The word prompt from Debbie at Travel with Intent: Selfie
I don’t usually take selfies, so most of mine are accidental or reflections. These were taken at the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition
I do feel rather weird looking at this one
Small
The word prompt from Debbie at Twenty-four: Small
It is good to see that people are taking up Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge while she is on vacation. Thank you all.
A tiny Soft-shelled Snail
Whats smaller than ants
A lovely Line-blue Butterfly, about 15mm in size
Hidden in the folds of a flower, a small Crab Spider waits for something smaller to drop by for a snack
Stingless Native Bees having a feast on a Crocus flower
I love finding small fungi on my place
A flower which is a big 10mm in diameter
Baby birds are cute especially in a small nest
The smallest Honeyeater, a Scarlet Honeyeater
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Patterns
The word prompt from Lens_Artists Photo Challenge: Patterns
So many patterns in this world it was hard to stop myself from just going on with too many photos.
The colourful patterns on the cliff face
The amazing patterns created by spiders
The reflection on the water make a very liquid pattern
The crazy cat pattern made by the bark of a Spotted Gum Tree.
Wonderful patterns made by Sand Crabs
The patterns on an aeroplanes tail
The patterns made by water lillies
Amazing patterns on the underside of a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Fabulous patterns on the feathers of an Ibis
And of course, the wonderful patterns on our Moon
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Gulls
The word prompt from city sonnet: Gulls
The Gulls flew while the Cormorants just bobbed about hunting fish
Soaring majestically in the sky
Or hurriedly leaving the beach in a tangle of wings
Or just standing at the waters edge enjoying the sand between the toes.
Finding a shady spot on the beach on a warm day
Looking nonchalant
Or being cheeky
Enjoying the morning sun
Or a surprise Gull – an Australian Gull Butterfly
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The Eastern Spinebill
Over Winter, Eastern Spinebills come and hang around my garden. Although there isn’t many flowers one Grevillea has lovely little flowers which the Eastern Spinebills enjoy.
I think this Spinebill wants to be a Hummingbird
Eyes open to make sure of the connection.
Some wing flapping for adjustment.
Keep flapping and contact.
And just as fast………gone
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Black Beans
Franks Tuesday Photo Challenge: Row
Black Bean Trees, Castanospermum australe, are growing on my place. The seed pods can measure up to 100mm in length. Most have three to five beans to a pod. Yes beans in a row.
Some pods have just a couple. The Black Beans are quite big weighing around 30 grams.
The leaves and beans are toxic to animals and humans in the raw state. It is great to make tiny canoes from the pods and race them down the river.
Some flowers of the Black Bean Tree. Flowers in a row.
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A Photo a Day Keeps Boredom Away – The Wattles
Debbies word prompt: A photo a Day
I have been trying to remain positive even though the rain has become scarce, the garden is hard to keep water to and the forest around the house is starting to show signs of a lack of water. The usually climatic systems have changed as they do periodically. A lot of Australia is in drought conditions, water is becoming scarce, most farmers are having a difficult time deciding what to do with their stock, whether to plant crops or what to do which is the best for their families. Many appeals have been put in place to assist the best we can. My town is trying to do whatever we can for those west of the Great Dividing Range. Not only are the farms being affected but the businesses in the towns are having a hard time. No cash flow for the farms means a lack of spending in the town. Many appeals are focused on the farms but the small business in towns are suffering as well. No one is spending on the luxury of having a hair cut, getting the kids to the dentist, buying that bit of pleasure whether it be a bar of chocolate or even having lunch in town while you shop for the basics you need to keep your family going.
I am fortunate that I no longer have stock to feed (only have one chook now) or even have a vege garden (possums have paid price to that luxury) but I have a garden that gives me pleasure. I feel like a bad parent as I decide which plants to water and who I hope will survive. Last year, the dam that I use to water the garden had a leak and the full dam I relied upon to get me though the normally dry Winter, is now around one quarter or less.
Back to the subject of this post. At this time of year, my home is ringed by the heady scent and yellow profusion of Wattles – Acacia fibriata or Fringe Wattle. The dryness has resulted in a reduced amount of blooms and are not the vibrant yellow that normally rings the place.
I have tried to use selective colour to highlight the wattles but as you can see, the dryness of my place has made the highlighting of the yellow of wattles diminished.
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Forlorn
Spiral
The Ragtag Daily prompt #67: Spiral
Ever downward
circles
plummeting.
Never knowing
never ending.
Circles
going round.
Spirals
joined but apart.
Ever downward
reaching up
for air.
Spirals.
Circles.
Spinning.
Never knowing
never ending.
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Here come the planes
A couple of weekends ago, we went to the Lismore Air Show. There were some fabulous planes on exhibition but the flying was spectacular.
I don’t know all the planes so here is just a few of the photos I took plus a video of the crazy blokes flying stunt planes.
The crowd was quite big and it was an unseasonably hot day. Being on the tarmac and the exhibits being in metal hangers didn’t help either.
