Busy busy bee

Autumn is a time of frantic industriousness....a rush of preparation for winter.

  Here we've been lucky enough to have had a wonderful season

and everything has flourished in abundance, especially the weeds! 

In the garden my cosmos, which I have grown for the very first time, are attracting the bees.

  Their buzzing is incessant and their busyness admirable. 

But busyness can sometimes mask what's important...

lull us into thinking we are doing what we should be when we're not. 

Time to take a breath, smell the flowers, listen to the hum,

 feel the chill in the air and the pull of something more urgent,

that just maybe we are letting slip by, or choosing to ignore. 

Autumn ~ From Balmy to Biting

Stirring the porridge on the wood stove I think back to the beginning of May

 when the full moon was out. 

There was a warmth in the air, moisture too.  

That's what caused the fabulous rainbow ring around the moon.  

I scurried up the hill to the west in the early morning

The light shining on this web was just like the ring around the moon the night before.

 I was just in time to catch that same full moon going down behind the farmland.

The mist lifted to reveal bright autumn foliage on the liquid amber trees.

By afternoon the sun's heat tricked us all into thinking that summer had never left. 

The bugs came out in their masses, great feasts for the birds!

The evening sun slid slowly out of sight leaving us bathed in it's warm glow.

Fast forward a week or so and things are changing fast. 

The wind whooshes through the trees and leaves are defenseless, 

falling falling falling....

A chill fills the air, summer's really gone.  Winter's not here yet,

but from the feel of that bite in the wind, it won't be long.

It's comforting to think that whatever the season, 

wherever we are,

 that same moon shine's down on all of us. 

Peaceful end to a lovely day out.

OK everyone, it really is time to get home. The sun's going down, the chooks need locking up and the dog will be getting hungry.  Hop in and let's go!
(In case you missed parts one and two of our day out in the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, please have a look here )

The last rays of sun stream through the trees to our west, as we drive east

No more roo's to be seen, even around aptly named Kangaroo Hills Creek.  

Early evening is a time you need to be very careful to look out for them on the road.

Too dark for any more photos, and here we are at home now.

 Well, thank you so much for the company.  It's been lovely to have you come along.

Bye Bye, I have to go and feed the dog now, he's not a happy chappy!

PS

Do you have a favourite place to go for a day out that's within reach but still feels like a bit of an adventure?  I'd love to hear about it.

Heading home

Ready to get back in the car and head east towards home?  Good, so am I !  

For those of you who missed the journey so far check it out here

The hint I gave as to what we would be seeing was simply animals, cattle, sheep & horses of course.

Quick or you'll miss them....  

These roos are ready to jump the fence for greener pastures!

Stopping for a photo break beside the road where a side road joins ours.  

It's not as bad as it looks!  The cattle truck waits for the gravel truck to pass...phew!

Drama averted, and oh what a view.  Going on 5.45pm, the light is glorious.

This journey is taking longer than I thought....

 so I think we will have to carry on to a Part Three.

Glad to have you along so far, and hope you'll come back for hopefully the last leg next week.  

See you then!  

Bye for now

Back on track

A bolt from the blue found me in hospital with a mystery illness last month.  

I'm back on track now thanks to wonderful care from the nurses & doctor 

 in our lovely little local hospital and of course from my beautiful family & friends.

It certainly brings things into perspective though 
and makes you realise what's important in life.

So yesterday I met up for a picnic lunch with my son and family in the little town of Guyra

some 100 kms to the west of us, and about half way between Brisbane and Sydney.  

Guyra is the highest town on the New England Tablelands of N.S.W. 

at 1330 metres (4363 feet) above sea level. 

Autumn colours there are in full swing.

The usual hour and a half journey home took way way longer
 as I stopped constantly to take photos!

The country is quite dry here so colours stand out in all their vibrancy

 against the dry vegetation.

I am at risk of becoming boring......(I warned you I took lots of photos!)

so I think I will continue on my journey home next time.  

The photo above gives a hint of what's ahead.

Bye for now