Colour after the rain

The soil is so wet that walking on the lawn covers shoes with liquid mud but Colin had told me that the little piece of frangipani that he brought home for me seven years ago had flowered and I just HAD to go and see for myself! Although I stepped slowly and very carefully I had to remove my shoes before I could get back indoors! But I saw it – the most startling deep red, almost a plum coloured bunch of florets.

 My photo actually does not show the true colour, it is darker than this. If I had made the flowers as dark as they truly are you would find the picture to be less striking. It is so beautiful. Now that it has flowered this first time it should now grow and have lots more flowers next year. I hope so!

Once outside in the garden with a camera in my hands I could not return indoors without finding a few more blooms to capture!

This little bush of blue daisies has been flowering non stop for weeks. I don't do anything to it but this rain has made it grow even taller!

For some strange reason the daylilies that come out in November have started flowering again.

I have several of these yellow and red daylilies out at the moment, rather than take the usual shot from above and looking down at the long pollen covered stamens I opted for an “under the lip” shot! The three corner palm stands in the middle of the garden and is providing the pattern of leaves in the background.

Since the rain the dahlias have taken off. It is not long since I cut them all back and had not had the time to lift the tubers, they are all very bushy and healthy and one has surprised me by producing a different coloured flower.

I thought that all of my dahlias were dark red – the same colour as the frangipani. But one is a pretty salmon colour. I know that I “rescued” a sick dahlia from Bunnings last year that didn't have a tag on it so maybe this is it! Its definitely not sick today.

Seeds that came from plants that grew here last year have produced marigold plants that actually need thinning – one of them is flowering already.

The splash of orange makes an almost luminous glow in the garden.

And finally one of my miniature roses – the rose bush refuses to be miniature but the exquisite flowers are not very large at all.

If you were to make a circle with your thumb and middle finger the rose would fit in there. The leaves are a bis of a mess but the plant is otherwise healthy and has lots of these little flowers – and a few baby grasshoppers too.

I do not use chemicals in my garden at all. We have lots of birds and lots of lizards and I have no desire to kill any of them so I do my best with companion planting and soapy water! Not as efficient as the chemical treatment but it keeps me happy!

AJ

Wet and mouldy

You would think that living in the subtropics we would be well used to lots of rain - well think again! We love our blue skies and dry weather - how else can be get out and about and enjoy this gorgeous part of the world! But just lately the skies have taken to tormenting us with lots (and lots) of rain. So much that I am glad we did not put solar panels on our roof to provide us with electricity!
Saturday was a real "doozy" of a wet day.

It had rained for a week before Colin and I took ourselves off for a few days to Lennox Head and we were lucky to have some days that were not quite sunny, but pleasant enough to go exploring. We arrived home to   almost non stop rain.

These shots were taken from the protection of the back (upstairs) veranda where I ventured out to see whether the water would come high enough to get into our shed where we keep the trailer and Paul's hobby car - which is in bits. You can just see the shed on the left next to our rain water tank. The rain did not come above the ridge  by those two trees so no worry to the contents of the shed.
That green stuff on the surface of the water is a small leafed water weed, the fence between us and our next door neighbour's property was enough to act as a dam to hold it back. When the water does go down that week will remain but it will be a good fertilizer for the lawn! It will be a bit messy and rather slimey for a while but it will go eventually.

This shot shows more clearly the water week - those tree trunks mark the edge of the block of land, the actual creek is on the other side of them.
The next morning the rain had eased (a bit!) and with an umbrella in one hand and the little Samsung camera in the other I ventured down into the squelchy back yard with the two dogs to give them a bit of exercise and to see what fungi I could find. After rain the wood heap is a great source of fungi!

From the shiny nature of the wood you can tell that it is still raining! The wood is completely saturated. Everyday there are different fungi among the cut timber - they only last a few hours before they are gone.

