This is the first time I have participated in Kate’s Three Way Photo Challenge. I forgot to add in the original post that I use PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2022 by Corel as my photo editing software.
Here is the original. An old farmhouse in the bush. It is probably over one hundred years old. This house hasn’t been occupied for a few years now. I always look forward to seeing it when I travel to Tenterfield and hope one day that someone has taken her to their heart like me and has renovated her to once more become a home.
One of my favourite effects – Selective Colour, using red as the main colour to catch another of my favourite things to photograph, rust.
This effect is called Coloured Pencil. I like the effect this gives to structures
I haven’t used this effect before but thought it was appropriate. It is called Time Machine and converts images to how photos appeared at a specific time. This effect is probably from when the house was built. The time I chose is 1839
I wonder where May went. I seem to have spent a bit of time at home doing a bit of gardening, trying to get on with shed projects and doing things at my besties place. We went for drives every weekend to various places enjoying the wonderful Autumn weather we have here on the North Coast. Every day was in the low to mid 20’sC and mostly sunny.
Your May song to listen to as you scroll having a look at what my May was like in photos. There is another song break further along as well.
It’s Autumn and some trees are starting to colour, mainly exotic trees such as this Maple in the sunset
Nature likes to reclaim its place. A fig making itself at home among the brick work.
One day the little fig might grow to be like this wonderful specimen growing in Grafton, Aren’t the roots shapes wonderful?
The Fig tree had a face
Speaking of shapes, this fence and hedge in Grafton have always made me wonder about the skill of the hedger.
While on the walkabout in Grafton I went around the back of a church and found the old bell which used to be in the bell tower on the ground. I love the mossy green and patina.
The moss on another church in Grafton gave the bricks a bit of character.
As did the moss and lichen on the church roof
I love the green colour on this old trunk
A bit of fun I found in a town called Mallanganee on the way to Tenterfield
A bit about the following photos in song
The old building is a museum to George Woolnough and the world of a saddler. Unfortunately it was shut when I was there.
Peter Allens shoes and maracas in the window
You may have read about the mouse plague in Australia. I don’t have a lot but catch between one and seven a night. I made this one to put in the pantry when I am away as I don’t want to come home to mice in the other traps. It works OK and have caught a few. This was the test run photo.
I managed to catch one in the shed. they go up the “ramp” to the peanut butter, the swing top tidy flips them into the water in the bottom.
Enough of the gruesome. The Lilli Pilli trees have flowered and the fruits are setting.
Some flowering Eucalypts are having their last go before Winter
The Nodding Violets have been flowering non stop all year.
This is the Grevillea that is a rescue plant which flowered for the first time this year. I posted a close up of the flower for Cee’s FOTD a week or so ago.
One day trip was to Shannon Creek Dam. There is a short, 1.5km, walk where the senses were suddenly assailed by a sweet honey smell. A few small trees covered in tiny white flowers were amazing to see.
I did a bit of a drive around the lower Clarence Valley mainly to find a few birds and other things for the various photo challenges. In a town, Maclean, I came across some gardens with some lovely Autumn flowers like this Tibouchina Perhaps it is purple enough for Judes Life in Colour
I was going to put this one in as well but I didn’t think it purple enough
The Banksias have almost finished flowering for the year. Here is the one on the right almost gone and the one under the yellow flower has opened its little mouth like seed pods.
There are many Australian flowers that are tubular with long protruding styles arranged in cylindrical spikes like the Banksia above and this Bottlebrush which the Eastern Spinebills find quite delicious. (Photographed from my verandah)
One morning, the Bar-shouldered Doves had a meeting at the water bowl to discuss what to do for the day.
The pigeons practiced social distancing on the church roof in Grafton.
I was quite pleased to discover that the Magpie Geese hadn’t left the small wetland in Grafton to migrate north for the Winter
Just off the Highway near Grafton I saw a Black Swan. I stopped the car and walked back only to be given the stink-eye. He wasn’t pleased to see me as I was to see him.
The Brown Honeyeater was looking about for a snack
In Tenterfield about five Eastern Rosellas landed in the pine trees in the afternoon. Perhaps they roost there at night. I was being ignored by this one.
The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were the dominant birds in the garden chasing the other Honeyeaters out until the Blue-faced Honeyeaters turned up a few days ago.
I went to a Landcare site in Tyndale. I was at the official opening of the site with the other organisations who sponsored or supplied labour about twelve years ago and wanted to see how the work had progressed. Unfortunately the ground was quite boggy so I didn’t get to walk around but did hear a White-headed Pigeon in the tree above me.
At Lawrence I stopped at a wetland where there were a few birds resting except the White-faced Heron who was wandering about looking for dinner.
One afternoon on my way home, I made a detour through Waterview Heights and was surprised to see the small dam still had a large flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks, many of whom were sleeping but a few were on guard duty
Most of the month the songs of the Golden Whistlers could be heard. A curious female Golden Whistler watched as I was in the garden.
Another installment of “Why I can’t have nice things” The King Parrots don’t mind coming onto the verandah and having a snack on the plants in the hanging pots.
