Welcome to the wrap up of my November. It was a rather weird month for me, full of ups and downs. I didn’t take that many photos. Of course this is also part of The Changing Seasons. The details are at the end of this post.
The month was one of change. The first two weeks were almost constant rain, then the rain stopped and the sun came out. Almost overnight the ground dried and the grass started to turn brown, trees started dropping leaves and plants in the garden didn’t take long to droop.
So let’s get going into my November Tale and please enjoy a song while you have a look at my November
I’ll start with the best of #WalkingSquares as most of my photos were for Becky. These photos are the ones that you commented on.
The following photos are others that I set aside for my November wrap. I hope you enjoy these as well
I was pleased to see one of the Red-necked Wallabies in the garden with an over sized pouch. The little one didn’t poke its head out though.
I love how these berries change colour from almost white when they first appear to purple to a dark blue. Lots of birds like them. Not sure of the name of the bush they belong to
There were lots of what I think are Pink Fingers flowers in the garden. They enjoyed the wet first part of November
Native Frangipanni flowers added a lovely scent to the air especially in the morning and afternoon. The flowers start white and as they age, they turn yellow.
The Giant Salvia flowered quite well. Undoubtedly due to the rain. The plants grew to over three metres!!!
I went to the Granite Lookout as I heard the Waratahs were flowering. I wasn’t disappointed. There was splashed of red everywhere at the lookout.
Along the track, the White Tall Everlasting Paper Daisies were flowering everywhere
Meanwhile in Grafton, the Jacaranda Festival was in full swing. I love the contrast of the purple flowers against the grey leaden sky. The day I went in to see the festivities it poured with rain as I arrived and after escaping to a cafe for a coffee, the rain had gone
The flowers after a rainstorm are strewn over everything. Even the vintage cars on display didn’t escape
Can you see the VW Beetle reflected on the VW Kombi?
As I was looking at the cars, a Magpie suddenly appeared and was chasing a beetle (not the car type) and managed to get a snack right in front of me
After the rain had gone the weather warmed up for the last two weeks of November bringing the flies out. This must be the shiniest fly I have ever seen.
A monthly wrap up wouldn’t be the same without an Eastern Yellow Robin making an appearance. I love how they sit on the trunk of a tree. One of my favourite birds in my garden.
In late October I could hear the Wonga Pigeons call in the bush. One day one strolled through the garden.
When the weather warmed up, the Dragonflies seemed to be everywhere.
Well the sun is going down after a stormy day so I better get going.
As usual I must ask if you had a favourite photo.
About The Changing Seasons
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 to this post, so that Ju-Lyn can update it with links to all of yours.
It was a town day today, new tyres on my car and shopping. While waiting for my tyres, I went for breakfast. Too engrossed in eating plus the lighting was terrible, no breakfast photos but a breakfast burger and cafe hit the spot. Brekkie burger – bacon, eggs, baby leaf spinach and aioli.
Here’s your song as you wander with me. Another Aussie classic written by Ian Moss who is a Grafton local.
Turn right and the next shop is the most wonderful Florist, Bonnies. I often just stand in the doorway and take in all the floral scents. Doesn’t Bonnie have a sense of style in presentation, the small bench, a ladder and the flowers looking a treat.
Down the road a bit there was an old gate. I love these styles of gates
A bit further on, taking a short cut past the tennis club, I saw bright spots of orange so I had to have a closer look. The Ixora bush was covered in orange flower balls
Next to the tennis courts is Ellem Oval, the main cricket pitch in Grafton, waiting for a good rolling
Yes the Jacaranda trees are still in flower
As are the Flame Trees (hence the relevance of the song) I love the red against the purple
But it can’t last forever. Now there are carpets of red……
…..and carpets of purple. In a few weeks time all that will be left are stragglers who decided to flower after everyone else has shown their full glory and will be bereft of blossoms.
Another month of rainy days, at one point it rained every day for just over a week. I did manage to get out and grab a few photos but most are from home. There is quite a number as I just couldn’t whittle it down any more.
A it is Spring there are lots of flowers and of course the birds are coming into the warmth of the North Coast. There has been a few new sightings, some of which have been posted already like the Masked Bee. I had a bit of trouble finding the names of a lot of the new things I found but will name the ones I know.
I hope you enjoy your October song to listen to while you scroll through my October
As the month went on, clouds appeared. This one is a great one for those of us who see shapes and faces
Sometimes when the sky was clear and blue I walked about always looking around when the resident Square-tailed Kite was circling over my place
As the month went on the clouds increased making wonderful shapes against the blue sky
When the rain came there was always the opportunity for rain drop photos
Spider webs with tiny water drops is always a favourite
I love the perfectness of webs. This one had a rainbow effect which is only faintly seen in the photo. All of the following spiders are about 20mm in size so no need to be frightened of their beauty.
Sometimes the spiders just seemed to hang in space with no visible support
Just as I took this photo that small brown leaf, at the bottom of the photo, dropped onto the web. The speed in which the spider went to investigate was amazing
I found this weird little lump scuttling around the plants leaves in the garden, hence the blurriness of the photo. A spider with a unique defence mechanism to deter predators, he is called a Bird-dropping Spider. When I went to find the actual name I put in Bird Poo Spider which I think is more fun.
I think may be the first time I have photographed a butterfly from underneath with the sun behind. It is a Brown Ringlet which when view from above is a dark brown with two yellow spots on the edge of the wings
Another new insect in my garden. A Colourful Broad-headed Bug which are sort of related to Assassin Bugs
A Dingy Skipper Butterfly hanging around on a Hoya flower
Even though it had rained in the morning, when the rain stopped the bees came out for a quick flower investigation. This bee disappeared right up into the Salvia flower and I waited for ages for it to back out.
The Bottlebrush trees have been continuously flowering for a lot of this year. I actually found new flowers on another Bottlebrush this morning. The bees were a loud buzz around the garden when the sun was out
Of course the Honeyeaters love Bottlebrush nectare as well. The little Yellow-faced Honeyeaters have been around the garden for most of this year
Of course when I was wanting a photo of a bird on the Lilli Pilli flowers I couldn’t get one. Then the Brown Honeyeaters arrived in October and found the Lilli Pilli flowers
The Scarlet Honeyeaters have been here since September and this was their favourite Bottlebrush tree. This shows the size of the Scarlet Honeyeater compared to the size of the Bottlebrush flowers
Leaden Flycatchers are a common Springtime visitor to the garden
Laughing Kookaburras are always here with their waking up and end of day calls. I love how this one is just sitting on the post. Judging by the full looking crop, I would say he has had a good feed and it letting the food settle before going on the hunt again.
A pair of Spangled Drongos arrived for their Spring residence. I hope they found a good nesting spot this year
You can see why the are Spangled Drongos, such beautiful feathers
The number of Red-Necked Wallabies in the garden has declined over the years. This female seems to be one who stays around in the bush and visits often. I suspect the neighbours next door are feeding the Wallabies hence their lack of coming here.
I am sure this is her mother with the damaged ear who also hangs around
Enough of my place. We found this bull just resting in the front paddock of a house. At first we thought it was a big dog as we drove past. Isn’t he handsome
Spring time brings new leaves. These ones unfurl with a light pink and then turn bright red before becoming green
The Dendrobium Yukidaruma Orchid looked lovely cascading down the pot on the front verandah
The Daisies lit up the garden
As did the Gerberas
The scent of Jasmin filled the air
I bought a selection of miniature Geraniums for the garden. I have to be quick to see the flowers as either Wallabies or Possums like them as well. It looks like they will need little fences.
This year the tiny Drimiopsis maculata, a bulb from South Africa. I had a few in a pot and when I re-potted some of the small outer bulbs dropped off and now I have a few patches of plants in the garden. I can see why it is sometimes called Little White Soldiers
This has been the finest year for the Canna Lillies. Most of the plants are taller than me this year.
All of the Bromiliads flowers this Spring as well. This is probably a Neoregelia compacta Bromiliad
The Common Hovea have appeared for the first time in the garden although they are in the bush around the house.
The Tree Bauhinias flowers are quite spectacular this Spring. The plant has more flowers than before
There is a little pond at the Grafton Art Gallery and the Cape Water Lillies are starting to flower. This is a phone photo
I love the White Dogwood flowers, sometimes called Rice Flower. The road to my place is lined with lots of white flowers. I have a few growing on my place
Another Dogwood, this time a Yellow Dogwood or Jacksonia scoparia. Another favourite tree which is covered in yellow flowers in Spring
I found this flower growing on the side of the road. I don’t know what it is called but it is quite pretty with its composite flowers. Must be small spiders in there as well with haphazard webs
I love Yellow Buttons as well. They are growing all over my place and I am yet to try and transplant some into my garden. I didn’t notice this one had some sort of insect on it. The yellow ball flowers are about 5mm in diametre so whatever that insect is, is rather tiny as well.
I did mention that it is Jacaranda time in Grafton, my nearest town. The streets are lined in purple and the grouns will be covered in a carpet of purple as well soon.
The red of Flame Tree flower look rather spectacular against the purple of Jacarandas
I love the purple against the blue sky
Did you know there are White Jacarandas as well. There are a few planted around town
While out spotting White Jacarandas, I saw a Magpie gathering nesting materials
Native Frangipani, Hymenosporum flavum, flowers have different stages. They are a greenish at first, then turn white and then yellow. They are small flowers and what the have in common with other Frangipanis is their scent.
The flowers also do water drops quite well
Another plant that has great water drop potential are Elkhorn Ferns. Their strap like leaves are perfect for holding water drops
One afternoon there was an orange glow shining into the house. I grabbed my camera and went to see what the sky was doing. I managed to get a bit of the sky and clouds and then had to turn around because
behind me the sky was purple and I could see a faint rainbow through the trees. Not long after the rain came pelting down again.
I see you are still with me. I hope you enjoyed a scroll through my October. As always, I like to know if you had a favourite photo
About The Changing Seasons
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.
