Thursday, December 25, 2014

Christmas SkyWatch - Peace to the World


Wishes of Peace and Good Will
to all my blog friends, and everyone on this wonderful
Earth of ours.

Independent of your beliefs and whatever event
you celebrate at this time of the year,
may you all be blessed with peace and love
wherever you are.


the sky behind my house overlooking part of the farm

small portion of a 5 metre tree the grandchildren mounted 
and decorated
it is quite a splendid sight


the latest member of the family: 
my daughter's new sheep-dog,
a surprise present from her daughter

a tiny mite that instantly recognised her mistress
already (sometimes) sits on command
and speaks when asked (sometimes)


young Kubbie is growing quicker than grass
after just three days already dangles over the side of my lap
as I watch my granddaughter wrapping even more presents
to join those already banked under the tree


the little glass church that has graced some family Christmas
tree for some 50 years.
Luckily I shared my old decorations with my daughter
more than three decayed ago when mine were lost in the 
bushfire in the following year.

It is always a joy for me to see it in my daughter's house


I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as I had,
nothing to prepare, no tree to trim, just my presents to wrap 
and give lap room to the tiny puppy
and enjoy it all.

If you are travelling, or not, stay safe
this holiday season.

Joining SkyWatch

Monday, December 15, 2014

OUR WORLD - Christmas madness


Recently I had occasion to be in a shopping mall
you could not see the merchandise for all the decorations

enough twinkle lights to blind the unwary


wreaths the size of small barns
floating overhead


it all put me to flight

on Saturday I had to do some shopping at a supermarket
and was overwhelmed by  columns of bears
almost twice my height


like rows and rows of soldiers bearing down on me . . .

needless to say, I fled in disorder


the spirit of Christmas was buried under
mountains of commercialism.

Whatever happened to Christmas with home made 
personalised presents and a few chocolate sweets for the children?

Linking with


Saturday, December 13, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - Feijoa Flowers


My Feijoas have just finished flowering
and now, I look forward to the fruits
of my labours


they sport such intricate flowers with bright colours
and even if one does not appreciate the fruit, which  I love,
their evergreen foliage and spectacular flowers certainly 
deserve a place in the garden.


Linking with 


and




Monday, December 8, 2014

OUR WORLD - New Arrivals


A little while ago my granddaughter purchased two
little 3 day old Jersey heifer calves
destined to be our milk supply in years to come.

Jersey mik has a higher fat content than other milkers
so, should I live so long, in three years time
we will be enjoying our own milk, cream, 
sour cream, butter and a variety of cheeses

BLISS


being so long legged, like giraffes, 
they were still a bit wobbly on their pins


not sure whether she was playing 'hide and seek'
or feeling safer with support on both sides

whichever, she soon backed out again and joined her sister


a lot of bottle feeding at this stage but,
when they come into mild, we will have 
enough milk to feed any number of orphaned lambs and calves
as well as supply the extended family.

Linking with 


Friday, November 28, 2014

FLORAL FRIDAY, TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - Cactus


Just got home from the Farmers' Market
and had to show you this beauty
I met outside a shop in Angaston

I had never before seen such a cactus flower


Enjoy!

Linking with



&


Thursday, November 27, 2014

SkyWatch - A walloping storm


Last Saturday at the Angaston Farmers' Market
a great storm arose
do enlarge for a fuller effect

the light changed


and multi-coloured clouds with pink and green in them 
gathered in the space of a few minutes


they darkened and started turning into horizontal ropes


then a mixture of rain and hail bucketed down


as lightning flashed vertically and 
horizontally at the same time


driving was a bit hair-raising and at a snail's pace
but we got home safely none the less.

