The West Country

And it's off we go to the West Country (Devon and Cornwall,etc).

The motorways of England frequently carve their way through farmland. Hence the bovine 'flyover' below, enabling the farmer to get his stock from one paddock to another!

The photographer, by the way, wasn't being artistic when taking this shot (black and white) she just didn't realise she'd got it on the wrong setting!

We couldn't resist stopping at Stonehenge on the way. The three of us could remember visiting this amazing place as children. We were able to walk around the stones then and actually touch them. Now, visitors are kept well away and I am glad. It's a national treasure.

This (above) is the Eden Project. Something I've heard lots about and looked forward to visiting. As I walked round, it was hard to believe it hasn't been there for decades. The 'biomes' are full of huge plants and trees. The whole place is so obviously loved and cared for.

Eden is all about man's relationship with and dependence upon plants. Much of our food, our clothes, our shelter and our medicines come from the plant world. Without plants there would be no oxygen for us to breathe, no life on earth.
The Eden Project is a showcase for all the questions and many of the answers. But Eden is not a worthy, over-serious, guilt-ridden place; nor does it preach. It is about education and communication of the major environmental issues of the day, always presented in an engaging, involving, even humorous way.
(click on images to enlarge)

This (below) is a setting in the tropical biome. It has everything - the old motorbike, vegetables growing in the yard, and the building is made of anything and everything from the forest.

As we walked through the tropical biome we climbed higher and higher. Consequently the atomosphere grew hotter and hotter and more humid. Jackets came off, jumpers came off and I started to expect huge, blood-hungry mosquitos to appear.

It's an amazing place and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially people with children.

The it was on to the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

As with the Eden Project, there is a team of dedicated people who love this place.

Our discovery of a tiny room, buried under fallen masonry in the corner of one of the walled gardens, was to unlock the secret of their demise. A motto etched into the limestone walls in barely legible pencil still reads "Don’t come here to sleep or slumber" with the names of those who worked there signed under the date - August 1914. We were fired by a magnificent obsession to bring these once glorious gardens back to life in every sense and to tell, for the first time, not tales of lords and ladies but of those "ordinary" people who had made these gardens great, before departing for the Great War.

Then it was on to Watergate Bay in Cornwall.

And, yes! I did take this photo below. More by luck than skill. But it's one that will go in my album. My happiest holiday memories are of seaside places in Devon and Cornwall. Sandy beaches, rock pools, clifftop walks, castles, oh... when I'm old and can't remember my name I will remember these places.

That's our hotel in the cliffside. It was magical.

And three sisters in one room? It was comical, hysterical even.

And below is a picture of a rock. How could I not take a picture of a rock?

People don't believe you when you try to describe the narrow roads in these parts.

So LOOK! How do cars pass eachother? Well, there are little bulges every now and then where one car can cram itself against the hedge while the other passes.

Aren't we just gorgeous?

Autumn in the UK

It's time to visit Blighty again and it's autumn. I go to be with my family and friends; to refill my 'tank'. I'm often asked what do I miss about England: obviously, primarily, my family; second, British people (they have the most wonderful sense of humour); third, the 'oldness' of England and authenticity of it all. Not the weather, however. And whatever the weather produces while I'm here - it isn't going to spoil anything we do! 'Cos I say so!

Doggie walks.

(click on images to enlarge)

Doggy wasn't allowed to take this rather large branch home so she took a very large pebble from the beach instead. This is a regular thing so a rockery of round rocks is taking shape in their garden.

I was at home alone one morning and thought I might attempt to get a photo of doggy and me sitting in this chair. She had other ideas.
Got one eventually with the aid of a treat.

Some men buy Harleys. My brother-in-law buys one of these. He's got taste.

(And the ok from 'er indoors.)

And here is dear old Joshie.

My eldest sister has retired from nursing and although she still does a couple of shifts a week she now enjoys embroidery. This is some 'stumpwork' she is working on and as you can see, the bee is about to receive his wings.

More flowers, plus!

Spring in Wundowie

This is our second Spring here, living on 17 acres of native bushland and again we are astounded at the colour and variety of the Spring flowers. And orchids!

(click on image to enlarge)

The seem to appear from nowhere. One day there is nothing and the next, blooms that seem so fragile and delicate but survive downpours of rain.
Above is the cowslip orchid. The red dots on the upper petal are sometimes referred to as "landing lights". They attract the insects who unknowingly pollenate the orchid.

