Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 12 June 2022

Sunday Selections #585

 

 

 
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 are at home again this week.  Insomnia still has me firmly in its grasp.  These days I usually give up and get up around three.  Which has the benefit that I always see the dawn.





 The garden has, not before time, been claiming a lot of time and attention.  The tree dahlias have succumbed to winter.  I have chopped down about seven or eight of them and have about the same number left to remove.
 
I have weeding to do, and bulbs to plant.  There are still things in bloom like the daisies, and the hoyas.  Winter is here but hasn't slowed them down.  Some bulbs have jumped the gun and are happily flowering, months too early.


The camellias are heavily in bud, and this one has flowered.  The cockatoos and the king parrots are shredding the buds so I hope this isn't the last flower.


There are plenty of paper white jonquils in flower and more come out each day.

This anemone is the only one in flower so far, but there are plenty of others above ground.


Hoyas are sensitive to frost but this one hasn't missed a beat.

And the birds, despite their destructive ways, continue to give me joy.

 

Temperatures are definitely chilly in the morning at the moment (we have had snow on the hills most days this week).  This corella was certainly snuggled into its feathers.


The crimson rosellas arrive early, often just before first light.  I was lucky to capture this one with the camera just before it took flight.

Whatever the temperatures, I hope your week is healthy and happy.

125 comments:

  1. Thank you for doing so much yardwork so I can enjoy the bounty without (too) much lazy guilt! :) The stark contrast of the trees on the hill against the dawn is striking. And the color explosion of flowers and feathers is a treat I look forward to weekly, so my humble thanks for the feast.
    Please take care and try to rest more. Hugs to you and scritches to Captain Fuzzbutt.

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    1. River Fairchild: I haven't been doing nearly enough in the garden, but hope to get out later today. It needs to be light and the frost gone first. I loved seeing those trees silhouetted against the blushing sky - and wont admit to just how many photos I took. Captain Spikey and I thank you.

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  2. Dear EC
    I'm sorry that you have insomnia, but it does give us the most gorgeous dawn photos! It looks as though there is still much to enjoy in the garden too - as long as the birds leave you some flowers to enjoy!
    I hope you have a good week
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Ellie Foster: My sleep cycle is seriously shot, but I am trying to make the best of it. There is plenty in the garden to enjoy - and a whole lot of work calling out to me.

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  3. Insomnia can be be very trying.
    The corella was probably quiet at that time. : )

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    1. Caterina: Thank you. All of the birds are quiet when I get up at the moment. And they are not yet stirring. I won't answer for the worms that the early birds supposedly get though.

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  4. The crimson rosella has a lot of great color.

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    1. Mike: They do. And those colours really pop in the early morning. They are one of the first birds to arrive at the feeder each day - though it is too early for them just yet.

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    2. Have you tried the nasal strips at night? They really do open up your nose so you can breath easier.

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    3. Mike: As far as I am aware it isn't breathing difficulties which wake me. I don't wake stuffy or gasping. My eyes simply open...

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  5. Your winter looks so unusual to me, brilliantly beautiful winter. The birds and flowers, just so incredible. Insomnia sucks, I know insomnia very well, I have almost come to terms with it, I just accept I will spend several nights each week bright eyed and bushy tailed waiting fir that curtain to fill but it dies not. I listen to books, watch the night sky and I listen to the night sounds. That’s it, oh and I plan, I make lists, now some of my eye sight is back I could paint but I don’t. I try not to do too much that will stimulate me, I don’t eat either, maybe warm water, with a little ginger and honey but I don’t turn on lights and I don’t watch tv. Usually by 5 am I will close my eyes and sleep til 7 , I do find the sleep music or rain sounds from YouTube really help. I hope you find a way to live with or conquer insomnia, take care my friend, sleep well 👍❤️

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    1. Laurie: There is a lot of colour in our winters. Much as I like snow (which I see in the distance) I am grateful for the colour, in the garden and on the birds.
      Like you, I lie quietly and plan. When it is obvious that sleep is out of reach I get up and start my day, though if I am lucky I will nap later. And a big yes to the warm water. I have now been up for several hours and am planning my first cup of tea.

