Canberra (Australia) – I’m so cold, oh so cold!

I felt anxious and grey during June, perhaps mirroring the inclement winter weather and the times, but here I am, on the eve of July. Soon the wattle will be blooming gold and the landscape will extrude from its current camo coat of green and brown.

I barely managed to pick up the camera but spurred on by my supporters, the crested pigeons, I began. Fluffed up, a crested pigeon warms up in a pocket of sun.

I am in awe of a couple who go walking in all weather with their new baby, a toddler and their dog. If they can do it … My True Love and I dragged our carcasses out on a cold, grey, windy day to the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG). We hoped it would be relatively protected there from the bitter wind. It was. We had to work hard for the photos in the dim light and gallery of blanketing green. Let me get all poetic here.

Satin bowerbird kids abound.
Yet no sign of mum and dad were found
among the budding wattle.*

Eastern spinebill darted forth at speed.
Landed once and then was gone
to places more interesting.*

Mrs golden whistler said not a word.
Frolicked with other tiny birds
High in tree tops of scribbly gum.*

Crimson rosella made its presence felt
in a sea of green and brown.
Ate a plant I do not know.

In looming dusk, a young rosella
on dead branch of tree cut down.
A mystery and curious attraction.

Enough with the silly bird poems I think.
They will not fill a month of jobs undone.
Plants? Now that’s another matter.

Acacia aphylla FABACEAE (above), a Western Australian wattle, growing in a pot at the ANBG visitor centre raised my temperature. Unfortunately, it is frost sensitive so not suitable for my frosty hollow. Nor are the following plants, although they seem to thrive in the various micro-climates established at ANBG. Firstly, Pittosporum revolutum, and secondly, a lillipilli of some description, possibly Syzygium smithii.

Since you have been such good readers in getting this far, here’s one more treat – crimson rosella in lillipilli.*

Despite mounting cases of the Delta variant across Australia, it has been 353 days since the last case of community transmission in Canberra. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Canberrans have been asked to prepare. I won’t go into the various debacles and lost opportunities. I hope people act sensibly in the coming weeks and remember to be kind to one another. Being kind is not my forté, so I sympathise if you are struggling too. I had my second AstraZeneca jab last Sunday and join the estimated 5-7 percent of Australia’s adult population that has been fully vaccinated as at 29 June 2021 (estimates vary depending on the source). My worry now is for all those waiting to be vaccinated. One is never too sure whether to follow the health advice or the government advice because it changes so regularly and often conflicts. Onwards.

I could go some choc-mint ice-cream right now, but I’ve given it up. I did have some though after my shot last Sunday.

This is my response to “The Changing Seasons” photo challenge. This monthly challenge is normally hosted by the lovely Su at Zimmerbitch. Su is taking a break hosting the challenge, so the equally lovely Ju-Lyn (Touring My Backyard) and Brian (Bushboys World) are stepping in to share hosting responsibilities in Su’s absence, starting with Ju-Lyn.

Stay safe, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

*Photos taken by my True Love.
Unmarked photos taken by me.

55 thoughts on “The Changing Seasons – June 2021”

  1. Superb images and I was thrilled to see the Satin Bowerbird. I’ve only ever seen it at Melbourne Zoo. Have you seen the dull dark blue/purple male of the species? If so, I’d love to see a shot.

    Great shot of the Eastern Spinebill too.

    Vaccinations continue to change with the ‘expert’ advice and it seems to me, the ‘experts’ can only rely on small amounts of the early research on the subject. I daresay years into the future, the whole period of COVID will still be a mystery.

    My only consolation, if you could call it that, is that the long-term effects are spurring on some research similar to what’s needed for my own FM/CFS (Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Vicki. I don’t think we’ve managed to get a clear shot of the male Satin Bowerbird. He flits about at ANBG. Mostly in heavy shade too, so snapping a fast moving black bird in deep shade is very challenging. At least for us. We’ve seen his bower.
      I got the impression the latest announcement on AZ was a captain’s call, rather than ATAGI advice. It is disconcerting when announcements appear to be driven by convenience, but I could be quite wrong about that.
      I have fibromyalgia too, Vicki. It was in abeyance for many years but flared again in Feb last year after I got really sick from some virus. Also had a great many hypos over the last year. I do hope the long covid research sheds light on broader central nervous system conditions because FM/CFS really sucks.

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  2. Great captures, Canberra can be a bit drab during winter, but the amazing light makes up for the grey. Stay safe, fingers crossed we will keep the Covid free days rolling in.

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  3. TL sure does know how to take a mean photo of them birds. Is he a perfectionist? Or is it you? Who is centering these bird photos so that they are at Sears Roebuck sitting in for a portrait? I love these bird photos so much! I must visit your neck of the woods for the nature… sigh. One day. One day.

    Also, those little poems or plant photos were no joke either! Something about the colors of them all, the mood lighting. I don’t know. Pretty. xo

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks so much, Lani. My TL is not a perfectionist, but he does have good eye sight, a steady hand and patience. He mentioned to me recently that when the bird is in the centre of the frame, it is an indicator that he is struggling with the shot! I crop some photos because I’m aware many people view the photos on a small screen. A small photo of a tiny bird in a large landscape might be like a “Where’s Wally? book. 🤣
      I can’t resist a moody, arty-farty photo, hence the plant photos I chose. Thanks for liking my little poems too. ❤
      It’s a date, Lani, so stay well.

