Author: Joanne

Australia · Mount Warning · subtropical weather · Tweed Valley · winter

Mist, rain, and no mountain today!

Joanne1 Comment

This was the only view of the valley this morning, just to the left of Mount Warning. There was only a mass of white cloud in the direction of the mountain, so nothing to see there! The rain that has been threatening to make an appearance for the last few days finally arrived today.

By later this afternoon a part of the valley had cleared, but still no mountain.

Some days are like this. Mount Warning has spent the day in the clouds and even though there’s no photo of the actual mountain, it’s a documented record of the effect the weather can sometimes have.

Australia · family · Mount Warning · pets · Tweed Valley · winter

Another dull day … and Bowie!

Joanne4 Comments

For the third day in a row the weather is dull. The sky, which is mostly white with an occasional grey cloud is showing no sign of allowing the sun to peek through – there’s not a single crack in the cloud cover where the sun’s rays could escape. Rain is predicted, but so far we haven’t had a drop.

Given that there’s not much to say about dull weather I decided it would be a good day to introduce the newest member of our family.

Introducing Bowie, a seven-year-old Rag-doll X Tortoiseshell.

My mother-in-law originally named him Beau when she got him as a tiny kitten, but last year both of my in-laws went into aged care. To cut a long story short, my father-in-law had a fall at home in early May, broke his hip, then spent some time in hospital. For many practical reasons he couldn’t return home so he was the first to go into aged care. Meanwhile, as my mother-in-law couldn’t cope with being alone, she also went into aged care, leaving Bowie “homeless”.

However, in our family, the concept of a pet being homeless simply doesn’t fly! Once they become a member of our family, that’s where they remain. So Bowie moved in with me and my husband.

Miss Tibbs was a tad concerned about the “intruder” for about two seconds, but in her usually way she took the changes in her stride and learned how to co-exist with another cat very quickly. Tibbs and Bowie are not besties yet, but they do occasionally play chasing games around the house! I guess there’s hope that they will become great friends yet – he’s only been here a few months.

Bowie – (as in David the singer – Beau is far to proper a name for this happy man!) is an extremely affectionate cat and loves nothing more than to sit somewhere soft and comfy. He’s not huge on sitting on our laps though. He’s loving the soft rugs I have sitting on the bed and the chairs now the weather has turned cold and nuzzles into them like they’re his best friend. He also has a habit of sitting on the back of my lounge chair at night and nuzzling into the back of my head!

I’m sure though that Bowie’s new best friend of all is my printer. He loves it!

As soon as he hears the sound of the printer, he’s up on my desk like a shot!

I’ve also discovered that I have to grab my printed pages fast – Bowie’s claws have gone through a couple!

Bowie really is the quintessential “curious cat”!

This gorgeous boy fits into our family as if he’s always lived here, and now we couldn’t imagine our home without him. ❤

Post Script – After such an incredibly dull day, the sky tonight looks pretty amazing!

A Sense of Spirit · Australia · blessings · Mount Warning · Tweed Valley · winter

What a difference a day makes!

Joanne5 Comments

This morning at daybreak Mount Warning stood under cloud as far as the eye could see. It’s been a cold day today with no rain, however the cloud lingered for most of the day.

Yesterday morning at around the same time I took today’s photo – just after 6:30 am – the valley looked completely different.

This is yesterday –

The colours, the light on the mountain, the mist in the valley – if ever there was a contrasting photo of the same landmark, this is it.

I took several photos yesterday, all of which are self-explanatory.

I particularly like the next photo. The funnel of “mist” in the valley could be mistaken for a steam train driving along the valley floor. It is actually the steam emitted from the Condong Sugar Mill, where the harvested cane is taken for processing.

 

 

On days when there is a thick layer of mist in the valley, the atmosphere is different. I can’t explain it, but it feels “other-worldly”. It’s on days like these when I realise the power of Nature, and the significance of The Universe.

On the mornings when the mist rolls in and changes my world, I realise also how very small I am in the big scheme of things.

And I also realise how blessed I am. ❤

Australia · Mount Warning · native Australian birds · sugar cane · Tweed Valley

A Misty Morning … and a Sugar Cane Fire

Joanne5 Comments

The view to Mount Warning and across the Tweed Valley this morning looked incredible. A thick layer of mist had settled in the valley overnight, hiding from sight every object – both natural and constructed – that is usually visible on the valley floor. I took a series of misty morning photos which I will post here tomorrow.

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the day in our garden, right down the back of our yard among the fruit trees we planted several years ago. We’ve had a pretty hectic past eighteen months for one reason or another and have consequentially neglected our orchard area. And it shows. We have lost a couple of trees and have pruned back others harshly, hoping they will bounce back after some care and attention.

We were not alone in the garden though. As we were digging around our (very healthy!) pecan tree we noticed a kookaburra watching us from its perch in the pear tree.

You might notice the intensity of this gorgeous bird’s gaze! We knew what he was looking for – dinner – and it wasn’t long before he swooped down to catch a tasty morsel he had noticed in the soil.

At other times he seemed quite nonchalant, as if the potential of discovering a meal in our turned garden soil hadn’t crossed his mind!

After collecting dinner he flew back to the tree branch and dined alone, then shortly after he flew away.

Meanwhile, we heard the crackling sound of a sugar cane fire starting in the valley.

The fire was just a short distance away from our yard, but far enough away from the sudden drop at the end of our yard to be able to see the cane fire clearly. As the fire burned, I took a series of photos.

The outer perimeter of the cane field is clearly outlined, and as you can see the fire has been lit around the perimeter. The flames quickly gain momentum, burning the inner section of the field to remove leaf debris before harvesting can take place.

Within an incredibly short time, the fire is over. The job is done.

The time between the last two photos is just two minutes.

Just one minute later, the flames are virtually gone.

From the first dim sound we heard as the cane fire began, to the time the flames were gone, just ten minutes passed.

The sugar cane industry has played an integral role in the Tweed Valley for many generations. Newcomers to the area often cannot understand the attraction locals have to seeing cane fields ablaze every winter, but to the long-standing locals like myself, and to my husband – a fourth-generation Tweed local – the area simply would not be the same without the familiar orange glow in the valley each winter.