The afternoon sun hid behind a cloud today, so the sky colours are far more subtle than they have been recently at sunset.
For the last couple of days, the light hasn’t been wonderful for taking photos. I think we have a bit of glare from the brightness of the sky, so none of the photos I have taken look all that wonderful.
But not to worry, I have a few photos, taken a couple of weeks ago, which didn’t make it to a blog post for whatever reason, so I will share those today.
Did I mention we have two baby Butcher Birds this year? I don’t believe I did. They are still a tad shy, but visit the garden occasionally. One day, both visited at the same time.
They seem to like perching on the trampoline I have in the yard for my grandchildren.
Since I added a few seedlings to some empty plant pots I had in the garden, the birds seem to enjoy rummaging around in the dirt, for reasons only known to them. Even the little Noisy Miners have taken a liking to the new pots.
Clearly it was raining the day I took this photo of a few of my regular visitors. I complained no end about the rain causing clouds and mist which hid Mount Warning, but after having so much rain that the area flooded, it hasn’t rained since! We could do with a touch of rain for the garden, just not so much that it causes a flood again!
And finally, here are a couple of flowering plants in my back garden. The first flower is probably the most recognisable – a hibiscus. A tiny Ladybird insect had taken a fancy to the stunning orange flower too. 🙂
The last flower is an Australian Native, whose name escapes me!
There’s a few more photos on my desktop waiting to be added to a blog post, so if the dud light continues, I have a few more photos to go on with tomorrow. It’s convenient timing too, I’m using up all of my December photos before we begin the New Year.
How is everyone feeling about a new year beginning – are you ready to launch into 2021 with gusto, shouting good riddance to the old year? Or do you feel wary of the new year, planning on tippy-toeing forward after the trials of 2020?
In My World 
You have fascinating birds visiting your garden, Joanne, and your photos are great. I love the color of that hibiscus. Wishing you a rewarding new year ahead!
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Thank you so much, and Happy New Year to you also! 🙂
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Lovely photos Joanne. We’ve had lots more rain, gales and even had a short storm with thunder and lightning early this morning. I’m a bit wary about what 2021 is going to bring along especially with Covid and now all the rubbish that Brexit is finally going to throw at us. 😦
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My goodness, England is certainly going through some challenging times at the moment! I’m not surprised to hear you are feeling reluctant to embrace the New Year, so hopefully it will turn out to be a better year than you imagine it will be. xx
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Thanks xx
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The baby butcher birds are so cute! I think the first time I saw a hibiscus was on a trip to Florida. The blossom was so bright and huge — dazzling! I’m cautiously optimistic about the new year, if we can get through the first few months of this current COVID-19 surge. We may have most people vaccinated by the end of summer so I hope to see my grandchildren by autumn.
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Wouldn’t that be wonderful to see your family again soon, Barbara? I hope your dream eventuates very soon for you.And I hope the vaccine is everything the world wishes for in controlling the virus. ❤
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I do love your garden visitors. So different from those we get. As to your question, I shall welcome a new year with hopes of improvement, but still harboring some wariness about what it might bring. Life is like that now, I think – and might stay that way for awhile.
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Change is difficult, Carol, and we have had to endure so much adverse change recently. It’s time we saw some improvements, so here’s hoping the New Year sees a different and more positive world next year. 🙂
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What delightful visitors – great pictures!
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Thank you, Meg. I really love the visits I have from my feathered friends. 🙂
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It is lovely to see your birds up close Joanne. I think we are rather hesitant about the new year as we are both born sceptics. But tiptoeing is not quite the right word. We are ‘plodding’ at the moment. I certainly can’t wait for the days to get longer again!
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Now that’s something we can rely on, isn’t it – the changing seasons! Maybe when your days grow longer and your garden begins to bloom, you will be happy to see 2021. 🙂
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I pretty much echo Barbara’s comment… cautiously optimistic and hopeful about gathering together by summer’s end. I am worried about a post-Christmas surge in the next ten days when so many gathered and flew despite the warnings not to. I pity doctors and nurses who are already past their limits.
Here’s to a better year ahead!
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I’ll second that, Eliza – here’s to a much better year ahead! 🙂
We worry about the spread of Covid during the holiday season as well, so hopefully new cases won’t be as widespread as we fear. I like your description – cautiously optimistic. 🙂
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I really admire that you can get so many up-close bird pictures. Wondering if it’s easier because the birds are bigger? (How big are they anyway?) I tried to take pics of chickadees, those tiny little things yesterday, and it wasn’t very successful. As for 2021…I guess I am looking forward to it. But have enjoyed 2020 too in many ways. Cautiously hoping that all will seem well enough to take the vaccine in the spring…and then I’m off to visit Mom and the kids, hopefully all of them!
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That’s a good question, Kathy. Kookaburras are definitely bigger birds, and so are magpies. I think though that when they are new to the garden, the birds flit around very fast. When they know they are safe, they relax. That’s when I am able to take the best photos. You talk about your chickadees often, so I hope you can take some good photos of them soon. 🙂
I’m imagining the hugs and tears of joy when you visit your mother and children. Won’t that be wonderful? I hope you realise your dream very soon. ❤
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I am going to post a chickadee photo this morning! And am hoping that joyful dream comes true soon. Probably not until spring though…
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March? I hope so.🤞
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March maybe, but sometimes that’s too snowy still for traveling downstate. By April things have usually calmed down weather-wise.
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Oh wow, I didn’t think about snow preventing travel! That’s something I’ve never had to consider here.
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Your photos are all so lovely and warm. 🙂 I’m going quietly, contemplatively into the new year. Even in the midst of a pandemic, there was much to be grateful for in 2020. Maybe even because of the pandemic. Winter is such a quiet time here, perfect for beginnings.
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Thank you Robin. The pandemic changed our whole perspective on life, don’t you think? Perhaps it helped us realise what is important to us, such as family and freedom. 💕
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