Sunday Selections #300

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  Second verse, same as the first.  I am still stuck in the Home and Away theme I was using this time last year.  And still focussing on my obsessions. 

Starting with home.

And the sky.

And then to the garden.  We have had an unusally wet spring and everything is going gangbusters.  I usually show photos of individual blooms rather than the gardenjungle as a whole.  A friend complained about that on a regular basis.  So today it is jungle shots.  And yes, it is a big garden.  There are more beds too.

Front jungle.

Back jungle.

 

Needless to say there is a lot to be tracked inside (and I cannot convince the cats to wipe their feet).  So this week I lashed out and bought another two mats.

Back to my avian obsession.  

A female king parrot today.  And just look at the patterns on the underside of her tail.

   
The skinny one has been very busy.  Travelling on a bullet train, touring the Forbidden City and today I understand he is climbing part of the Great Wall of China.

However, his highlight of the week was a trip to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors.

 There are thousands of them.  All hand moulded, all different.
Wow, wow and wow. 

 

Words for Wednesday

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Week after week she provided us with challenging prompts.    Computer issues led her to bow out for a while and I took over.  When Delores' absence looked like being more permanent I begged and cajoled for other volunteers to share providing the prompts, and Words for Wednesday became a movable feast.  Delores discontinued her blog for a while, but she has returned.  Her new blog can be found here.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.

This month the prompts were to be provided by Jacqueline aka The Cranky on her blog.  Sadly Jacqueline has had a stroke and is unable to participate.  Even sadder, it now seems unlikely she will be able to rejoin us.  My heart aches for her and for those who love her.  It seems so unfair that she was hit with this just when she was turning her life around.

So I am providing this month's prompts here.

This weeks prompts are:

1. noble 
2. shine
3. expressive 
4. charm
5. odd 
6. biggest

And/or

1. passion 
2. actuality 
3. top  
4. jar 
5. elevator 
6. angel

Happy playing.


Next month the prompts will be provided by  Carolyn McBride  on her blog.

In December,  Vest has joined us, and will post the prompts on his blog.

 Granny Annie will provide the prompts in January 2017.

 Delores will post the prompts on her blog for Februaray 2017.

In anyone else would like to join in, please let us know in the comments (or send me an email) .

Sunday Selections #299

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  For the next few weeks I am going to revert to the Home and Away theme I was using this time last year.  
Starting with home, and some of my obsessions.

Shortly after dawn one morning this week.

   
And a more flamboyant dawn display a little while ago.

The birds who are gracing our yard.

You will notice that his crest is missing a feather or two.  I picked one up a few days ago, and here it is.

The garden continues to give me joy.  And work.  

Himself is still having a wonderful time.  An assortment of photos this time, showcasing the old and the new.

I was blown away when he mentioned the 'smallest' town he had visited had in the order of 5.000,000 inhabitants.  That makes me shudder worse than furry tofu.

Words for Wednesday

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Week after week she provided us with challenging prompts.    Computer issues led her to bow out for a while and I took over.  When Delores' absence looked like being more permanent I begged and cajoled for other volunteers to share providing the prompts, and Words for Wednesday became a movable feast.  Delores discontinued her blog for a while, but she has returned.  Her new blog can be found here.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.

This month the prompts were to be provided by Jacqueline aka The Cranky on her blog.  Sadly Jacqueline has had a stroke and is unable to participate.  Even sadder, it now seems unlikely she will be able to rejoin us.  My heart aches for her and for those who love her.  It seems so unfair that she was hit with this just when she was turning her life around.

So I am providing this month's prompts here.

This weeks prompts are:

1. prank
2. arms
3. regret
4. light
5. hostility
6. crime

and/or

1. astronaut
2. wolf 
3. prophesy
4. guillotine 
5. bootlegger 
6. adorable

Have fun.

Sunday Selections #298

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  For the next few weeks I am going to revert to the Home and Away theme I was using this time last year.
Starting with home.  Well in the general vicinity anyway.

Shortly before himself headed off, we went to a  guided 'Breakfast with the Birds' at our National Botanic Gardens.  It was an early start (much earlier than he usually arises) but afterwards he told me it was worth it.  

Over 200 species of birds are known to visit the Botanic Gardens, and for one month (co-inciding with Floriade) they open the gates early on weekends so that small groups of people can be shown some of them.

We had a lovely time.  Very few bird photos follow (many were small and moved faster and less predictably than greased lightening), but there are some shots of the beauty of the gardens.

I do love kookaburras.

If you embiggen you will see several birds nests in the tree above.

The Wood Ducks at least stayed still long enough to take their photos...

In the prolonged wet weather we have been having some surprisingly large trees have slid to the ground...

Orchids were coming out everywhere.

The early morning light and the bird song made a beautiful start to the day.  And the cafeteria opened early for us too, and the after walk breakfast was also a treat.

And now to more exotic treats.

Of course himself had to see pandas while in China.  I believe that pandas are 'reluctant breeders', but you would never know it from his photos.

And some shots from a market place he wandered happily through.

He tells me that ginger cats are almost the only ones he has seen in China.  Which surprised me.

He tells me that this is 'furry tofu'.  Which is so very wrong on so many levels.

Noticing the fish, I asked whether the markets smelt, and he said that he has smelt much, much worse. 

He is still having a lovely time, and still having his photo taken on a regular basis.