Linking with


Saturday, November 22, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS, Nature Notes & I Heart Macro - Gems of the Desert


Most people would find this to be a hot, 
dull and fly ridden landscape


but if you still your mind and open your eyes
it becomes so much richer

at your feet bright little gems of nature appear


they may be few and far between
but all the more precious for that

this tiny yellow flower at my feet
at the edge of a kangaroo trail I was on
looked very much like an orchid although
I have not been able to find it
in a book or compendium of native orchids yet


the golden glow of an Acacia offsets
the red seed heads of native hops
while the silver grey of Blue Bush
lends yet another colour variation.

life is often savoured so much more
not in the fast lane but in the quiet moments

roses and peacocks may be stunning
but it is the shy violet
that so often moves the heart


Linking with 



Thursday, November 20, 2014

SkyWatch & FLORAL FRIDAY - Dark clouds and desert flower


We were so lucky to have a thick cloud come up
and drop 4.5 mm 

everything in the garden perked up for a little while


a slightly closer view of our rain bearing cloud and sunset


a tiny white star gleaming in the desert
for Floral Friday


Linking with SkyWatch and FLORAL FRIDAY

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday - Kookaburra dinner time


At The Basin, Kuringi Chase in North 
Sydney this Kookaburra had found a 
bite and a half


turned it this way 


and that


and felt rather smug after getting it down



and off he went to find some other
tourist tit bit


Linking with 


Saturday, November 15, 2014

FLORAL FRIDAY, TODAY'S FLOWERS & Nature Notes - Bottle Brush


An emergency session with the dentist on Friday
made me a present as solace for loosing a tooth
of this cascade of Callistemons
overhanging the steps as I left to rescue 
my waiting dog in the car


walking under this gleaming red canopy
was a delight indeed.


Linking with



Saturday, November 8, 2014

FLORAL FRIDAY, TODAY'S FLOWERS, I Heart Macro & Nature Notes - Orchids


A couple of nice surprises from the shade house

this unnamed orchid I took in as a stray, a leftover 
from a school fete some 15 years ago
it refused to show me what it's blooms looked like 
for all that time


today I discovered these pretty blooms on it
not large, about 2" and a bit across
an upright habit,
all in all a pretty surprise


below is one of my tiny Australian native Sarcochilus 
the flowers are less than 1" across


but they certainly make a splash


this is another first time flowerer
the bloom in not very large
but the markings are precise and very pretty

probably another orphan I have taken in


lastly, the most splendid of my Cymbidiums
with 2 great sprays and blooms the size of saucers


my shade house this year has produced more flowers
and had the longest flowering season ever

is the universe sending me some message?

Linking with 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

SkyWatch Friday - Mounting Storm . . .


The sun had set and all these lovely clouds
were thickening 
with an occasional flash of sheet lighting


the light here is from hidden lighting in the cloud
that lit up our road and paddocks

at this stage I was not yet worried,
I was waiting for my grandson to return from
his evening run
and the lightning was getting nearer


when it was this close with a few big bolts
hitting the ground
I was getting anxious


it was flashing all over the place
and the rain started to pelt down as well

it was a very long eight minutes until he returned
sopping wet, a perfect conductor and moving target
as well.


linking with


Sunday, November 2, 2014

OUR WORLD - The new flock


Guess I can't keep showing off our desert scenery 
all the time
so here, for a change, are our new arrivals 
on the farm

a bit skittish yet


a small mob of Merino sheep to augment our depleted flock

getting curious and taking an interest in their photo-op


the next lot is scheduled for next week.

Linking with


Monday, October 27, 2014

OUR WORLD - Andamooka Opal Town


Take the Suart Highway out of Pt.Augusta
drive a few hours then take a right at Pimba.
By this time you're probably hungry
so stop at "Spuds" roadhouse for some chips,
thats French fries in N.America,
we did and they were freshly made and good,
had them on the road.

Pass a few red sand dunes


pass Woomera and turn right again
where the sign says Andamooka

just keep driving
eventually the town floats into view
over the dusty, dry desert plain


there are even diggings among the houses
in any mining town one needs to watch one's step
not only for deep shafts but also 
not to encroach on a ming lease


in the right light, 
the mullock heaps against the blue sky
can look quite spectacular


evening light


and morning light
if you get tired of looking at the horizon 
or digging for opals
or painting or doing your chores


you can always pop into town for a beer or two
who knows, someone may build another bottle house
it's nice and cool in there


or, like me, just watch the rising sun
gild the landscape.


Linking with OUR WORLD