Some planes were much much bigger than others
AQ propeller shot and a stunted selfie.
The nose of this plane was a bit off the ground.
“OK….now I push this button, watch the gauge, flick a toggle switch, watch the other gauge, move the joy stick, watch the gauge, talk on the radio, watch another gauge and shit….what’s that warning for, read the warning, watch the gauge, push a button….see I told you flying was easy”
Even the commercial flights tried to get among the action.
So did the birds. A Black Kite thought it was just as fast.
They flew all around the airport and surrounding district.
Those wheel look rather small to me
I think this pilot preferred flying upside down
Some planes didn’t get off the ground
Although some pilots looked like they were going fast.
Flying in a straight line is easy
I hope that wasn’t an essential part of his plane.
I wondered why two planes took off together
It became clear. See the small yellow dot in the last spiral?
That small yellow dot was a person.
Imagine parachuting with a crazy bloke in a plane circling you
He also liked to get up close to the crowd. I hope the people from the house on the hill like planes
When we were going home, this tiny plane was flying around.
Back at my besties place, later in the afternoon, the RAAF did a bit of a fly over the Air Show site and turned around overhead to fly back again.
Here is my video of the stunt planes
Thanks for visiting the Air Show with me.
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This is July 2018
What a month July has been. I haven’t been inspired to take photos. I have had a general malaise that has not been inspiring to take many photo and some I have taken are not worth the effort to place in my blog. Sorry everyone. This is my mediocre blog for the year. I have had some special moments. My best mate and his partner came for a almost a week, my bestie arrived a few days later and my “twin” and I had a great birthday together. (look back into my blog to realise why or there is a recent blog on Meet the Bloggers blog if you want to read)
Enough of being maudlin Let’s get going for some of my world in July
I have found grass seeds are quite striking. Perhaps they need a blog of their own? This seed head is a variety called Summer Grass or perhaps a Couch. So many choices I give up
Same with this one. I liked trying to get a good photo of grass seed heads, perhaps I should have tried hared.
The low chill stone fruits are flowering. The Peach has a lovely amount of bees. Maybe more bees next time.
The spider webs have been looking nice in the mornings. Here is a love heart for you.
One of the rusty rooves that didn’t make it into Becky #RoofSquares photo challenges
At the Lismore Air Show, some Black Kites decided to join in the fun. A Kite with a Pit Special acrobatic aeroplane. I may do another blog on the Air Show.
I like this photo even though it’s not the best. It’s a bird, it’s a plane. Yes it certainly is.
This is what a Black Kite looks like
Some Sacred Ibis did a formation fly over too.
A usual winter visitor is the Satin Bowerbirds. When it gets cold in the mountains, they come to winter at my place. This male enjoyed an afternoon drink.
The females and juveniles have similar plumage. I think this is a female Satin Bowerbird.
Enjoying a bath.
Looks like a grumpy Pied Currawong didn’t want me around.
Eastern Spinebills are lovely to have around the garden. Their distinctive wing clicking lets me know when they are around.
The Eastern Spinebill has found a potted Grevillea and has made the Grevillea its own feeding place.
It looks like there is no communication when the bird bath has to be shared. A White-throated Honeyeater and a White-throated Treecreeper aren’t talking this afternoon.
A Spotted Pardalote enjoyed a moment to itself.
A new visitor to my garden is a Striated Pardalote. Here looking at me as I was at my desk taking photos through the glass door.
I had four Pied Butcher Birds having a look for insect when I was cutting firewood. The sound of the chainsaw brought them to examine what I was doing. 
A female Golden Whistler loved being in the garden. Often seen swooping through the sprinklers when I was watering the garden.
I often neglect some birds as I see them all the time. The little White-throated Honeyeaters love my garden.
My mission for August will be to get some good photos of Eastern Rosellas.
The wonderful Winter visitor to my garden is the Rose Robin. Such a lovely sight as he flits through the garden.
The photo I used in an earlier blog. Just had to include this again. What a lovely bird to have in my life.
The sun is setting so almost time to say goodnight or good morning, depends on where you are in this world.
This time of year, it is time to harvest sugar cane. Some cane farmers still burn the cane prior to harvest. This is the view of the cane fires from my besties garden.
The last light is almost upon us so I guess I’ll see you later.
See you later. Say G’day. I would love to hear from you.
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Butcherbirds and Chain Saws
It has been quite some time since Pied Butcherbirds have come to investigate a possible snack when I have been cutting wood.
The first I knew the Pied Butcherbirds were about was when I was cutting something flashed past in the corner of my eye and landed in a tree near me.
Hanging on no matter what the size of the tree is to look around the cutting site.
On the end of the log you can see among the already cut rounds of timber, hoping an insect will scurry about.
These two looked in the bark that I stripped from the log so the chainsaw would get blocked with the fibres from the bark.
I think they may have found a few insects. Under the bark were some wood cockroaches hibernating. It took a while for the wood cockroaches to think about moving when I first pulled the bark back.
