spider web

This is May 2019

Published on June 3, 2019 by bushboy29 Comments

Here we are to have a look at my May. I didn’t take many photos to add to this post that I haven’t already shared in some of the photo challenges I contributed to in May. Again the rainfall at my place was very sparse but some of the Australian Native plants had some flowers which received a water from the dwindling water supply in my dam. I have been trying to ensure that most plants in the garden survive by a bit of water every couple of days, hoping I can harden them off for Winter. The weather has been quite warm during the day – mid twenties and the nights were in the low teens so I think some plants may be a bit confused with warm Autumn days.

I don’t think you will need supplies to have a scroll through This is May 2019

Let’s get hopping
I don’t seem to take many photos of Kangaroos, so when some were in a nearby paddock when I was out, I just had to grab a photo. This male was quite wary of my and I made sure I didn’t venture too close as he may have thought I was a threat to his female and joey

The She Oaks or Casurinas with the seed pods and hanging leaves caught my eye as I was walking on my place.
A small shower of rain and the mosses and lichens appeared
My besties place had so much rain it didn’t seem fair. It did make for some great photo opportunities. The water drops like jewels on the spiders web one morning.
One afternoon the sunset lit up everything. The Bottlebrush flowers just seem to glow

May was the last huge flowering of the lovely red Hibiscus in the garden

The sunset, a leaden sky and a red flowering gum.

The tiny Stingless Native Bees loved the Echinacea flowers. Look how full her pollen sacs are!

The little Grass Dart Butterfly was almost hidden among the flowers

The Eggfly Butterflies love the Zinnias

As did the bees
Water drops on leaves is a must photo opportunity
One foggy morning, the old shed on the property next door looked quite spooky
While walking about my place, I heard just one slight screech and the sound of crunching. I finally saw the Glossy Black Cockatoos in the She Oak enjoying a snack of seeds high up in the tree.
While further down the track, the Bowerbirds have made a new Bower decorated with blue stuff from all around the neighbourhood. Perhaps a blue peg of mine has gone missing but the rest of the treasures I don’t know where they came from.
Every afternoon at my besties, there is a fly over of Cattle Egrets and Ibis as they head off to roost
Most days the Wedged-tailed Eagles are riding the currents high in the sky
A great first for me was finding a small flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins as we drove down a lane near my besties. They certainly had a good selection of seeds to choose from.

Bare trees and sunset is another must try and get a photo opportunity.

Speaking of sunsets, May had so many wonderful sunsets I had to whittle down the pile into just a few. The red tinged grey clouds looked wonderful
Some sunsets were orange

Some sunsets had could formations I have never seen before. They were like lumps hanging below the other clouds

A grass seed and subset, who could resist
Sunset…….bare trees………the black and red won me over.

OK here we are at the end. See I told you it was a short month compared to the mammoth efforts you ave gone through in previous months.
Thanks for taking time to have a look at my world.
Did you have a favourite photo?

Patterns

Published on May 19, 2019May 19, 2019 by bushboy6 Comments

The Ragtag Saturday Prompt: Patterns

This is April 2019

Published on May 2, 2019May 1, 2019 by bushboy15 Comments

Well hello and welcome to my world in April. What started out as an uninspired photography month suddenly came alive at the end. I was thinking that I would have to tell you that a quick flick and scroll was all that was needed earlier in April. I have included a number of photos of the same subject as I couldn’t pick the one that satisfied my desire to give you something that was a wow or hmmmm that’s interesting.

A lack of rain at the beginning of the month probably assisted my malaise and desire to get out and about. With a lack of rain also brings about a lack of insects, birds and the garden suffered. I did a bit of travelling around so there is some things I found from other parts of New South Wales.

I have put some of the April finds in other blogs. Some are repeated here but I have excluded others to make your checking out a bit less time consuming. So I do recommend a good cuppa or drink of choice as a lot of you are either sitting up late or just having breakfast. This is what makes blogging so good that you may be in any part of this world and I can show you a bit of mine. Enough blah blah blah, let’s get going if you are ready.

May as well start at sunrise

One foggy morning while at a friends place in Springwood, the sounds of a helicopter broke the morning silence.
We are going to stay in Springwood for a while. We went to the Norman Lindsay Gallery and studio. The grounds were full of sculptures including these ones. Norman Lindsay wrote a book called the Magic Pudding in 1918 The story is about a pudding no matter how often it is eaten, always reforms in order to be eaten again. This is Albert, the Magic Pudding.

Bunyip Bluegum, the Koala, and Benjamin Brandysnap plus Sam Sawnoff and other animals and people who own the pudding have to defend the pudding from being stolen by Pudding Thieves who want it for them selves

Part of one of the sculpture/fountains

My friends garden is quite spectacular. There were some butterflies like the Blue Triangle Butterfly who is a bit ragged resting on a Zinnia.
It did rain a bit while we were there putting water droplets on the Pelargonium
An Eastern Spinebill enjoyed the Grevilleas

So did the New Holland Honeyeater. A very striking bird.
Had to include a side view
I really like this capture so in it came.

