Eggs, chocolate, or straight from the chicken represent new life on Easter Day
We enjoyed an Easter without lockdowns here in Victoria and many are making the most of this beautiful autumnal weather here in my hometown. Our church was packed today with adults and children to celebrate Easter Day. We have a tradition at our Anglican church where we enjoy wine made by one of our parishioners and home-made chicken sandwiches after the the service. It was so lovely to see families out and about enjoying quality time together.
There is a sense of hope and looking forward to the future after a difficult two years. Here’s to us being kinder and more loving towards one another and speaking out against evil and injustice. Happy Easter to all.
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” – Unknown
The clocks were turned back during the first weekend of April and it seems to have coincided with a definite change in the seasons. There is a coolness in the evening air despite some days of sunshine. The mid-March temperatures in the low 30s and annoying blow flies seem to have disappeared here in Victoria. But April can produce some stunning Autumn weather to enjoy over the Easter holidays. Will wait and see. We have avoided floods here but our hearts go out to those especially in NSW who have experienced severe flooding twice within a month.
For me autumn offers a calming time of year. It is subtle and yet spectacular as it reveals its hidden beauty. From green to gold, yellow to red. Here in North East Victoria the colours of autumn tend to really come into their own about mid April to early May. Then the great shedding of leaves starts as we approach winter. Raking is one way to get a good work out!
Over the weekend I explored our 25 acres with camera in hand for different perspectives and to capture the various tints and hues of the changing season. I also managed to find glorious brightly-coloured flowers.
There was also a visit to one of my favourite local places, Jamieson, an historic Victorian township on the river and in the bush-clad hills that were once home to many searching for gold. My husband and I attended the once a month Anglican church service which was followed by lunch in a nearby café.
Whatever season you may be going through, remember to enjoy the one you are going through now!
My mood was feeling a bit on the blue side so I thought sharing these pretty images of flowers from my own garden and far beyond would brighten someone else’s day as well.
Water lily in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
A pink waratah-like bloom in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The golden hues of autumn grasses against grey skies.
A run of hot, humid days accompanied by thunderstorms has been the norm for most of March. A wetter than usual winter and spring created unprecedented grass growth. Good news for those who had hay to cut and bale, but for others on smaller acreage like ourselves, keeping on top of the mowing is a constant task. When there was minimal rainfall, grass growth was a lot slower. But seeing our dams full and household tanks almost at capacity, we are not complaining.
We had hot and dry conditions for our annual campdraft just gone, which made it a top weekend for competitors and spectators alike. Being on the committee kept me busy with various activities over the two days. I will do a separate post on the Australian equestrian sport of campdrafting and share some photos.
With its still calm weather conditions, autumn also marks a period of planned burn-offs in our high country. While this is designed to reduce the fuel load in the bush and mountain areas, the smoke haze can make one feel like they are living in an ashtray. It has been a long time since I have hung out in a smokey journo’s bar. I used to go home and hang my good jacket on the clothesline to get rid of the smell. I couldn’t afford to pay for the dry cleaners too often!
However, the smoke haze does provide some superb sunset photo opportunities. Another night we saw this large, red glow in the distance due to a burn-off in some stubble that flared up. Earlier this week, a storm and some rain cleared the air. Another photo opportunity.
This morning was the coolest start for several months, but it has been a lovely warm, sunny day. One can sense a change in the seasons and see the changes in the leaves of grapevines and various trees. Daylight saving is due to end the first weekend in April, which will see a return to being lighter early in the morning and becoming dark much sooner in the late afternoon.
On one side of the world, spring is bursting forth while here we prepare for the coming winter months. That includes sourcing more fire food and putting away the summer clothes. As restrictions and lockdowns disappear and we are told we need to learn to live with COVID, one dares to dream of travelling to warmer climes and visiting friends and family over the coming weeks.
Late afternoon and suddenly, the smoke haze returns, clinging to the sides of the valleys. I better close windows and doors to keep the smell out and rescue the washing from outside before it absorbs the smokey aroma. Happy weekend everyone.
Smokey mountain views.Smoke haze creates a colour palette all its own.
A colourful window display in our local Mansfield Country Women’s Association hall alerted me to it being Purple Poppy Day on February 24, which commemorates the service of animals of all kinds in war and conflict situations. Many of us are used to buying a red poppy to support our service men and women on ANZAC Day, April 25 and Remembrance Day on November 11. The purple poppy was introduced to Australia in 2013 by the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation (AWAMO). It is also known as the “Animal Poppy”. According to AWAMO, purple poppies are designed to be worn alongside the traditional red poppy. They are a reminder of the bravery of both humans and animals that served together. AWAMO uses money raised from donations and the sale of Purple Poppies to establish memorials. These funds are also used to train support animals to help soldiers with post-traumatic stress, and provide care packages, including paying for care for war animals retired from service due to illness, injury and old age after active service says the AWAMO. President Nigel Allsopp talks about the organisation’s work in the video clip below.
The Mansfield CWA members put their crafting skills to work to create purple poppies and other items to sell to support the AWAMO. I bought a purple poppy yesterday and look forward to wearing it with my red poppy on ANZAC Day.
Listen to the crashing waves,
Hear the cry of a lonely gull,
Feel the sting of the salty sea.
Hear the screams of a girl,
Young and frail,
As the giant waves,
Wash her away.
The waves whip the body away,
Far away from the sandy shore.
To the sea it doesn't matter,
Who dies in its icy depths.
When the sea is still,
And the flock of gulls,
Fly overhead,
None could believe,
That the sea could take a life.
The wedding day is only part of the journey of never ending love! Photo: Lynn Elder
What is love?
