Happy New Year
I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful 2011, and thank you also for your support and encouragement during 2010.
My country
There’s a poem written by Dorothea Mackella that describes very well what it means to live in this land. There are currently floods causing enormous damage throughout Queensland and Catastrophic bushfire conditions declared in South Australia, while Western Australia is in drought conditions. My thoughts are with those affected by these severe conditions.
And the question is……
Another in my macro series….can you guess what it is….clue – vegetable garden.
A day of orange
Actually, my orange daylily that is blooming away at present. May it brighten your day:-)
Magpie
Another magpie image has flown in this morning – one I put together a while back…….
The fence post is most likely almost a hundred years old, and cut from a mallee tree that used to grow on these hills before being removed to make way for farming. The removal of trees was a dreadful practice enforced by the government of the day. If the farmer didn’t clear a specified amount of land each year, their farming right was revoked. In fact, this shortsighted approach continued to recent times in parts of Australia. Now we have erosion problems……
Dust
It’s been a difficult season for the farmers. At first, their hopes were high with good winter rains bringing estimates of a bumper harvest. Then, as the grain was ripening, a threat of plague locusts loomed. But most damaging of all, were the unseasonable summer rains and storms which flattened many crops, and/or downgraded it from prime to stockfeed, resulting in a considerable financial drop. Finally however, many are able to reap the grain, and I’m sure with each truckload sent off to the silo, they breathe a little easier.
Unless of course, they are downwind from the dust……
Pin the tail on what?
It is often said that there are strange animals in The Land Downunder……
Last light
I took an evening stroll with my two larger four-legged friends – horse and dog, and the sun was almost setting below the hill when I took this image. May the warmth from it take away any chills those in the colder reaches are receiving.
The circle of life.
What more can I say…..it’s the circle of life…….
The Green Room
Sometimes little dramas can occur even in the ‘green room’. 
Imagine…….
Imagine walking in the Australian bush…..with the scent of eucalypts strong in the midday heat, the dry leaves crunching underneath, the stillness only broken by the buzzing of bush flies. More than that, feel the energy of the land, where Spirit still manages to hang on despite earlier encroachments of white men and sheep, thankfully now removed. An ancient land. Steeped in wisdom for those willing to slow down and to listen. 
Magpies
There are two sorts of magpies living in my area, and I managed to get the two together in this shot. The smaller bird taking off is the magpie lark or piping shrike, which is the emblematic bird for my state. The other two birds are parent and juvenile Australian magpies. The parents take their role very seriously and continue to feed their young even when the birds are quite large, as you can see here. Magpies are iconic aussies – stories about them abound and they are mascot of many sporting teams. I’m very happy to have them nesting in the trees near to my house. Did I mention they have a beautiful song? I’ve had them singing along to classical music too:-)
Christmas decorations.
In Australia, Christmas falls in the middle of summer, and summers Downunder always mean flies. Well….except perhaps in Tasmania where it has been known to snow on Christmas day. While there are those who still celebrate in a traditional English manner, there are others who will have BBQ’s and beach feasts – outdoor activities = flies.
When I saw this tiny fly hanging from a seeding parsley flower, I was reminded of a Christmas tree decoration…..strange perhaps….but that’s the way my little mind works:-)
Technology – friend or foe
It is one year since I had a satellite dish installed to receive broadband internet, instead of the restrictions of dial-up with lines dropping out and slow loading times. Since then, I’ve been able to expand my activities and share my images in more places and have far greater interaction with the broader web community. It’s been a blessing, and well worth the extra expense even if it does mean cutting back in another area. My life has been enriched by the lovely people I’ve met thanks to this modern invention, yet I do have to ensure I keep a balance and not ignore other elements of my life. Right now, my horse is waiting for me to take her out for a walk. It’s a beautiful calm morning, birds are singing, and here am I sitting inside……
So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to enjoy the great outdoors……
How could you be scared of this?
As children, many of us are taught to be scared of spiders and all things ‘creepy crawly’ – regardless of how tiny the little creature may be or how innocent it may be also. I look at the face of this tiny spider and can only think how sweet and cute it looks, yet once upon a time I had a different view. What changed me? Simply getting to know it and others like it.
Fear can drive us all to do things we may later regret. I strive to overcome my fears….step by step….or is it by reaching out a hand perhaps….
Filled with wonder
When I see the tiny life abounding in my garden, I cannot but be filled with wonder. This tiny spider – small enough to sit on top of a pen – in the late afternoon was very busy putting its web up to catch the evening insects. Truly, it is a marvel to consider the engineering feat it accomplishes. 
Who eats watermelon?
One of my local blue tongue lizards was wandering past the house verandah and saw the piece of watermelon my dog had left……and decided he’d like to have a taste. In fact, he attacked it with gusto and stayed eating it for a couple of minutes before wandering off to see what was on offer elsewhere. I used to grow strawberries but never got to eat many as the lizards would get to them first. They also enjoy the zucchini flowers……
I’m not swimming that!
