November catch-up

Hello!
Catching up again with a few pics which I'll add to throughout the month:

Update 18th November 2019...  "Roses" I've been fiddling with this one for ages and now it doesn't look anything like in this photo!  However, this is the way I like it. 
Funny how things turn out sometimes.
Hope your November is nice - cheers!

Update: 14th November 2019... Took this for a reference photo as a guide to painting glass (I love how refractions distort plant stems in water).
Then I realised it made a pretty photo... the Dianthus continue to bloom their little hearts out and, oh, their perfume... divine!
Hope your week is going well! 

Update: 7th November 2019...  Florals... lovely nasturtiums, some feeling their age but beautiful nonetheless!

The portulaca on the rockwall garden has been blooming its little heart out!  Such a simple, unassuming little plant ... it certainly takes advantage of its moment to shine.  A beautiful splosh of colour against the rocks:

Spring brings with it the ripening of loquats...a sweet and refreshing fruit.
The visiting Musk Parrots definitely agree :D):

I am painting now more than ever.  In fact, daily.  Its a huge part of my life and I love it.
Here's one I finished yesterday.  Flannel Flowers.  I also cut up some paper that I wipe leftover paint on (as you can see behind the easel) to do a bit of collage for the vase:

Flannel Flowers (native to Australia)

I was nearly going to add that these aren't anywhere near to being botanically correct... but... wait... of course they are ... in 'Susan-land'
(ahhh, with a brush in hand there is power to do whatever ;D))

A most stunning sunrise the other day... pinkly soft and gentle.  I stood on our verandah and ... well, just stood - in awe!

Thought I should mention it but I've turned Comment Moderation on.
Spammers are active, as I'm sure most of you are experiencing.
Someone trying to advertise something is one thing but when that spam turns to hateful racist comments, well ... not on my blog!  As my hubby said, they can crawl back under their rock!

Bits of this n that

Hello!

It's raining here today and so to pass the time, I had a little rummage around my recent photos to come up with a post.

Some alley-way art by school children in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, which we thought was lovely and imaginative. They'd have had a lot of fun painting it too:

Some birds in our backyard...
Here's a freshly bathed baby bird - not sure what breed - who really enjoyed getting wet:

more alley-way art:

The Bronzewing Pigeons hold this pose while sun-baking... I'm thinking it's to help photographers to see the full gloriousness of their colours ;D)

and more art looking down the other side of the alley-way:

This baby Blackbird also enjoyed a bath.  We love how the Blackbirds thoroughly enjoy a soak and then a hearty scrub (!), flicking water here and there and then come back for a second turn at it...

that youngster certainly learnt well!

and, finally, the rain... so nice after the heat:

Thanks for joining me today... all the best, Sue xx

What a Stinker!!

Hello!

Well, Friday just gone was one out of the box weather-wise. 

Here, in our South East corner of Gippsland (Victoria, Australia), we copped a share of those hot northerlies which blew heat from central Australia.  Our  stinker of a day peaked at 43degC (109.4F).

We were pretty lucky really because those poor folk who live in the centre of Australia (Alice Springs) have endured temperatures exceeding 40degC every day since Christmas Day, including 9 consecutive days above 43degC!

So I'm not really complaining because we had just that one hot day and then woke up to cooling rain.

The reason for my post is to share how distressing even one day of that high a temperature can be for wildlife... in our case, the King Parrots. 

I checked the waterbowl fairly early in the day and saw they had gathered and a couple were showing signs of heat discomfort already:

Topped it up with ice cubes and had a look out a few minutes later and a Wattlebird had just flown in for a drink...

Wattlebirds don't like sharing... so Hubby quickly decided it was time for more bowls of water to avoid fights, so he found these:

aww, our hearts went out to her

Every so often, we'd gently hose them and they just stayed where they were and thoroughly enjoyed the shower. 
Some though, seemed confused and would fly off - but not too far away, they came back as soon as we went inside.
We also showered the trees and shrubs around the pond where a lot of other birds could be heard... they'd kind of rustle around and fly up into the spray.

I took most of these photos through the window so as to not distress them any further.

A bit of humour throughout the day though... seems sit/standing on the plastic chair was the prized position.  Hunching backwards, tail up allowed a bit better cooling to the nether regions!  Clever birds :D)

As a bynote, underneath the oval china dish (in the second photo down) is where a little frog has lived for ages.   I did a quick check and he/she was still there, bearing the heat bravely.

Here's a photo I'd happened to take earlier last week.

