This Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, also known as the Yellow Crested Cockatoo, was happily sitting among the blossoms in my tree. Don’t be deceived, cockatoos can be very destructive. They chew on the branches and in my large gum tree, they have denuded the ends of the branches and littered the ground with small pieces. They have even been known to vandalize houses. They gather together in large mobs and chew on timber, deckings and railings.
Luckily this one and his friend flew off when he noticed I was taking his photo. Camera shy!
I’ve been reading about what makes a good black and white photograph. I’m finding it difficult to get my head around. But I’m happy with this.
I like it geometric feel. The bird was kind enough to pose at exactly the right angle. I like the different shades on the pipes and I love the flair of white on the beak and tail of the bird.
I could have rotated the photo to make the cross pipe exactly horizontal, but I like the slight angle leading the eye up to the bird.
In colour the same shot.
This guy couldn’t resist posing for me. He’s a very different character. I just love him.
I spotted this duck perched high up in a tree branch. She was spying on a beautifully coloured male duck. He was showing off, trying to impress her. Sadly, she flew off and left him all alone.
I thought these were mallard. But since I posted this I learnt that mallards are more likely to have orange feet. I think they are Australian Shelducks.
Tulips are grow in almost every colour. Each colour symbolizes something different. Some are a single colour and some are multi coloured, sometimes with two colours on each petal. The generally symbolize perfect or deep love.
Odd facts about tulips
There are over 3000 varieties
They’re part of the lily family.
In the 1600s they were said to cost 10 times more than a working man’s average salary in the Netherlands, making them more expensive than some homes
Red tulips are the most popular.
This one lived up to expectations. It is pure white. It symbolizes foregiveness.
In Australia they say to plants tulips around Mother’s Day. This year that was the 10th of May. It just so happens that this pots of tulips will probably be flowering perfectly on Father’s Day. Here that is September the 6th.
This tulip has just popped up. The timing is perfect. It’s the very start of Spring. I guess it has warmed up just enough.
and some blossom from the fruit tree
The fruit trees are also just starting to blossom. Every year it seems to me that just when the trees are at their showiest, it rains. For us that’s a blessing, but it always seems to knock the blossom off. Apparently we get most of our rain here in Spring, so that would explain it.
Taken on my iphone SE (2nd gen) f/1.8 1/20 sec ISO 640
I took a few shots of this flower. Against the darker background the flower seems much more dramatic. With a white background the flower seems more delicate. I didn’t plan the shots, I was just experimenting. Next time I take a photo, it will be a much more conscious consideration.
The white background was taken indoors. I lit it up with my iphone. I am finally realising that it is worth the effort to get out the tripod to get a crisper photo! I’m still working on my focusing skills. I should have persevered and taken more.
Taken on my Canon EOS 600D 55 mm f/5.6 1/60 sec ISO 400
How can I remember to label my seedlings? I’m not sure what these are. What’s worse is I have lots more of them, these are the left overs.
I vaguely remember saving one of my last tomatoes. They grew well and produced tomatoes over a very long season. I remember extracting the seeds and leaving them on kitchen paper to dry out by the sink. Then I forgot about them. When I found them they were dried up and I had little hope that they would grow. But, I scurried out to the glasshouse and dumped them on some seed raising mix. So, they may be tomatoes. But there’s a chance that I might have put some capsicum seeds in, so they might be peppers. I guess time will tell.
I’m trying to become more organised. I always think I’ll remember which are which, but I have resorted to labels.
This is my latest project. It was very overgrown and it was decided to plant a post amid the mess. The post is for another project. I decided to cut back some old lavender and daisies. I got carried away and now have some space for something new.
I finally found a purpose for these rusty old wheels. Hopefully the succulents will be able to withstand the summer hear. We’ll see.
I have some tiny hollyhocks growing in the glass house. I think I’ll run some string along between the two posts and plant them there. They should grow to be a tall backdrop.
Between starting to clean up the garden and finally getting back to it, soem Californian poppies have popped up, self sown. I’ll leave them there and see how invasive they are.
Am I the only person who has never had any experience of these strange little creatures?
I have Spring frenzy. A balmy Spring day saw me spending my day working in the garden, too busy even to be taking photos of my progress. I’ll do that tomorrow.
I wondered if anyone might be interested in last weekend’s activity on the farm. We had visitors arrive with their ferrets and ferreting gear, hopeful that they might catch a rabbit or two. These ferrets are all being raised for the purpose of chasing rabbits out of their burrows. They all have names and are extremely well loved and trained by the family who care for them. Snowball, Queenie and Snowwhite all had quite different personalities.
My only experience, or lack of it, with ferrets led me to believe that they were vicious, nasty animals. Far from it. Though I’m too nervous to touch them, the kids who raise them, cuddle them and claim that they make great pets.
In this case a net was quickly erected around the burrow. Then the ferrets were let loose. They disappear into the burrow and a little while later the rabbits will emerge stressed and frantic to escape. They head straight into the nets and get tangled. They are extracted from the nets and put into cages. They can be used for food or fed to the dogs and/or ferrets.
This area on the farm will be growing lucerne again after some rain. However, during the winter the rabbits have invaded and created some extensive burrows. We are reluctant to use poison on the rabbits, so we are using other techniques try to reduce their numbers.
It’s a win for everyone except the poor bunnies. Over 20 were caught. Sadly for us, that doesn’t make much of a dint in their numbers.
AT PATHO 