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  4. Fabulous that you managed to get out in Canberra and shoot off a few photos Tracy. Great photos
    Thanks for letting everyone know the new hosts of Changing Seasons 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Beautiful photos, Tracy. I especially love your photo of the purple berries. So pretty. I do enjoy reading about the cold weather as we bake in our summer heat. Not near as hot as Martha has it out on the west coast, though. Stay toasty.

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    1. Thanks, Lois. I enjoyed the beautiful berries too. They are edible as well. Wish I could go lilli pillis in my yard. The heat over your way and on the east coast sounds absolutely atrocious. I don’t think that we have ever reached those temperatures in my city. That will kill a lot of wildlife and people will die too.

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  8. Pingback: The Changing Seasons: June 2021 – Touring My Backyard

  9. Those are beautiful photos! I’m sending all good thoughts re public health. As for which guidelines to follow, I’m fully vaccinated here in US and continue to wear a mask in public (which is not the recommendation. 😦 )

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Tracy. Many, particularly those in regional areas, have found it difficult to access vaccines. Hopefully that situation will change soon. I’ve been lucky where I am. Three others in my household are waiting their turn. We’ve got a lot of masks though and they keep the face warm! 🙂
      It must be hot wearing a mask in your part of the world? Take care. It is not over for any of us yet.

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  11. I love the photos and the little poems. As for kindness. I’m struggling right now. I stopped walking the dogs in my town in the evening this summer, the first summer I haven’t been a fixture on the streets around my house. But as it’s deer-fly season and NO FUN out at the Refuge, I took Bear out last night. Honestly I just want to go into a dark room and cry and cry.

    My town — valley — is filled with Covid deniers and Trump supporters. I never cared last year, even though I knew full well that I am part of a minority in the San Luis Valley. Agricultural areas in the US are by definition Republican, knee-jerk Republican. I was able to ignore the Trump parades through my town, some of the hostility in store windows, my neighbors flying Trump flags, knowing, as I have always known, that he’s a nice guy. I just lived with it, knowing where I live and how it’s been mostly good for me. I don’t wear my beliefs or politics in public view. But the insurrection on January 6 broke me and I psychically moved away.

    So there we were last night. Everything was as usual. The same people who’ve been glad to see me and Bear for years are still glad to see me, MAGA hat and all. “How have you been?” People worried, I know that, “did she die?” The same people waved at me from the same cars and trucks. Bear was blissful leaving and gathering a year’s worth of messages. I somehow am going to have to find a way to return because this is where I live and I love it so much, but I’m really understanding all that’s happened and how deeply it’s affected me. I will meet kindness with kindness and the other? With contempt and indifference. But I’m very very sad.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks, Martha. I enjoyed the little poems. My aim was for each one to have a strong start and then wander off. I hope that makes sense. 🙂

      It might be a big summer for deer fly in your valley with the heat and the rain conducive to lurv. You have deer fly. We have mice. :/
      It has been quite an ordeal, Martha. Just when you thought you might be able to have a break, I get the sense that the election campaign has started again. I hope you have a supportive friend in the area to leave the light on for you so you can find your way home? As for me, I’m thinking I might need a set script, that I stick to when speaking to people who are ultra conservative. They are not interested in listening to me anyway, so the script will be bland and automatic.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The set script is the answer to this puzzle. In all my thinking I’ve remembered that when I moved here I had decided just to be nice to people. I didn’t expect to fit in. I didn’t even know if I’d make friends, but I could be nice. I can still be nice. And, yeah, Trump is out there stumping for himself? Candidates? And it’s horrible. I keep telling myself that Biden’s administration is only a few months old and there are 4 more years ahead and a lot can happen and it might not be all bad.

        I’d rather have deer flies than mice. That’s a real plague.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Well caught bird photos Tracy. And loved the little poems you put with them. Thanks for letting us know who is now hosting the challenge. Now we are in lockdown I might get round to doing a post this month. Try to stay warm, winter doesn’t last too long around here.

    Liked by 1 person

      3. I’m not going to grow tomatoes this year. I’ve struggled with them in past years and they always get eaten by creatures or attacked by disease ☹️

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Those photos are gorgeous! If we ever beat this stupid virus, I do hope to visit Australia some day. And congrats on getting your second vaccination. I hope you are able to get more people vaccinated very soon, it makes all the difference. Take care and try to stay warm!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Tracy, those are beautiful shots of the Crimson rosella. It is worth the effort to get out. No such thing as bad weather only inappropriate clothing according to Billy Connolly.

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  18. It is interesting to see how lush and green everything looks in your home. The Crimson rosella has a beautiful home. Well deserved. Beautiful things need beautiful places, don’t they?

    And I am with you on the mint chocolate ice cream. MY favorite. Lovely post! Donna

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Donna. The Crimson Rosellas are regular visitors to our botanic gardens. We are so lucky to have both. We have had quite a bit of rain since last year’s drought broke, hence the abundant green. That is unlikely to continue.
      I hope you get some rain soon to put out wildfires in your part of the world, Donna.

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