Nearly every morning an Eastern Yellow Robin lands in the tree in the garden and inspects the garden for something to eat. This photograph is from my office while sitting in the chair at the computer.
Usually in May lovely little Rose Robins visit my garden. This year I could hear them but didn’t see them except this young one or a female who sat long enough for me to grab a quick photo.
I guess you are a bit weary, so lets head off into the sunset.
This photo was taken about thirty minutes after the one above. Another Purple for Jude?
I almost forgot about the Blood Moon. Managed to get a few OK photos though.
Thanks for getting to the end. Did you have a favourite photo? See you next month.
The Iris I discovered in a garden in a town we visited last weekend, Tenterfield. It is a town on the Tablelands not far from mine or my besties place. There were some flowers in the gardens but the weather is turning a bit cooler and up on the tablelands it is much cooler than here. When we left home it was 22C, reaching Tenterfield it was 16C with a cool wind blowing.
Some flowers were still blooming while some had had their show.
OK. This is the first go at using the editor for my monthly wrap-up. I usually write about the photos before the image and now I may have to use captions. I reckon you should know what the image is before you see it not after, especially for those who follow my blog and are a bit “wary” of my spiders and snakes. I like to put in a warning. Loading the images individually would solve this but it may be time consuming, we’ll see anyway.
May was the last of Autumn and I did get out and about as this is a lovely time of year here, not too hot and the Winters chill hasn’t fully arrived. Many flowers are blooming and some on the wane. There are the usual birds still around and haven’t departed for warming climates and the Winter birds are yet to arrive.
Maybe I should start with the misty mornings that are part of the landscape.
I bet you are wondering about Joey and how he’s been getting on, so let’s visit him and Mum first on a wet morning.
There is also another new Joey in the garden
The birds – Tiny, the King Parrot, was still around in May with his partner
A Peaceful Dove having a stretchThe Cuban Royal Palms at my Besties are flowering and the Rainbow Lorikeets a loving the flowersThe Grey Shrike Thrush has a lovely song and sings every morning in the garden. Here on the verandah rail making sure I am up and aboutSometimes Kookaburras fluff up and seem quite fatWhite-throated Treecreepers are always around hopping up and down the trees looking for insects under the barkThe berries almost match the Satin Bowerbirds eye colourHis Bower is still going and looks quite well constructed. I hope the female Bowerbirds like his effortsSometimes you have to get into difficult positions to get a snack. A Blue-faced Honeyeater hanging onGoing for our morning walk at my Besties, there are lots of birds along the roadside vegetation. Red-backed Wrens flashing about attract my attentionThe Golden Whistlers are around still and the female is often in the gardenThe Eastern Yellow Robin is a frequent visitor to the garden. One of my favourite birdsThe first of the Winter visitors, the Eastern Spinebill has arrivedCheeky Eastern Rosellas are in my besties garden chatting away in the treesAnother of the birds on our walk is Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. This one is eyeing off the seeds for breakfastThe latest ones to be on the edge of the road are Double Barred Finches. These two are deep in conversationIt was a surprise to see a White-breasted Sea Eagle on the tree. He kept a wary eye on us as we walked along the roadThe Magpie was having a lovely song on a tree top in Tenterfield when we were there. The Magpie Lark, or Pee Wee didn’t seem to enjoy the song as much as us
The insects are slowing down although there are still some Butterflies about. A selection from my place and my Besties
A Blue Tiger Butterfly finding a comfortable spot on the Bottlebrush flowerScarlet Jezebels are everywhere in May A small spiders web glistened in the sunlightA St Andrews Cross Spider with a snack and only half of the cross completed on the webThe Orchard Swallowtail Butterflies caterpillar on the Lemon Tree. They love citrus leavesA Common Crow having a restwhile this Common crow had found the Bottlebrush flowers. The bees didn’t like sharing and soon buzzed off the butterflyI think this may be a Bee Fly on one of the last Zinnia flowers of MayA Butterfly playing peek-a-boo over a Frangipanni leaf in the garden
Speaking of flowers, I did manage to capture a couple of blooms in my Besties garden as there was a bit more rain at her place than at mine. I don’t have many flowers in my garden.
I have never had a Coleus flower before. An interesting flowerThe Begonia has been flowering ever since I bought it home.The Honey Gem Grevillea with rain drops that looked like diamonds
Here is the random images found while in Tenterfield, a town about 150kms from my place in the tablelands.
Love this old house. Someone actually still lives in thereNo matter how hard I pushed……Looking back at Tenterfield on the way home
Sometimes Red-necked Wallabies are quite dainty eaters
I love finding Koalas when we go for a walk. This Koala did wake up and wonder what we were doing chatting away while it was trying to sleep
The Sunset on the way home from Tenterfield was rather special. Amazing reds and oranges. This was the afternoon I captured the Raven at sunset one of my favourite photos for May
Our Moon is up so I better get going.
Hope you enjoyed a stroll through my May. Did you have a favourite image? This did take a bit longer than usual and I couldn’t jump around with the images as it was easier to do them in groups. Was the setting out ok and did it flow well enough for you? Thanks for the visit and see you again soon.
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