Macro Monday 14 September
Tag: day lily
This is November 2019
November has been quite a month. I managed to get away for a week and a half, part of October and the beginning of November, to Tasmania where I experienced fresh air, so many different sights and managed to relax. I am still working on a post of my Tasmanian adventure. I have already shared a couple of photos in some of the photo challenges.
Unfortunately I came back to the heavy smoky atmosphere which has made it quite difficult to relax or feel calm. The constant smoke has affected my lungs, a bit of a “smokers cough” and my eyes are quite sore at times. Be assured I am safe and will remain so. I have repacked my car with some of my “treasures” and am ready to go when I have to. I shan’t dwell on this part of my life but there will be touches along the way in This is November.
This isn’t huge but you may like to make yourself comfortable, settle back and let’s go…..
Most of my sunrises are like this through the smoke
I had to get out and see where the fires were to the west. Took a bit of a detour to Cangi. You cross this wooden bridge over the Mann River.
The water levels are quite low. It is still a pretty place to stop and contemplate the world.
I was surprised to see quite a few small fish
There must be bigger fish in the Mann otherwise this Pied Cormorant is just hanging about enjoying the ambience.
I watched the White-faced Heron stalking among the rocks. He did eventually catch a small fish which was quickly gobbled down.
I think he may have followed me home. I saw him sitting in a tree in the garden.
I have a family of Laughing Kookaburras who are around the garden on a regular basis. This fella liked to show his tail feathers off.
The older Kookaburra is showing his age now.
I have an old swimming pool which is a bit of a frog pond. The evaporation is taking the water so the frogs are getting snapped up.
Once lunch has been consumed, it’s off to sit in an old gum tree.
How hot has it been in November?
The young King Parrot liked to sit in the shade of the verandah and let a cool breeze get through his feathers. He also asked for a drink and a snack with an enquiring face.
Some days there was a queue to get a drink and a quick splash at the bird bath. A White-throated Honeyeater makes a King Parrot wait her turn.
The Satin Bowerbird found a water pot on the ground where the Brush Tailed Possums and Wallabies drink.
At my besties place sometimes the bird bath gets quite crowded
Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and Rainbow Lorikeets often squabble over whose turn it is.
The “just out of the bath” is not a good look for a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet.
Meanwhile, a Olive-backed Oriel was keeping an eye on what was going on.
The Crested Pigeon really loved sitting on the shovel handle.
A rare visitor to my besties garden is an Australasian Pipit. He walked among the grasses looking for insects.
I don’t think this Noisy Friarbird wanted his photo taken
There may not be much water around but the dragonflies are flitting about the garden.
I love a close up
One of my pot plants, a Calathea has small delicate flowers.
The bees were everywhere on the Eucalypt flowers down at the river at Cangi.
Another plant my friend Geoff gave me has flowered. a wonderful Day Lily.
The Stingless Native Bees love it too.
Look at the well filled pollen sacs on these tiny bees.
One of the almost daily occurrences are the helicopters going to the nearby Clarence River to fill the water buckets. Sometimes they fly over my house. That is smoke not cloud. The fires are not near my place.
Well the sun is setting so it’s almost time to go.
The solar lights have come on in the garden.
and our Moon is bright overhead.
I hope you had a lovely time wandering through my world. We must do it again sometime.
PS Yesterday the fires jumped the highway and are at Cangi today. This does not bode well for me as westerly winds will eventually send the fire towards my place. Cangi is around 25kms from here. Hopefully that old wooden bridge will be OK. The Rural Fire Service has the fire under control at the moment.
Also included in Su’s The Changing Seasons Do drop by and see the wonderful posts over at Su’s place
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The flower, the ants and a bee
This is November 2018
My last post Time #6 was post number 1,000. I was hoping this one would be number 1,000 but it has taken a lot of time getting it together.
November was where Spring really came to life. Rain in the previous months led to life appearing, flowers brightened, the little native flowers, some only 10mm in diameter sprung up in the paddocks and in the bush. Birds who come to my place over Spring and Summer appeared, in some instances with their chicks.