This past week has seen rain and storms in my state, and many rivers have broken their banks and flooded towns. I’m lucky that my home is well above any flood level. Probably the last time the area was under water was before the last ice age.
However, yesterday I did have a little adventure because of the river. My terrier accompanied my horse and I out for a short ride up the road, across the river ford. The water was still under the ford, and even though it was possible for the water to be coming down from further upstream, I deemed it safe to cross as I wasn’t planning to be away for long. Ten minutes later when we returned, the river was over half a metre high and rising and rushing with great force. My nearby farming neighbours had driven down to see the flood, and we yelled across the water about my situation. They gave me instructions on how to negotiate their paddocks and to find my way across to the township several kilometers away where there’s a substantial bridge across the river. I’d always wondered about a track I could see in the distance….and so here was my chance to find out. I had a great view from one spot of the river raging downstream – a perspective I’d not otherwise have seen. The only problem was I had no camera with me! In fact, because I was only going for a short ride I had no water or other things I usually have in my backpack when I go walking.
So off we went on our little adventure. At one stage, we had to negotiate very tall grass and so I dismounted and put my terrier on the horse’s rump, and then remounted and put him in front of me. He likes riding because he can see much further than his little short legs usually allow, and the horse is very accommodating. Once we’d completed that section, and gone through the last of the gates, I stayed walking to give my mare a rest. It’s only in the last few weeks I’ve begun riding again so both of us aren’t particularly fit. And we walked…..then once on a back road, I was met by my neighbour who had brought out a bottle of water for me, and a visability vest to wear on the highway. Such kindness and thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. We continued on and once we reached the bitumen road, with more traffic, I took one rein off the bridle and used it as a lead on the dog and walked along the side of the highway……
Luckily, when we reached the bridge, which has a long span, we encountered no traffic on the narrow section. We didn’t want to have a big semitrailer pass us as even though my horse is generally quiet with traffic there are limits. On the other side was the township and a shady park, so I unsaddled and we rested there for ten minutes. Halfway home point! We sneaked through the side of the township as I didn’t want to encounter dogs rushing out at my little chap and we were finally out on the dirt road heading towards home. At this point I mounted again, leaving Fred to explore the new surroundings as there’s very little traffic along this section. A while later, another chap who had heard of my situation, drove out and met me with more water and an offer to give Fred a ride home. Fred is very loyal and wouldn’t accept the offer, although I was very grateful for the water, having finished the first lot some time ago. Jim lifted Fred onto Sally for me, and the terrier rode the last 4 kms home. Altogether, a valiant effort for a little dog, and for an aged mare.
Our ‘short’ ride had ended up a three hour expedition! Later that afternoon, we went down to the river to take this image and could see the level had dropped a little from its earlier height but was still flowing strongly.
We’re all taking it easy today:-)
Mystery….
I took this image in between the storms. Can you guess what it is? Who comes out in the rain? 
The approaching storm
This was the first storm front to arrive yesterday and although quite fierce, it was nothing compared to the next front which arrived four hours later, just before sunset. The lightning danced about the sky in a maniacal fashion, causing great havoc to the electricity grid with over 130,000 strikes. It lasted well over an hour and as I sat watching it through the westerly window there were times the countryside was as bright as daylight. In one way, it was lucky it was accompanied by rain, otherwise many fires would have been started. Across the state, nay, across half the country, wild storms are creating raging rivers and floods with many people having to evacuate their homes. After years of drought in some areas, it’s a mixed blessing. But Nature will do what she will do, regardless of most people’s wishes…… About time more realised that humans cannot and should not try, to control Nature. She is Awesome.
Transformation part 2
The ladybird is an insect that also undergoes transformation. I can still remember the first time I came across a huge colony of ladybird larva, in a client’s garden when I worked as a professional gardener. They are quite unlike the adult and look more like a miniature crocodile!
Like a butterfly, the adult form of a ladybird is loved by many and features in children’s stories and in songs. 
Transformation
One of the universal symbols of transformation is the butterfly. A vital part of this cycle is the caterpillar – or larval stage – and this is regarded by many gardeners as a nuisance at best or a pest to be destroyed at all costs at worst. I was one of the gardeners who regarded them as a pest……but eventually I realised the folly of my ways, and ceased my squashing of them and learned to tolerate their damage.
Years later now, I go to seek them out. With the aid of my camera and computer, I can see their amazing designs and habits and get entranced by them.
As a human, I’ve gone through various stages of transformation and some of them not very pretty at all. There’s been times when others have tried to squash me because they couldn’t see the beauty I had secreted away. So please, give a thought to the ones who are not regarded as beautiful, they may hold a treasure inside just waiting for the right time to appear.