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  6. Sorry to hear of your insomnia. But those dawn pictures are wonderful. And the last picture (of the hostas) is also gorgeous. I do hope you can find a way to conquer your problem with lack of ability to sleep. It's really hard to function for me anyway when I've not gotten enough. Sending big virtual hugs!

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    1. DJan: Thank you. I have been having sleep issues for years. Mostly I sort of manage, but three am starts are getting old.

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  7. I am sorry about the insomnia. It's not a problem I usually have, and I have no suggestions. The only time I find it hard to sleep is when I have a stressful appointment the following day. Then I tell myself that lying down resting is the next best thing to sleep and then, like you, try to have a nap later.

    I love the pink skies and the blooms and birds. You have helped me identify a flower in my mother's garden - jonquils. Thank you for that. She no longer can name any of her plants.

    How is Mr. Scratchy-Bitey this week? Hope he is NOT living up to that name :)

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    1. jenny_o: There are a very wide variety of jonquils, but these are always the first to bloom (though not usually this early). Mr Scratchy Bitey is both of those things. But happy with it.

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  8. I've tried a variety of things. The best seems to be reading in bed. I get to the best bits and fall asleep...your photos are lovely and I can't wait to see the garden done. Have a good week!

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    1. e: I worry about waking himself if I read in bed in the very early hours. Naps are good. The garden done? Queue hysterical laughter. I don't think gardens are EVER done, though ours is not usually as out of control as it is at the moment. I hope you and Lukas have a great week too.

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  9. What a spectacular photo of the crimson rosella - wow! You have a real talent for photographing birds.

    I'm sorry to hear you're suffering from insomnia. I go through phases of it, too. I've developed a routine that seems to help; and probably simply adhering to a routine helps, too. I get into bed, and spend a few minutes getting comfortable and concentrating on relaxing every part of my body. Then I count backward by threes from 500, thinking the numbers in a slow monotonous cadence while I concentrate on 'seeing' each digit as I say it: Four... (visualize a 4)... ninety... (visualize a 9)... seven... (visualize a 7), etc. I don't let myself move to the next number until I can clearly visualize the one I'm on. It's challenging enough to keep my mind from wandering to other thoughts that keep me awake, but it's monotonous enough to put me to sleep. Interestingly, when I concentrate that hard on seeing a number, I might "see" it as a hand-written number, or an address-type digit with screw holes in it, or a bright plastic number like a child's toy; but after a few numbers my brain starts to twist the numbers into other images. My eight might turn into a snowman, my two becomes a swan... and suddenly it's morning. (Or a couple of hours later, which is still better than no sleep at all.) If I'm still not sleeping, at least it's an interesting mind exercise to try to get all the numbers right. :-) Hope this helps...

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    1. Diane Henders: Thank you. I take a LOT of photos and delete most of them. I am very grateful for digital cameras. When I had to pay to see each photograph (failed or not) I was much mingier with my shutter finger.
      What an interesting approach to insomnia. Numbers and I have a fraught relationship. I wonder whether visualising them would make it better or worse...

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    2. I often pretend I'm in a coma and in a movie scene so I dare not move to spoil the shot, then I slow my breathing and wake up several hours later.

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    3. River: Another interesting technique.

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  10. Good morning, EC. Bed is my best friend during this most chilly of times. This past week it's been very cold up here on the mountain. Remy and Shama will verify to that...as they demand I keep them company!! :)

    I hopped online last night and bought a new doona. Extra warmth for my/our bed won't go astray!

    Sleep refused to come to me on Friday night...my mind was in overdrive and just wouldn't stop! Very frustrating.

    I hope the week ahead treats you more kindly. And, I hope Jazz is doing well. Take good care...stay warm. :)

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    1. Lee: I hope your new doona arrives quickly. It has certainly been colder than usual your way. I have no trouble going to sleep - and a lot of trouble staying there.
      I hope that you and the furry overlords have a wonderful warm week.

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  11. It is rare for me to not sleep well. After a working life of shift work, I like the routine I now have. Rise at 7, bed usually by 11 and no day time napping. At times I will wake earlier but stay in bed, usually alternating between dozing and waking.

    I am envious to see you have some blue skies.

    Have you noticed some species of birds are out and about much earlier than others, and some roost well before others?