   

It's funny, since it's been cooler, a Blackbird has been singing its heart out all day yesterday and today.  We both noticed that its more than usual.  Seems as though it's so relieved that the heat has gone! 

Cheers now and stay cool (or warm for the Northern Hemisphere blogfriends ;D)), Sue xx

A quick jaunt around the garden...

Hello!
When all other inspiration (for a post) has gone, the garden is always a lovely place to provide some.
Here's a quick walk around some of our lovelies:

Now, I'm hoping you'll close your eyes to the weeds etc that will pop up here and there.  If nothing else, the birds love to nibble on them!

So happy to see how my seeds of "Western Australian Daisies" are emerging.
A nice mix by the looks!

I always love it when those delicate little Begonia flowers start to peep out from the jungle.  Bringing up the rear are some Epis that are in bud... I forget what colour they are, so another nice surprise in store.

Our Loquat Tree has been inundated with flocks of Musk Lorikeets... they gorge and gorge.
We don't often see this type of Parrot, so it's been a real treat.

Poppies and Pansies (Johnny-Jump-Ups) are looking a bit worse for wear in the recent heat we've been having, but they're still beautiful.

Looking out from the verandah, this succulent came from my Mum's garden.  I haven't repotted it as she added other little tiny plants which show themselves during the year.
It continues to do well, albeit a bit gnarly in spots ... lol, kind of like us!

Here's the front view

... and the full view

Last, but by no means least, hanging in the verandah is the new addition of this gorgeous Fuchsia... a beautiful gift by some lovely friends.
I've filled the Header with other shots of this lovely.

~ Thanks for joining me, take care and have a great rest of the week ~ 

Through the loungeroom window

Hello Everyone,
It's been delightful seeing  how our Matchstick Bromeliad is causing so much attention to be given by the little birds in our yard.
The nectar must taste delicious because it is popular.
Here are a couple of photos that I was so lucky to have taken through the window one afternoon recently and I wish to share with you:

An Eastern Spinebill with its brush-tipped 'tongue' already out in anticipation.....

who knew those little blue ends on the bromeliad contains something nice... I didn't, but the birds do!

oh gosh I was so thrilled to capture this one frame

I'm sorry I haven't been contributing to  Memes .  I can't keep up, but love visiting blogfriends and I also love posting as and when.

Cheerio and...

Wednesday's Post ~ amongst the flowers and birds

It's a beautiful Wednesday here.
I've decided to have a bit of a frolic amongst the flowers and birds... perhaps you'd like to join in:

"Kangaroo Paws"

Our Bee in the Ti-Tree

Pretty Geraniums... forever flowering - such a giving plant!

Our newest addition to the garden... "Moonlight Grevillea"  

A random bunch of flowers I picked while on a stroll down in the orchard area
where I found this discarded Blackbird's egg

A closer look -  to see the first pecking hole

I took this photo years ago of a Blackbird's nest.

More recently, a baby Blackbird in a favourite safe spot by the pond.

It took a while to work up the courage for what looked like a first bath!

~ Linking to:

        Riitta's Floral Bliss

Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday

Spoon. . . er, Beak Fed!

🐦 The Little Wattlebirds have had a few breeding sessions this year in our garden.

We enjoy watching the babies being fed while we drink our morning coffee on the verandah, and I managed to capture a full feeding.

Here's a little one on the branch just across from where we sit:

🐦 The baby is showing its brush tip (tongue) to tell Mum, or Dad, to hurry up and get some food.

Now baby has flown on to the shadehouse roof and is getting all excited because food is coming:

🐦 Both parents take turns to feed the baby

It's a bit blurry in some of these pics, but the action happens real fast so I keep my finger on the shutter button!

🐦 Open wide 

Here's a closeup of the previous photo:

🐦 Contact!

🐦 Must've been tasty, baby is "licking" its beak

Off goes a parent for more food:

The time between each feed that morning was 5 to 6 minutes -  and I kept watch for just over an hour... lol, exhausting or what, no wonder the parents both tend to baby. I'm not sure how long this frenetic feeding routine lasts, but feel it could be a couple of days and then things seem to calm down a bit.

We particularly like the Little Wattlebirds for their friendly and quiet nature, as against the Red Wattlebirds who, in our yard at least, seem to be in a constant bad mood!

I got all inspired and painted this watercolour (with inkpen) last night... to add a little dash of colour at the end of the post:

~ 🐦  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog  🐦~ 

I hope you've enjoyed sharing our morning fun with the birds as I join in with 

Stewarts Wild Bird Wednesday.  

There are lots of other birds to be seen if you'd like to click on the image below: