A Subliminal Return

Have just returned from the sea and am repacking my bags

to be off to a workshop with India Flint at Yankalilla, also

close to the sea.

My watery photo, taken at our overnight stay in Whyalla

at the upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia, is just one of

the many I have in store for you all on my return on the 5th

of April.

Till then my friends, I must bid you all a fond farewell, stay

well, stay happy until we meet again across the iterpixies.

SkyWatch ~ Sunrise

Unusual for me I know, but just one shot of this splendid

sunrise. I am packing for a trip to the Flinders Ranges and

a coastal town on the Eyre Peninsula for a week or two.

Do enlarge it to see the full beauty.

I hope to get in some bird watching, fishing and painting while

away.

Be kind and leave some comments for me to come home to,

you know they brighten my days.

Keep safe and well until my return.

Click on the Skywatch Logo to join this fun meme with skies of

all descriptions on view.

World Bird Wednesday - A Bird or Three

A Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus helping himself

to my Eucalyptus ficifolia flowers.

This bird I have had the greatest trouble identifying. I hope

Stewart M or someone else may be able to help me there.

I have gone through my bird books backwards and forwards

without success. The eye mask should give it away yet I cannot

find it anywhere.

At first it was in the Eucalyptus, then moved over to the Hawthorn

where I thought it was feasting on berries but soon realised it

was picking off tiny insects.

Even stooping to share with it's fully grown infant. It was

approx. 12-14cm, roughly the range for scrub wrens yet there

were no white markings near the eyes.

Sulphur -Crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, 44-51cm. In

captivity, given half a chance, he can be quite an entertainer

as he likes to show off his skills for the applause.

Much better enlarged!

World Bird Wednesday gives us a chance to show off our flighty friends

so click on the Logo and be sure to join in!

TODAY'S FLOWERS - Some Late Blooms

One last summer bloom on 'Anna Pavlova' in my Mt.Lofty

garden.

As the sun glowed lower in the sky it lit up this Lemon Verbena.

It may not be a spectacular plant to look at but it exudes a most

wonderful lemony scent. The leaves are perfect for potpourris as

they retain their delicious scent for years.

Myrtus communis, a small flowered evergreen bush. In days

of yore brides wore a little garlands of this aromatic shrub as

a symbol of enduring love.

It looked lovely with it's last flowers glowing in the light of

the setting sun.

For all those of you who showed amazement at Eucalyptus trees

flowering, here is the showiest of them all, Eucalyptus ficifolia, a

native of Western Australia that has now been hybridised to

produce colours from white though a number of pinks and oranges

to an even deeper red than this. Unfortunately the sun had left

the tree and the leaves do not appear as dark green and shiny

as usual but when it flowers, it flowers all over with a sea of red.

Red is the colour of happiness for Chinese so when two of my

husband's Chinese graduate students were marries we held a

reception for them near this tree and it's twin in full bloom

and I baked a dozen glazed strawberry tarts. For students who

had managed to escape from Maoist China, it was a real treat.

With thanks to Luiz Santilli Jr. who hosts this happy meme.

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ On a Country Walk

I could not wait until dusk for my morning constitutional,

so off i trundled after lunch, Up the road that splits our farm

to the top of the hill and through the magic living gate that

almost marks the end or the beginning of our place.

As I passed the shadows a friendly ant of the Myrmacia family

crossed my path

to disappear into the depths of the shadows cast by our sentinels.

All photos enlarge at a touch.

Thanks to Tracy at HEY HARRIET, we can all join the shadow world,

just click on the Logo and you are there.

SkyWatch ~ Yet Another Sunset

Lately I have been good about going for my constitutional

walk up out road to the top of the hill so that you now get

a different view of my sunsets.

After an inauspicious start

the colours started emerging as I passed the windmill

and strengthened to the point that I ended taking 27 shots

in all before it was too dark for more.

The colours over Moon Hill were amazing

changing from minute to minute.

When I got to the top of our road, there was just a flash of red

left on the horizon,

and yet when I zoomed into the yellow streak, it still was

quite spectacular.

Turning towards home, the NE looked rather nice as well.

All my little wonders enlarge if you feel like it.

Thanks to SkyWatch we can all share our skies so click on the

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World Bird, Watery Wednesday & Nature Notes ~ Mainly Emus

Like my MY WORLD post, this also is from our trip to the

Flinders Ranges in South Australia. We had a very wet spring,

in consequence we saw many families of Emu, Dromaius

novaehollandiae. Here is one crossing the road directly in

our path. I had no time to think and had to crop out part of the

car. Luckily, as passenger, I always have my camera in my lap

and am ready to shoot. The dirty windscreen from insects and

dusty roads somehow did not enhance the clarity of picture

either. This father was raising 9 chicks which is a very healthy

clutch.

Coming around a bend we met a pair lying comfortably side

by side at this puddle, surveying the little waterscape.

We were so surprised at the sudden sight that I missed that

sweet togetherness shot and only managed to get them as one

was already heading bush and the other rising.

They moved off as if in a dance with their feathers bouncing.

Some people unfortunately take little heed of slithery wildlife

or even deliberately murder them although they are quite safe

in their cars so we came upon this brown snake in an equally

brow puddle. Snakes are part of the general ecological balance

and this sort of needless and mindless killing makes me sad

and angry.

It was quite a large snake for a brown, about 4' long.

All photos enlarge for better viewing.

World Bird Wednesday, Watery Wednesday and Nature Notes may

all be accessed through clicking the relevant Logos.