Sunday Selections #500⭐⭐⭐
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. This week marks the 500th Sunday Selections since Kim first started the meme - which I find amazing.
Just the same, it is going to be very similar to rather a lot of other Sunday Selections with no special bows and whistles.
It is Spring here. My city makes a practice of welcoming the season with a festival - Floriade, which has now been running for over thirty years. Over a million bulbs are planted in a park in the centre of the city, shops pop up and activities abound. It attracts hundreds of thousands of people. And, of course, this year it cannot go ahead.
Or not as usual. So we have been given Floriade Reimagined, and the bulbs and the plantings are spread across the city, in shopping centres, in parks, at churches, at the jail...
I won't see all of the Floriade Reimagined sites but will share those that I do. I am starting with some of those I spotted in the city centre last week.
I don't know whether the photo above is a Floriade decoration or not. I suspect not, but liked it and have included it anyway.
These photos were taken inside the city centre. The paper flowers inside the Floriade sign were created by students from local schools and by community groups. Gnomes are a feature of Floriade every year and I will keep my eye out for more.
I also liked the decorations on the back of the Floriade sign.
A woman who walks past our home on a regular basis told me that she considers it part of Floriade, which was a lovely thing to say.
So more photos from home - mostly focusing on tulips this week.
Even the chicken wire (put up to deter the cockatoos) hasn't slowed the blooming down. Last year we got NO tulips in this patch. The vandals uprooted the lot.
There are more things coming out in the garden every day. And yes, I am excited by them. I am also grateful. It is spring here, but winter made a surprise reappearance. We had snow on the hills yesterday and today. The garden appears totally unaffected. Yay.
I hope your week is packed with excitement and beauty.
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. And I OFTEN revert to one of my obsessions. It is the bird obsession this week.
Heading into town early one morning a few weeks ago I watched a magpie gather sticks and arrange them in her nest. It looked very flimsy and uncomfortable but I am sure it is much better now.
If you embiggen the last you will see she has some more nesting material in her beak. I didn't go very close to her to give her some privacy.
In the weeks to come her choice of nesting spot will become unpopular. Male magpies are very protective and will swoop people (beak clattering) if they think they are too close. It is noisy and can be frightening and occasionally dangerous. People will have to find a different spot to lunch in for a few weeks.
Mea Culpa: Anna pointed out the error of my ways. That is a currawong rather than a magpie. Which I knew, but for some reason completely ignored when putting up this post. The facts about magpies are correct, but the bird and the nest don't belong to magpies at all.
Then to a pair of corellas who delighted me at home.
I loved the very obvious affection between this grooming pair.
And then (again) to the yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. They are rare visitors at home and while I welcome them, I also know that they are visiting only because of the damage that the fires late last year and earlier this year did to their preferred habitat. Damage that has not been fully repaired as we lurch towards another dangerous fire season.
Despite the name, the yellow tail was conspicuous by its absence in all of my photos, since the cockatoo stayed on the ground. Better luck next time.
I hope your week is full of treats - expected and unexpected.
Next week, and probably for several weeks, I will be posting about my garden obsession and my city's celebration of Spring. Again.
PS: The very talented Charlotte(MotherOwl) has found a way for those of us who are less than impressed with New Blogger to remain with the Legacy version. I followed her suggestions and have reverted. If you are interested you can find the method HERE.
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. On Thursday I met my personal commitment and did the Out of the Shadows walk. (Thank you to all those who commented. I do know that suicide is a confronting subject for many). There was a breakfast meet up after the walk - making use of a coffee-cart at the walk's starting point.
However as usual I was peopled out and skipped breakfast. Instead I walked into town to do an early shift on the crisis line. It wasn't seven when I started walking (slowly), and the streets were quiet and often beautiful. Equanimity was restored.
So, as I so often say, come walk with me. And of course, a lot of my predictable focus was on birds and gardens.
I do love the way that the native birds (and this is a crimson rosella) are happy in our suburbs.
I really like this garden. I am only in this part of town once a year (for the Out of The Shadows Walk) and I look forward to seeing how it has developed since my last visit. I think it looks really inviting.
The angels continue to crowd this balcony and I smiled to see that it looks as if there is a fallen angel behind them. I am sure there is a story here...
It looks as if what was once a very impressive single residence is now apartments. And no doubt fairly expensive ones.
Gates fascinate me too.
I think that is a backpack - but it does look as if the child has sprouted wings...
I do hope that heavily pruned plant comes back.
In the space of less than a block everything changes as we move into a much more modern (and less personally appealing) part of town.
There are still flowers though - which I welcome.
I hope you all find peace and beauty in your week.
