Being Saturday, I was able to have a bit of a sleep-in this morning. Not for long though. An hour after the usual time I get up, I heard kookaburras cackling outside my bedroom.
It was a beautiful sound to wake up to. And when I looked outside I saw two kookaburras looking at me expectantly. I wasn’t thinking about feeding them though, I made a bee-line for my camera!
The light of the morning was perfect for a photo session. The sky was blue, and the morning light crystal clear.
And I had not two, but three supermodels, posing, ready to begin their photo-shoot. Will you look at those synchronized poses!
As I clicked away, I noticed the view behind my clothesline. Okay, so the clothesline is arguably not the most glamorous prop for three such stunning models, but look at the view behind them! Unfortunately, I am just a tad short to get a decent shot of the mountain without the lines across it, but that was easily fixed.
I dragged an outdoor chair across to the right position, climbed up, and there you have it – supermodel kookaburra in front of an amazing backdrop! Mount Warning, palm trees, clear blue sky, who could ask for more?
After waiting so long for the photographer to finish getting just the right shots, the supermodels were all famished! Some of their friends had arrived by that time too, so they all went off to the feeding table for breakfast. Oh, and I almost forgot! Here’s the mountain, looking gloriously spring-like, early on a fine Saturday morning. 🙂
It has been another warm day today. Even when I went outside before 7am to take a few photos the air felt warmer than it has for a while. Don’t be fooled by the clouds, I’m sure they just appeared to add interest to the early morning. By 8am, the sky was mostly blue.
The clouds looked so interesting that I decided to zoom in on them. When my current uni semester is over in five week’s time I’m thinking it would be interesting to learn more about the different cloud formations. I know they all mean something, just what though I really don’t know! All I know is that dark grey and black clouds signify rain, but I think most people know that.
After zooming in on the clouds I decided to get as close as I could to Mount Warning. According to Aboriginal legend, the shape of Mount Warning is the profile of the warrior chief of the mountain.
Going off-topic, I found some words recently from French philosopher and author Albert Camus, which I thought meaningful in these strange and unsettling Covid times, which I will share today –
“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.Â
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realised, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy.
For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me,
After two overcast and dismal days, spring weather has finally arrived. The sun is as bright as can be and casting shadows across the cane fields, there’s an occasional breeze, and there is no sign of rain in the fluffy white clouds. Meanwhile, I’m inside, working on assignments. But that’s okay, there will be plenty more sunny days when my assignments are finished and I can do some gardening. 🙂
Today is the first official day of spring in Australia. Everywhere I look on the internet I see “Spring Has Sprung!” talk, yet in my subtropical area of the country I have hardly seen the sun at all today.
Grevilleas
The temperature today reached 21 degrees Celsius, so 5 degrees lower than yesterday. I know the heat will return though, so I’m happy to enjoy the cooler weather while it’s here – first day of spring or not!
Gerberas
During the past week I have noticed buds springing from winter-dormant plants all over the garden. I’ve taken several photos and thought today would be the ideal day to share them. That plan has worked out well, as even though I have made a commitment to share a photo of the changing view of Mount Warning each day, I haven’t seen the mountain today! The valley has remained hidden by a layer of misty haze, so hardly inspires an image of the perfect spring day. This is how the mountain, or lack thereof, looks today. It just doesn’t seem right to post a dismal photo today of all days!
Tibouchina
During the last few weeks I have planted a few new plants in my garden. The pretty pink tibouchina flower, above, is the first flower on one of my new plants. It’s only about eighteen inches in height now, but it will eventually become a small tree. Can you imaging the beautiful sight of a tree covered in these flowers?
White Puffs
“White Puffs” is not the official name of this flower, it’s the name I have given to a plant I can’t recall the name of! The flowers are so delicate and pretty, and so photogenic that they need to be shared.
Rose bud
My roses are growing incredibly well this year, and the season has only just begun! I am really looking forward to seeing more of my rose bushes in bloom over the next few weeks and I will be sure to take plenty of photos to share. My husband sneezes easily when around fragrant flowers, but even he loves the roses. He draws the line at having jasmine in the garden though. In the early years of our marriage I planted a beautiful jasmine which grew and flowered prolifically over our front patio. I loved the scent and would go into the garden especially to take deep breaths of the gorgeous fragrance! My husband spent the whole jasmine flowering season sneezing.
Fuchsias
I absolutely adore fuchsias! My subtropical climate, however, is not kind to these beauties when planted out in the garden during summer. The solution? I have a fuchsia in a large pot on my front veranda, where it gets just the right amount of morning sun and is shaded and protected from the harsh midday and afternoon sun during the hottest days of summer. This lovely plant has now survived two subtropical summers, and this year has sprouted more new buds than ever before.
Port wine magnolia
Port wine magnolia is another favourite and grows incredibly well in my climate. A few of the buds on the tree near my front door have popped open now, and the fragrance at dusk is amazing! Surprisingly, the fragrance doesn’t bother my husband, well, not too much anyway. 😉
Budding hydrangea
Call me old fashioned – many have! – but to me, a garden just isn’t homely enough without a hydrangea plant or two. During summer I water the hydrangeas every day, remove leaves looking anything but pristine perfection immediately (to prevent any possibility of disease) and prune the old flowers to promote a longer flowering season. I also feed my hydrangeas, as well as several other flowering plants, with a regular dose of seaweed solution which I find improves the health of all plants, either decorative or edible. The start of my first hydrangea bloom only appeared a couple of days ago and I’m keeping a close eye on it to watch its development.
Prince of Orange
The Prince of Orange (Ixora) is another plant which thrives in the subtropics. The buds have just begun and I expect any day now to see the lovely tiny segments open up in full bloom.
Over the years it’s been a lot of trial an error in my subtropical garden. While there are less “errors” these days, it’s still a “trial” every time I introduce a new variety of plant. It is so rewarding to see so many of my old faithfuls, as well as my new plants, all in bloom even before spring begins this year. 🙂
In My World 