This was a great find - but the photo is deceptive - the fungi are very small so to begin with I almost didn't notice them. Each of those little caps would be about the size of a finger nail - the camera was switched to MACRO mode to take them - the trouble with a point and shoot camera is that you cannot control the amount of flash. Being close to these delicate little things the flash has removed a lot of the detail from them.
What will I see tomorrow? Maybe nothing special at all - but I shall still venture out with the camera!
AJ

Gifts from the clouds

After a few really hot days "something" had to give - and it was both the temperature and the dry that "gave". For absolutely months now my patient husband has been watering my garden morning and night. We have had precious little rainfall since June - just a couple of days when we had showers. That changed this morning. I had just cleared up the driveway after covering it with a thick layer of grass and weeds, pulled out of my gardens when I chanced to look up and noticed the black sky creeping up. Cleaning up was put into high gear and the garden tools stored back in the garage by the time the first rumble of thunder happened. By the time I had showered and changed the rain was pelting down.

1/160sec   F/4.2    ISO 200

I suddenly remembered my son's washing on the line and raced out to rescue it and put it in the clothes dryer - the fine spray from the impact of the rain on the ground had saturated everything! I came upstairs and spotted our friendly lorikeet looking very bedraggled on the cage over the food dished - the dishes were all filled with rainwater so held nothing of interest for her.

1/60sec      F 4.2   ISO 200

I took pity and put a small dish of raw sugar on the table - about half a teaspoon full - and looked out later to see the bird and her mate, tucking in with ecstasy written all over them!
A look out the back door and I had to grab the camera again, our rainwater tank was full and running over.

1/20 sec   F 5.6   ISO 200

Not only was the rainwater tank running over but the roof guttering was running over too.

1/20 sec   F 5.6   ISO 200

One thing I have forbidden my nearly 72 year old husband to do is to get up on the roof to clear the gutters! We have a two storey house and that is a long way to fall.
So we have had enough rain in one hour to fill our water tank, top up the swimming pool and wash the dirt and remaining weeds off the drive. We have also had enough rain (33mm in one hour) to ensure that we shall have green grass for Christmas - and lots of noise from mowers on Boxing Day! Its "all good" as my son is want to say!
AJ

Driving on Sunday

It was a very wet awakening on Sunday - my last blog showed you the birds reaction to the rain. Well after our breakfast in the birds' company we had to drive into town to watch one of our Grand daughters perform in her ballet. I took a little video camera along with me to take a few shots of that - but that is another story!
On our drive home again I had the means to take a little video out of the car window just to record some of the wetness that was around us!
Here are a few seconds of wet roads and puddles!
AJ

Wet Sunday

It is always good to roll over on a Sunday morning and catch a few extra moments of "doing nothing" before getting out of bed - this morning it was a bit more difficult to roll over for the almost deafening sound of falling rain. I find it quite incredible just how much water can fall out of one cloud - and the cloud that was hovering above us in the early daylight hours (4.30) must have been quite massive. It must also have been dropping its load of water long before I woke up because when I looked out of the window there was an inland sea reaching half way up our land.
The main bedroom overlooks the swimming pool and normally we have a large area of lawn between the pool and the little creek . . . but not this morning

F/11  0.4 seconds  ISO 160

I was rather surprised this photo turned out - it was taken hand held.(leaning on the windowsill)  I used Aperture priority so that I could get a wide depth of field which meant that the camera chose a slow shutter speed - with such a slow shutter speed it really would have been better if I used a tripod. (It was incredible that I had the camera in the bedroom let alone take a tripod there too!). Incidentally the pool is not directly beneath the window, it would be about six metres from the wall of the house.
Before I make breakfast I have to feed my dogs and the wild birds or my life would not be worth living! The bird feeder extends out beyond the shelter of the roof so to keep the seeds dry I put that dish on the floor of the veranda. As long as we keep Byron away from the sunflower seeds (he loves them) the birds will not mind coming in to graze on the floor rather than in their usual place. Byron is not interested in chasing the lorikeets - they do not look like white hens, it is the sulphur crested cockatoos that he chases (and we encourage)!

