Monday, October 27, 2014

OUR WORLD - Andamooka Opal Town


Take the Suart Highway out of Pt.Augusta
drive a few hours then take a right at Pimba.
By this time you're probably hungry
so stop at "Spuds" roadhouse for some chips,
thats French fries in N.America,
we did and they were freshly made and good,
had them on the road.

Pass a few red sand dunes


pass Woomera and turn right again
where the sign says Andamooka

just keep driving
eventually the town floats into view
over the dusty, dry desert plain


there are even diggings among the houses
in any mining town one needs to watch one's step
not only for deep shafts but also 
not to encroach on a ming lease


in the right light, 
the mullock heaps against the blue sky
can look quite spectacular


evening light


and morning light
if you get tired of looking at the horizon 
or digging for opals
or painting or doing your chores


you can always pop into town for a beer or two
who knows, someone may build another bottle house
it's nice and cool in there


or, like me, just watch the rising sun
gild the landscape.


Linking with OUR WORLD

Friday, October 24, 2014

TODAY'S FLOWERS & FLORAL FRIDAY - Weeds of the desert


The Opal town Of Andamooka
dry and hot in the desert


 yet in the harshest of climes
one still finds colour to attract and hold the eye


early morning light on wild hops,
an introduced species that has established itself
all through this region and the whole of
the Flinders Ranges


strictly not flowers as that fetching red
is the colour of their seed containers


Linking with 


and 


Thursday, October 23, 2014

SkyWatch Friday - "The moon at night is big and bright . ."


A beautiful full moon at Wirrialpa Station



we were tempted to howl at it
but curbed our enthusiasm for fear 
of upsetting the farm dogs


no wonder primitive people were frightened
when they were robbed of the light of the full moon


even for us it was mildly eerie
watching the eclipse.

Linking with 


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday - White-plumed Honeyeater and kamikaze pilot


Had no luck birding at Wirrialpa station,
plenty of birds hidden in the foliage
and it was already too hot to be out much.

A youngster begging from mum
White-plumed Honeyeater


free of the little beggar!


I have no idea how this Honeyeater managed to fly upside down
as he seemed to make a Victory roll.



Linking with 


Monday, October 20, 2014

OUR WORLD - Going far North to the dry country . . .


The further North you go in South Australia
the drier it gets and the  the more the landscape 
changes from what one is used to 

we occasionally stopped to stretch our legs,
with views like this, who wouldn't?


in the Flinders Ranges Salvation Jane painted the
ground a blue-purple
where emus wandered at will


from the hills to the creek
fun watching them amble by . . .


threatening skies


that brought just a few drops to wet
the leaves of this parched landscape


we snaked our way to Stokes Lookout
with a 360 degree view


another quick photo op
for this crazy track straight up the hill


If I can manage, I'll put up a few birds tomorrow 
and the sky for our arrival for SkyWatch

Linking with 


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Off wandering again . . .


In the morning I am leaving all this behind

the peacock's new tail


my lilac bush flowering for the first time since it
almost died  due to drought 
nigh on ten years ago


and the splendour of apple blossom everywhere.


I am not sure how I can leave my garden in full spring finery
but the chance to go up north to the desert country
does not come my way often 
and when it does, I jump at it.

So dear friends, I will be out of phone and internet reach
for the next 12+ days
wish me luck . . .

Friday, October 3, 2014

FLORAL FRIDAY, TODAY'S FLOWERS & I Heart Macro - Wild Orchids


Some orchids from my birthday picnic at Jenkins Scrub.

It looks like nothing at all,
just a piece of ground left 
to it's own devices

luckily it has retained it's native vegetation
with the help of volunteers who 
weed out any imported species that suppress 
the valiant native flora that
survives by itself 
given half a chance


though we normally do not leave the path except for yanking
out the occasional weed,
grand-daughter was enthralled with the
many varieties of tiny flora
and looked before putting down an unsuspecting foot


today I am just concentrating on the few 
native orchids we saw,
the rest will follow in a few other posts

in a slightly moister spot,
this Donkey Orchid 
looked very healthy and larger than in 
more arid terrain


in dryer spots they still flowers but the
blooms were much smaller


my DD*, the Botanical Alchemist, who knows her plants
and those that are prone to share the same conditions
pointed out that orchids are mainly found where 
this pea-flowered plant, so like Dilwinia, grows


True to form, wherever we saw even a single little shrub of it,
there were also orchids hiding in the grass

this yellow orchid is actually pretty true to size


lucky last, this little bright beauty
unfortunately we did not encounter any spider orchids
but one must leave something for next spring as well.


Linking with



and


* DD - read darling daughter

Thursday, October 2, 2014

SkyWatch Friday - The heavens helped me celebrate


Last week around this time it was my birthday,
as the cricket score would say 78 not out.
Contrary to doctors' expectations,
I have outlived their predictions 
by eleven years and counting . . .

even the heavens seemed to celebrate 


a late  afternoon rainbow
spanning the farmyard


what better birthday present is there?


Actually there was, DD* took me for a picnic morning tea
at Jenkins Scrub where the wild orchids were in bloom
and while we wandered there
suddenly, our of the bushes came my son and his 
elder daughter who had flown over from Sydney
to surprise me.

I felt I was the luckiest of mortals to have 
so many dear ones around me.

Linking with


* DD = darling daughter

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