Mt Dromedary from Camel Rock carpark

Being at the coast means watching the waves dancing in all weather,
but once I looked away from the beach I saw something else.

summer waves

I can feel a series on waves and clouds coming on,
but shall resist, except for this one.
There is something atmospheric happening here.

roadside orchid - south coast

Recently at the south coast we found a lot of these spires of pink.
If you know what they are, please let me know!
Pure seredipity to get the bee as well!!

Naughty cockies demolishing wattle

By the time I had the camera out, they had just about all flown away,
but I got this as evidence - shredders in the garden next door!

Vanity amongst mayflowers.
My favourite iris this season.

These sweeties smell like turkish delight...
And are as thorny as the devil!
Such a shame that they only flower once
and only for around 2 weeks.
Last year the flowers shrivelled
without opening. Rescued from old sites in central Victoria.

A glory of roses!

Another cloudburst (24mls) overnight has brought out the spiciness of the rose bank.
I have been trying to work out which ones I have: this one is
Paul Ridault, the others quatre saisons, pompon blanc parfait??
Centrefolias anyway, from my mother's garden transplanted here and doing well.

Young (Lambing Flat)

A work trip to Young: too late for cherry blossoms,
but I found a flying horse instead.

Murrumbateman Field Days

Some views of steam machinery at work,
and the amazing people who bring them to life
for us to marvel at, and remember...

Murrambateman field days

Hakea

Hakea is a very Gondwanan thing,
a fossil in flower, not quite a spider, but almost.
Not showy but full of energy.

This week began with a storm (26mls)
which for once did not result in mucky red everywhere
A refreshed iris !

Earth stars

Quite the strangest things to appear in the garden
This year have been the earth stars

The lily pond and sky reflections, prompting thought
I can look at this for hours and find myself again

The dreaming spires of Tharwa
Are the old poplars along the river
And the muted mountainous backdrop
And the dying mistletoe clusters in an old eucalypt

On the other side of the Anzac Park West tunnel
A moment of birches and globes

Blue, bluest blue.

I've been collecting snails for the guineahen girls.
They laid their first egg this week.

Commonwealth Park, recognisably Canberran!
Must get some proper landscape icons here soon,
Meanwhile the rainy spring garden calls....

It rained last night - dewdrops on tulips and bluebells.
The garden is in heaven.

The curtain of ice fog is lifting.
Just after 9.15am 19/5/08
further up Yass Road.

Inside the fog bank, ghostly quiet and cold.
The sun is the moon.

The fog begins to burn off the dry land and brittle grass.
There has been so little rain that the earth is showing red.

Early frost and fog is mysterious and provocative.
Here the valleys are shrouded in dense fog
But it is perfectly clear on the hill tops.

At the end of a long day trip to the bay this Thursday
I stopped to catch the dying sun reflected across the river,
and caught these rowers heading with the tide downstream.

One of the precious early auriculas in closeup.
The farina sets off the ruby glow of the petals.
This one is labelled "Border magenta" for some strange reason.

The delicacy of quince blossom, their whirled pink buds opening to white.
The rumours of spring have glowing wings.

A dwarf iris flowering for the first time, for me anyway.
An unusual colour combination. I must find out if it has a name.
The label will be somewhere in the kitchen...hmmm

Colour has taken over the garden.
These tulips are singing red and gold for a new day.

Larches backlit

The larches grow near the lily pond.
The sun rising in the east has set the turning leaves aflame.

Reflections

A balloon over Commonwealth Park.
Sometimes it is nice to be in the right spot!
I had to run to keep the balloon reflection happening...
And it was very cold.

On the road to Tharwa

There is something magical about the hanging fog.
For me it intensifies the sense of distance and perspective.
There was a magpie singing in the valley, and galahs...
but the bridge was still closed.

Autumn at Point Hutt Crossing

Golden autumn days.
If you look really closely there are spots on the leaves!
Two days later and they had all fallen.
Taken at around 8.30am.