cursing cockie

empty plate

such imprecations 

for more cake

The Sulphur crested Cockatoos at Brambuk Indigenous Centre near Halls Gap in Gariwerd (Grampians) National Park insist on sharing food on the outside terrace with visitors. Anyone who ignores their advances is quickly abused and intimidated, the trick is to drip feed them crumbs while you enjoy the food and ambience of the setting. This particular Cockie walked around the table and had to be pushed away while I ate my cake. Upon cleaning up the crumbs he picked up the spoon with his beak and threw it upon the decking screeching something unpleasant in Cockie speak. I thought this was an ideal photo sequence with an added haiku after seeing Ronovan’s Post, Word of the week Imprecation at   https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/word-of-the-week-imprecation/

 

an eye for lunch

birds welcome

sharing the garden

for a meal

We have started planting local and high nectar  native tress and shrubs in our garden with the long term plan being more of the little nectar and seed eating native birds will return or visit. The top image shows a Little Wattlebird discovering a Red Ochre Grevillea, the second is  a Crested Pigeon foraging for grass seeds on the ground and the third captures a Rainbow Lorikeet snacking on a native bird seed stick. There are plenty of introduced species such as Spotted Doves and Common Mynahs who need less encouragement or invasive  native species like Noisy Miners and Little Ravens who force out the original small little birds we want to attract. Our aim is to encourage more of the latter and see or hear less of the former. We want to see small Honeyeaters, Pardalotes, more Thornbills and Eastern Spinebills and one day some Wrens.

The one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is LUNCH . This is my offer. For this years 52 weekly challenges planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

weeping

silently

sap tears trickling

seeking help

This wattle and others along the boardwalk in Long Hollow Reserve Beaumaris are in trouble. They are under attack from insects and judging from the amount of sap we saw, it is a sustained attack.  This reserve is a treasure , where many rare flora once prolific in our bayside environment still exist in small numbers. To see larger more common species struggling as in these photos indicates the dire condition  remnant pockets of native vegetation endure. Right next to Long Hollow our state Education Department has begun developing a new school site which in itself is a great thing however most of the school land will be taken up with 2 huge cricket ovals, a full size soccer pitch and a large sports pavilion all financed in a deal with the private Melbourne Cricket Club. We locals who fought hard to stop all trees and shrubs on the school site being ripped out, ( a few were kept) still do not know the long term effects  this sporting facility will have on the reserve because the agreement between the Education Department and the Melbourne is a secret deal. This is a Socialist state government in a secret ,”commercial in confidence” deal with a private organisation using public land. Economic rationalism has gone mad when left wing governments do secret deals and will not inform the local community. This is not DEMOCRATIC government at work.

sleep/play/sleep/play

summer pups

coping with the heat

growing fast

This is what 8 week old Afghan Hound pups look like. Little bundles of fur, ears and legs and sharp little needle like teeth. Born in the later half of December in the Australian Summer they were learning all about the heat. Play sessions were quickly followed by immediate naps, then a bit more play etc etc.

The bottom picture shows little Maggie being nursed by Jill. We were invited to visit these beautiful pups in February and were honoured to be offered Maggie who was needing a home in the immediate future. At the time we had made plans to travel up to late May and had to decline the generous offer. Circumstances for Maggie have since changed and we  are now able to provide her a home at the end of May. Meanwhile she will grow and those teeth will be sharper  and her sense for adventure will have grown.

a muddy pond

enticing 

rotorua mud

treat with care

Rotorua in the central North Island of New Zealand is known world-wide for its mud. The healing qualities of this mud were discovered long ago by the original settlers the Maori. When the British began settling across the North Island in the first half of the C19th acquiring land either by treaty or theft they came to Rotorua and also discovered the thermal ponds, the mud ponds and the geysers. Quickly they established health centres using the ponds and mud.  However the Maori knew the dangers of these ponds and it took time as Europeans found out  tragically one could not simply enter many ponds, they were either too hot or swallowed up people like quicksand. Today the ponds are fenced off or the thermal waters are tapped and bathing is guided. The mud is sold  world wide packaged as Rotorua Mud. Jill and I brought some home and as yet I have to try it out, maybe its the miracle I need!

The one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is POND . This is my challenge. For this years challenge planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

ban the drone

setting sun

needs tranquility

autumn drone

We have been watching and photographing the sunset from Red Bluff  and Ricketts Point for the last week to watch where the sun disappears in relation to the You Yangs. These are the hills on the horizon behind the ship . Jill is curious to see where the sun sets in relation to the You Yangs  when the Autumn Equinox occurs.

Traditionally in pre European times Ricketts Point was a sacred indigenous womens’ site and Red Bluff was sacred to the men.It does not take much imagination to consider possible human physical features in the shape of the You Yangs. Indigenous Australians had strong spiritual connections to the landscape. Most local stories have been lost but there would have been connections to the You Yangs from the women at their site and the men at theirs. Basically the sun sets between the peaks of the You Yangs at or close to the Autumn equinox. We wonder if this was the natural signal for the traditional people to begin planning for movement away from what would be a colder coast as Winter approached and inland to more sheltered areas ?

Of course it takes imagination and dreaming to ponder on these questions. As we marvelled at the setting sun a drone suddenly invaded our space (left of sun and above the bow of the ship) A week ago as the sun was setting before Ricketts Point we counted 5 drones hovering around or moving above the shoreline. Drones have some uses but as toys for idiots in peaceful places of natural beauty they have no place.

settling seagulls

final rays

illuminating

resting gulls

Sunset at Ricketts Point earlier this week seemed to be pacifying the resident seagulls into settling down for the evening. Whatever is in the air has a filtering effect on the last moments of daylight now Autumn is arriving. The evenings have been fairly ordinary  and suddenly since eight days ago spectacular  performances are again put on for waiting photographers.

circle of life

fading now

returns tomorrow

from the east

Autumn has suddenly arrived in the last week of March. With the change comes magical subsets where the bay turns golden in those final few minutes. This view is from Red Bluff looking West over the old jetty. Last weekend people were still swimming and enjoying  the warmer water  before temperatures begin to drop.