This is another long post as I couldn’t cut back and also have had a couple of double ups. I have a some things left out as they deserve their own post.
So I recommend getting your drink of choice, perhaps a snack and if you are lucky, someone to bring refills. 😀
I have tried to arrange the photos in some sort of grouping. OK off we go………
Some days saw the storm clouds appear bring some destruction but also welcoming rain
The water plants on the dams are pleased that the water levels are up
The Bromiliads in the garden are sending their flower spikes up.
or just colouring while the flower appears in the watery centre
One of my favourite flowers, the Cats Whiskers flowered after the rain.
Day lilies flowered some with multiple buds
The Dietes, which are all through the garden, showed the borders with their white and purple flowers. If you look on the left side of the flower, you can see a little native bee.
The pink Pentas were planted two years ago and this year the flowers were prolific.
I thought these were the last of the Pandoreas but when I walked past today, more have appeared
I have a miniature Native Frangipanni in a pot at the front of the house. The warm breeze send a delightful scent into the house. The flowers start as white flowers and gradually turn yellow
Also in the garden is quite a big Native Frangipanni. It is constantly flowering through November. You can see the various stages of flowering from the white and yellow buds, white flowers and then the yellow flowers on their way out.
The Gardenias are looking good this year
Had to show the buds too
This Pentas is great for attracting insects
The original red Hibiscus that my Mother bought from her garden when the gardens were first planted many years ago. This was one of my Mums favourites
This is the bush still in the part of the place where gardens and the old house once were
Another Hibiscus that had a good flowering too.
The Grevilleas took a while to flower compared to other gardens around the area.
This Grevillea flower hangs downwards
The second year for the Ivanhoe Grevillea and the first flower
Two Grevilleas in the front garden that always have birds squabbling over the flowers
I love the pastel colours of this Grevillea
The Bottlebrush flowers add splashes of red throughout the garden
The Balsam flowers appear in many places in the garden. The just pop up
A Bottlebrush just starting to flower
One of my favourite small trees is Jacksonia. They add touches of yellow through the bush
Another small tree in an old part of the garden. The last few years it has taken to flower for months
A large tree in the garden, a Silky Oak, which is also one of the biggest Grevilleas
The Eucalypts are flowering following a prolonged dry spell. Some are flowering now and I haven’t seen them flower at this time of year before
A ground cover flower that I thought had gone but has reappeared. I had an orange version as well. I wonder if that one will come back?
The Duranta flowers are another flower with soft pastel colours
I planted this native in a rockery. The Red-necked Wallabies love it. The constant trimming looks like a benefit as it is covered with flowers this November
The flowers appear on soft stalks and the spots seem to darken too
The Hippeastrums looked wonderful this November. The wheelbarrow gardens looked a treat. There is a post about them earlier this month
The red Hippeastrums seemed very red this year
A tiny native flower about 10mm in diameter
You can see how small this native flower is by the grass and size of the leaves
I love clover flowers
A Calathea I have in a pot flowered this year with tiny flowers with delicate colour
This Native flower is called a Smooth Parrot Pea
Even the patch of Spider Plants flowered
With the flowers growing well the flower sellers at the market were selling bunches and most market days, sold out before the end.
Saw this car and just had to get a photo. It is a ute as well as a tad rusty
The clouds one day were quite spectacular
What a tiny Grasshopper on the Brunsfelsia flower
The Caper White Butterflies are migrating. This one is the first to arrive at my place
The Stingfless native Bees are loving collecting pollen from the orange Hippeastrum
A Crab Spider showed me his scary end when I disturbed its rest. Not a very big spider either
Meet Gus, my axolotl. He is always happy looking
A Noisy Friarbird snacking on a Honey Gem Grevillea
Noisy Friarbirds always have something to say
A female Figbird contemplates her next meal
Always singing around the house and in the forest, a Grey_shrike Thrush was looking through the window
Aren’t the Masked Lapwings strange looking. They are also called Plovers
but their eggs are quite pretty. They lay their eggs anywhere. These were on a walkway to the beach.