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    1. Andrew: Sadly it doesn't matter what time I go to bed, my eyes open at the (currently) usual time. On nights when I am on call for LL and don't get to bed until after midnight this is serious. We do indeed have blue skies. It is blue again today, but the wind is coming from the snow.
      The crimson rosellas are our first visitors. Then the pigeons. Then the corellas, then the cockatoos - who often arrive with the king parrots.
      The galahs are often the last to leave at night.

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  12. Ach, Sue, perhaps I should send you my 22 CDs with Sterne's complete "Tristram Shandy", read by Harry Rowohlt.
    About two dozen times I made myself feel comfortable on the sofa, listened and always fell asleep long before the end of CD 1.
    Listening whilst cooking, let me reach the end of CD 22, after all.


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    1. Sean Jeating: Thank you. As I said to someone else I don't have trouble (or only rarely) in getting to sleep. It is staying there that is the issue.

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  13. How I wish my hoya would flower. Perhaps I water it too much? And lately the rains have been watering for me. I never see dawn anymore, I'm snuggled in my own feathers at that time of day. Two feather and down quilts on my bed, one under the bottom sheet, one over the top sheet.
    I would think that being able to fall asleep means you don't have insomnia, just simply much less need for sleep than most people. Insomniacs are the ones who can't fall asleep in the first place, I thought.

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    1. River: Insomnia covers being unable to go to sleep, being unable to stay asleep AND waking up too early. I need much more sleep than two hour snatches which is what I typically get these days.
      We have bought a new hoya, and I hope it also flowers, though we may have to wait.

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  14. I'm sorry about your bout of insomnia. I think that most people go through that at least occasionally. I've had bouts of insomnia where I didn't get to sleep for three days in a row when I was going through menopause years ago but lately I've been sleeping soundly after a full day of digging, weeding and planting. I read in bed but usually start to fall asleep before reading two pages.
    I hope that sleep finds you and stays a while.

    Thanks for your cheery photos.
    Hugs, Julia

    Your winter flowers are so preciously beautiful. Nothing blooms in winter here.Your winter colors are amazing and so are the birds. My Hoya is blooming also but it's a house plant that is in desperate needs to be repotted. It was getting to big and I cut it down drastically.

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    1. Julia: Thank you. If I work in the garden (and I should be there now) I have no trouble going to sleep, but cannot stay there. I also read in bed, but set a two chapter limit.
      Our winters are mild on a world-wide standard and quite a lot of things will bloom. Which is lovely. River is quite right. Hoyas do like to be potbound.

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    2. Thanks for letting me know. My Hoya has been in that pot for many years and usually blooms twice a year. It has such a nice fragrance at night, it fills the house.

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  15. Julia; hoyas like to be potbound, so don't go too big with the next pot.

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    1. River: You are right. I wonder whether naturally they grow from tiny slivers of soil squeezed between rocks or something?

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    2. Thanks River. I think, my pot must be large enough because it still blooms.

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  16. As ever...a visual feast.Thank you.This morning, P. loaded my little car and(drum roll, please!)...I went to the dump. and, already, we are amassing the next load!
    I'm not sure what they're catching, but Drongos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spangled_drongo are having a high time at present, much to my delight.

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    1. dinahmow: I would love to see/hear Spangled Drongos. Some day. Well done on the dump run.

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  17. Parrots are looking good, much to do in the garden in winter. Flowers are looking beautiful. Our camellias are in bud so waiting patiently for them to bloom.

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    1. Margaret D: Spam claimed you again. Sorry about that. There is always a lot to do in the garden and I have been neglecting ours. I do hope that the birds allow our camellias to flower - they put on a delightful display.

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  18. The last bird photo, the rosella, is beautiful! Well, summer is about to officially start here but still no sun, just rivers of rain. On and on. Junuary, the news called it, in reference to the weather being more like January.

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    1. Strayer: It is definitely winter here, though we have not yet had any hard frosts. I hope your Junuary leaves you and you get some sun.
      The rosellas are lovely aren't they?

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  19. Quite a bit of rain here, but not cold. It's OK. The fires have been so bad where there is drought, I'll take the rain anytime. Beautiful pictures, Sue. Hugs from a half a world away.

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    1. Bill: In this drought stricken land I will take rain any day too. We have had a lot this season, and some areas have had too much, but I still prefer it to drought and fires. Killers both of them.
      And thank you - hugs reciprocated.

