bush blossom

 

bush setting

explosions of colour

gifts of spring

free feedtime 

nectar everywhere

careful choice.

Recently we visited the Grampians / Gariwerd National Park North West of Melbourne for the annual first weekend in October Spring native wildflowers exhibitions. At Pomonal the local members of the Society for Growing Australian Native Plants display flowering specimens cut  from local bush gardens. These plants represent the Spring flowering plants of Southern Australia. At Halls Gap the Friends of Grampians/Gariwerd National Park display the range of flowering plants found across the park. Rangers collect specimens in the days before this weekend from the park and the friends prepare the display.

We have now regularly visited these displays across the last 12 years and always look forward to the concentrated displays of colour and the aroma of nectar. Because Maggie was with us we could not get out into the tracks of the park looking for flowering plants in their  natural environments.

These 3 images are from open gardens at the Pomonal display.

painted birds

nature paints

rainbow of colour

lorikeet

A rainbow lorikeet caught in the right setting and angle looks like a Paul Gauguin painting. I have shared them in a number of haiku posts but they keep demanding new appearances. This is my contribution to the one a week Photo Challenge and this week for number  43 the challenge is PAINT . 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/

 

lake

journey break

lake provides calmness

and surprise

Whenever we travel to the Grampians or very occasionally Adelaide  a lunch or coffee break at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat is planned. Charlie had many picnics by the lake and now Maggie has experienced her first two.  The circumference of the lake is around 6 kilometres and it sits in the heart of this city so there are always joggers, dog walkers, cyclists or strollers on the path or adjacent road. Ballarat is the home city of my mother who was born and educated there and my father also went to boarding school there and rowed on the lake. When the Melbourne Olympic games were held in 1956 Lake Wendouree hosted the rowing events. Ballarat is freezing cold in Winter and it usually snows. Spring and Autumn are the best times to experience the city and lake. There are many nesting waterbirds on islands in the lake and this beautiful Cygnet and its sole sibling paddled past while we ate lunch recently.

This is my contribution to RonovanWrites weekly haiku poetry prompt challenge 171 Lake  & Calm. To access a multitude of haiku responses to this prompt visit  https://ronovanwrites.com/2017/10/16/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-171-lakecalm/ 

 

Maggie’s muddle

range of options

muddled confusion

maggies choice

Maggie’s muddle includes these objects plus many others. For a pup she has more possessions than any dog we know. This pictured group include Chicken Joe who Charlie brought home one day and treasured, a glove Maggie found on a footpath and insisted on keeping as well as the cricket ball, (another of Charlie’s finds) that is of particular enjoyment to Maggie. She carries it onto our wooden veranda and drops it making a loud thud then repeats the action again and again. Regardless of these toys she still prowls the house looking for things to steal and chew.

This is my contribution to the one a week Photo Challenge and this week for number  42 the challenge is MUDDLE . 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/

roadblock

fallen tree

nature wins and loses

wind has spoken

Just one of the hazards encountered on our brother and sister in laws’ bush property in the mountains East of Melbourne. They devote their entire property to the preservation of wildlife, mostly Indigenous although Deer, Foxes and cats tend to roam about. This creates quite a dilemma as they do not believe in  killing any life. At times Kangaroos have become too familiar such as wandering  into the garage and sitting down on armchairs. A large Brown Snake called Melissa lives under and in the roof of their dwelling. She tends to look after any mice that loiter.

royalty

our princess

regal forever

memories

Charlie was feted wherever we went as such a regal looking dog. Fitting to remember her for the one a week Photo Challenge and this week for number  41 as the challenge is REGAL . 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/

Maggie is already capturing admiring comments and affections especially from many of  Charlie’s  human and dog friends who are thrilled to know they are half sisters. The royal bloodline continues.

half sister

big paws to follow

getting there

 

 

rusting away

off duty

ancient defender

rusts away

HMVS Cerberus was built for the colonial government of Victoria in 1870 as  naval defence against possible Russian attack.  This design was the first turrented , motorised ironclad battleship without sails  making it highly innovative for its day. There were two swivelling turrents with 2 ten inch guns in each. Thick armour up to 9 inches, (230 mm) thick covered the ship). The Cerberus was  was not really suited to ocean travel and became uncontrollable in rough seas meaning it took quite some time to travel from Chatham England where it was built to Melbourne Australia. The warship never fired a shot in action and never left Port Phillip Bay.  after its arrival . In 1924 the Cerberus was sold for scrap and in 1926 what remained  , (a hulk) as seen in the photos was scuttled to form a breakwater at Black Rock on Port Phillip Bay.

Since then the ship has been rusting away and settling on the sand . Its a mecca for curious scuba divers, snorkelers and adventurous teenagers. Various signs warn of the dangers associated with entering the underwater holes in the ship or climbing onto the actual hulk.  Since 2005 a local group has been trying to raise funds to save what is left of the Cerberus as a significant part of Victoria and Australia’s naval heritage. This is a valiant effort.

These  images are for a very late contribution to the one a week Photo Challenge and this week for number  40 the challenge is RUST . 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/