Poppy is usually accompanied on her walks by Michael but he has fallen victim to a nasty virus and so, Poppy has been taking me instead. We have been exploring the different paths and finding all sorts of interesting things. The morning mist as we start the River Walk is breathtaking

and the forest is serene.

Despite the lingering cold and wet, the spring flowers are trying their best.

I haven’t been along Spooky Path for a while. Soon after we moved here, I was walking this path with Poppy and was unnerved by the thumping sounds around me. Memories of the movie, ‘Predator’, whipped my nerves into a frenzy along with my imagination. Hence, Spooky Path was named. Where the path becomes swallowed by scrub, the valley drops out of sight to the Blythe River below and the ridge opposite seems so close.

Poppy found some special newcomers in the forest.

They grew very quickly and soon flew the nest.

Down in the rainforest, the water is tumbling along in the stream

and the manferns are lush with new growth.

On a damp morning

we walked Pat’s Path, named for my sister who first discovered the path when she came for a holiday soon after we moved here.

The views of the rainforest are stunning from this higher ground.

After a while, the path disappears into the trees and we have to retrace our steps.

You never know who you might meet on the way back home.

Of course, Poppy is always ready to do one more path.