FRIDAY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT - Something we see everyday......

 Linking up with Astrid for the hunt this week and although I know what I see most days, was it going to be of any interest to others? So once again I've probably been a bit wayward.  Well, here goes...........

Looking from our side entrance, across the road to the farm that is basically in the middle of suburbia.  I often refer to this as "Middle Farm" and  realise that one day it will be cut up for housing, but at least I can see the cows grazing and a tractor working for now.

SKIES.

Looking at the sky at different times of day can be absolutely fascinating with different cloud formations and colours, so here is a selection from my archives.

The next one was taken last week about mid morning and this has been very much the weather we've had for most of November so far, though not always with the rainbow.  Each of the sky photos has been taken from home.

Must admit to the garden being messy at the moment due to the incessant inclement weather, though the blueberries are netted now.

DAILY WALKING.

Not as much of this has been done lately either, but a few things we see on our close to home walks are of course trees and a couple of quaint boardwalks across marshy areas.

A beautiful white bark gum in someones front yard.  I do have lots more tree photos, so only one more with a bit of a story to go with it.

This is now a vacant block which once had a beautiful 2 story art deco type house on it and I'd always admired it from when we moved to this town in 2004.  We live closer  now and one day as we turned the corner to come home, they were tearing it down and it has been like this for the last 3-4 years with a small sign that claims to a child care centre being built on it.  As the Pandemic hit, all was put on hold, but is now about to go ahead soon.  In the centre of those trees is a beautiful old lamp,  that I'm going to inquire about, as it would make a lovely garden ornament.  

One last photo which some will know as I used to often talk about out resident magpies and they still come and at this time of year with bubs in tow, can make an awful racket hoping I'll put out a few breadcrumbs for them.  They only get a tiny bit as bread isn't good for them, but I can't help spoiling these amusingly friendly birds.  I do love all our birdlife, but these are special.

Taken late last year with my Butcher bird sitting on the fence too.

OK, that's enough for me today and although it's cloudy, we've a few things to attend to this morning and I'll link up now and read all the other hunter posts tonight.

Take care all, have a great weekend and huge hugs from down under.

FRIDAY PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT - MOON.

 

Running a bit late and also low on morale at the moment due to the ever threatening virus, I  nearly didn't link up with Kate at I live, I love, I craft I am me.  I had to dip into the archives for moon photos & found very few, so bear with me on this hunt.  I found 3, one of which has been on before.

Firstly two moon shots taken at night.  The dates may not be accurate, but approximate & I just know I must have fancied them when outside in the dark.

I think this was taken around March 2015 and must have been while we were living in Ballarat & possibly was when we had a " moon" event.

                              I loved the glow around this one which was taken last year in July.

My favourite is this one taken in June 2019 when a decidedly scary noise was coming from outside & to my amazement this balloon was overhead & I was lucky to capture it with the moon.  

All from me today and I'm off to link up & see what the others have found.

Take care all, stay safe & huggles.

Susan.

PS......it's very hot here and as we've had a very up and down summer of temperatures, I'm really feeling it and we are supposed to reach 41 degrees on Monday.  Way to hot!  I'll try and keep on blogging although it all seems too hard at the moment.😳

NOVEMBER PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT 2020.

 I'M LATE.

Linking with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me to participate in the Hunt.

Our words for this month had me perplexed, so it was off to my archives as we just seemed to busy for me to get out and about for photos, so here goes.

1.  HOUSEPLANTS.

Coleus, "en masse" in the glasshouses at Temple Newsam in Leeds, West Yorkshire.  My Mum used to grow a few in pots for the house when we were little.  I still  think they come in the most amazing variety of colours,  I should get a few to grow here.😊

2.  HARBOUR.

VICTOR HARBOUR.

This is a photo I took whilst on holiday some years back in South Australia, showing the horse drawn trams, which are very much a tourist attraction in this lovely town south of Adelaide.   Riding up top was very exhilarating.  Yes I've used the name of a place instead of showing an actual harbour.

3.  WINDOW.

I had so many images flashing around in my head for this one, then off we went last week looking for a small window for shed extension (we didn't find one), but remembered this photo I took at the nursery in 4 Elms in Kent, UK a few years ago & said how much I'd love these in my SHE SHED if I ever had one.  Aren't they the most beautiful shape.  And no, I won't be getting a she shed.

4.  SKIES.

Taken last week & I just thought the cloud formations were fascinating, so at least one recent snap.

5.  RINGS.

I did have something else in mind for this, but it hasn't eventuated, so on with the thinking cap & during a conversation with friends regarding the Olympic Games which were cancelled this year, I thought, oh I've a photo that might fit.  These are the Olympic Rings erected at Lake Wendourie  in commemoration  of the rowing events which took place at this location in 1956 & which my Dad was part of the team who sent messages all round the world of placings.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

On a day out last month, we took a back road from Thorpedale to Rosedale  and espied paddocks with canola fields (or rape for my UK friends) in the background to our left and to the right grazing sheep & ploughed fields awaiting a new crop.  

OK, that's my lot for this month & although I'm disappointed with my selection & not having my heart in it because of so much world turmoil, I'll pull myself together & try to be more pro-active with blogging & blogreading in the months to come.  Today is frightfully windy & with rain as well, very different to Friday which was 33deg, so it won't be an outside day, but we'll certainly be "doing".

Will link this & later on catch up on all the other hunters.

Please take care all, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.

GARDEN & CRAFT CATCH UP.

 Over the last month I've lagged on blogposts, but have still been taking photos, doing "stuff", as in a bit around the garden(weather permitting) & our crafts, plus walking, which will come in another post before the end of October.

Let's start with the garden & few favourites.

