Photo a Day 198 - Macro Monday

At last the cool change and some rain has arrived. I do still have to water, but not with the same urgency. Already the garden is looking brighter, so hopefully it won't be too much of a disaster for our Christmas family get togethers.

I was able to find a few flowers for my meme this week.

 This one is not as crisp on the large screen as I thought it would be - still pretty though.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Macro Monday"

Photo a Day 197 - Monday Mural

On a roll again. Some refreshing rain has arrived - not a lot but enough to cool things down and liven up the garden. And liven me up too.

Another mural from my Sydney trip. This one painted on the side of an old factory or warehouse.

And a closer view.

Liz Needle  -  linking with  "Monday Mural".

Photo a day 196 - Garden Woes

After 4 days of searing heat over 40 degrees celsius (43 today), the garden is looking well and truly baked - dry, dusty and sad.
I have been able to keep the water up to some parts, but very sparingly. Just enough that when the family are here for Christmas, it won't look too drought stricken. Unfortunately the heat this week has kept me inside, so the garden looks rather unkempt as well in some parts.

Some of the roses and hydrangeas are showing the heat and some of the perennials have dried off completely.

But there are some hardy plants surviving and cheering up the garden.






This little rose is holding up well.

And of course the agapanthas stand up to anything the weatherman throws at them.

This particular part of the garden is still quite green as the water table here is very close to the surface - floods in winter.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Floral Friday Fotos"  and "Today's Flowers".

Photo a Day 195 - Weekend Critters

Adelaide is sweltering in a heatwave at the moment. We are having our 4th day of over 40degree celsius heat - a record period for December.  The garden is suffering badly, but the birds are enjoying  the sprinkler in the evenings.

 This fellow is an Eastern Rosella - Adelaide version.

And the new Holland Honeyeaters were enjoing the wash as well.

 They are promising a cool change tonight and rain for Christmas. Let's hope so.

Liz Needle in sweltering South Australia  -  linking with "Saturday Critters" and Camera Critters".

Photo a Day 194 - Good Fences

I see from the date on my posts that it is two weeks since I posted. It has been a pretty busy time here leading up to Christmas with interstate visitors coming.

 I have been trying to get the garden tidied up, but as we are now in the middle of a heatwave - 4 days over 40 degrees celcius, thast has been shelved. They will just have to appreciate the good bits. I have also finished painting and decorating the spare bedroom and painting the laundry. Quite proud of myself as I have done it on my own. Don can't use a ladder anymore and his blood pressure is all over the place at the moment, so he has not been able to help much.

The fine weather has meant some lovely sunsets, so I have a few shots for this post and am linking them to Tex's "Good Fences" and "Skywatch Friday".

These shots are all of the same sunset. I love the first one. I find the clouds very dramatic.

.

A closer view with the vineyard fences on the hill.

And finally a shot taken lying down with the trusty, rusty old barbed wire fence.  I have to say it was easier getting down than it was getting up.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Good Fences"  and "Skywatch Friday".

Photo A Day 193 - Good Fences

Watching and catching the sunset a few nights ago and I discovered that I had also got a couple of nice shots of fences and gates.

 The old wire gate

Wire fences

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Good Fences"  and "Skywatch Friday".

Photo a Day 192 - Swans

One of my favourite Australian birds is the black swan, Western Australia's state emblem. We see them sometimes on dams in the hills, especially in dry years, but they are also frequently found right in the centre of Adelaide, living on  our River Torrens.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Wild Bird Wednesday".

Photo a Day 191 - Ruby Tuesday

I had time to wander down Rundle Street yesterday and came across this little shop that perfectly fits the "Ruby Tuesday" theme. It looks as if they are still repainting or maybe the yellow bit is an entrance to an upstairs apartment or studio.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Ruby Tuesday".

Photo a Day 190 - Our World Tuesday

Had lunch in a very nice restaurant yesterday.  Shared an antipasto plate with a friend  - very tasty.

But what really fascinated us was  this enormous light hanging from a 30 ft ceiling and constantly changing colour.

Certainly a talking point among diners and one I found difficult to get bored with.


Liz Needle  -  linking with "Our World Tuesday".

Photo a Day 189 - More Murals

I found this week's mural in the east end of Rundle Street, an area where there are many cafes, boutiques, pubs and is generally buzzing with life. I had to shoot the mural in 2 sections as once again, it was in a narrow alley. It's also another blue mural. I do like the blue with the mellow red bricks of this old building

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Monday Mural" and "Blue Monday"

Photo a Day 188 - In the Garden

Not much flowering in the garden at the moment. The spring flush is over and I am madly trying to catch up with weeds, lawn edges, dried off bulbs and irises, rose dead heads etc etc. Need to have it tidied  up  for Christmas - and then there's the veggie garden. Life is never dull in a garden.

There are a few things coming on. The Salvias are looking rather nice, the Fuchsias are in flower and some of the natives are either in flower or about to bloom. A walk around the garden revealed these flowers.

This is another variety of Fuchsia with tiny flowers.

This pretty flower is an Australian native  -  Indigofera

Liz Needle  -  linking with  "Floral Friday Fotos"  and "Today's Flowers".

 

Photo a day 187 -- Sepia Saturday

Well, I for one, am quite glad that we are repeating the theme this week.  Having been very neglectful of this great meme for some time, I got all enthusiastic last week and found some photos  -  then I forgot to do my post until Tuesday, which was a bit late.

Very pleased to see that I could use my finds this week instead.

Most of the children playing photos seem to feature mainly boys, so I went looking for some 'girl' type shots.  This one I found seemed fairly typical of little girls of the forties and fifties  -

and sure enough, when I went through my own family photos I came across these , taken in the early sixties. I hope my daughters don't look at my blog this week.




Mind you, this was a fairly rare photo - first because they do not appear to be fighting and secondly because neither of them was particularly interested in dolls and girlie things.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Sepia Saturday".

Photo a Day 186 - Good Fences

Saw this very colourful fence outside a local Day Care centre.  Found it rather cheerful.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Good Fences".

Photo a Day 185 - Birds in the Garden

Why is it that whenever the birds in the garden are posing and looking cute and I go inside for my camera, they disappear before I come out. Murphy's Law I guess.  This time I took the camera with me when I went gardening.

This little New Holland Honeyeater was perched in a bush after his swim in the birdbath.

This Willy Wagtail has just enjoyed a dip.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Wild Bird Wednesday" and "Outdoor Wednesday".

Photo a Day 184 - Ruby Tuesday

Running a little late this week, but here is my contribution to Ruby Tuesday  -  an Australian bottlebrush  a variety of callistemon.

And a favourite rose  -  Shady Lady.  Probably more pink than ruby, but still pretty.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Ruby Tuesday".

Photo a Day 183 - Our World Tuesday

This old farm caught my eye today as I drove by. I took a few shots in colour, then decided that it might also look good in B&W. What do you think?

And I was even more fascinated when I looked through the door of the old cottage and found old signs of habitation.

I wonder how long since anyone has lived here.


Liz Needle  -  linking with  "Our World Tuesday".