Peaceful Doves are always around the house
Royal Spoonbills were another of my quests to photograph
The ferry cable is as good as anywhere to hang out to dry
On a visit to a small degraded wetland I was amazed to see the amount of birds there. The flock of Hardhead Ducks was rather large
On another wetland, where the Royal Spoonbills were, some Pink-eared Ducks also were paddling around
Eurasian Coots paddled about looking for food
I was surprised to see a Crested Tern so far from the coast. A Purple Swamp Hen strode around the edge of the water
Aren’t Australasian Grebe chicks cute
A pacific Black Duck was closely followed by a young one
When you go calling on your girlfriend always take flowers
The Superb Fairy Wrens hopped around us at the lookout
Well the sun is going down so it’s time for me to go. Thanks for hanging around with me. I hope you enjoyed my November
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Yesterday in my garden
I was on the verandah and noticed all the colour in the garden. I grabbed my camera and walked around getting photos of the flowers. I even found a native Smooth Pea just popped up. This will be a huge post so I think I’ll do a slide show. I also haven’t included all the flowers as it would be too much. There are some flowers I have posted before as well. Maybe I’ll do another post if you want.
I am sure you will know some of the flowers but if you want to know about any of them, please ask. I will group them as best I can.
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This is December
This is just the one big photo blog. I hope you have time to scroll through. It started rather small at the start of December and just seemed to grow as stuff happened. I have included some of the skies that may have been in Beckys Square Sky photo challenge or missed out. I really enjoyed Beckys #SquareSky challenge. Perhaps you may need a pot of tea to get to the end!
Lets go. I love skinks and how they just move about on brick walls.
Come Summer and the Dragonflies are flitting about the garden.
I couldn’t find this Dragonfly at first when it disappeared into the garden.
Summer in Australia with the deafening cacophony of cicadas. When the tree you were in many years ago has gone, make do with anything to get out of your shell.
Brown Ringlets have wonderful “eyes” on their wings.
I was visited by an Assassin Bug who did a bit of fluff cleaning for me.
Mud Daubers make wonderful clay pots to raise their young. They lay an egg in the clay pot, they go about gathering spiders which they comatose for the grub to eat when it hatches.
I have been watching this one build a cone shape on the architrave of the office door.
Some mornings the chicken wire fence has lots of spider webs in the mesh.
What a fabulous green the grasshopper has which contrasts with the yellow of the Deities flower.
I love the Line Blue Butterflys antennae
The Bromiliad flower with a bonus spider shell.
The Stingless Native Bees loved the Day Lily flower.
After the rain, the Crocus flowered much to the delight of the Stingless Native Bees
They certainly have a laconic way of flying don’y they?
The red Dahlia is one of my favourite flowers.
The Tree Begonias supplied a splash of red in the garden too.
It was a great year for the Agapanthus flowers.
A tiny native flower with a fluffy centre.
Another lovely flower I was given from my friend Geoff.
A very pretty Rose in a friends garden.
I think this flower is an Egg and Bacon plant flower.
The Hibiscus flowers welcomed the rain in December.
A field of Daisys on the side of the road.
The Curry Bush had a great flowering last year as well
The storm season arrived a bit late last year but when it came, it was spectacular.
This sky was incredible
And again
I love capturing the suns rays.
The palm leaf had shiny spots of water which glistened in the sunlight.
People must have thought I was mad walking around trying to get the sun in the right spot.
This sunset was amazing. The colours changed every minute.
It’s hard getting a sunrise photo when you live in a forest.
The Spangled Drongo was wondering what I was doing interrupting bath time.
It isn’t often I see a Peaceful Dove at the bird bath.
When White Ibis flocks glide overhead it is just magnificent.
A female Figbird or a young Figbird just getting his red mask.
One day he will look like his dad.
Check out the pants on the Channel-bill Cuckoo
They have a very serious looking bill don’t they?
Rainbow Lorikeets are quite raucous as they nibble about on the Lemon Scented Tea Tree.
