Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve - Morning walk

Kangaroo - always an early morning visitor

It's quite unusual for me to rise before my children, but I did so this morning.

My Dad is visiting and has been walking around our new neighbourhood each morning.

Today I decided I should join him, particularly as he spoke of heading to the Nature Park nearby.

We spent two hours wandering, chatting, taking in the sights, exploring nature and stopping to take in the finer details of many things through my camera.  The photos will tell much of our story.

Come enjoy a refreshing little walk with us through this reserve.

Everlasting Daisy

Cauliflower Bush - Cassinia ?

Cauliflower Bush - Cassinia aculeata (I believe)

It seems there's a natural spring here, my Dad thinks, 

or perhaps the water is flowing due to the excess rain we have had.

All in all it's a very pretty spot.

Next time I will bring my girls.

They will adore all the flowers,

and the kangaroos will be a treat for them also.

Floriade

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Celebrating with Red Roses

Each day, awakening, are we asked to paint the sky blue? Need we coax the sun to rise or flowers to bloom? Need we teach birds to sing, or children to laugh, or lovers to kiss? No, though we think the world imperfect, it surrounds us each day with its perfections. We are asked only to appreciate them, and to show appreciation by living in peaceful harmony amidst them. The Creator does not ask that we create a perfect world; He asks that we celebrate it.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Four roses from my four sweethearts celebrating the fact that in this imperfect world we live in,

 justice has been accorded us.  Yes, our case has been heard in our favour. Yay!  

Now we await restitution and pray it comes swiftly.  This is such a huge relief - words escape me.

We have all changed over this period of time.

Lessons have been learned.

One of the most important we want to share is this:

don't be pressured to settle for less, 

particularly when wrongs are being done,

action can be taken, 

justice can be carried out.

God holds us throughout this entire journey.

Blossoms and Birds

Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms.  ~Ikkyu Sojun

There are a number of things we are truly enjoying in our new, albeit temporary, home.

We enjoy a visit from a pair of Crimson Rosellas every afternoon.

They are enjoying foraging in the apricot tree blossoming in our back yard at the moment.

I was fortunate to be able to capture them this afternoon, 

so engrossed were they in the myriad blossoms.

They leave a carpet of blossoms under the tree, 

aided by the sulphur crested cockatoos, magpies and other friendly birds.

These delicate blossoms are full of romance.

The little dancing ladies here remind me of the dancers of a mystical Swan Lake, 

tiptoeing delicately upon a lake of snow and ice.

Then they are transformed into a most beautiful ballerina dressed delicately in a beautiful pink bodice with billowing white skirt, layering upon tassels of gold and silver.

The Apricot Blossom - 

the current delight of my heart

and joy of my days.

Sounds like my precious little girls really.

 ;)

For Eleanor Violet

Look at us, said the violets blooming at her feet, all last winter we slept in the seeming death but at the right time God awakened us, and here we are to comfort you. ~Edward Payson Rod

On the day we expected my new niece to be born a couple of seemingly insignificant things happened.

Until I knew the name of my precious new niece I did not make any connection with the fact that:

~ for the first time I noticed this lone violet blooming out my new back door, in a wintry dirt patch surrounded by mysterious bulb shoots, waiting to welcome Spring.

~ for the first time my little Eee picked me a bunch of the violet shade of pansies and violas blooming in our front yard.

They must have been for you,

our precious, dear, Eleanor Violet.

Happy Birthday Eleanor Violet

26 July 2011

With love,

All of us

xoxoxoxoxo

My Birthday Celebrations

In childhood, we yearn to be grown-ups. In old age, we yearn to be kids. It just seems that all would be wonderful if we didn't have to celebrate our birthdays in chronological order. ~Robert Brault

My birthday flower blossomed for me in full spendour as I anticipated here,

gifts from my cherubs, presented to me while still naked after my shower

(excitement and anticipation absolutely cannot be quelled and postponed),

a sneak peek at our morning's activities enjoyed with our homeschool group,

followed by an afternoon of sunshine, blossom and natter in the park with new friends,

Ess picked me oodles and oodles of soursobs making at least two enormous bunches,

I returned home to more flowers from my very Generous Gentleman.

He knows what makes my heart sing.

One Foggy Morning in July

we wandered outside wondering just exactly what fog felt like,

it intrigued us of course, as we never quite reached it,

fog can be funny like that can't it!

we played long jump in a grassy clearing

watched the dew collect in moist patches on our shoes

admired dewdrops all over our Golden Diosma

and found our first daffodil budding

also covered in dew

waiting to greet us.

Daffodils are my birthday flower.

(At least in my mind they are.)

My mother tells me of how they were blossoming in our front lawn

as she brought me home from hospital.

My birthday is only a week away so we'll see how many are blooming for us then.

Focus - the new growth in winter

I adore bare wintry branches with buds forming upon them, set against the blue sky of a clear sunny day.

It reflects a little the way I am feeling at the moment, being with child!

Each time I have been pregnant my usual nurturing and creative pursuits seem to go on hold as my body assumes its full role in nurturing a tiny one within.

My desire to pick up a needle and stitch seems to be taking a little break.

The urges I usually have to go outside and dabble in my garden wanes, although I still visit there daily to harvest greens for a lunchtime salad. It was fortunate that my girls and I spent a sunny morning in Autumn planting out some winter greens for this purpose.

It is very fortunate it is winter and the rainy season as getting outdoors to water the plants doesn't happen as regularly as it might need to during summer.

It is not that I am tired these days. In the middle of my second trimester I feel well and healthy and full of life and energy. It is just focussed on my family, the ones I am raising and nurturing day by day.

So my life is very focused at the moment on keeping this little one growing well inside me just like the bud on the wintery tree, waiting for the right time to blossom.

Blossom Beauty on the First Day of Winter

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. ~Pietro Aretino

On our first day of winter, with the sun hiding behind the clouds and the temperature becoming much cooler, these blossoms just outside my living room door remind me how lucky we are to have winters with blossoms.

I hope these begonias remain throughout the season as we look forward to the new life of Spring. New life will be coming in more ways than one for me this Spring :).

Tiny Blossoms in my Late Summer Garden

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com

Take a little wander with me around our garden.

You will find lots of blossoms as summer leafly growth wanes after the extreme heat we have had. The cool days brings blossom and a reminder that cooler times with more flowers will come again soon. I am so mindful how different it is here from parts of the world where snow covers all flowers during winter. Here the cool times mean flowers are not fried :) I am often amazed at just how many flowers we collected last June in winter.

A tiny basil blossom.

Tiny droplets on a stem of parsley which has gone to seed.

I just love this tiny perspective, looking in between lettuce leaves at the tiny droplet on the rim of the leaf.

Tiny chive blossoms afore a tiny cherub playing.

A beetle on an eggplant blossom. Ess is absolutely positive it is a rhinocerous beetle - I am not so certain. It is unfamiliar to me. It has a distinctive orange cross on its back. Any ideas anyone?

So many tiny blossoms...
on our mint.
There are quite a number of tiny things happening here in our home.