Here comes the rain!

What a wonderful sight! You can click on these maps to enlarge them.

It's Sunday 1st July 2007 and we are watching the rain coming.

It has been raining in various areas for the past week and they are saying the winter weather patterns are finally here. These radar images (taken a few minutes apart) are from the bureau of meteorology showing rainfall and intensity and the movement of the weather front. If you go to this website page at the bureau, click on 'Perth' under 'Weather Observations'. It's fascinating to watch the weather pass over.

Let's hope the farmers benefit, although it is much too late for many.

We live near the town of Northam marked on this map.

We've just rushed out to plant the last of 250 tree and shrub seedlings we bought from a tree farm last week. It is very satisfying to watch the rain coming down and 'watering them in'.

Wet Morning

Kookaburras say Good Morning

(click on image to enlarge)

Woody and I have been for our morning walk. It has been raining during the night. I woke a couple of times and could hear the heavy drips from the nearby trees falling on our tin roof. (Yes, they're too close and soon to be lopped!)

The sun had been up a couple of hours and the air was warming but still fresh. There was a slight aroma of eucalyptus in the air.

As I walked along our track I looked across at the bush. The sun's warmth on the wet bushes caused a cloud of steam to rise up from them.

I've heard kookaburras frequently this past week around our block and when I got back from our walk and looked from the balcony saw this couple. It always amazes me that despite them being such a large and chunky bird that they can fly so silently.

Conducive to successful hunting, no doubt.

But it's their 'laugh' that lets you know they are around. You can select it here (No.13).

Pink Boots

After trawling all the pet shops in our nearest large shopping centre and not finding what we were looking for we visited our vet in hopes they would have some boots for Woody. We are off to the bush tomorrow, to start mining rock, and our first location has particularly sharp rock so we need to protect his feet.

They didn't have blue ones like last time so we had to buy him PINK!

I'm sorry but I couldn't resist this photo opportunity....

Dog Leg

Woody just loves to dress up.

Beach wear....

Baseball cap for when he's feeling "streetwise"...
Sunglasses for poker nights...

And, of course, nightwear...

Then there's the map reading eyewear...

And of course, his favourite, Christmas wear!

And it's a good thing he doesn't mind dress-ups because he's pulled a ligament and has to wear this converted knee brace. Human knees are much larger than dogs' knees so I had quite a time trying to make it fit. This is the best I could do. It had a hinged metal pin down each side so I removed one and trimmed the elasticated 'sock' to fit a dog's leg, added some stretchy bands and velcro and bob's yer uncle, as they say. I'm hoping it gives him some support.
I put it on him in the morning and he wears it all day without any qualms.

Bike Ride

I went for a bike ride today. It was far too nice a day to stay indoors so I donned my bike hat, filled my water bottle, stuck the little headphones of my radio into my ears and took off!

I am lucky enough to live very close to the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail which incorporates:

- the old Goldfields Road along which fortune seekers trudged
- the reserve for the Eastern Railway along which trains steamed, and
- the maintenance road that runs alongside the water supply pipeline.

You can just see the pipeline through the trees in this photo below (click on photo to enlarge). It keeps you company along the trail.

The trail is 650 km long from Mundaring Weir in the forested Perth Hills, through the golden expanses of the Wheatbelt to a reservoir overlooking the gold boomtown of Kalgoorlie.

I wouldn't be doing the whole 650kms this afternoon, of course, (as if?); just a mere 7.5km to Bakers Hill and back. The nice thing about riding a railway trail is that there are no steep inclines, only gentle ones that locomotives could handle. So on the way to Bakers Hill I was climbing a gentle gradient all the way and above is one of the cuttings I rode through. Very picturesque.

There are interesting little information plaques along the trail and this one is about the train labouring its way up the gradient.
The wattles (below) are just coming into bloom and their fragrance is exquisite. I'm glad I don't suffer with hay fever or asthma. And the Australian bush would not be complete without its prolific eucalypts. But they can be a hazard to cyclists when the parrots have had their fun! They just love to nip off the gumnuts and riding over a carpet of these is like trying to ride across marbles.

As I approached Bakers Hill I could see what a difference the recent rain has made on the countryside. Green at last!