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  20. I love the look of your mossy driveway? Is it slippery?

    I hope you get some extra shut eye this week!

    xo

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    1. kylie: The driveway isn't slippery - which surprises me. Some more sleep would be very, very nice.

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  21. I'm sorry that insomnia has you in its grips. I have to take something at night to sleep. Those birds are so pretty. The colorful ones are just gorgeous.

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    1. Mary Kirkland: The crimson rosellas are bright and beautiful aren't they? I take so many tablets already I am reluctant to take more but...

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  22. Thanks EC - gorgeous photos ... and interesting description from your side of the world. I'm so glad I don't suffer from insomnia - so am glad you've the garden to work in, and books to read ... but a good night's sleep would surely help.

    Good luck with the garden winter sort out - we're about to get some summer - if the wind would die down - then of course we'll be sweating way too much ... the English light skin doesn't cope. Beautiful now ... but let's hope it sticks as the tennis season rocks around ... all the best for the week - happy gardening and winter dawns ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: I hope your summer arrives, and the wind drops. It is windy here too, and that wind is definitely travelling over snow. Books, birds and the garden are an immense help, but more sleep would be welcome.

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  23. Adorable and very lovely photos .... ♥

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    1. aussie aNNie: Thank you. I had to rescue you from spam again. I don't know why blogger has taken such a dislike to you.

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  24. I have no trouble going to sleep - and a lot of trouble staying there, that describes my nights too, even if morning does not come as eally to me. My commiserations!
    The birds are beautiful. I like your photographies very much.
    My place Hoya is an indoor plant and we dread its flowering as their smell is very intense.

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    1. Charlotte (MotherOwl): Thank you. It would be nice to sleep the whole night through wouldn't it? Our hoya lives outside. And yes, their scent can be very intense, but it doesn't bother us outside.

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  25. A gardener's work is never done, Sue, especially a tired gardener. I am an early riser, usually around 5:00 am, and there is the odd night when insomnia rules and I get up; fortunately not too often. Be sure to give my best regards to the parrots and cockatoos. Destructive little buggers they may be but I love them unconditionally!

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    1. David M. Gascoigne: As you know we love the feathered vandals too - while deploring their depreciations. I will pass your admiration on to them when it is light.

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  26. Eso es lo que tienen los jardines, trabajo, si los queremos tener cuidados. Pero siempre la recompensa es mayor, por lo menos para mi, que cuando cuido mis plantas me olvido de todo, tanto de lo bueno como de lo malo, y me dedico exclusivamente a ellas.
    A la hora que tu tu levantas, en cuando yo me acuesto todos los días, es más, muchos días a esa hora, me estoy bañando en la piscina, mientras contemplo la luna y las estrellas, ya que aún se mantienen los 25º C. de temperatura.
    Un saludo, y me alegro mucho de que os encontréis bien. Por aquí, gracias a Dios, también estamos todos bien, que es lo importante.

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    1. Manuel: Thank you. A very early swim sounds magical to me - though temperatures that high so early in the day are not good. And you are right that a gardener's work is never done, but this gardener has been falling down on the job.
      Have a wonderful week.

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  27. The best pictures are at dawn and dusk (providing the weather is good of course). Great pictures.

    Cheers

    PM

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    1. Plastic Mancunian: Thank you. Dawn and dusk are definitely my favourite times of day - with dawn having a slight edge. I think today's will be crisp and clear - probably with a frost.

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  28. I am so envious of your blooms in winter, EC. I hope you have a great week. Take care.

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    1. Marie Smith: We are very lucky. There is almost always something in bloom here. You have a wonderful week (including picnics) too.

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  29. Sorry to read about your insomnia, Sue, but you managed to be up for some incredibly beautiful sky shots.

    Those paper white jonquils must be confused and think spring has arrived. Your flowers are stunning and certainly beautiful. That corella certainly does look like it is trying to bundle up.

    I hope you can get a decent night's sleep very soon , dear.

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    1. Bleubeard and Elizabeth: Thank you. The garden and I are certainly confused at the moment. Perhaps things will settle down when we move further into winter. Sleep has been an issue for a long time now - but seeing the dawn is some compensation.