I am so glad the Forest Kingfisher has returned this Summer to forage around the house.
An activities box outside of a Cafe in Toowoomba.
The Moon was just wonderful with the coloured rings on a cloudy night.
If pupils were white it could look like an eye.
Some people have said this photo has a Japanese feel about it. What do you think?
Thanks for dropping by
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This is November: The Flowers
The final installment of This is November. The flowers that appear in November are fabulous. The small native flowers shoot out of the ground for a short time. The garden is resplendent with most of the flowering shrubs a hive of activity as you saw in This is November: The Insects. Enjoy the flowers of November.
You saw the Jacaranda flowers in the This is October: Part Three Did you know that the Jacaranda flower is not only purple but white as well?
Some flowers are just made to be photographed.
A close-up shot of the Blue Salvia which the Lewins Honeyeater was feeding on in This is November: The Birds
A few drops of water and an early morning sun make for wonderful flower photography
The second flowering for some of the Grevilleas
The cactus had so many buds and flowers this year.
When the rain comes, the Crocus add splashes of colour throughout the garden.
One of the Day Lilys I was given by my mate Geoff. There is always a Stingless Bee flying around somewhere.
This orchid was at my besties sons place. An amazing cascade of flowers.
Here is the orchid flower
The Pandorea were flowering high in the canopy
My White Hydrangea has a pink hue
One of the best years for the Silk Tree flowering
The Roses at my besties are magnificent this year too.
And the scent is divine
The little yellow puff balls are everywhere
I love this Hibiscus which seems to have many names – I like Dancing Ballerina
The Lomandra growing on the forest floor has many flower spikes
The new leaves on the Paperbark are fabulous
The Paperbark was covered in white creamy flowers from top to bottom.
Growing in the paddock was a tiny yellow flower about 5mm in diameter. Once I saw this one I then noticed all the others.
The Bottlebrush flowers were their showy best this year. The Pink Bottlebrush flower is the second year it has flowered since planting about 10 years ago.
This is the red Bottlebrush flower I used as an experimental technique late last month
many people wanted to know what the bush looked like. Here is the Miniature Bottlebrush about 1.5M tall
The birds have been fighting over the Black Bean tree flowers
Have you ever seen a Pineapple flower? Now you have. I had no idea they had flowers like this
Last year, I found the Hyacinth Orchid growing in the forest at my place. I went looking again this year to where I thought it was but to no avail. Looking around my garden not only did I find one growing but two!
That’s the last post on This is November. I hoped you like all the posts.
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Geoffs Garden
My last post, can be viewed here, I mentioned my elderly neighbour Geoff had died. He was a good friend who often came for a cuppa on the verandah on a Sunday to tell of his latest addition to his chooks or what was happening in his garden or have a whinge about his “situation” (I am not going into that as it is too personal and also makes me too angry). He often told of his life, which was very often repeated, where he worked and of his family. One of the amazing coincidences was that we both went to the same High School, although he was there around 21 years before me. He was a great friend to me. Geoff was a Boilermaker by trade and his skills in doing things that i had no idea about, helped my development as a “man of the land”. I helped him in showing him the ways of nature and how the place we live in was very special, possibly developing him as a “bushboy”
There are many a story from the old days but in this I am relating the story of Geoff the gardener whose plants I have in my garden. When Geoff was to go into aged care as he really needed to have the caring he needed, he said to me “come and get as many plants and cuttings as you want” although his family (a cousin and niece as he never married or had any female relationships) did frown upon my doing so.
One of the things he said was that if he died he was leaving me his chooks in his will. Just before he left he asked me to come and get his chooks. A couple are still here, see this link, and are another reminder of Geoff.
Some of the plants I did go to Geoffs’ place and get are flowering and others are well and healthy.
This is his garden. I never took my camera to his place but I did a couple of times. So please enjoy Geoffs Garden.
This is the way into Geoffs place. The power lines to the left are a clearing and the main garden is on the right
The sign at the front. Geoff said it meant the Gates of Heaven but if my Italian is correct it means Sky Harbour. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it should have been Porte del Cielo
This is the only small piece of his garden that I have. The Hippeastrums that year were splendid.
