are just a few pictures of the dam in the wild wood.
Apart from dragonflies and a pair of waterfowl, the shallows
everyshere were covered in frogspawn.



From the voices alone there were for or five species
we heard calling,



The spawn was laid in sheets and trails and mounds,
do click on the photos to see the details. The one below
has little black dots of tadpole embryos.



A view of part of the dam as I walked around it.

It is always a joy to walk on the land and discover once

more the small pleasures it offers and a delight to see it

come to life again after such a long drought.

Click the Logo and enjoy more life giving water.

Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy we can all jon in to this fun meme.

Thanks to Michell at Rambling Woods see the weekly changes in our world.

MY WORLD ~ 46 The Golden Glow of Spring

Our landscape on the farm has totally changed yet
again. Other springs have seen our paddocks in a blue
haze of Salvation Jane, Echium plantagenium, see
my header for a flash back.
This year the Leprechauns have been busily strewing
gold pieces across the paddocks at randon. The whole
countryside, as the sun came out this morning, had
turned to a shimmering carpet of gold.



Only once in the last 50 years have I seen a
phenomenon to match this splendour.



The visual effect is stunning when the sun comes
out and all the flowers open.



Unfortunately for the country, this is not lush pasturage
but Cape Weed imported by some well meaning person
from South Africa. It suppresses our native grasses and
sown pasture by quickly outgrowing, overhadowing and
depriving all else of light.
It is also an indicator of depleted soil quality which is
not at all remarkable after 6 years of drought.



The golden glow in the distance is our neighbour's
paddock with our land that is visibly green dotted
by our few remaining sheep.



The neighbour's dam with a little water in it and
gold on our paddock in the foreground too.

Bachi with her week old calf enjoying a feed in the
sunshine

while at the side of the forest a wary kangaroo with

large Joey in her pouch regards me with a baleful

and suspicious eye,

while down by the silver poplars in their new finery,

the Unicorn spreads peace over all.

There are more wonders in the world than anyone

has ever seen, so click on the Logo and visit some.

To Klaus and the MY WORLD Team I extend my
thanks for letting us see the little wonders in each
other's backyards.

TODAY'S FLOWERS ~ 34 Roses Plus

Spring is blooming in full force, the mix and meld
of scent outside is enough to make your senses swoon.
Wisteria, Dendrobium Orchids alternating with Roses
and Philadephus....

This little Cecile Brunner Rose, less than 2"across,
exudes a gentle yet strong perfume



another rose with a small but fragrant flower covers
the side of one of our horse stables



Philadelphus that barely survived lat year's severe
drought is reviving again



one of our great joys, Souvenir de la Malmaison,
a perfumed wonder of sheer delight.



What would roses be without their friendship with
Lavender? Pink and blue make a perfect team.



Flowers speak a universal language, click on the Logo
and decode the Tower of Babel.

Eternal thanks to Luiz Santilli Jr. both for starting this meme
and, with the help of his team, keeping it going for all of us.

A wonderful Award again!

Ces of Ces and her Dishes has seen fit to
hounour me yet again by including me in her
list of inaugural recipients of this so beautifully
painted award. Being a seasoned old oak myself,
I truly appreciate the gesture.

Than you Ces.



In my turn, I would like to pass it on to
these most deserving bloggers:

Anna of Nature Trail
Renee of Circling my Head
Isabel of A Room of One's Own
Amanda of Amamdah's Veranda
Kathie at Sycamore Canyon
Becky and Gary at Woodynook Creations
Tammie Lee of Spirit Helpers
and last but not least, to
Jake and Ruth's Photoblog

To all of you, congratulations on your wonderful
blogging achievements and your love of all things
great and small.

SkyWatch ~ 52 Tha Sun Always Rises...

Spring is moving along and pretty sunrises are no
longer the order of the day so when I saw this, I was
out like a shot with my camera.



Cold it might have been but the colour changes with
the change of angle of the camera were spectacular.



From purples back to gold and reds and back again



it was hard to say which way to look...



one minute the sky was aflame, cooled down again,

only to roar into a raging inferno once more. What a sky show!

To cool down, click on the Logo and visit other skies.

With thanks to our hosts Klaus and the Skywatch team

for continuing this great meme.

WATERY WEDNESDAY ~ 18 Head of the Torrens II

Here at last is the promised continuation of the
beginning of the River Torrens half a mile
downstream from its slightly more pristine look
in my previous post.



What a difference a little distance plus a township
make....the sky and trees still reflect in the still pool
but where the water falls not much more than 6",
other very pretty pictures form, though they are rather
unnerving to consider.




Like turning a kaleidoscope, the patterns of foam and
scum swirl and change....



from white snowfields,



to the rainbow sands of famed beaches.

All photos enlarge both for greater enjoyment of the

patterns and impact of the horror of the pollution in

such a short stretch of the river's progress.

Had someone painted this, you would hang it on the wall,
knowing what it is, makes you want to weep for a civilization

that is murdering the bounty of our planet which has

enabled its very existence.

We cannot rely on others to rectify the situation.
Laws and fines have little effect and only apply to big

corporations although their economists often work on

the principle that it cheaper to pollute and pay the fine

when/if caught, than to dispose of hazardous waste

responsibly.

The way forward I see is for the individual to take control

of his own patch and by example show that it is possible to
live in balance with ones surroundings without recourse
to the arsenal of chemical consortiums that blithely sell

what is banned in one country to an unsuspecting poorer one.

That is the reason we have amassed four congruent

properties so that at least these 500 acres can revert
back to a viable, self-sustaining existence.

Next week, God willing I will show you what looks like

scum but proves the health of our dams. May the gods

smile on you till then.

Now, click on the logo and float down some other river...

Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for being a brick and organizing this meme.