The Jacaranda Trees are starting get their purple hue in Grafton. The Annual Jacaranda Festival will be in full swing in a few weeks. By the end of October there will be carpets of purple on the ground.
The streets will be full of purple flowers, avenues of Jacarandas. The town will be full of tourists from all over the world, mainly from Japan who just love a floral festival.
I am quite late with my wrap up for Changing Season for October. Lots has happened and but nothing significant. A lack of rain meant a lot of garden watering but when it did rain it was welcomed by everyone. Managed to do a bit of driving around having a look here and there. The garden looked good when the Hippesatrums flowered adding a splash of colour. Some of the seasonal birds have dropped in, some have stayed, some have kept going to another destination.
Here’s a bit of Aussie rock hoping for a bit of rain. I don’t know if you’ll need a drink and snacks but you could always have some handy just in case. Hit play and start scrolling. If Dragon aren’t to your taste, scroll back up and hit pause or stop.
OK The Sun is up so lets get going. Sunrise at my besties
The fog, the shed and trees next door in the morning
Some mornings everyone is awake early, just singing in the sunrise. Brown Honeyeaters are quite loud for their size.
So are Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. It was a foggy morning at home and sometimes you could hear a bird but not see them.
In the Ponytail Palm, the Willie Wagtails have made a nest. At the moment there are three babies.
Down at the beach a Sooty Oystercatcher takes a stroll past a disinterested Silver Gull
I love these little vertical birds. White-throated Treecreepers start at the bottom of a tree and just hop up and around the tree looking for insects living in the bark. I recently found out that the red spot under the eye means it is a female.
Here is the better one of the Satin Bower Bird and the pear. Much better than my October Last on the Card
At this time of year the Spangled Drongos arrive in the garden.
There is always someone checking out the available real estate. We were out for a walk and on the way I spotted some Rainbow Lorikeets on a big old Spotted Gum. They were inspecting the trees hollows to see if was a move in ready or if someone else already owns the space.
The Leaden Flycatchers were here for a few weeks in October. They don’t stay still for long
The Eastern Rosellas are always lovely to see.
After one of the irregular down pours, a Pied Currawong looked none too pleased……
…….neither did the Australian Raven
No one seems to mind if you hang out your washing when you’re at the beach. The other Darter just looks the other way while the Pied Cormorant tends to his own laundry.
While further along the Evans Head Breakwall an Eastern Water Dragon did a good impression of an Iguana
At my besties we were heading out for the day and the regular Koala to her place was just sitting beneath a tree and then he hopped up the tree a little way
Isn’t she pretty? A young Red-necked Wallaby who comes into my garden regularly. She doesn’t have a Joey or should I say a big Joey yet. Her pouch was flat. When Joeys are born they weigh about two grams. They pop their heads out of the pouch at around six months.
Just a tree and bit of blue sky to segue into the plants and flower section
Looking at the cactus centre as they have just started their Spring spurt. Look sorta familiar. Which blogger has a similar photo as her header?
A view down the garden when the Hippeastrums in the wheelbarrow just dominated the garden colour
The Frangipannis in the garden are starting to shoot
In Grafton the Jacaranda trees are in full bloom, so are the Flame Trees
The Jacaranda flowers have so many shades of purple.
A shower of rain came though giving the cactus with the most fantastic flowers a lovely drink and a water drop display. You’ll have to wait for photos of the flower as they have only just bloomed. Drop by for Macro Monday next week the 8th as there will be an open flower.
The Orange Hippeastrums where starting to bud at the end of October
Getting this photo of a white Daisy and a tiny Ghost Crab Spider, I took quite a lot from all angles. I wrote a post called What do you think? which generated so much traffic, in fact one of my most “popular” posts with 223 views and 124 likes 110 comments. The post was about whether I should delete or keep a photo of the Daisy and spider from another angle completely, as I am trying to be ruthless about keeping some photos that really should go.
On the way to my besties along The Summerland Way, the Coreopsis is flowering and the wind was blowing.
and the flowers stretched out along the side of the road. The background is a forestry pine forest that was burnt in the horrible 2019 statewide fires. Some tree are recovering while others have died. The understory are Eucalypts growing where they used to grow before the pine plantations. Some trees love fire to germinate the seeds that have been stored in the ground for years.
Many years ago there were Impatiens plants in garden beds at the front of my house. I have since removed those garden beds. This year all of these plants have sprung up all around the place with lovely flowers but not necessarily in the garden bed they were planted originally.
Going for a walk at Evans Head we were lucky to find some Flannel Flowers still growing. One of my favourite Australian Native Flowers.
A few days before a Full Moon, Our Moon was around in the early afternoon
I love it when the sunset is so good from my besties place in a spot we call Sunset Hill, the highest part of her place. My favourite is capturing these four trees that are a long way in the distance
Here is the same sunset a while later on from lower down in the yard. The tree and fence posts on the right hand side is Sunset Hill
I do hope you enjoyed a scroll thought my October. Any favourites?
4TheRecord is dedicated primarily to Ausmusic from all eras and most genres, we will explore the dynamics of the creative process, and reveal the great drama, lyricism, musicality, and emotion behind each classic song.
bushboys world 