TODAY'S FLOWERS - Winter Colour

Some people are just blessed. 

My niece came for the weekend from far, far away.

Here is my private garden gnome attacking the wasteland that is

my garden.

A couple of days later, there was a cleared patch and some

 rounds prepared for my tulips.

She even bought me some winter cheer 

which brought the sun out and a butterfly as an added bonus.

Isn't it great that flowers show up every day!

MY WORLD ~ Temperate Rainforest

Let me take you to a place I really love, the

temperate rainforest of Victoria, where the

trees are tall, the rivers flow and the air smells

sweet at this time of year.

Although most of the area has been prey to major bushfires

throughout the years and the giants of the forest that used to

rival the redwoods of California are gone now, there is still

magic in these mountains.

When the understory Pittosporums spread their scent and

feed butterflies on ambrosia, you know it is springtime.

I love the trees being too tall for my camera lens and needing

to crane one's neck seriously to see to their heads in the clouds.

The scars of the last fire are still clearly visible, yet the forest in

its majesty is no less impressive than before.

Show us what touches your heart in OUR WORLD, the more, the merrier!

MY WORLD ~ A trip north . . .

Another of our trips north through farming and dry-lands

to where northern mountain ranges rise.

After driving for a few hours we were hungry, so we stopped

in Auburn for lunch at, would you believe it, The House of the

Rising Sun! Well almost, at the Rising Sun anyway. I have

always loved that song and my daughter sings it beautifully.

The food was good and the service super friendly in a pub setting.

Onward through rather monotonous country where the main

attraction was the sky,

to a distant view of Mt Remarkable

at the foot of which lies Melrose, our goal for the day.

It was a long day's drive and we were exhausted, dark was

setting in and we just veged out in our cabin with this cute

little butterfly/moth in the bathroom.

Next morning we discovered the cause of all the bangs on

the window. We had passed through swarms of them on the way,

locusts, bashing their heads in against the glass and providing

free take-aways for the ants who were dismembering them and

carrying them off piece by piece even though before they were

dead!

Only after taking some photos did I look up at the view from

our cabin, hmm, not exactly prepossessing . . .

ah, but it did have compensations, fifteen minutes worth of

a huge flock of Little Corellas on a fly-by in front of the dark

trees at the foot of the mountain, screeching as they flew and

looking for all the world like a swirling snow-storm. Corellas

are white parrots that multiply to plague proportions in grain

growing country. You could hear landholders setting off

gunshots to keep the flock from settling on their trees.

A cloud drifted over the ridge and down the mountainside,

drowning the view and leaving us to spend the rainy day

resting up before continuing our journey.

We managed a walk the next day and spotted this beautiful

Xanthorrhoea, locally and most politically incorrectly called a

Black Boy, just before dark. (Enlarge for a better look.)

The lights were just coming on in the little historical town of

Melrose, South Australia.

Some parrots will follow in my birds post to-morrow.

The world is a wonderful place, click on the Logo and see it from

your armchair.

MY WORLD ~ A Walk in the Woods

We went seeking our favourite walk in the Pinus radiata

plantation only to find the whole forest razed to the ground

and an uninspiring hill of stumps left. Somewhat daunted

we drove to our mushrooming spot only to find KEEP OUT

signs and Falling Tree warnings. There was heavy machinery

resting among the rows. Thank goodness it was the first day

of the year and even the loggers had a holiday.

Braving the prohibition signs and warnings that we were being

watched, we entered this sunlit cathedral of trees and breathed

in its warm fragrance feeling bereft that within a week or two

this too would be lost to us. There was birdsong all around us

but the trees stood silently fearful.

A mob of kangaroos spied in the distance as well as all the

birds would lose their homes. An ecosystem built up over

40 years would be no more.

With our unusually late spring rains, a crop of mushrooms

had surfaced and dried in the scorching sumer sun.

I found a comfortable seat on this stump that had brought forth

families of witchetty grubs, to sit and contemplate and try to

catch at least one of the multitude of butterflies in my sights.

It seems I took a little too long over it

but did catch one of those elusive critters after all.

So onward into the unknown, where will we find such places to

walk in so close to home?

As always, all photos enlarge.

A Happy New Year to all our Hosts at MY WORLD!

Click on the Logo to join in or just take a peek.

MY WORLD ~ 20 Last 800 Miles to the Queensland Coast

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This is a longer post than I intended, but I did
want to get you finally to our destination since
there still is the long, and interesting treck back
by a different route.
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We rested our weary bones in a delightful town
called Banana. You may think nothing of that since
Queensland is famous for Pineapples and Bananas!
Completely up the pole! Here we were in dry cattle
country not a lush tropical fruit growing area at all.
So why was the town called Banaba? Perfectly simple
and logical explanation... its called after a famous BULL!!!
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Next point of interest was Mount Morgan with
its historical old mines.
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Some of the old mine buildings close up
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On the hill on some weeds in front of a church
was this Butterfly beating his wings so fast it was
impossible to get a clearer picture
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Some typical Queensland tropical architecture
with airy verandahs and lots of lattice work to
promote ventilation and shade
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Please don't think I have lost my mind for posting
four pictures of this grassy slope, I do have a reason,
this first one is so soft and a lovely pale green, the
slope was quite steep
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this second, taken from a slightly different angle
looks so pale it could be dusted with snow
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this one combines the green in the shade and the
bleached effect in direct sunlight.
Just think what those tussocks of grass would be worth
bought in 6" pots from a nursery!!!
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This last one is a history lesson. The ferns you see
here, please do enlarge it, are Cycads, remnants
from the age of the Dynosaurs, again, worth a mint
from any nursery.
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and so we reach the coastal wetland near Yeppoon
with Black Swans lumbering to get airborne.
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Next week, should you come along, there will be
birds and more for you in store.
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To Klaus and the whole team my thanks for this meme.
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Click on the Logo to see the rest of the world!
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