A bit of Spring

Lens-Artists Challenge: Spring

Spring. Well that was a few months ago now here. Now approaching Autumn, I say approaching as Summer is still hanging around with day time temperatures in the mid to high 30C’s

So it’s into the folders and find a few Spring photos which I hope you enjoy

The first buds of a Hippeastrum

A Stingless Native Bee and a European Bee discussing the qualities of a peach blossom

Here comes Mum with some more snacks for three hungry mouths

The Frangipannis buds just starting to unfold

What can be cuter than a little fluff ball chicken

The Hibiscus had lots of buds as Spring was a wet one last year

Lots of calves in the paddocks around the place

Fresh leaves appearing on the Eucalypts

New fur and almost ready to hop out of the pouch

Well it is spring

Pick a Word – February 2023

Lost in Translation’s Thursdays Special: Pick a Word February 2023

Paula’s words for this month are so very good. I hope I can find a few unique things that you won’t expect.
All questions answered in the comments

Let’s go If you want have a listen as you ponder

BATTLING

EXTANT

GLOAMING

QUIDDITY

ROTATIONAL

Walking Square #12 – Flowers, Pots and Chooks

Becky’s #WalkingSquares

Well, let’s walk right in

Up in the early morning being greeted by Shaun.

This post for #WalkingSquares is one for the weekend, Sunday in particular. My titles and dates will be skew whiff for now on in. Not good for OCD. As I said up and into the garden in the morning before we head off to a Pottery Studio for the day.

A quick once around and loving the plants wonderful nix of colours. The little Tricycle lives on

A couple of the neighbours came to say hello

The Gallardias are adding colour in patches. I should have used more flowers to get the full effect, sorry.

Too many lovely roses so here’s just one of my favourites, Double Delight

Off on the drive to the Pottery Studio. Lucky there were signs in the garden to show the way. It is a fabulous ramshackle garden with a few trimmed parts as well.

Had a walk through the shop and chatted to people while waiting for the Raku pottery kiln to be opened. Have a look at the link while we wait

Time for Mick to open the kiln

Here is a look at what was cooking at 1,000 degrees. It was a very warm day, in the low 30’s so being near a kiln wasn’t a good idea. The things I do for you!

Thick gloves and long tongs. I would be using them as well

Then it was over to a drum with sawdust in it and a bit more sawdust was added

Of course it all caught fire. A lid was put on the drum the reduce the oxygen and increase the carbon which make the firing patterns different. Sorry again. The pots didn’t come out of the drums while I was there. It was still 600C in the drum!

The walk back through the garden was one last look around. There were Superb Fairy Wrens hopping in the garden beds as well Wanderer Butterflies flitting about the ramshackle garden. The climbing rose was huge.

Other parts were neatly kept in little clearing with spots of colour. I love the mix of Zinnias.

And of course there were chooks.

Here’s the version some people might know better

Cee’s FOTD

A few F’s

Cee’s Mid-week Madness Challenge: April Alphabet – F at the beginning or end of a word

Fog

Begonia leaf

Fence

Figbird eating a Fig

Fighting ants

Leaf

Roof

Calf

This is November 2021

Subtitle: Changing Seasons – in conjunction with Ju-Lyn

I didn’t take many photos in November. I am loving the rain. The frogs have been as well. Some nights it is so loud with all the frogs having their say. The most photographed thing, because the rain has made the garden just grow, are flowers splashed throughout the garden. I am doing a garden post as it is too good not to share. I have spent a bit time in the shed so there’s a post about that on the list as well.

The days we had with sunny blue skies which were taken advantage of, so there was lots of photos to pick from for This is November. Grab your usual drink/snack that you may like to consume at this time of your day and enjoy this bit of my world.

Here is your song to scroll to….a new one for me. I hope you enjoy my discovery. Hit play and let’s get scrolling. You can always come back up and stop the music if you don’t like it.

