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. 

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

My Happy Australia Day

   

After finding a red-bellied black snake in the chook house this morning,

  this beautiful Glasswing Butterfly was a bit of light relief when it appeared in my garden!

  It is an interesting butterfly, the only Australian

 representative of a mainly African species according to my butterfly book.

It's wings are quite translucent and indeed glass like.

Our son-in-law came to the rescue on his day off to help us fix a computer problem.

 We had sausages for lunch (well it's Australia Day remember?!) 

Then more visitors in the shape of a couple of yellow-tailed black cockatoos.

 These birds never cease to catch my eye and make me want to fly up there with them,

 soaring over this wonderful countryside.

These bright spots of red in my neighbour's garden were a lot more welcome

 than the one in the hen house this morning!  

But that's Australia, and I've grown used to things here now.  It's my home.

( I wrote that last sentence and crossed it out so many times.)  

Can a person have more than one home?  My home is England and my home is Australia.  

I have no desire - no will - and see no need to choose.

  Come to think of it that makes me very lucky indeed!

What do you think? 

Happy Australia Day to you!

Eyes open to beauty

My daughter gave me a  box of affirmations "Up the Garden Path"  from Affirmations, made locally in beautiful Bellingen.  The words for today were:

'Greet each day 

with your eyes open to beauty,

 your mind open to change,

and your heart open to love.' 

Paula Finn

I reckon I've done just that today!  Come on and join me......

I was up early and I could see by a glance out of the kitchen window

 that it was going to be something special.

 

So I headed up the hill camera at the ready and Cobba the dog

 running up the pathway ahead as usual!

The moon was still in view 

and this parrot seemed as though it was flying straight into the sun.

 

I turned my back to the sun and watched as my long shadow

 reached down to the trees across the paddock.

The warm rays of the morning sun turned the dry wintery western hills gold.

Cobba snuck off to seeing what was going on at the neighbour's place.

My eyes were drawn back into the hazy glare of the new day.

And I could hear the buzzing of bees around the old plum tree.

A pee wee sat atop the highest branch and dared the other birds to come near.

Translucent petals shone against the sky.

The bees were in heaven!

And it felt like I nearly was too!  

Isn't it great when an ordinary day turns out to be extraordinary? I think, as the  opening words say, it can be as simple as being open to the possibility.

Would love to hear what you think makes a day special.

Time to Reflect.

The sun was already low in the west when I closed the door on the farm accounts, escaping to stretch my legs and breathe some fresh air.  The dog leaped out from under the house, tail wagging. He finds book work boring too! 

A kookaburra kept one eye on us as we passed him by,

 but his gaze was out to the distance.

Down the hill we went at a spritely pace towards the dam

 surrounded by gum trees.

Cobba  frightened a pair of ducks and they took off  in an excited flap to circle above us. Tiny flying insects and water boatmen, and the plop of a water dragon launching from the bank, were all that remained.  

Clouds reflected in the rippled water

                               Cobba waited for me ~  not so patiently!

Gum leaves wafted in the breeze as I trudged up the hill.

There's always something to catch your eye 

(and let you get your breath back!) on the way up.

The sun was setting as I reached home, lovely soft soothing colours.

  I fed the dog, brought in some wood, 

and headed inside without another thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I am about to publish this post I am sitting with a heat pack on my lower back, having done too much in the garden yesterday.  My back is now suffering the consequences.  

It has made me think about just how much I take for granted every day ...... being able to go for a walk, bend down to pick up a feather, reach up to study leaves on a tree....things that you don't think about until you can't do them. For me it is just temporary, but others are not so lucky.  I hope that I will appreciate these things just a little more now.  

How about you?