Sunday Selections #584

 

 

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 celebrate the change of the seasons on the first of the relevant months rather than (as I think is more sensible) the solstice.  So winter arrived this month.  Entirely appropriately when I headed out that morning there was a dusting of snow on the nearby hills.

There was snow the next day too.  It has gone now (but will no doubt return).  Dawns are chilly here at the moment, but still beautiful.

And the birds are remarkably unphased.  Tying in with the dawn theme I have been photographing galahs lately.  

I like the cooler weather (which many don't) and am looking forward to it getting colder yet - so I can freeze bubbles.

What ever the season I hope you are finding beauty and fun.

PS:  Blogger is currently sending many comments to Spam.  I check the spam folder regularly (cursing them) and release the comments as soon as possible.  If you are not certain whether it is affecting your posts I suggest checking your comments folder, clicking on the downward arrow, and seeing just which comments have been caught.  Some of you blogger has taken a particular dislike to, and I hope this glitch is fixed soon.  Yesterday would be good.

Sunday Selections #285

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.  It is winter here.  And one day this week the weather reminded us.  Forcibly.  The wind howled all night (bringing down trees and powerlines across the city).  Snow was forecast.  And when I got up the next morning it had arrived.  So I headed out just after first light.  Those of you in the Northern Hemisphere will probably snicker at our relatively insignficant fall, but it was more than we have had in the city for years.  The snow melted relatively quickly but the wind continued all day and we didn't reach double digit temperatures.  The wind chill factor meant that it never felt above 5C/41F.

It was pretty though.  I was (for a change) grateful for MS which means that I rarely get cold, and himself and the cats were very grateful that our heater (which had been non-functional) had been fixed the day before.

Later that day we headed off the arboretum to see the annual Warm Tree exhibition.  Photos to follow later.

Sunday Selections #227

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. Winter has started and this last week has been on the brisk side.  By Thursday morning our temperatures had been in the minus range more often and for longer than we had made it to positive figures.  Most days we struggled to get to double digits.

Crisp, clear, and I think beautiful.  The cats don't agree.

After a few cold mornings my slow moving brain remembered something I was sent earlier this year.  Photos of frozen bubbles.

So the next photos are of a chilly experiment.  I headed out just after first light, armed with detergent, a piece of wire twisted so I could blow bubbles and my camera.  I really needed more arms.  There was a frost, and the weather boffins had told us that we would have a temperature of around minus four C.

The bubble had certainly started to freeze.  They lasted nearly ten minutes before popping, and left a shell behind...

 Not a complete failure, but it obviously needs to get colder.  Which it will.  So this mad woman will be doing camera dances in future chilly dawns.
 

I DO like our winters...

Winter is (finally) here.  And I welcome it.  I find it such a relief after the unremitting heat of summer and I admire the elegance of naked trees silhouetted against the sky.  I can snuggle into bed at night, and don't become a sad and soggy mess within minutes of going outside.

We are lucky here and while (by Australian standards) we get cool weather, the skies are usually blue.  Sunshine and frost go together beautifully.  And I also love the softer foggy mornings.  Which is lucky, because I can't change any of it.

That said, I am also looking forward to spring. 

In my obsessional way I bought far too many spring bulbs.  Again.  Just as I did last year and the year before and as I almost certainly will next year.

As I have whinged, bitched, moaned often, I am as supple as a brick.  I find getting to the ground difficult, and getting up again worse.  I have crawled across the lawn before now to pull myself up using the front steps.   Not only is it difficult, it is painful.  Which makes gardening a challenge on the days I am feeling polite and multiple expletives difficult on the other and more common days.

However, I am as stubborn as stains.  I love my garden.  Playing in it eases my soul and there is always something to do.  Usually a lot to do.  So I have started rehabilitative physiotherapy.  Whose sole aim is to give me some flexibility back and allow me to play in the garden.  More safely and more easily.

I have some twenty exercises to do.  I have indicated to the physiotherapist that she must take sadistic pills with her breakfast because I don't think that the malevolence she displayed in designing them comes naturally.  She laughed - which supports my theory about sadistic pills.  Many of the exercises make me sweat.  Some make me swear.  None of them are easy.

BUT THEY ARE WORKING!!!!

I have finally finished most (but not all) of the weeding, and have squeeeeezed the last of the bulbs into the ground.  I have focussed on colour and on scent.  And lots of the bulbs are starting (too early) to poke their way through the ground.

These are photos from earlier springs.  I am hoping for bigger and better displays this year.

And today we have gentle, blissful, lifegiving rain.  Which will help the bulbs in the ground.  And will make it easier to put in the 120 liliums which the smaller portion (not me this time) succumbed to, and which arrived yesterday.  Next week perhaps...