Some say it is an itchy feeling around the heart.
Is it endless declarations of undying love of Shakespearean proportions?
Maybe it is the act of loving someone or something more than yourself?
But don’t forget you need to love yourself before you can truly love others!
Love is many things to many people,
True love may be hard to find or follows a rocky path.
But love is never controlling or boastful.
It is not spiteful or hateful.
As they say love makes the world go ‘round,
And as my granny says “love is blind” but neighbours ain’t!
If St Valentine’s Day is a load of sentimental trash for some
And an economic boon for others,
Fear not because the love you receive and give,
Is of no less value on any other day!
My love is like a red, red rose…Robert Burns
My poetic take on St Valentine’s Day. My husband booked dinner out for the two of us last year but on the day, the state of Victoria was plunged into another lockdown! I saw in my social media memories today that I cooked a roast lamb dinner and apple crumble for desert last year so I must have still showed my love. But my darling husband has booked a table for dinner tonight which is very sweet. No lockdowns likely this year!
I have always loved the poetic works of Scottish poet Robert Burns since I was a little girl with romantic thoughts and maybe because of my Scottish ancestry. I have just discovered that the poem “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” has been recorded as a song by various artists including one of my favourite singers Eva Cassidy and a new one for me being Karen Matheson who does the most stunning lilting Celtic version. Decide for yourselves which one you like best. Happy St Valentine’s Day to all us romantics!
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.
This just popped up in my notifications and although I knew this blogging journey began in 2017 it still took me by surprise to see it has been five years. It coincided with my move from the city back to my country origins to begin a new life with my husband on 25 acres. Some things have worked out as expected and others have had their challenges, but looking back and given what has expired with the COVID-19 Pandemic, we made the right decision for us. My blog started out as more of a journal in words and pictures but now it is time to expand my horizons and stretch my creative self more than ever. There have been some sad goodbyes and happy moments to relish but through it all there has been a divine hand on my life. May my faith not waiver as we embrace another year of uncertainty but discover how precious life is and all that we have to be grateful for. Happy blogging one and all!
Some random images taken around and near my home in the High Country of Victoria. I love the changing natural light from sunrise to sunset. The changes in the seasons and the abundance of trees and other plants is also a joy to watch. The Delatite River is a delightful place to cool off or cross by bicycle. It is summer now and the lush greenness of spring has disappeared as the baking sun dries off the grass. It also brings outs the snakes including tigers and browns. We just chased one off now while having our coffee on the verandah. Snakes are a protected native species in Victoria but sometimes people will kill them if they get too near their house or sheds. We also have friends who have sadly lost dogs and even horses to snake bite so it does pay to be wary when out and about. Just like COVID we are learning to live with it!
Living on our property in rural Victoria near the alpine area, we are often treated to a variety of Australian birdlife ranging from bright blue Superb Fairy Wrens and raucous Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and occasionally the owl-like Tawny Frogmouth. The latter is a nocturnal bird that requires a keen eye to spot during the day. The tawny frogmouth is able to master the art of camouflage and blend in with the bark of a gum tree tucked in a hollow. My husband and I were thrilled to find the adult male pictured above in one of our large gum trees next to our dam last year. He graced us with his presence for more than a week, and his distinctive deep booming “Oom-oom-oom-oom” noise could often be heard in the evening. Apparently, if they sense danger, Tawny Frogmouths can hiss loudly and puff themselves up to look much bigger with enlarged eyes and wide-open beaks. However, the best defence they have is in their ability to vanish into their surroundings. The mottled grey feathers against the matching bark of the tree also make them hard to photograph during the day. I love his closed eyes as he tries to ignore the world. But come nightfall, and that sleepy pose is replaced with the action of flight and search for food. I assumed that frogs were on their menu because our dam is full of noisy croaking, especially during spring. The name Tawny Frogmouth relates to their appearance. The “large flattened, triangular, hooked beak which is olive-grey in colour, and the huge frog-like gape is used to catch insects” is the description provided by the animalcorner.org website. The birds also go through two different plumage colour changes from silver-grey to being russet-red.
Tawny frogmouths are the masters of camouflage and hard to spot or photograph high up in the gum trees
Our visitor disappeared, although we could still hear faint sounds of “Oom-oom-oom-oom” from a distance for another week or so. Then over a week ago, we had a surprise visitor land on our verandah close to our house early evening when it was going dark. My husband spotted the young Tawny Frogmouth while outside and called me out to look. I grabbed my camera and was thrilled to take some closeups of this downy little creature. We think our outdoor lights must have attracted him to try his luck at catching insects. It was fairly obvious this bird was still on his L-plates for flying and not long out of the nest. One notable aspect was the different noise to an adult bird which sounded more like a croak. We didn’t want to stress him out too much, so we quickly moved away and were surprised when one of the parents landed on our verandah as if to say, come on home now. Lights were switched off, and we can only assume that the pair flew off together. There haven’t been any sightings since, so we hope they are alright. I found a delightful video (link below) about these wonderful unusual, but endearing Australian birds which deserve to win our affection. Makes me appreciate seeing them in the wild so much more.
The change of seasons comes in a rush
Of hot air and wilted grasses in the bush.
No need to clear out the ash and stoke the fire
As ceiling fans whir above, and with a beer
In hand the farmer wipes the free-flowing sweat
From his sun-beaten face, and without a beat
Flicks off the pesky blowflies settled on his work shirt.
His wife tucks her tea towel in the band of her skirt,
Then says as she leans wearily against the kitchen wall.
"It's too bloody hot to eat anything at all!".
Escape to the High Country... 