OUR WORLD - Necessities for the Farm

Farming is a wonderful lifestyle 

but it can get expensive when things 

need replacing.

First it was imperative to replace the totalled farm UTE

as so often disaster strikes in threes,

our much beloved antediluvian Ferguson tractor 

died with it's leg in the air.

Without a tractor, shifting round bales in hilly country

was out of the question

sooo, I had to bite the bullet, this time a bigger one,

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro A Classy Lady

One of the rare times when I post a photo 

that is not my own.

Darling Daughter is teaching in Scotland

at the moment and just sent me this

knowing full well it would make me drool

while winter rainstorms are drumming on my

roof and windows and my wood-pile is diminishing by 

the minute.

Peonies are extremely hard to grow in our hot, dry summers

that burn off their leaves before they can form buds.

This lovely, flamboyant lady I believe

is 'Sarah Bernhardt',

I wish I could stick my nose in . . .

Linking with 

TODAY'S FLOWERS

and  

I Heart Macro

SkyWatch - Soft & gentle

As i locked the chooks away

the clouds at the horizon were thick . .

no chance of a spectacular sunset 

There was a little colour in the clouds

and I was still hoping for a little more

but, by the next click they began to fake

and what little there had been was over . . .

Joining with 

SkyWatch

Wild Bird Wednesday - Yellow-rumped Thornbill

A cute and very small birdie

so hard to capture

A still moment in one of my rose bushes

but when it moves 

it moves like lightning

and leaves barely a blur . . .

Linking with Stewart's

Wild Bird Wednesday

OUR WORLD - "Stormy weather . . ."

After a wild and wooly night where the hail drumming on his 

kennel had the dog flee his post as guard dog for the chickens 

and flee to the safety of the verandah where he could be 

close to me.

In a brief brake in the weather I braved the foot deep slush 

in the dip of our newly graded road.

The council, in it's wisdom, has a habit of grading our dirt 

road just before big rains are expected.

All the disturbed dirt washes down into the dip in the road

creating a real driving hazard.

Stopped at the chemist's,

view in front of my car

and looking the other way.

Half a car length behind me there was a tiny spot where I could 

cross to the footpath without filling my shoes.

I really appreciate the bounty from the sky,

it is just a bit difficult to keep warm enough.

Linking with 

OUR WORLD

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - Just a little weed

Winter has set in well and truly,

this little weed in the gravel of my yard

looked very pretty with it's 

vibrant new green leaves

sprouting out of the middle of the 

red, frost touched one.

Not really a flower but just as pretty.

Linking with TODAY's FLOWERS

and

I Heart Macro

SkyWatch - Late afternoon sky

Coming home from my specialist's appointment

I stopped at the post office to collect our mail

As I turned back from the PO boxes,

I saw this glorious sky

slightly to the lest it turned to zebra stripes

by the time I got to where the road has our

paddocks on both sides,

I let the dog out to run the last mile

and started shooting again

the light was splendid and the dog raring to go

but I just could not stop shooting

 to top it all off, a little video, just because I could . .

all are phone shots undisguised in any way.

Click to enlarge and enjoy!
Oops, for some reason the video did to load as video,
looks like I still have to learn a few things . . .

Linking with

SkyWatch

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - Seasonal anomalies

Heading for our winter solstice,

for the first time in well over forty years

of living in this climate,

my Hollyhock has shot up and is flowering

as though it were June in the Northern Hemisphere.

A sign of global warming?

Certainly a sign of rapid climate change.

I am not complaining, just a tad astonished

and enjoying it's beauty 

in the thin winter sunshine.

Linking with Denise's

TODAY'S FLOWERS

and Laura's

I Heart Macro

SkyWatch - Early morning ride

Early in the morning when I fed the chickens

I spied my roses flowering in winter,

lighting up the fog

By the time we were finished at the Farmers' Market,

the sky was blue and clouds came rolling in

fun to watch and drive by shoot

since my daughter drove me

 in my new, second hand UTE.

The white clouds were rising and the grey ones coming down

and by the time we got home,

it had clouded over.

No complaints, we really need the rain.

Linking with SkyWatch

SkyWatch - Clouds after sunset

OK, OK, OK, this is cloud overload but

how could I leave any out?

This is the eastern sky after sunset

taken over just a few seconds

slightly to the right of the first one

a slightly broader shot

homing in a little

and slightly to the right of the above 

and panning out again as the little bit of colour in them faded.

Happy SkyWatching everyone!

Linking with SkyWatch 

Nature Notes - What on Earth is going on?

Already winter and finally the spiders 

are starting to spin webs

early morning light refracting 

in the droplets of dew

making them blush in their exposed beauty

My tulips and anemones are up, the first jonquil is

flowering and butterflies are still active.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere,

it would equate to a all this happening on the 

1st of December!

!

Hope things are 'normal' wherever you are,

they certainly aren't here.

Linking with Michelle's 

Nature Notes