Geoff had some Australian native plants in his garden. The Candle Banksia was one my favourites
There were some Grevilleas but not as many as I have.
He had a lot of birds at his place as well. Brown Honeyeaters enjoyed his Grevilleas.
One thing he enjoyed was a huge dish he filled with Sunflower seed, much to my displeasure. I bought him a wild bird mix as it was healthier for the birds but he persisted with his sunflower seeds. His verandah was always overflowing with sunflower seed husks that the Rainbow Lorikeets, King Parrots and other birds came to his place and feed. The King Parrots still hang around my place but the number of Rainbow Lorikeets has dropped. I don’t have any photos of his big bowl bird feeder.
OK. Back to his garden. These are a selection of his day Lilies. He loved the Port Wine Lily best. I hope I have one of these to remember him by.
If you look in the background, you can see some of his chooks as well.
It was a bit of pot luck in getting some of the day lilies as he wasn’t very well and couldn’t remember which plant was which until it flowered. The Yellow Day Lily was a lovely splash of yellow in his garden.
The pink variety was stunning to come across wandering about Geoffs Garden.
I have had a number of the Leopard Lilies in my garden. One of the first plants he gave me.
At the back of his house he built a garden complete with rocks he made from concrete. After a few years you couldn’t tell that they weren’t real bush rocks. Among these “rocks” Geoff planted Golden Lycras. When they flowered the back garden was a blaze with yellow. I have so many around my garden as he was always lifting the bulbs and giving them away.
Here is the Iris which has been on a number of my posts but not from this angle.
The Iris with bonus Stingless Native Bees who loved the Iris
Geoff had a nice selection of Gerberas. This one was a rare Gerbera he had.
The pink Gerbera really stood out in the garden.
Geoffs favourite flower probably was Hippeastrums. His garden was filled with all colours of Hippeastrums. It is a pity I don’t have a full record of these wonderful flowers.
This Hippeastrum is currently blooming in the pot that I collected from Geoffs Garden
The orange Hippeastrum was unusual.
Another stunning colour
This is one of my favourites.
The almost white Hippeastrum is another rare one. Geoff also had a green Hippeastrum but I couldn’t remember which part of his garden the flower was in.
Geoff loved the fragrance of Frangipannis.
This Frangipanni greeted you as you came up the driveway to the house.
Finally, here is Geoff just a short while before he had to go into care. He was a crusty old coot but a good friend.
Good bye mate
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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: All One Colour
I have gone for a plant theme for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: All One Colour look here for other fabulous all one colour photos.
Some photos are close, some are just some of my favourites.
My abstract banana leaf
The red leaf of the Red Cordyline
The old Fan Palm frond
The fern frond all in a line
I love Zinnias
And Roses
Red berries in the morning sun
The wonderful yellow Day Lily
One of my favourite Australian native plant, the Purple Fringe Lily
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As I wander about
It’s been ages since I have had time to get things sorted, to take time for things and actually sit down to set out to write a bit. I have been taking photos of all manner of stuff – as you will see. It is difficult to have a clear pathway of thoughts, to put ideas down and try to make sense so that you can follow where I have been and what I have seen. Many a time I just take off to see what I can discover and see something that I find interesting, colourful or part of our world that some people would just walk by everyday and not think of the beauty. Perhaps I look at the world in a different way, to imagine in my head what I see, grab my camera and let the lens take me where I think it should go. Enough of a jumble of thoughts – as The Beatles sang
“Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe”
So lets go across the universe or through a small part of my world. Starting at the beginning. Early one misty morning, some rogue cattle were walking along the road when we was taking a walk.
Further down the road, the spiders webs were all through patches of grass. Small cup shaped webs dotted the side of the road in their hundreds.
As it is still rather cool here I am still out in the bush every couple of weeks to cut some firewood. One morning I noticed the White-winged Choughs doing their daily march along the clearing with their incessent chatter as they kicked over sticks and rocks looking for their breakfast. They had an almost straight line as they marched up the hill.