Dutch iris in the front garden.

The snowball bush in full bloom with the banksia rose on the trellis.

The hydrangea with a wayward flower out of season.

The concrete planter surrounded by violets & filled with what I call pink bluebells.
Maybe I should do a little research into what they are really called.

Some of the work we are attempting is also shown below.

Hubby is trying to extend his shed and he is this far now, but due large amounts of rain the progress has been slow.

The excavation work & a pile of soil building up behind, which I've used to fill some pots ready for summer flowers., as below.

My late brother's ancient wheelbarrow with pots ready for, maybe, some petunias.

We've also moved about 200 bricks from here...................................................

Can you see them peeking through the fence from next door?  They were starting to push the fence & we approached the neighbours who didn't even know they were there, at the back of their wilderness & unaccessable to them.  We took some palings off & between DH & I, managed to move them, which was a backbreaking job, but they are now ready & waiting for a project in the near future.

We are going to pave this corner, maybe put up a triangular pergola & have some seating & pots to make it all very pretty.😊

A couple more pics of how steep our garden is & why we need to make it "old people" friendly.

Erosion

Looking up to the shed.

Looking down.

More dirt slipping away here too.

It was supposedly landscaped professionally, but I've never understood steep sloping flower beds & we need to remedy it this year if at all possible.

Another few pics of the garden & my late birthday gifts.😍

The corner of the verandah is starting to look quite colourful.

Looking across the pond, through the pergola to the far corner where we intend to pave.

A little cutie I nearly destroyed, thinking it was a slug in between some agapanthus leaves.
As soon as I realised I was disturbing a little frog, I left him be.
Isn't he the best?

My presents...........An electric lawnmower so I can help do the lawns again.
I cannot pull the starter string on a petrol one anymore & miss mowing.
The other is a wee greenhouse which will be up near the shed, once we've leveled a small spot beside the doorway.

Now onto a bit of crafting.  I'm sure we've done more than this, but a little to show that we've not been                                                                                      idle.

DH made me this beautiful "patchwork" bowl and it's gorgeous.  He did one attempt with some less favourable glue, which is going to become a receptacle for a pot plant, but the one above will definitely be used inside.

DDs quilt has been quilted & is awaiting for us all to be able to visit again, but we aren't holding our breaths.

                                              A photo shoot for 2 recently finished quilts.

Panademia on the keyhole tree.

Gee Whiz on a friends veteran car.

The last one has a bit of sun on it, on an amazingly sunny day which has been a rarity of late.

This one which I've called Luv from Oz, is waiting to be posted to UK for a blog friend's new baby boy.
Designed, pieced, quilted & labeled in Sepember/October, so has kept me busy.
I'm waiting to receive the address, then it will be on it's way.

                                       I'm ready to put this one onto the big machine today.

I'm sure you've had enough of my waffling, so will end this now and hopefully be back with some local walks we've done recently and taken my camera with me.  I'll part with one last photo of our murky grey skies of late, taken from our backyard.  This has been our weather for nearly all of this pandemic, with possibly a handful of nice sunny days.  We even lit the fire over the weekend, as temperatures were very low & the wind has been icy, though the garden, hills and farmers have appreciated the rain.

Thanks for reading my blog all, take care, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.  xx

JUNE PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT - 2020

That time again!

Linking with  the lovely Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me, to find photos to go with her list of words provided each month.  I am ever so grateful to her for keeping us blogging & focused on the beauty around us, even in these difficult times.  THANK YOU...😊😊😊

1.  MY GARDEN.

OK, this is my old garden at No.4 which was looking very pretty one Spring.  Ours at the moment is quite bare, so popped into the archives.
2.  FLOWERS.

I picked this bunch from the garden yesterday.  My first hellebore flowers & snowflakes, along with ti-tree & diosma.  I find that diosma, although not a pleasant smell, seems to be in flower nearly all year.  And where did I place these.

                                                       On the chest in my sewing room.
3.  INSECTS.

Witchetty grubs

DH found these two lurking in the wood he'd been chopping for our fire & called me out to rescue them.  I picked them up & put them in the garden amongst some leaves.  I took the info* below from the web & they had named a few of the moths, so I was surprised to see that one of them was the Emporer Gum moth, which I'd taken a photo of at one of our Car Club outings & shown on the blog last year.
*The witchetty grub (also spelled witchety grub or witjuti grub[1]) is a term used in Australia for the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths

Emporer Gum Moth.

4.  SUNRISE/SUNSET.

                              A photo taken back in 2017 from our driveway & not edited at all.  It was                                                                                               amazing.
5.  SOMETHING WILD.

Butcherbird on the left, Rosellas bottom right & King Parrot top right.

Last weekend whilst sweeping the verandah, I could hear my Butcherbird's call & looked up to see him sitting in the leafless tree behind the shed, along with to my amazement, 3 Eastern Rosellas & a King Parrot.  Flew inside to grab the camera, put on my big lens, hoping they'd still be there & voila, a photo.  Please click to see it full size.  I didn't dare go any closer as they'd have flown off.
6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

A nursery at 4 Elms in Kent, UK.

I just loved this nursery with both plants & old ephemera plus a cafe.  I could see so much of this being used in a gorgeous garden.  Wasn't sure what to put for my own choice this time & kept tossing thoughts around, then thinking about gardens & what I'd like to do in one with odd bits & pieces.  Not going to happen any time soon, as we  may be in lockdown again soon with a spike in cases happening again. 😣

OK, my lot for this month & hopefully July will bring a slow down in this virus & we can slowly find a new normal, but of course never the same as we've known most of our lives.

Take care, stay safe all & huggles from down under.

Susan.