F/10   0.6 Sec    ISO 160

From this photo of the birds feeding you can see that the water has overflowed the creek which has come up past the dividing fence through the centre of our land, that open gate you can see is actually between our property and that of our next door neighbours. The gate is opened to allow the faster flowing water to go through without pushing the fences over. The gate was closed but is never latched and this morning's rain has pushed it wide open.

Here is a sixty second video taken this morning just to give a taste of the sights and sounds of our breakfast encounters.

Now that the rain has eased and the lorikeets have mostly had their fill of their seeds - and since I haven't swept up the mess they made with all the seed husks, another visitor has just arrived with a yell of defiance. I left typing this blog to see where it was and sure enough, he was about to indulge!

F5.6    1/60 Sec     ISO 450

The rain has about stopped and already the water is retreating, still over our land but only half as much as first thing. The change in the weather can be quite exciting!

Now to clean up that veranda!

AJ

Friday as predicted.

The rain thundered down through the night and we were warm and cosy in our little caravan park cabin while a few hardy souls just across the lane-way from us were cowering under canvas after setting up their camper trailers. After showering and taking note of the conditions outside I persuaded Colin to come with me to the Living Desert Park again – but with raincoats and umbrella “just in case”. It was much brighter and it looked as if we might have a window of opportunity to go and see the wildflower garden part of the park.
To get to this area we had to drive past the entrance to the area we had visited yesterday when we went up to the Sculpture Symposium site. This morning there was a “road closed” sign on the entrance. The way in to the flower area is sealed and there are no gates so on we drove.
Fantastic! Not another person in the place so I could enjoy this park as if it were there just for me!
We donned our rain jackets and I slung the camera case over my shoulder so that I would have somewhere to stow the camera if the rain started. I also put on a pair of walking sneakers with heavy tread on the soles. We had barely reached the shelter in which there was a display of pictures when the clouds released their load! Down it came.

I took a photo back to where we had left the car in the sealed car park and when I looked around at the pictures in the shelter, there was a photo taken from almost the same place when the country looked like it did the last time Colin and I saw it back in the 70's – dry.

I took a photo of this picture so that I could show you two things – how the conditions change when rain comes and also how the park was started – with plantings and waterings. You can see the trickle irrigation water lines on the ground.
The rain did ease and although it was still falling lightly we set off up the slope and enjoyed the sight of a landscape that was quite unique.

The sky and weather were not really suitable for photography but still I managed to take a few, this is a colourful one of more Sturt Desert Peas among other native plants.
We returned to the Information Office to take back the key to the Reserve and were reimbursed our $20. I had not realised that the $20 was a bond and was quite surprised to be given money! Stepping outside the rain was falling again and from the shelter of the overhanging roof I took a photo of the wonderful red bottle brush and, across the road, a display of early mining equipment.

You can see how wet it was!
After shopping for parts for the broken brakes on the trailer we returned to our cabin and almost immediately the rain fell in earnest and the wind rose to gale force. It looked as if we were to be trapped indoors for the afternoon.
But that wasn't the case, as soon as the rain stopped I bullied Colin into the vehicle again and we drove up to the top of the “lode” to see the Miner's Memorial up close. I managed to get some interesting shots from the car as we drove up to the restaurant and information office – but getting out of the car and into that building was an adventure in itself! The wind was incredible up on the top of that rise! I nearly lost hold of the car door as I opened it – fortunately didn't! And then struggled against the wind to open the heavy door to the building!

I could not stand upright outside to take any shots of the town that was laid out below us so I took this shot of the rain clouds over Broken Hill from the window of the restaurant. We felt that we deserved a coffee and enjoyed one that was made by someone else for a change! I did enjoy it – and managed to feel a lot warmer as a result – I think the top temperature today is only 17 degrees.