Sometimes you can look up and see a Spangled Drongo fly past the moon, even in the late afternoon.
I though the Bellwood Cormorant Hotel was rather fab but the double decker Osprey nest near Chinderah has a far better vantage point.
While we were having lunch in the Tweed Heads industrial/shopping complex, we watched as a bird swooped across the car park, grab what we think was a lizard and go back to the roof top and eat away. After I took the photo (OK I took heaps of photos), I discovered it was an Australian or Nankeen Kestral. What a pretty bird don’t you think?
Speaking of pretty, the Emerald Doves are out and about in numbers at the moment. This bird was not all that content having me stalk it to try and get a good photo.
It stuck its bum in the air as if to say “Go on….take a photo of my best side!!!”
This little bird was sitting in the tree singing its little lungs out.
Having a cuppa on the verandah one morning, one of the local King Parrots decided to pop over and see if we had any snacks.
The Bar-shouldered Dove didn’t seem to mind the Brush Turkeys leaf raking exercise. The turkey was flicking leaves so high into the air! The turkey’s litter mound is about 5 meters away from where it was methodically raking leaves.
One morning I found a Rainbow Lorikeet sitting on the ladder in the old swimming pool looking rather grumpy.
OK….now this is where things take a different direction for a while. One day we decided to walk across the Clarence River on the walkway under the Grafton Bridge. The structure has been graffitied over the years and the layers of paint with a bit of rust made lovely colours and patterns.
I like the rust colours.
This green almost looked like moss.
One of the hundred of thousand rivets holding te bridge together. Small but significent.
The walkway along the bridge also had two tunnels at either end which have always been “decorated”. Sometimes some of the graffiti has to be added to doesn’t it?
Othertimes the message is what everyone needs to hear.
One of my favourite cafes in Grafton is the Tilted Teaspoon. Skye has a wonderful sense of decoration with ever changing bits and pieces gleaned from Op-Shops and garage sales.
The water below the bridge has shapes that change as the water ripples from passing water craft. This one is rather spooky.
Speaking of spooky, what is the blue flash that appeared in my besties loungeroom?
I love the “eye lashes” on the bullet hole in the road sign.
Enough of the different stuff and back to colour and nature. The red flower of the eucalypt just seems to burst in a riot of colour.
One of the first flowers that I started to photograph many years ago were the Azalias of the next door neighbours. They had so many varieties that cascaded over the front suburban fence. The colours were superb. My besties Azalias have been a wonderful splash of colour around her garden. The deep pink flowers are lovely. One of the surprises when taking photos is the unexpected bits that are in and around the flowers.
This flower was hidden inside the same bush as the pink one above.
The red Azalias are such a stand out in the garden.
The Irises are dotted through the garden not being showy but adding a bit to the shape and form in the garden. It also is the home for a small spider.
The lillies come in a range of colours. I love these ones.
The yellow Day Lilies bring that end of the spectrum to the garden as they stand tall in the sunshine.
The undersides are just as impressive.
The Nastursiums are just starting to appear. I love their colours and shapes as the sit low in the garden trailing over rocks, logs and borders.
The Pentas are wonderful as so many little flowers gather together in a ball of colour.
These flowers like to look at what is going on at ground level. The little bells cluster together.
This is such a tight ball of very small flowers that have such a lovely scent as you brush past.
The orchids are out now as well. Again, this flower is so small as it spikes out from the plant with it’s almost see through petals.
Walking about, it is always good to look up. The shapes colours and forms of the Foam Bark leaves are great.
A good discovery walk wouldn’t be complete without a fungi find. I have never seen a pink fungi before, have you?
The fire has been lit, giving its colours that always surprise.
Or the swirling shapes where you can see so many different things. What can you see?
Looking deep inside the fire.
The Moon was smiling that night. A glowing grin in the sky.
Well it’s time to sweep and tidy up before I get going. See you next time OK
“Limitless undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe”
