SkyWatch - The Horrors of Halloween

The night grows dark

yellow eyes gleam at the corner of the house

the shearer's dining room grows chill

a ghostly light appears

resolving into figures of the past 

that once there dwelt 

 plastered against the wall I stand

until the fitful moon lights up the room

the figures fade

as ghostly riders sweep the sky instead . . . 

Click on the pictures and you too may see those gleaming eyes.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

OUR WORLD - Torn Between Two Gardens

A glimpse into the front yard and eastern side of my Mt.Lofy 

garden. At an elevation of 700m, it has a totally different

micro-climate to my farm garden at 122m and although both 

have acid soil, plants that struggle in one will thrive in the other.

Bluebells colonise and carpet grassy areas

camellias grow into trees and crabapples flourish 

apples grow well in both places

looking back at the house from one of the water tanks

the white tree is Amelanchier canadensis, of which there are

a number around the house

from the same spot, the view to the eastern garden sloping

down the mountainside, is obscured by one of the oaks 

bursting into leaf

all is pink near the front door tucked between two weeping pink 

cherry trees at right and crabapple at left

half way dow the eastern garden, the red crabapple shows

to advantage against the fresh green of maples

my white flowering cherry that always blooms for my birthday

and, to finish but by no means to show you all 3 acres,

one of the many rhododendrons. This one is President Roosevelt.

I no longer have the strength or stamina to keep up one garden

let alone two but how can I close between the wealth of roses 

on the farm and rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs in profusion and

all those lovely trees?

What do I do? I feel so Aboriginal about land, one does not own it

but is just a keeper for such a little while . . .

Now, go look at some more cheerful post on

OUR WORLD

TODAY'S FLOWERS, & I Heart Macro - Masses of Roses

Today is reserved for the queen of all flowers, the Rose

here are just a hand full from my garden

be it sun kissed apricot

or soft as a maiden's blush 

a massed effect on my table

or a rootstock sucker left to ramble

virginal white

or a lover's delight

or even deep purple like the silent shade of night

they grace our existence, awake our emotions

our hearts expand to their heady scent.

I could give you reams of information but I will leave you with

just one tip: if a rose dies, do not plant another in it's place,

it too will die unless you completely exchange the soil

for more than the root space of the dear departed.

Liking with TODAY'S FLOWERS

 I Heart Macro

Wild Bird Wednesday - Emus

I had to delve into my files for the size of bird I can still see . .

From our last trip to the Flinders Ranges, here is the sort of 

country you find lots of

these big guys

here are all five of this family group although in other places

we saw dad raising nine chicks as well as larger groups of adults.

Now go see the other entries on

Wild Bird Wednesday

OUR WORLD - A Graveyard in Spring

My eyes popped as I drove past one of the two graveyards in 

our little town.

Needless to say, my errand had to take a back seat to photography

do click to enlarge and feast your eyes on the burst of colour

flowers thick as thieves on the ground

a slightly different angle

and their smiling faces up close and personal.

Sorry i haven't visited as much as I would liked for a while, I

hope to get a little more time this week.

To show us what your world looks like and see what others post,

click on the Logo on my side bar.

Linking with OUR WORLD

Weekend Flowers, TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - More Tulips

My tulips this season were a great joy to me, they had multiplied

and were thick on the ground

the gold made a great contrast to the different reds

they were a pleasing deep cup shape

a clump of crazy fringed reds were attractive to the bees 

brave enough to venture out in the cold and rain

a few primulas as leavening to all those tulips

and looking into the sugar frosting glowing in the heart of 

a red, red tulip

Linking to Weekend Flowers

TODAY'S FLOWERS

and

I Heart Macro

SkyWatch " I find I don't know clouds a-at all . . ."

A barking Dachshund with a dark tail

doing backflips

cutting the blue sky in half

oh do make up your mind, are you pink and pretty

or grey and threatening

or with a big fat belly?

There are cloudy or blue skies the world over, click on the Logo and 

check them out!

OUR WORLD & Nature Notes - The Joys of Home

My horizons have shrunk a little recently so it was not only a

great surprise but also a great joy when my eldest 

granddaughter built a beautiful chicken coop for my birthday

last month

If you enlarge, you can see it in all it's glory gracing the corner

of my fallow veggie patch, front left, rain gauge on the stone seat

when my grandchildren provide, they provide thoroughly, three

bantam pullets and a bin of wheat as well + two eggs they had 

laid in transit

within four days, they were tame enough so I could let them 

mow the lawn and hunt for insect pests

  

up close and personal, when I step outside, they very soon find me

and together we enjoy the spring and the view down to my

daughter's house and the huge false acacia, apple trees in bloom 

and the pink of Tamarix gallica just showing at bottom left.

The world is beautiful and I am well content.

Click on the relevant Logos at right to see what the rest of the world
and Nature within/upon it is doing

TODAY'S FLOWERS, Weekend Flowers & I Heart Macro - Wisteria

My air-conditioning: a pergola covered in wisteria and

grape vines shading the front of the house

in spring the scent is pure joy as I step out of my room

and being at different heights, I don't even have to stretch or 

bend to bury my nose in it's blooms.

Joining TODAY'S FLOWERS

 Weekend Flowers

and I Heart Macro

SkyWatch - Grey on Grey

A hopeful day for rain which actually developed during the night

I had occasion to drive by a reservoir yesterday. The view was

great but no place to stop between guardrail and cliffs, just this 

tiny spot where I could stop for a moment, dash across the road

in fear of my life and snap a few shots

with less and more foreground.

Not much scope for movement as I leant against the guardrail 

while being hooted at by passing motorists.

Do click on the Logo on the right

to join in this marvellous meme and check out other skies.