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  30. I'm sorry for your insomnia. I've been having it some, but I think I have a handle on it now.
    The sunrise photos are wonderful!
    Such critters in your part of the world!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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    1. Jenn Jilks: I am glad that you have found a way to live with insomnia (and hopefully defeat it). I do love sunrise and have folders and folders of photos. Have a great week.

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  31. That corella appears to have an ‘I am not amused’ look on its face.
    Sorry to hear about your ongoing insomnia problem…..I found writing about it cured it :)
    Do you remember my recent ‘On my Mind’ post where insomnia was the item of the day……well not long after I began to sleep longer and longer. All through on some nights! So now after having mentioned it you should see some improvement - maybe 😊
    But don’t blame me if it doesn’t work😊😊
    Take care
    Cathy

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    1. Cathy: Much of the corella's unamused face was because I was photographing it rather than feeding it. I do hope that my insomnia backs off, and am glad that yours is much better. I have had problems for years now and at the moment it is much worse.

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  32. Your photos of the trees are especially lovely.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Janie Junebug. Thank you. I often look to those trees.

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  33. Good afternoon, what a collection of lovely places out and about, it's almost like being there. After reading about your weeds, I think we all should have a weed party! It seems that job is never really finished! Enjoy your week ahead, don't over work too much, like I read once in a child's nursery tale, the spider webs will keep, and heavens so will the weeds!

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    1. 21 Wits: Thank you. I am trying to do a little each day. I leave the spider webs and the weeds are still triumphant.

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  34. Sorry to read of your insomnia, however, it is lovely to see your photographs of dawn and the sun rising.
    I also like the crimson rosellas, such lovely colouring.

    I hope the week ahead will be a good one for you.
    Take care.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Lowcarb team member ~Jan: Thank you. We see the crimson rosellas often - and never tire of them.

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  35. It's beautiful as the seasons change, and i agree the birds can be pesky but we wouldn't wish them away for anything.

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    1. messymimi: Agreed. And we encourage them, vandals and all.

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  36. Your minimalistic landscapes are exquisite, as is your garden. You've made me look around mine to see what is flowering, correas and rosemary are the most obvious, along with some nasturtiums - no where near as many species as you have flowering.

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    1. Oops, that was my fault!

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    2. Kim: I thought it was blogger making you anonymous again. I am perversely pleased it was you. The garden is definitely not exquisite at the moment, but I am doing a little each day. There are more things and more weeds coming out each day as well.

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  37. An unwelcome companion that insomnia when it shows up. I'm seeing the dawn far too much lately.
    Your dawn photos are gorgeous and as always, I am in awe of your flower garden.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. Wisewebwoman: Insomnia has been a companion of mine for years but is more insistent at the moment. I am sorry that you too are struggling. And thank you.

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  38. Cold here too. There's something about those silhouetted trees that I find very satisfying.

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    1. J Cosmo Newbery: I love those trees. And admire them particularly in the early morning. We are into the minus figures this morning.

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  39. You certainly have the energy and ability to do strenuous yard work. Your garden looks beautiful Love those colorful birds in Australia. Gigi Hawaii

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    1. gigi-hawaii: I do it a bit at a time and how I wish I had more energy and ability. We love all of our birds.

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  40. Those Hoyas are so beautiful! Love it :D

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    1. Damyanti Biswas: I love them. I do hope that the forthcoming frosts don't bite them too hard.

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  41. Sorry you lost your dahlias, but your other flowers are delightful as are those pretty skies, and birds.

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    1. DeniseinVA: It is always a bit of a race to see whether the tree dahlias will flower before the frost kills them. This year we won.

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  42. Such a lovely pastel sky and your flowers look so nice. I hope that those out of sync flowers are not hurt too bad by the cold.
    Insomnia is no fun. If I get to sleep by midnight, I am good. Usually around 2 or 3 am. At least I can sleep in the morning

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    1. The Blog Fodder: Thank you. I hope that the out of season flowers survive too. So far they look to be doing surprisingly well.
      I have taken to naps. They mean I can be more or less functional for some of the day. If I don't nap, I don't sleep any better at night, and am zombified. This too will pass.

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  43. Incredibly beautiful skies and flowers!

    Our morning coffee needed this. Thank you, EC!

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    1. Wally Jones: I am pleased and proud to hear that my images went well with your morning coffee.