Overall there was four Pied Butcherbirds rummaging in the bark and the cut pieces of tree. They never sat close enough to get all four in the one photo. The last time the sound of the chainsaw bought Pied Butcherbirds around was over ten years ago. I wonder where they have been?
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Benches
Yes…….benches. Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Benches
The stone bench in a Museum in Bologna. It was surprisingly comfortable.
The wonderful wooden bench my friend made at his property
The garden bench at my place.
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Getting Close
The theme from Terri: #Macro or Close-up Photography; Is there a difference?
I enjoy getting in close to our world, exploring the small details in nature. Here’s a few photos for your enjoyment.
Macro – The face of a fly
Macro – The miniature world of fungi and moss
Close-up – Getting in close with an Ibis.
Close-up – with a Pelican
Macro – A rivet head on the Grafton Bridge
Close-up – the rust on a chain.
Close-ups or Macros? What do you think?
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Another Winter Visitor
The last few weeks has seen a lot of small birds in my garden and in the forest around the house. One little bird, a Striated Pardalote, has hopped onto the verandah most mornings looking for insects among the windows and doors or just on the verandah boards. A lovely colourful visitor who has a hole in a gully wall where it has made a nest. I am yet to find the nest.
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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Week 3
Topics include – Purple, Colours, Wood, Garage, Vintage Cars
A Fig Bird on the nest among the Purple Jacaranda flowers
Not really a Vintage Car but a fabulous truck
A Wood fungus
The wonderful Colour on a leaf
See other fun found at Cees
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Neglected
Reflection
The Ragtag Daily Prompt: Reflection
Early morning
A branch upon the shore
Placed by waves
The night before.
Water drifts
Around the wood
In a place
Where ancients stood.
Their time has past
To be never more
Branches still wash
Upon the shore
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Sunset
The raucous sounds.
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos
filling the sky.
Pastel hues
the last light.
Graduating colours
saying goodbye
to the day.
Welcoming the night.
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Reality
Odd Ball – In the Shops
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge
Here are a couple of things I have found in shops over the past few weeks. Enjoy my Odd Ball photos
A unique jewellery display
He wants you to come in
The cafe sure had big bugs
I told you to put the mannequins away
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Quintessential
The word prompt from Nancy: Quintessential
To many people, the Kangaroo is quintessentially Australian. They are everywhere. I think the last count there were 50 million Kangaroos in Australia.
This bloke is an Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos can be quite temperamental and will attack, sitting back on that huge tail and kick out with their powerful legs which have long nails on their feet. When the fight each other, the aim is to disembowel the other roo with powerful kicks.
But what about the cute and cuddly Koala? They will scratch you with the claws they use to scamper up trees. Another charming fact is that they will urinate on you once they tire of your company.
Here is a bit about Koalas
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Superstition
What?
Superstition
Why pick
on black cats?
What have we done?
I am content
resting here.
Look at me.
Angelic.
Come closer
Yes
Come closer
my pretty.
Superstition
will evaporate
as you become
lost in my eyes.
Come closer……
*This is Benny.
He lived a long happy life but could be a devil. He could be purring in your lap and suddenly he would attack your arm or leg. All the dogs in the neighbourhood were scared of him. Any dog that strayed down the drive, no matter if it was a big farm dog or small dog, you would always see them running up the drive with Benny in close pursuit.
So I guess it was bad luck for any other cat or dog to wander into Benny’s place.
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Vintage
Bricks
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Geometry, bushes, window, brick, curtain, green, tan, wall, building, dark red, tree
OK. I have covered Geometry and Window. Now for Brick
Bricks with a bit of paint
A brick wall in Bologna, Italy
Brick pathway with some moss in Lismore Australia
What would a brick wall be without a skink hanging on the warm bricks
Some old sandstone bricks on a church in Springwood Australia
Some ferns growing out of a brick wall in Bangalow Australia
The wonderful brick of the Ponte Vecchio Avignon France
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What do you see?
The word prompt from Debbie at Travel with Intent: Inspired Image
Street Art from Grafton NSW Australia
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My Winter Visitor
You all know how I go on about the Eastern Yellow Robins that are around here all the time…..this is a Rose Robin who drops in here when the weather gets a bit cooler. This bloke has his bright breeding plumage on. I have seen the female flitting around the garden but haven’t had my camera with me at the time.
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Bird of Paradise
My flower of the month, a Strelitzia reginea
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The Wildlife Camera
The Daily Post word prompt: Unlikely
This looks like a good place to set up the wildlife camera with its infra-red sensors to catch the action at the bird bath, or so I thought. It would unlikely that anything could go wrong and I would have a fine gallery of birds at the bird bath.
I didn’t count on the wisteria leaves on the arbor where I fastened the camera to be uncooperative.
Nicely positioned. Unlikely to miss anything. What? The wind has blown up.
Oh dear. Now it’s getting worse.
This is ridiculous. You can hardly even see the bird bath.
But wait. Here are some White-headed Pigeons
A Magpie has landed
The late afternoon sun on the Galah is perfect
So it wasn’t unlikely after all
