About a week ago we had a couple of days when storms and blustering winds hit us each afternoon. We even lost power Saturday before last. During the chaotic weather, our palm trees took a bit of a battering, and since then we have lost a few of the lower leaves. Where once I had palm leaves dancing in the foreground as I took photos of the mountain, now all I have are tall, bare palm trunks. The leaves are still growing in the lofty heights of the tree, they just don’t appear in my photos any more.
So today, the first photo I took of the mountain features a cluster of palm trees, just for something different.
There was some rain about this morning, not much, but just enough to make the valley sparkle. Some days, rain can have the opposite effect, making the valley appear dull and lifeless under a veil of grey mist. Today, the valley looked magnificent.
I had the usual morning crew here for breakfast, and if kookaburras are not photogenic enough, the light of the day added extra pizzazz to their appearance.
Here they are, getting stuck into some beef pieces for breakfast. They always dominate the feeding table, even though I assure them there is plenty of food for everyone.
Little baby magpie has become a regular visitor every morning too. He/she usually visits with both his/her parents now, but I’ve noticed the father usually feeds baby.
Later this afternoon, I went for a walk down the back to admire everything we achieved during the weekend in the garden. After putting the cut branches of our fruit trees through the hired mulching machine, we have several large piles of mulch which will come in very handy around the garden.
I took my iPhone with me down the back, and just for fun I thought I’d take a photo of the valley from our rear boundary, just to see if the quality of the camera is okay. I rarely think to take photos with my phone camera, so it was an experiment for me. This is the result –
Between the fantastic light of the day, and the magnificent cloud formations, it was probably a safe bet that the photo wouldn’t look too bad. 🙂
In My World 
Such a beautiful valley. I keep trying to think of a bird that we have that could be like the kookaburra … nope … can’t think of one.
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Do you know, Frank, that I had this same converstaion with Barbara a while ago! The kookaburra is part of the kingfisher family, so have a look at a few photos of kingfishers and see if you can see the resemblance. 🙂
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Now that you mention it, I can see it! 🙂
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The iPhone photo is stunning, so sharp and clear. What a lovely painting that scene would make. Will the palms send out replacement leaves for the lower trunks? Love all the bird close-ups — great photos, Joanne!
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Thank you Barbara. 🙂 I was pleasantly surprised by how clear the iPhone photo is.
The palms don’t replace the lower leaves, they just keep growing taller! I asked husband the other day, because he’s the person who planted all the palms, if they ever stop growing. He’s not sure himself about the life-cycle, but surely they have to stop growing tall at some stage!
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Lovely photos and the lovely just wonderful!
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Thank you, Nicki. 🙂
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I think I’m going to miss those palm fronds, but trees must grow! I admire your sweeping views of the valley – so lovely.
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It’s going to take me some getting used to as well, Eliza!
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Wow, enjoying that first bird picture. (They are all nice, but that one’s speaking the loudest because it’s so clear and sharp.)
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I agree, Kathy, that first bird photo is particularly sparkly! Some days are just perfect for taking photos, and even on those days, a certain angle can be better light than at other angles. 🙂
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