One Saturday morning I woke very early and there was colour in the sky, so I had to try and take a few photos for Hammad’s Weekend Sky. After taking my usual photos from the usual place, I tried to see what I could get through the trees. Most were ok but didn’t show all that much of the coloured clouds. My favourite of the lot.

The cows next door to my besties were calving. I think these two may be related.

On that hill where the calves are, a Double Bared Finch was having lunch too.

It is always lovely to see an Eastern Rosella or two when out and about.

Sacred Ibis always look spectacular as the glide overhead.

On the lookout tree, a Spangled Drongo (top) and a Dollar Bird keep an eye out for some unsuspecting breakfast to be passing by.

In my besties garden, a Pheasant Coucal was calling for a few days. One morning he decided to come out in the sun.

We went away for a few days to Soldiers Point. One day we went for a walk in a nature reserve at Nelson Bay. There’s a few photos from there following as well. A pair of Corellas were checking out the hollows in the Gum Tree to make home maybe.

This made me laugh, the Darter look so serious too.

We found this lily like plant and it has the most wonderful flower. I haven’t been able to ID it yet.

I just love Red and Green Kangaroo Paw flowers which were growing along the track in the nature reserve

At a cafe having a coffee while the waiting for the rain to ease a bit, I saw Bougainvillea flowers had fallen on a table out in the rain.

That’s all from our mini holiday. Remember the last two “This is…..” I have shown the progress of the amazing Gymea Lily flower. I don’t think it will be there next time.

Here is a few from around my garden as a bit of a teaser lol. The agapanthus in the garden have never had as many flowers ever! Mostly blues but some are from plants with white flowers that I never knew their colour.

This white Agapanthus flower stalk was so tall, well over a meter.

The Crinums or Spider Lilys are flowering well this year.

I have been trying to find the right place for the Walking Iris as I love their flowers

I have a Jacaranda tree which is a bit scraggly but this year showed itself as best it could.

Scattered around the garden are Spiny-headed Mat Rush (Lomandra) plants that have long strappy leaves most of the time but they do flower

The Paperbark Trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia) are flowering and the insects and birds are loving them.

I can’t grow roses at my place. It gets too wet and the Possums and Wallabies love them too much. My besties place is ideal. Here is a selection of Roses. This is a tiny climbing variety.

Some of the flowers are amazing. I love this pink one.

Such a deep colour, it is more orange than red in real life

Some Zinnias are appearing.

This is the flower from a Bromiliad which I found in the plant rescue section of a nursery. I took three and said these be easy. He rolled his eyes. Five years later, two survived and this one has flowered for the first time.

Sometimes Thistle flowers look so good.

I always forget to take photos of the Zig-Zag plant when it flowers.

I cannot believe this Pineapple plant. It has been in the garden for as long as I can remember. Every now and then it pops out a fruit. This is the flower stage. Pineapple plants are Bromiliads.

The Day Lilys have been wonderful this year

Even the Stingless Native Bees thinks so as well.

The Variegated Duranta has been flowering since start of Spring. Now it has rained there are flowers everywhere.

There was a break in the rain. A Blue-banded Bee decided to take advantage too.

In the nature reserve we found this amazing way the Lichen has formed. What shapes or things can you see in the photo? IN the top right hand corner is a tiny fern similar to an air plant. They grow on anything organic wood, rock etc

OK Who was paying attention as I would really like to know what was your favourite photo? Did you like the music?

The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.

For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.

But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.

There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.

Tags and ping-backs

Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

Create a ping-back to Ju-Lyn at Touring My Backyard or this post, so that we can update it with links to all of yours.

Also for Cee’s FOTD

Monday Portrait – 15 November

This is just a photo challenge that no one hosts. Any one can contribute to Monday Portrait. Do you have a portrait photo you like and want to share? Monday Portrait is the prefect place. An idea that Becky had months ago has grown into people doing their own posts of self expression. Join in, your portrait can be of anything.