Walking Squares #6 – Flowers, butterflies and a road block

Becky’s #WalkingSquares

This morning I set off to walk down the road my road runs off. Sunday is good as there won’t be much traffic especially gravel truck and logging trucks plus folk going to and from town. I saw a few dark clouds gathering. I hoped it wasn’t going to rain as I intended walking as far as I could. There are a lot of photos, sorry, so I guess we better walk this way.

Looking down the road as I leave the gate, seeing the dark clouds of an overcast day. Undaunted I still head off

Of course a walk to the end of the road would require a few stops. These yellow native flowers grow out the front of my neighbours. Tiny about 10mm in diameter so how small is the grasshopper on the flower at the rear

These are popping up everywhere at the moment. I have some that appeared in my gardens

Have to love purple grass seed heads. A breeze blew up just I was about to take a photo. They just wavered about for ages and I have a fair bit of walking to do.

The tree on the left is the streets guardian tree. A huge Red Ironbark. The fence beside it is about four feet tall so you can do the calculations, I have walking to do.

Before leaving the street, I say goodbye to the old tree man, who keeps an eye on things. His weather worn face, tired eyes and bulbous nose with that crooked mouth has seen many things.

Not far around the corner is a cattle grid. The only tricky part of the walk. Look right to the end of what you can see. Yep, that’s where we’re heading

Here is the road block. An Eastern Grey Kangaroo. It’s a young male surveying the scene. He didn’t seen to care when I kept walking and he kept hopping up the road towards me. I stopped to see what he would do. I took a few steps scuffing my feet on the gravel and he looked up as though he had seen me for the first time, and he sped off into the bush. Last thing I needed today was to be attacked by a Kangaroo because we got too close to one another.

The floods and rain have caused a couple of deep erosion gullies. The old fence posts look like they didn’t stand a chance. The grass in the foreground is the edge of what’s left of the road.

An attempt at erosion repair work mainly to stop the head-cut eroding back and collapsing the road.

Well we’re at the top of the hill and I don’t want to go further so looking back at the road back home

The Spotted Gums are losing their bark, making shapes. You can see the dimples on the trunk that give it it’s name.

Looks like someone missed recycle bin day.

All the time I have been walking, I have heard a few birds, about six or seven different birds, have seen a couple of Noisy Friarbirds fly across the road but not any others. We are not far now. The turn-off to my road is at the end of the photo

I am not far from the turn-off and suddenly there are lots of butterflies. The sun has come out and it is warm. A Wanderer on a Lantana flower

A new butterfly for me. An Imperial Hairstreak. This one was so intent on grooming, it paid me no mind. If I was that butterfly, I wouldn’t mind the Imperial part but hairstreak. That’s almost as bad as a Dingy Ringlet

Almost to the front gate and there were a number of Australian Painted Lady Butterflies hovering and landing on the ground as they seem to like doing

OK have you got this far with a bit of a song to get through? Are you a bit weary after the hills? Well that was a four kilometre round trip almost exactly to the metre.

Cee’s FOTD

Let’s go for a drive

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #203: Local Vistas

Everyone ready. Get comfortable. Put some music on

OK, turn left out of the gate and down the road

Turn left and head down to Lilydale

Go past the Ospreys nest

Yes someone has to open the gate

and here we are at Lilydale. Want to go for a quick swim?

Back in the car we rattle over the old wooden bridge and are soon at Cangi

It is rather peaceful and a good place to grab a bit to eat

Back onto the highway and head up the Gibraltar Range

First stop is always at the Raspberry Lookout

Where we will find native wildflowers like these Paper Daisies

or other native flowers with Blue-banded Bees

and perhaps a Nobbi Lizard sun baking on the rocks

among the yellow Paper Daisies

Just a bit further up the road is Washpool National Park where the first stop is Granite Rocks

and then further into the valley and into the rainforest where the giants live

Time to head for home back down the highway

and down the road to home

Through the gate

and time for a cup of tea

Lines and shadows

Friendly Friday Challenge: Leading Lines
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #198: Light and Shadow

Why put both challenges together? I found a lot of my photos have both elements. Some of these may be placed into one or the other but some a well into both challenges.

I think I will go with a theme within the challenge themes. I haven’t mentioned leading lines in the descriptions but I am sure you will pick those photos among the light and shadow ones.

Starting with sunsets which make great light and shadows

Staying with artificial light play and shadows

and just some sunlight used in different ways. For indoors

and outside

Get some perspective

Becky’s Square Photo Challenge: Past Squares

Don’t Think I have delved into the #PerspectiveSquare yet, so why not.

Looking at Blue Ginger Flowers with a Blue-banded Bee scrunched in for a snack

My front fence

Looking down the road from my front gate

I know, don’t play with matches

Across a misty paddock

An Australian Pelican and his reflection

One to test your eyes

Your favourite Lines & Squares

Becky’s Square Photo Challenge: Past Squares

These are your favourites based on likes and comments from #lines&squares the October 2019 Square Challenge.

The first one is the most surprising as there are a few better ones than a couple of bits of pink tape around a tree.

This was the first Lines and Squares post

So many people loved the shadows across the road

This was the absolute favourite. The cows from the dairy next door to my besties heading off to the milking shed.

Straight lines in a square

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Straight Lines
Becky’s Square Photo Challenge October: Past Squares

As this is Cee’s photo challenge as well as Becky’s, I’ll throw in a few unsquare straight lines.

It’s all a bit burlywood

Sunday Still Monthly Colour Challenge: Walking in a Burlywood World

OK Hands up who knows what burlywood is? Well it appears that it is one of those colours that just is…..nothing that makes it stand out, a kind of tan of sorts. This is the sample Terri gave us

color challenge burlywood

I think I have variations but trying to find an exact match is proving difficult. What do you think? Did I get close enough?

Going round the bend

The Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: The Bend

Which bend are you going to take?

May as well have a singalong as we go. Everyone should know this one