living birds
on a golden sea
reflect gold
Even common seagulls can take on a shimmering golden hue from the setting sun over Port Phillip bay at Ricketts Point.
Month: December 2015
christmas eve
warm evening
christmas approaching
calm water
Near Christmas eve at Ricketts Point on Port Phillip Bay. The birds are enjoying the peacefulness of this quiet time of day after all the people, (almost) have departed. One can almost feel the heat in the images as the sun dips towards the horizon.
As predicted Christmas day is hot and a strong north wind is creating havoc with fires down along the coast and in other parts of SE Australia.
Currently its 34 o C outside and fire warnings on the internet tell us;
For the rest of Friday 25 December:
Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the following forecast districts:
Wimmera, North Central, South West and Central
The CFA advises that you:
- Action your Bushfire Survival Plan now.
- Monitor the fire and weather situation through your local radio station, http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au and http://www.bom.gov.au.
- Call 000 (Triple Zero) in an emergency.
For information on preparing for bushfires go to http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au.
Singing
1.
Gurrumul
beautiful singer
day is night
2.
at sunrise
magpies sweetly sing
day after day
3.
sing to me
as daylight departs
quietly now
Three haiku this week for RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 76 Sing&Day. Visit this wonderful site for creative haiku poets sharing their poetry at https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/
- As we entered Hamer Hall at the Victorian Arts centre for a concert to hear Gurrumul I snapped this advertisement with my I Phone. Gurrumul is one of the most amazing contemporary voices in Australian music. Take time to visit his website and learn more at http://skinnyfishmusic.com.au/artist/gurrumul/ He has been blind since birth and is the most adept of musicians and singers, not letting anything stop his creativity. Jill and I were honoured to be invited to participate in an official video to launch his latest album. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=jesu+on+youtube&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=DEh6Vt-nL6fhmAXLgKDYBA#q=+gurrumul+jesu+on+youtube Can you spot us?
- This is one of our magpies who regularly call in the morning from our liquid amber at sunrise. If you wish to hear this beautiful sound click on https://www.google.com.au/search?q=magpie+singing&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=WEp6Vt-BLcb2mQWe6onoBg
- Two black swans whispering sweet sounds , (singing very quietly ) to each other last night as the sun went down in a blaze across Port Phillip Bay.
charming feathers
springtime look
bird like charm
contagious
1.
2
3
the charm of springtime
is the look of affection
birds have for each other
Image 1 is a pair of Crested Pigeons that arrive in our yard every morning to be fed before they explore the neighbourhood. These birds pair up and seem to stay together for life. They rarely leave each other’s sight. Very charming.
Image 2 A pair of endangered Swift parrots who regularly adopt this charming pose for photographic workshops held by the renowned Ecologist and Nature Photographer Chris Tzaros. An Australian version of the Norwegian Blue made famous by Monty Python.
Image 3 Three of the infamous Lorne naughty pack. The Victorian seaside resort of Lorne is well known for the overfamiliar, overfed, demanding Sulphur Crested Cockatoos who terrorise and destroy property if they are not treated kindly.
charming bird
beak cuts to the bone
looks can fool
Another Sulphur Crested Cockatoo at the Grampians, (Gariwerd) National Park. This bird and its mates had similar characteristics to the Lorne mob. They expect humans to feed them and chew up buildings, furniture, fittings and anything else if not appeased. The beaks are incredibly strong and one needs to be careful not to get too friendly. These birds were once very popular pets in Australia even given the tendency to mutilate hands. They were often used as watchdogs, (birds) on rural properties as they are easy to be trained to talk and could scream abuse that would scare off intruders . One big disadvantage is they can live to 70-90 years and relatives would often inherit a bird with provisos in the will.
These are my 3 contributions to RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 75 Charm&Look. To experience the artistic interpretations of this challenge in its various forms from an international array of poets visit
https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-74-charmlook/
do wolves eat cake?
afghan hounds
closest dogs to wolves
like their cake
Whilst Charlie has her own bowls, diet and feeding times she also participates in our meals. Her position is beside a chair at the table as observed in the above picture where scraps can be gently passed down by hand. Yes she does like cake but only receives tiny morsels although on birthdays the portions are larger. Charlie is the first Afghan for many years who has excellent table manners in that she does not think food left on a table is an invitation for it to be eaten. One previous girl called Flossie would not hesitate to dispose of food, especially cakes that were left unattended. We would often find Flossie in the kitchen with her front feet on a bench making sure no food would be wasted. She had a companion called Suki who was not a stealer , however she would hover below Flossie and catch anything knocked towards the floor. Suki was often the winner much to Flossie’s dismay. Then we had Kara who was known to have the gift of stealing and eating a chicken breast off the kitchen bench in seconds. Do Wolves like Cake? I am not sure , however their close cousin the Afghan Hound does.
bone not cake
liked by hound and wolf
at any time
These Haiku are my contributions to RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 74 Cake&Wolf.
By visiting this site https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-74-cakewolf/ you will have the privilege of reading how many talented poets from around the world have interpreted this weeks challenge.
been fishing
under water
flash of black and white
cormorant
fishing over
time to dry and clean
black and white
This Little Pied Cormorant had been fishing along the breakwater at Sandringham Yacht Club. It was amazing looking down into the clear water to see the way this bird was flashing backwards and forwards below the surface with wings tucked in , twisting and turning beside the rocks. Suddenly the agile fishing machine exploded out of the sea and landed on this rock below me. What else could I do but start clicking the button on my camera furiously.
My contribution to RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 73 Black&White. To explore an abundant cornucopia of haiku from talented poets across the world visit https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-73-blackwhite/
Haiku hound 