Colin is now fixing the brakes on the trailer and replacing the windscreen wiper blades that must be dried up – the old ones made such a noise! He is quite happy now doing HIS thing!
AJ

Wot a wet day!

We were awakened through the night with the sound of water running into the swimming pool - this only happens when the rain is heavy enough to run down the guttering and into the bypass that we have set up that allows the rain to top up the pool.

The sound of water falling on to water has a devastating effect on me which meant that sleep was over and I had to "go for a walk"! It rained steadily all night long and bu nine o clock we measured 55mm had fallen. That, by old measurements, is two inches of rain. A good fall of that wet stuff!

But it has continued all day long since then and it has been a good excuse to sit in front of my laptop and type and collate.

This evening we are supposed to get all dressed up and "go out" but it looks like we shall be dressing in practical gear rather than decorative! We are off to see how two of my videos fared in a local Video competition. I am not really a competitive person but I allowed myself to be persuaded to enter this competition! It will be interesting to see the videos that my two are up against. Maybe I don't stand a chance at all - but that truly does not bother me at all. I know that the videos I have made have been received well by the people I have shown them too thus far and that is what matters more.

While there is still enough light to see outside - it has been grey and dismal all day and what light there is will be fading soon - I took a photo from this room across the shade house and looking across the neighbour's land. The water from the creek has crawled onto the lower section - but it has been up and down a few times today so we shall not be having major flooding problems. As long as the water can get away when the rain eases it means that all is well.

f/5.6 1/13 sec 22mm ISO200

The second photo is taken across our own back yard looking from the veranda where I feed the birds.

f/5.5 1/20sec 42mm ISO200

I heard the familiar sound of a bird colliding with a glass window and went to investigate. Byron was at the ready to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (He tried it once - and the finch drowned!) Fortunately there was no little body stretched out on the tiles so Byron's assistance was not needed. But seeing how the birds had returned to scrape the dish for any seeds that might have been missed this morning I retrieved my camera to keep a record. The lorikeets are not really seed eaters - they will happily eat sunflower seeds until they burst (I only give them a few so they don't do themselves damage) but the small grain is for the finches and thanks to the rain these tiny birds are showing no fear of the much larger lorikeets. I think there are two varieties in the dish - the double bar finches (they have several common names) and the red-brow finches. Click on the photos to see a larger version.

f/5.6 1/15sec 52mm ISO 200

I have a pot plant garden on my veranda too and a pair of lorikeets had made themselves quite at home roosting cosily side by side on the branch of the potted tree nice and dry under the veranda roof!

f/5.6 1/8 sec 78mm ISO 200

AJ

Rain changes

There has been so much rain lately that the garden is surprising me with the changes that are happening. The huge gum tree is shedding its bark and looks like a tramp in worn out clothes.
Incidentally the black wriggly line down the tree is not a row of caterpillars but a tunnel that was created by termites. It was a complete tunnel from the nest that is just out of sight on the other side of the tree where the first branch comes out from the trunk, and reached all the way to the ground. We pumped spray into the nest and the termites are no longer active. (at the moment - we have to keep a check on them)
Beneath the large ironbark (also a Eucalyptus as is the tree just shown) there is a thick layer of bark chips. These bark chips have not been put there as mulch, they are natural discarded bark from the old and very large tree. The rain has caused bacteria to work on decomposing the chips and it has also germinated several different fungi. Most of the fungi are not really eye catching but this on certainly is! I had never seen one like this before so it makes me wonder where the spores came from!
There is a wood heap next to a path. We now use electricity to warm our home so the wood is just weathering away. I had so much fun with the camera around this pile of timber! There are several different fungi. This one is rather cute. It is only small but quite appealing.
I must move out of the garden and see what is further afield!
AJ

Climbing Frangipani

As I sit on my veranda to have breakfast or lunch I can see the changing colours of the creepers that swarm over a tall tree stump. My veranda is not on ground level, it is on the first floor of the house, over the flat used by our travelling son when he eventually comes home for a break. So the tree stump is quite large - the original tree was enormous and we had it lopped for safety reasons when we built the extensions that include the flat, unfortunately the shock of the severe pruning killed the tree so the five metre tall tree stump was left to support three different creepers.