The cooler weather of the mountains hadn’t quite began so the fungi were still about

I like Hydrangeas. This was a small flower head but has delicate colours.

Now for a bit of the flowers at my place as the sporadic rain over the past couple weeks bought out some Autumn flowers, like this Camellia

This red Hibiscus is from a cutting of my childhood home, one of my Mothers favourites.
All around the garden Impatiens self seed and they pop up in many places
Over at my besties place the Zinnias are a riot of colour
The Echinacea had it’s petals eaten by a grasshopper probably but the centre caught my eye.
A post with flowers would be the same without Pentas flowers and a Blue-banded Bee
Bees aren’t the only pollinator. A beautiful iridescent fly helps a Zinnia along
At The Channon Markets (a Which Way a while ago) a stall had Pitcher plants

in all manner of colour and shape

While on the way home from the markets, we stopped off at Rocky Creek Dam (a Silent Sunday post and the Featured Image taken with my phone) where the water lillies looked fabulous

I loved their reflections

While we are around the water, A Broad-palmed Rocket Frog likes to hang around the pot plants on my front verandah

I am not sure what this small flower is. It was growing on the small dune at the beach.
My besties Red Eucalypt is starting to flower possibly a Corymbia ficifolia.
While at the beach last weekend, yes a almost Summers day in Autumn around 28C, I came across some Small Grass Yellow Butterflies

While we are at the beach, here are some views. We climbed among the dunes to get to Broadwater Beach. In the distance, looking south, is Chinamans Beach where we often go.

The north view. The disappointing thing is the wheel tracks made by (*insert appropriate word) people who drive their stupid four wheel drive oversized pieces of junk along this beach. As you enter the walking track, there is a sign that tells you that there are protected birds who nest on the sand plus the other creatures who live in the sand, crabs plus other microscopic beings and that us walkers don’t disturb the ecology but these dickheads barge their way along the sand. Look how deep those wheel tracks are!!! Sorry please enjoy the view.
The seas were quite big. This rocky part of the headland at Boulder Beach is about 4-5 meters high.
Can you see it now!!!
One of my favourite photos is Pelicans on the light poles. The bridge has four sets of lights and every one has Pelicans. The best spot is on the light itself where a boss male sits. Further towards the bendy end is a juvenile Pelican.

Upstream of the bridge, a couple of Pied Oystercatchers sat on the sand bar.

A Silver Gull was keeping an eye on the picnickers in the park in case a chip dropped onto the ground
A White-faced Heron came to Chinamans Beach looking for a seafood dinner

I loved finding the Sooty Oystercatchers at the beach. A post with more photos of Sooty Oystercatchers here in case you missed it.

I am not sure if it was the same White-faced Heron at Boulder Beach too.

The White-faced Heron and Sooty Oystercatcher didn’t get along and avoided each other.

The cliff face at Boulder Beach has what could be Ironstone in it. It certainly looked rusty

Now for a bit of reflection. Still with me?

Speaking of rust, one of my favourite things to photograph. This old door had some wonderful rusty bits
Isn’t the sliding lock marvellous?

While at the Farmers Market, I wondered why there seemed to be more cars than usual. There was the Annual Lismore Poultry Show on. Of course because I love chooks I had to go and have a walk around. Here are some of the chooks I found, some of the more unusual ones to say the least. I don’t know all of the breeds as some I have never seen before like this one who looks like it just got out of bed.

A fabulous hat
Lace Wyandottes are one of my favourite chooks, ever so pretty.
I don’t think I have ever seen such a fat chook and purple to boot!!!
Some feathers seem to have a life of their own

So alien

A rooster who kept an eye on what was going on
Speaking a Roosters. Prehistoric is the only word that comes to mind. I couldn’t get the whole chook in the photo

Ducks always make me smile

One morning at my besties there was a cacophony of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. The flock was around twenty who all were squawking as they flew about.

They all stopped in a tree on the hill a bit of a way away. The quality of the photos isn’t that good as it was early morning and the photos are hand held but I had to capture their antics in the trees.

I thought this one was going to do forward rolls.

OK it’s almost night time, our Moon is on the rise among the clouds
The Night Spider has spun it’s web near the light to catch an insects who come to the light.

The centre of the web is a bit ratty

Our Moon is looking lovely and shining a bright light so you can see your way home

I gotta go…..see you later I hope

April Photo a Day Challenge – Black and White

Published on April 24, 2019 by bushboyLeave a comment

The word prompt from Maria at CitySonnet: Black and White

I know it is a photo a day but I like to bend the rules a bit.

