Walking in the forest on a crisp, cold morning after a heavy frost is like strolling through nature’s jewellery store. The sun, low in the sky, turns simple dew drops into glittering diamonds.
Even those stems bereft of foliage held onto the occasional glistening droplet.
I was like a child in a sweet shop, I couldn’t get enough of this amazing beauty.
The gems would disappear as the sun climbed, but for now I was content to experience another of nature’s treats.
Once we finished the renovation of the back room, we moved straight on to the decking of the outdoor space. We removed the old pavers
and, under the watchful eye of the foreman,
built the frame while working around existing obstacles as best we could.
After much research, we decided to use Ekodeck, a composite material that (this is the best bit) requires no oiling, painting or maintenance.
It didn’t take long to cut and lay the planks, we used the CAMO hidden screw system so there are no screws visible on top of the boards.
We laid a metre wide strip to connect the doors with the garden
and then added the edges.
For completeness, we laid a border of white pebbles
and planted six dwarf camellias at the barbecue end.
Next is the outdoor kitchen area….
We have had some perfect winter days this year. Clear, blue skies; crisp, clean air; nothing but the slightest whiff of a breeze. One such Sunday, we put Cooper’s top down and took her for a spin along our favourite coast road.
Preservation Bay looked particularly stunning.
We joined the highway at Ulverstone and continued east. There is a park, just before the first exit at Devonport, that we have been meaning to investigate for years. The trees are beautiful any time of year but especially when showing their autumn colours.
This was the day for a closer look.
Fallen leaves, still damp from the morning dew, confirmed nature’s artistic talent.
Straggly Eucalypts portrayed an elegant appeal in the morning sunlight,
some fascinating fungi camouflaged in the shadows.
Our day out didn’t end there, but that’s another story.
Winter has arrived and our gorgeous scarlet robins have returned. They form permanent monogamous pairs and move to the open forests during the warmer months, returning to nest in our garden as the days shorten. The male makes quite a show once he is back, letting everyone know this is his territory again. Late one afternoon, he spent quite some time admiring himself in the window. Unfortunately, he was in shade and I didn’t capture him in all his glory.
The next day, Michael sat patiently while the sun shone on the same perch, in the hope of catching the perfect image.
Initially disappointed, he was soon rewarded with a prolonged robin lavation.
The black headed honeyeater seems bemused by the aquatic antics, reluctant to take the plunge.
I haven’t seen the female recently and assume she is busy building the nest while he makes himself irresistible.
I’m pleased to say he is not totally narcissistic. While his partner incubates the eggs, he will feed her and both parents share responsibility for feeding the young.
One of the wondrous elements of living in the backwoods is the presence of a clear night sky. Many times, the night is never really dark, the light of the moon and stars filter through the closed curtains. Our last full moon was no exception. One evening, I had tucked myself into bed while Michael accompanied Poppy outside for her bedtime ablution. He promptly returned to retrieve my camera with the message that the moon was amazing. The first photo showed the bright, waning moon shrouded mysteriously in cloud.
What followed was nothing less than spectacular. The countless craters, produced by meteor impacts are clearly visible. The dark regions are the seas, though they don’t contain water but are remnants of lava flows on the moon’s surface. Curiously, almost all the moon’s seas are on the side of the moon facing Earth. The light areas are the highlands and the bright rays shooting outward are impact craters. I wonder what is on the dark side of the moon?
cannonhillchronicles 