At the moment it is the climbing Frangipani that is in flower, when it has finished the pink Jasmine will take over the display. The strands of the Jasmine are completely hidden at the moment and house a huge collection of finch nests. The sweet little Double Bar Finches know when they are onto a good thing and have made homes close to where there is a regular supply of seeds! As you can see the Frangipani is quite vigorous and has continued past the tree stump and up and into the African Tulip Tree! That tree is not ready to flower yet so it was looking rather boring until this happened!

Not many people have come across the Climbing Frangipani and I am constantly asked what it is. I have included a close up picture of the flowers so you can see how much they resemble the familiar tree Frangipani with the number of petals, the way they are slightly overlapped and the subtle yellow and white colouring. They are also quite different - the petals are thin and fragile and they do not drop off the vine and fall as perfect flowers to the ground. Often the flowers look rather a mess. It is thanks to our recent rains that there is a fresh flush of flowers today and they looks so good.

The birds are not interested in the nectar of the Climbing Frangipani. Either they have very little nectar or it is not sweet enough for the lorikeets.

AJ

and still it rains . . .

The rain is still falling, it was only light through the night but when daylight broke the clouds did too and as I write it is still "pelting it down". I have just looked out down our back yard - we have an acre of land - and it looks a little damp. So far it is not flooding. Our next door neighbour's land is lower next to the billabong and it is already covered with water as is his neighbour on the other side. The horse paddock in that yard is non existent now and the horse has been moved up near to the house.
I took my car to be serviced this morning and tossed a large white umbrella in the front seat so that I would not get wet going into the office at the workshop. Just before I arrived the rain started to come down even heavier and even with the wipers going I could barely see out of the windscreen. Pulling up at the workshop I manoeuvred my umbrella through a crack in the open door and tried to open it so that I didn't get too wet - but the stupid thing turned inside out! There is not much shelter under a "brolly" that is inverted! I had to make a dash for it. To close the umbrella I had to stomp on the thing to make the wires turn over. When I got inside the office there were three fellows splitting their sides with laughter. The walls of the office are glass and they had witnessed the whole drama!
AJ

Drizzle after Christmas

Sad to see the festive season over, mother nature has turned on the tears. Much of the country is now in flood but here on the Gold Coast the rain is lighter and soaking into the ground. We had a gentle fall of rain through the night and when I went out this morning to feed the lorikeets I found them all over the chairs and the table trying to keep out of the weather. They looked all drab and miserable!
Feeling a bit sorry for them I gave them twice as much breakfast - they get raw sugar mixed with water. I only give them a tablespoon of sugar to a litre of water so the mix is quite thin. I have also found that the birds are not interested in the juice unless there is bread to sop it up! They like to hold the bread between their beaks and suck the juice out!
Anyway, the birds shoved and pushed their way into the sugared bread mix and gobbled it all down in the same amount of time they normally do - So I have resolved not to give in to their pleadings and give them as much as they crave, I do not want them to become dependent on being hand fed. The trees are loaded with flowers and they must work for their meals! Nectar is their main source of food but they do enjoy a few seeds too - especially sunflower seeds.Here are the wet lorikeets scrambling through the wire cage over their feed dishes. The terracotta dish contains the seeds. The cage is to keep out the large cockatoos, it does not restrict any of the other smaller birds. They do not see it as a barricade. They treat it as if it were a climbing frame.
As you can see from the colour of the birds the emerald green of the feathers has become a drab bottle green and the brilliant orange on their chests a muted red colour. After feeding the birds scattered to the trees in pairs and spent the next half hour preening - the rain stopped while they were dining.
AJ