At last I am able to sit down and write this blog. I have a chest infection which made my concentration levels drop and a lack of interest in doing anything. Looking at the screen made my eyes sore as well. July was interesting as the days became more like Summer than Winter. There hasn’t been much rain so the garden is suffering. Most of the flowers are from elsewhere, some of the birds are from around here and there is a bit of what is that photo. There is a bit of excitement but that will come later. There are quite a number of photos so perhaps a cup of tea or coffee or whatever you drink while sitting have a look at my July.

This is the view from Raspberry Lookout in the Gibraltar Ranges, about 70kms from my place, which is somewhere to the left of the photo a few gullies over.

I thought I’d start with the bugs I found. A moth isn’t really a bug but an insect but this beauty had to go in somewhere.

We found a caterpillar munching a plant. Look at how much it has eaten for such a small sized caterpillar.

The winter flowering stone fruits are alive with bees.

I was enjoying a cuppa on the verandah when this bloke came buzzing around. I like the confusion of fly and shadow.

At the Raspberry Lookout I found a log. Not just an ordinary log but one that had a lichen that made it look so green.

Can you see the face on this old tree stump. The big cut mark on the left is where the timber cutters used to put a board to stand on to cut the tree down with an axe. The “graffiti” isn’t all that old though.

My  bestie found this fantastic leaf.

One day the clouds just decided to look rather special. Something to do with a hot day, cold upper air or whatever.

“What are you looking at?”

I call this photo “The Electric Fish”. I would love to tell you how I took the photo but have no idea. The leaves and flowers were in the bottom of the bowl and the spots on the surface are fish food.

Late one evening when going for a walk, I saw the red and green leaves glowing in the afternoon sun.

A neighbours place glowed in that afternoon sun. This plant is called Firesticks.

I have never looked at a Dandelion flower. Isn’t it beautiful.

In a garden in Grafton the rest of the garden was bare and a few of the flowers were doing their last gasp but this Gazania stood out among the rest.

A fragrant Rose. I love Roses.

The Grevillea flower shone in the early morning sun.

Some birds come back every year to spend Winter here or perhaps just drop in for a snack and rest on their migratory route to further warming climes. The Blue-faced Honeyeaters stay around and nest. The mornings and evenings are filled with their calls.

The Silvereyes flock through, some keep going but some hang around for a while eating and building their strength for the next part of their journey.

The Figbirds are after the fruiting trees in the rainforest gullies. This Figbird seemed to have an interest in a Eucalypt nut.

The Lewins Honeyeater found a tasty morsel in the bark of the tree.

It doesn’t look like it was that appealing does it?

A White-throated Honeyeater, a bowl and a garden bench. There are a number of places where birds can get a drink in my garden.

Going to my besties one day, I came across a flock of Brolgas in a farmers field beside the highway. This is only the second time I have seen Brolgas and to see around twenty was wonderful.

Some birds will do anything not to have their photo taken. The Eurasian Coot did a great dive.

Have you ever been so angry that you just had to shout at a tree?

I hadn’t noticed the rich orange around the eye of a White-throated Tree Creeper before. Since the blog was published, Carol Probets who often lets me know what’s what informed me that this is a Red-browed Tree Creeper. See Carols blog at Lyreades

The Welcome Swallow was ignoring me as he sat on the old bridge watching the workings building the new one.

The Spotted Pardalote had a ritual of checking out the verandah every morning for snacks.

The Grey Shrike-Thrush have set up home at my besties.

Adorable looking birds aren’t they?

The Grey Fantail was a bit puffed up in the cool afternoon breeze.

Another regular Winter visitor to my place are the Noisy Friarbirds. Their calls resound through the forest all day long. These two were having an in depth conversation.

Every now and then a large flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos descend on the pine trees to feed and then take off to find a place to roost.

The lovely little Rose Robins are occasional visitors. So cute as the bounce in the garden looking for snacks.

This is excitement number one. First time I have seen a Grey Goshawk. It was high in the trees at my besties place.

Excitement number two. The first time I have seen a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. It was so happy to sit on a post and pose for a minute or two at my besties place.

This was the sunset in some of the photos mentioned before. So it must be time to go.

Thank you for stopping by. Drop me a note if you found something that interested you.