Monday, February 24, 2014

OUR WORLD & SkyWatch - Life at Hew Haven


I get out seldom these days but a friend asked me to visit her
at New Haven a two hour drive away.

A view across the Marina


It was a grey day with a little more light looking down the 
Marina from her mooring


A late breakfast with a view


On the other side, cross the road and a few dunes and the 
beach beckons for a lovely evening walk with the dogs


A simple and delicious dinner on the terrace


Nice to cool off in a jacuzzi after a very hot day if you 
have a view like this.


A splendid 24 hr. holiday!

Linking with OUR WORLD


Thursday, February 20, 2014

SkyWatch - Sunrise Light


As the sun rises, it lights up the garden and hill behind my house


making the West even more spectacular than the East


Happy SkyWatch everyone!

linking with


Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - Starlings Antics


Just uploaded these from a while ago and they were a pest 
to get onto the blog, a gremlin in the programme . . .

a starling family dropped in to feed their youngsters

"hey mom, I'm hungry!"


"you look big enough to fend for yourself kid"


"aw c'mon mom"


"see, you can do it!"


"don't walk away!!"

note the little yellow-dumped hornbill in the corner


"no mom, come back!"


"please mom don't walk away, dad can take care of the other four "


Did you see the wealth of green apples scattered under the tree 
in the first few shots?
That's what happens when the parrots come to call, they strip the 
trees before they or anyone else can reap any benefit.

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Saturday, February 15, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro A Touch of Last Spring


Hooray!! We have been blessed with 6" of rain over two days,
more than we got in winter in one event!

My heart sings and the garden got it just in the nick of time to
revive the trees and shrubs that were giving up and had lost most 
of their leaves.

Now, with hope in my heart, I look back at some wonders in my
garden last spring and forward to those to come next spring.


masses of tulips with primulas and wallflowers at back


clumps of crazy fringed tulips


looking like carnivorous plants


masses of bright nasturtiums


and just because I can and because my camera shared my bed that 
night, an early morning shot at waking, yep, a real pillow shot,
luckily the kangaroo was OUTside my garden fence.

Hope you all have a great day wherever you are!

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

SkyWatch - A Different Slant . . .


Yesterday I had the pleasure of staying with a friend at
North Haven with an unimpeded view of the sea as well as a 
mooring, at the other side of the house, on the Marina.

Another 43 C day but we managed to walk the dogs on the 
beach after sundown when a change started coming in with
very promising clouds.


At 4 a m  very light rain started, by breakfast time it was raining 
steadily and when I left for home just after morning tea,
it was coming down in buckets making driving a real hazard.

By the time I made it back home late in the afternoon, it looked a 
little disappointing as rainfall drops by an inch a mile as you travel 
East. I was pleasantly surprised though to see 14.5mm in the rain 
gauge and the cicadas singing an ode to joy.

The rain stopped by dinner-time but we are enjoying a thick, 
beautifully moist, fog.


I do hope everyone is getting their preferred weather and 
commiserate with the people in the South of England being
flooded for so long and even worse floods expected.

Linking with SkyWatch

where you can find wonderful skies from all around the world.

Friday, February 7, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS, I Heart Macro & OUR WORLD - Wishful Thinking


While sweltering, hunched over the air-conditioner
with a top of 43 or 109.3, whichever you are familiar with,
occasionally dashing out to douse down my orchids
to keep them alive

the garden itself is crispy leafed, the lawn a dustbowl
while a deadly North Wind does it's best to 
kill what is barely holding on


so all I can do is some wishful thinking and dream of
blooms of a kinder season

I'd be very grateful to have the above thistles thriving at this time 
as they make good eating as well as looking cheerful


a Eucalyptus covered in blossom


autumn flowering on a confused wild plum


and best of all, some moisture on a stray crabapple 
blossom that braved the early winter.

Linking with



Be brave and join in with these beautiful memes!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

SkyWatch - Total Disappointment


Thick and wonderful, they came charging over the hill


even the East was awash with them 


They billowed into glorious Nimbus


and were sucked up into the upper atmosphere by the burning sun
without shedding a single drop!


The only moisture around was in my eyes as all hope departed.

Linking with SkyWatch

Saturday, February 1, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - A Bear of Very Little Brain


This bear of very little brain has been scraping it up 
and pouring it back in it's ear holes. 

Today as the heat soars again, I am wearing ear plugs in the hope
of keeping what is left, where it should be.

The last pot of Oriental lilies did not fare well, all but one
flower were baked before I could get them inside
where it is not much better although my block out curtains 
were securely close before the sun thought of 
raising her sleepy head.


So today I am posting all white flowers in the hope of
enticing some of the snow besetting N.America to cross the 
Equator and head our way..


Above, a 6' high bush of bell flowers

below, a tiny European wildflower dancing on it's
delicate stem.


Another joy of springtime, pristine white Primulas


and the only unblemished bloom on my Oriental Lilies.


Please forgive me if I do not manage to visit much,
I will be spending most of the day flat on my back to stop my legs 
ballooning. Heat waves are not much fun when your 
fluid intake is restricted to a maximum of a litre and a half.

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