Technical Difficulties

At the moment I am having to prove I am not a robot to comment anywhere and, if the comments are embedded (ie with the option to reply) I simply cannot comment.

I hope it can be sorted quickly, but may be unable to comment for a while

If anyone has any bright ideas I would love to hear them.

I use Firefox, and have diligently cleaned the cache.

Thank you for your suggestions.  Firefox Support have given me at least a temporary solution.  I still have to prove I am not a robot - but can comment again.

Sunday Selections #496

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.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme. We have had a very mild winter, which has made me worry about the spring and summer to come. (Sadly the Bureau of Meteorology has indicated today that our spring will be warmer than usual.) However, in the last week or so winter showed us that she is not gone.

Last weekend was decidedly chilly for much of south-eastern Australia.  My city even had flurries of snow, though it didn't stick. 

It did stick on the nearby hills though.

There is only a very little bit of snow on that hill - but it was close to home.  A small bit of my garden and the neighbour's front yard are in the foreground of this photo.

 I loved the reflected sunrise on the snow.

The days after the snow fell were sunny and still.  They were chilly though.  And of course the mad woman and her camera froze bubbles again.

These bubbles and the ones in the next lot lasted over forty-five minutes.  The chicken wire you can see is our hopeful attempt at discouraging the sulphur crested vandals who are again beheading/shredding and digging up our spring bulbs.  I would find it a little easy to bear if they ate the plants they destroy.

 Can you see the holes in the bubble above?  Proof that it had indeed frozen.

The frost hit the anemones hard.

I thought they were spectacular - and they were completely undamaged by the frost.

I know that lots of people are not fans of winter.  I am, and am grateful for its beauty - which I hope you all find in your week to come.

PS:  I have noticed this morning that I am having a heap of trouble commenting on blogger owned blogs.  I have discovered that I need to say that I am not a robot for the comment to take.  I do hope this is a temporary glitch.

Sunday Selections #495

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.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.  I am continuing all of my voluntary work during the pandemic (and indeed it is busier and more needed than ever).  Last Tuesday I was wearing my Lifeline supporter/supervisory hat and did a shift which finished a little after midnight.  It was busy, confronting and tiring.  I wound down and went to sleep.  A certain cat decided I HAD to get up shortly after four on Wednesday.

I did.  When dawn broke it was a cool, damp and grey day.  I was tired and more than usually brain dead.  When himself suggested a drive to see it there was any water being released from the Cotter Dam, I jumped at the chance and off we went. 

So, rather than walking with me, come drive with us...  Mind you, I got out of the car to take these photos.  Himself stayed in the dry.

We saw EMUS.  Wet emus.  In two separate locations.  We know that they are in the area, but very, very rarely see them.  And, as an aside, emus are also known in the family as Mee-Yous.  A work colleague's child called them that many years ago and we liked the name and adopted it.

The emu and the kangaroo both appear on the Australian coat of arms.  Something which is, I think, unique to Australia is that both our emblematic animals are eaten.

There was no water to speak of coming over the spillway but there was more water in the river than we have seen for a very long time.  Lovely.

When we got home again both the birds and the cats were shrieking of neglect.  So we fed them both.

Some of the birds demanded a more personal approach than the feeders.  

These photos were taken in a very short period (five or six minutes), and show birds jockeying for the seed bucket himself was holding.  (They are all taken looking out through one of our windows.

First a crimson rosella, who was evicted by a sulphur crested cockatoo.

The cockatoo was bounced by the very hungry crimson rosella .  He didn't hold his vantage spot for long, and a pair of King Parrots moved in (female with the green head and male with the orange head).

Himself had to use both hands as the crimson rosella moved in again.

 I hope that your days are filled with us much joy as this busy interlude gave us.

 

Me and My Shadow

I cast a long shadow.
She is taller than I am.
She is stronger and more substantial too.
Her baggage rests at her feet,
(mine is carried in my shoulders, my head and my heart).
She stops when I do and waits for me.
Will she pick up that heavy load again?
With or without it, I will never catch her.
When I stumble forward again,
she glides effortlessly onward.
I envy her.
How I envy her.

Word count:  79
Full critique acceptable. 

If you would like to see what other talented people have done with this prompt I hope you will go HERE.  Clicking on any name with a DL next to it will take you to their story.

Huge thanks to the WEP team and all the contributors.  I have been given immense support and hours of fun.  However, I am tired, overwhelmed and stepping back.  I am pretty certain that this will be my last WEP for some time.

Sunday Selections #494

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.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.   Like many/most people we are mostly at home at the moment.  And, while I am happy at home, it has fairly forcibly reminded me that I am deep in a rut of same old/same old.

So, with some apologies, Sunday Selections is coming to you from my garden - which is definitely hinting strongly that Spring is on her way.

 

I do love rain bejewelled leaves.  Which is just as well because our weather has definitely been on the damp side.  Which is more than welcome.

 

And, still peering above the parapets of that rut, some birds which have visited this week.

 

 

I hope that your weeks are jam packed with beauty, and that if you are also in a rut that you are comfortable there.  I do hope to get out of the rut next week and share a long awaited treat. 

PS:  I am again wrestling the New Blogger and having huge difficulties sizing photos.  Please accept my apologies.