challenges

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Refuge

We hear him, but rarely see him.

This week’s WordPress photo challenge was announced just this morning and I have what I think is the perfect photo for this week’s theme ~ Refuge.

There are times when I’m sitting quietly at home, listening to the beautiful sounds of silence in my sleepy little village, when the silence will be shattered by a sound I simply love ~ the croaking of a green frog, coming from just outside my office window.

Over the years we have traced our resident frog families sounds to behind a block retaining wall out the front of our house. We hear them there, but we never see them there!

My only sightings of our froggy friends has been a few years ago, when for reasons only known to the frogs themselves, they took it upon themselves to hitch a ride in the boot of my car! You can imagine my surprise at opening the boot of my car at the supermarket, only to find a frog inside!

Not wishing for the frog to lose its way in an unfamiliar place, I would gently close the car boot, drive home and return him to his retaining wall.

I think the frogs became adventurous about three times, always by somehow managing to get into the boot of my car.

One night a couple of weeks ago, my daughter Emma walked out the front of the house and shrieked, thinking she had discovered an unwelcome cane toad, but no, it was one of our little green friends, no doubt thinking it was safe at night to venture out from behind his retaining wall.

So here he is; one of my little garden friends who constantly brings delight to my day with his low-key vocal chords!

Shortly after this photo was taken he was gone again, no doubt having taken refuge yet again within the safety of his home, behind the retaining wall.

challenges · summer

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Curiosity

Where do these stairs and pathways lead to?

This week’s WordPress photo challenge theme is “curiosity” and what a powerful word that is!

Curiosity can to lead to many a new adventure; it opens up avenues for learning new things and can lead to many new and formerly unexplored paths.

The photo I have chosen to feature today shows pathways and stairs which I have yet to explore. They only became known to me after I came home one day with a series of photos I had taken at Point Danger last month, and I spotted this little nook as I looked through the photos on the computer.

I’m curious as to where the paths will lead and how the ocean will photograph at close range, with the waves breaking around the rocks.

When the heat-haze has cleared up a bit, hopefully during next week, my trusty little camera and I will be finding and exploring the site I have zoomed in on by editing the photo on the computer.

Because, well…I’m just plain curious! 🙂

cows · daughter

Every Picture Tells a Story, Don’t it….

One of Hayley’s nearest and dearest is a huge, black and white fluff-ball, who has won the hearts of our whole family with his endearing ways.

This is one of the most expressive cats I have ever met in my life! When he has something to say, he says it!

Who ever said that animals can’t talk hasn’t met Hayley’s beautiful boy!

See for yourself…every picture tells the story. 🙂

I think I see something…

Way off in the distance…what is that?

Mum! Dad! Help!!

I’ve never seen anything like it!

Open the gate!
Open the gate!

Put the camera down. Can’t you see I’m freaking out???

There's no time to waste!
There’s no time to waste!

They’re taking over the world…RUN WHILE YOU CAN!

No...wait...let me in!
No…wait…let me in!

Then we can both run!

Enough with the photos!

What is this? Are you crazy?? They’re out to get us!!

You could at least open the gate!

This is serious business…are you listening to me?

I can’t look!

I’ll have nightmares if I see them again!

Oh my goodness!!

I looked! What was I thinking??

Let me in!!!

Get this gate open…now, if not sooner!

Don’t bother, I’ve got it all under control….

Did you see the size of those dogs?

Now we can make a break…run for it!!

They’re pure evil, I tell you!

Someone should have a word with the owner of those dogs, they’re way overfed!

cows · daughter · freedom

Over the Back Fence….

Possum

When my first child left home, rather than being the emotional ordeal some would imagine it to be, I felt very excited for her, as she embarked on the next phase of the journey of her life.

The time was right for her to spread her wings and discover the adventures awaiting her out there in the magical world of adulthood.

I knew she would never be far away from me. Even if distance separated us, she would always remain close to me in my heart.

As it turns out, there isn’t an awful lot of distance between us, as she lives only about a ten minute drive from home and I see her nearly every day of the week, as we work together!

Over the past three or four years, my girl has become more herself, rather than a reflection of the person she thought her parents wanted her to be. And it is a wonderful experience, getting to know the adult version of the sweet little girl we nurtured for so many years.

Although she has matured into becoming her own person in recent years, one aspect of her personality has remained constant throughout her entire life ~ she loves animals.

It is a regular occurrence for me to receive an email containing a photo of her latest “friend” who she has discovered inside her home or out in the garden.

The cute little possum in the night time photo above is one of Hayley’s little visitors.

Over the back fence of Hayley’s house is a large expanse of grassy paddock. In its glory days, the area was once a well kept golf course, which contained a very well known country club, well frequented by locals and visitors alike.

Somewhere over the years, the club managed to go belly-up and the area is now kept reasonably in check by a herd of cattle!

Over the Fence

Not a cow lover herself, despite her love of animals, Hayley knew I would fully appreciate photos of her bovine visitors.

As you can see in this photo, in the foreground is a small metal gate, which leads out from Hayley’s back garden into the expanse of grass, which was once the golf course.

Grazing Cows

Tomorrow I will show you a series of photos which require no words. The expressions on the face say it all! But you’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow for the whole story.

Clue ~ the story involves the cows….and one of Hayley’s closest friends! 🙂

chocolate · music · son

With Gentle Music in my Mind…

Words escape me today.

No, allow me correct myself; the words are present, lyrically bouncing along in my mind to the tunes of the songs I listened to yesterday afternoon and last night.

It’s the written word which escapes me, so I will rhythmically share with you the music playing in my head!

How could I ignore listening to the final few songs of the “Top 100 Love Songs”, featured on television late yesterday afternoon when I arrived home?

My super cool, thirteen year old son joined me, singing along to the songs, as I listened, amazed yet again, at his knowledge of songs recorded decades before his birth.

Adam and I shared chocolates whilst singing along to romantic melodies….”I Honestly Love You” from Olivia Newton John, “How Deep Is Your Love”, the Bee Gees, “I Will Always Love You” sung by Whitney Houston (from the movie “The Bodyguard”, Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” and the number one song of the countdown, from the movie “Titanic”, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”.

Romantic songs over chocolates with your son ~ it doesn’t get much better than that!

My musical interlude continued later in the night with the discovery of the 2011 “Grammy Awards”. Not a big fan of rap music, although rap is big right now and does appear to have many fans, I persevered through the rap, to be later rewarded by hearing “Lady Antebellum’s” smooth, lyrical voices.

Towards the end of the Grammy’s, which didn’t finish screening here in Australia until nearly midnight, came the artist with thee song…Barbra Streisand singing one of the most beautiful songs of all time, “Evergreen”.

In case you missed it, here is the song I’ve had playing over and over and over in my head, all day long!

Barbra Streisand, “Evergreen”…

I managed to find an old Barbra Streisand CD in my cabinet this morning, which went out in the car with me this morning. Evergreen (track 9) was on constant replay!

The realities and practicalities of life continued as they always do today, all day long, but oh, how much easier realities are to contend with, with a beautiful song spinning around your mind! 🙂

(Photo Credit)