I like this spiders web in black and white

The lighting on the flower leant itself to black and white
One of my projects. Turning my bird photos into silhouettes

Raindrops

Published on April 15, 2019 by bushboy20 Comments

Another double photo challenge
VJ’s Weekly Photo Challenge #43: Rain
Amanda’s Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Raindrops

Published on April 10, 2019 by bushboy11 Comments

The April photo a day challenge from Maria at CitySonnet: Spider Web

So many spider webs. Pick your favourite

This is March 2019

Published on April 3, 2019 by bushboy19 Comments

What a month of differences. I had some good rainfalls in February but March became quite dry. The dam I use for watering the garden and use outside didn’t receive any run-off and is very low. I am in water conservation mode and back to watering the garden plants sparingly. The pot plants on the verandahs are getting the precious tank water. I have lost a number of my Begonias sadly. I have a number of plants of the same species and nothing has been lost altogether.

The coming of Autumn is usually a time to plant but as the same as last year, there isn’t the promise of rain and soil moisture. I have a number of plants that are now going to re-potted into bigger pots. The best thing is the sunsets this Autumn so this post has a number of sunsets as I couldn’t decide which ones to use.

I haven’t included the photos I have used in posts over the past few weeks, such as the Wedged-tailed Eagle having lunch on the side of the road. I have also put some in reserve for posts to be written later on.

There is a a good selection so maybe a cup of your favourite beverage, a snack and get comfortable to see some of the stuff I found in my world in March.

I was very privileged to be part of a smoking ceremony. A traditional Aboriginal welcome to their part of country. The leaves that were on the fire, Lemon Scented Gum, Cinnamon Gum and another type of eucalypt leaf I can’t remember.

We stood or sat around the circular fire pit. One of the most amazing part was we were told that the smoke would touch us all. They began playing a welcome tune and the smoke went in a spiral around the circle of people, the smoke touching everyone. Yes the hairs on my arms and neck stood, it was a magical moment.
The leaves had to be put on regularly to infuse the people and the moment which gave us a sense of being part of country.
One of the murals inside of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence where the NSW Landcare Forum was held

The city sunset

One afternoon, the sun was so yellow bathing the countryside giving an eerie glow to the Grass Tree sentinels that watch over my besties place.

I wish I had more time to explore Redfern its streets, houses and gardens. I love this ornate piece on a gate.

Back at my part of the world, I found a bit of rust.

One of the jardinieres in the front of a house

Meanwhile at the beach, the shadows on the sand caught my attention.

The colours of a Small Common Yellow Butterfly seemed to change as it sat on the lomandra.

My nighttime visitor who dropped in and commenced doing her laundry.

The early morning rain at my besties on a spiders web.

The water drops

While on the hunt for spiky things for Beckys March Square Photo Challenge, a purple Spider Orchid said pick me.

Another angle

Some Eucalypt flowers look spiky but are so soft

Purple flowers in the morning sun.
Another orchid found at the Lismore Farmers Market where we go most Saturdays for breakfast and get some produce from the growers.
The Desert Rose is also for sale at the Market

After not doing much, the rain came to my besties in March (but not my place) and the bean plants started to grow and flower.

This is the very first time I have seem coconuts growing on a tree.

Time for a few bird photos. The cute little Striated Thornbill enjoys dropping into to use the bird bath
OK….now we are back at the beach. The Crested Terns flew in and sat on the beach with us.

On Macleay Island, the Bush-stone Curlews had a young one.

Having a drive around we came across a family of Grey-crowned Babblers having a feed along the side of the road.
One afternoon the sky was filled with a cacophony of squawking Little Corellas, the most Little Corellas I have ever seen in one huge flock. There were hundreds.
The flock stretched across the sky in the afternoon sun.
I love the graceful Ibis as the soar overhead.

The Black Kites are always hovering and swooping at the waste facility.

A look at the steering mechanism on a Black Kite.
I am so happy that the Scarlet Honeyeaters are still around the garden at home.
It is always a treat to come across Eastern Rosellas
The rain at my besties has bought out the happy looking Green Tree Frogs.
On the drive around we came across an Eastern Grey Kangaroo and her Joey.

The morning sun on the pampas grass seed heads

The car ferry on the way to Macleay Island was soon overtaken by the catamaran ferry

It was a treat when the yacht owner put up the red sails

The sunset over the bay made the end of a busy day worthwhile.

The sunset on the water
The farmer next door ploughed and planted a paddock next to my besties place. When it was ready, he let the cows into the paddock. This cow certainly seemed to enjoy having a snack.
The calf kept a wary eye on me.

The calf at sunset.

Another fabulous sunset.

Another day, another sunset. This is the eastern sky

I think this was my favourite sunset of March

Probably my favourite sunset photo. Well the suns gone down…..

…..and our Moon is in the sky, so it’s time to go.

I hope you have a had a good time wandering about, sometimes a bit chaotic, in my world. The featured photo is one from Beckys photo challenge which a lot of people liked. Maybe you have a favourite photo too?