random rambling

There are times when I feel compelled to take a photograph, whether it is something particularly beautiful or unusual, or both. I then wonder what I am going to do with that photo, so here are some of my random snaps to share with you. In spring, we had a pair of welcome swallows determined to nest close to our front door. Each time they started a nest, we devised cunning ways to deter their efforts. We eventually ended up with a 30cm strip of black plastic stapled to the top of our walls to prevent them attaching their mud to the cedar cladding. They finally got the message they weren’t welcome.

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Michael came across this gorgeous mum keeping her eggs warm, while walking with Poppy in the forest.

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I love kookaburras, I spied this handsome fella in the garden before leaving for work one morning, keeping an eye out for a tasty breakfast morsel.

After a brief rain shower one summer morning, behind the stream of sunlight, the plants were letting off steam.

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The strelitzia looked magnificent after the rain.

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When we first moved to our house, there was an impressive stand of oriental poppies outside the lounge window, the same ones you can see on the header image of this blog. They then disappeared, my husband suspects I inadvertently poisoned them along with the weeds (he could be right). This year, just one bloomed and hopefully there will be more in the future.

The Japanese black pine seemed to be at impossible angles, reflected against the clear sky in the waters of our pond.

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I don’t know what these enormous moths had been up to but it looked like they were enjoying a well deserved rest.

The Tiger Lilies fell victim to our nocturnal furry critters last year and we had no blooms. For some reason, they left them alone this time around and they were stunning. Apparently, they are named because of their spots. Shouldn’t they be called Leopard Lilies?

Walking in the forest, I saw these cute fungi emerging from the damp humus.

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On my way to bed one night, I sensed I wasn’t alone. It’s nice to get a friendly wave, just not from five hands at the same time!

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No spiders were harmed, he was gently relocated out of doors. Finally, after a hard day working in the garden, there is nothing better than a draught of home brewed stout.

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Cheers!

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spider surprise

We all know that feeling of walking smack bang into the middle of an orb weavers web. These clever spiders spin their beautiful webs at night to catch unsuspecting flying insects, enjoy an early morning snack and retreat for the day leaving the web to catch unsuspecting humans. We had one residing in the veggie patch, just to the left of the door and we never failed to fall prey upon entering. The spider proved smarter than we are and moved to one of the beds where she wouldn’t be disturbed. Early one morning, she (or he) was resting in the middle of the web.

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As I watched, she woke up and moved toward a tasty morsel that had fallen foul during the night.

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She grabbed her breakfast

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and returned to the centre of the web to dine.

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She then curled up and went back to sleep.

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I am grateful to her for helping keep the insects from the succulent leaves of the veggies.

Kings Park

After four days and three nights aboard the Indian Pacific, we were greeted at East Perth railway station by our friends with whom we were to spend the next week. They wasted no time in showing us their beautiful city with a detour to Kings Park. The 1,000 acre park is larger than New York’s Central Park and is home to the Western Australian Botanic Garden. It seemed Spring had come early, with many of the plants in bloom.

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The State War Memorial is located within the park, the Cenotaph sits high on Mount Eliza.

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The views across the city of Perth,

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and the Swan River were breathtaking.

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The Narrows Bridge is made up of two road bridges with a railway bridge down the middle, linking the northern and southern suburbs.

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We caught a glimpse of the Australian Ringneck Parrot

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as we meandered past more brilliant colours.

I think we need a whole day to see Kings Park, we will just have to return.

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Emu Valley

I am ashamed to say, I have lived near Burnie for nearly eight years and knew of the existence of the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden but only recently had the pleasure of spending a peaceful afternoon there. The 11ha site is a natural amphitheatre, sloping down to a large basin fed by natural springs that form a series of lakes.

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The scrub and blackberry infested hillside has been transformed over the past 35 years, mostly by volunteers, and is now classified as a plant museum. There are over 22,000 plants to admire

in this lovely, tranquil setting.

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The garden is set out in a series of “countries” from which the wild rhododendrons originate, I shan’t try to name them all.

There were other interesting features to be found as we meandered along the paths. Just past the Chinese Pavilion

we caught a glimpse of the Japanese bridge through the cherry blossom.

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Our walk continued past the Japanese ceremonial tea-house

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and across the covered bridge.

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The adjacent lawned area is popular for weddings.

The American Gazebo overlooks Lake Pearl

and the sound of water tumbling over rocks was mesmerising.

Some of the flowers were extraordinary,

all were beautiful.

We were fortunate to find a sculpture competition in full bloom.

I voted for Boho Bungalow.

We made our way past many more magnificent hybrids

and returned, across Olympus Bridge, to our starting point.

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It may have taken years to get there, but it was worth the wait.

Il Castagno

When looking for a place to stay for the week after the guitar course, I found a 700 year old farmhouse near Cortona. Seeing it on the internet I thought there was no way it could possibly be as good as it appeared. I was right. It was even better!

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The owners live in Colorado and bought the villa to restore in 1999. It was absolutely perfect and, as it was their part time home, it felt very welcoming. The living room,

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main bedroom

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and bathroom

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were upstairs and the natural beauty of the house was complemented by tasteful furnishings.

Some fine meals were created in the ground floor kitchen

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which opened on to the sunny courtyard.

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The original features outside had been retained

and the small front garden was colourful.

We enjoyed relaxing in the shade with a beverage after long days exploring,

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admiring the view

of Cortona, only a 10 minute drive away.

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The shafts of sunlight on this stormy evening lent a spectacular display.

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On other nights, the sinking sun set the sky on fire.

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We knew from the moment we arrived, it was going to be very hard to leave.

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