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  44. Ack. I hate insomnia. Hope you get naps in. Your paradise is so pretty. The flowers and birds radiate serenity. Hope Jazz is having a good day and you as well.
    Take special care, my friend.

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    1. Sandra Cox: I am not a fan of insomnia either. It has been with me for years but is worse at the moment. Jazz is doing well today and I do hope your poor dog is much improved.

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    2. Insomnia sucks. I'm glad Jazz is having a good day. So is Penny. Hope you are too, my friend.

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    3. Sandra Cox: I am so glad that Penny is doing better - and hope your day matches.

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  45. The corella is so fluffy! Also, I learned that it was a corella as I was under the belief that was a cockatoo.

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    1. HRBennett87: It was fluffed up against the chilly early morning air. Corellas are smaller than cockatoos. Quite a lot smaller. They compete for very similar foods though, and are regular visitors here.

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  46. I love sunrises. They're always so full of promise. Sorry about the insomnia, but you're right about the perks of being able to see the sun come fresh to the sky. Love your garden flowers. This year I can't plant anything due to drought, so I'll have to visit your site to get may garden fix.

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    1. cleemckenzie: I had to rescue your comment from the spam folder. I love sunrises too. I do hope that your drought breaks. Soon.

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  47. So pretty!! Love the bird at the end - that's a new-to-me species! So pretty :)

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    1. Jemi Fraser: Thank you. We see the crimson rosellas almost every day - and they are pretty. And welcome.

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  48. Stunning photos, everything is just gorgeous .

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  49. Beautiful flowers. 3 am....ouch. I'm fast asleep at that hour, so enjoy your sky pictures. Don't work too hard in the garden. I find each year that work gets harder on the body.

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    1. Sandy: It does indeed get harder to work in the garden. Worth it though. It is nearly seven here, and when it is light and the frost has lifted I hope to do a bit more.

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  50. You photos as usual are beautiful! Thanks for your suggestions on how to outsmart google and comment. It works for some but there are still some frustrating outliers!

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    1. mary bon: Thank you. I am glad that it works for at least some. And spend a lot of my time sighing at google - and attempting to outsmart it.

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  51. Thanks for the visual treat. I've never seen Hoyas. They're fabulous.

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    1. Kalpana: There are several different types of hoyas. We recently bought one with star shaped flowers that I hope to feature here next year.

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    2. I'm exploring Hoyas with the hope that I can grow them in the hills, where it is cooler than in Delhi. I look forward to your star shaped Hoyas.

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    3. Kalpana: Hoyas are frost sensitive (ours have been burnt more than once). In many parts of the world they are an indoor plant. They need to be potbound too. Good luck. I really love ours and am grateful for the woman who sent it to market because she was tired of waiting for it to bloom.

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  52. Los atardeceres, las flores y los animales, son buenos temas fotográficos y hay una buena muestra de ellos en estas fotografías.

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    1. VENTANA DE FOTO: Thank you. I admire the photographs you take of people too - something I rarely attempt.

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  53. I gotta say, seeing the dawn is the only benefit I can think of to getting up early. Darn insomnia.
    Thanks for stopping by to read my other post. I appreciate ya.
    Hope your weekend is all things wonderful.
    Hugs,

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    1. Sandra Cox: There are other benefits too. It gives me quiet time (very quiet) to get my head more or less in order for the day ahead. Of course I visited your other post. Have a great weekend yourself.

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  54. Hi EC! The sky photos are beautiful. So you are into winter...it looks nice for winter there. The anemone is so beautiful. Oh the corella is so pretty!

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    1. Rain: We are definitely in winter. It is minus two here as I type. Thank you - and enjoy your summer.

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  55. Aha! So those are hoyas! As a child, I used to call them icing flowers, they look like they're made with icing sugar. They taste a little sour though.

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    1. neena maiya (guyana gyal): They do look like sugar flowers don't they? The ants (who love them) would disagree with you about the sour taste though.

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  56. Amazing how many things are still in bloom. Those hoyas are fabulous! I wish I had some. :) Looks like you are seeing lots of beautiful sights- no matter the temperature. Thanks for sharing. ~Jess

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    1. DMS ~Jess: Thank you. Frost has finally taken out the hoya blooms but they were lovely while they lasted.

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