Canberra (Australia) – Mid spring and all systems go.

We had the luck of the Ken Behrens this month. Canberra avoided the damaging storms and tornadoes that have hit other parts of eastern Australia. Daily infections of Covid in the city dropped to single digits on the back of the highest vaccination rate in Australia. Non-essential retail businesses have begun to open for in-store shopping bringing joy to Canberra shopaholics. Students began returning to schools and next month, more people will be back in the office. Excitedly, Canberra is ready to welcome back travellers from other parts of Australia and from overseas. It was a good month for plants and animals too, and, of course, I was delighted about the return of daylight savings and warmer temperatures (albeit some days have been freezing). It was all systems go on my mosaic project too.

This month wasn’t an overnight success. Its success came off the back of many months of hard work. Over winter, I had been magpie training and that training has come to fruition. Our resident magpies had three babies and from my walks around my suburb, it is clear that many other magpie families were similarly productive. None have swooped me yet.

I don’t know who was more surprised, dad mags or me, when I accidentally water blasted him as I was fiddling with the nozzle of the hose. I didn’t know he was there, however he was very tolerant. I carefully crouched down as I took his photo. “Make sure you get my good side,” he said. My True Love snapped one of dad mags’ kids yawning in the tree next to our window.

I thought I would have few photos due to my preoccupation with my mosaic project. I need not have worried. On a late afternoon walk, my True Love snapped a parrot party in some flowering wych elms. [L-R, sulphur crested cockatoo, female or juvenile superb parrot, eastern rosella]

The flower show continued. Regrettably, I am unable to show you all of my favourites. The blossom of flowering eucalypts made a pretty picture against the blue sky. Sticking with pink, I had to include this one last camellia photo before saying goodbye to my camellia’s gorgeous display for another year.

I love the results of people’s guerilla gardening. This bearded iris set my heart afire on another late walk. I loved the uphill sweep of green behind it so I am giving this photo to you in landscape orientation.

Here’s one last flower photo. What a beauty it is, even if I do say so myself. I’m not sure what the plant is but I think it may be an Albany woolly bush (Adenanthos Sericeus). That would make it originally from Western Australia. I’ve tried to grow two woolly bushes before with no success. This one was planted on a slope so perhaps that is the secret to growing it. It’s my absolute favourite for the month.

“Where is the art?” I hear you say. Still a work in progress. Let me give you an arty-farty rescue photo instead. The lovely textured pattern I included in it seems to have disappeared when I re-sized the photo but I still like it. I have so much to learn about this digital art bizzo.

Oh, okay. I give you eyelashes. And glue. One of my least favourite tasks is cleaning the glue off the mosaic before I grout it. Stay tuned.

This is my response to “The Changing Seasons” photo challenge, jointly hosted by Ju-Lyn (Touring My Backyard) and Brian (Bushboys World). Check out Ju-Lyn’s lovely post to see how you can participate in the challenge. Brian’s October post will be up shortly.

Take care, everyone, and love will keep us together. Woops. It is not Friday song day. Maybe another day then, but for now, there’s the ear worm.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

41 thoughts on “The Changing Seasons – October 2021”

  1. Lovely photos and chat! The Albany Wooly Bush is gorgeous, and the magpie stare, and I can’t forget the eyelashes (you have such talent!) really all these photos are beautiful. A great selection of photos to start Sunday morning!

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  2. Your wooly bush reminded me that Christmas is not far off Tracy! And it is indeed quite beautiful. Not nearly as glorious, however, as that red-headed parrot. Oh my is that a wonderful image! I do envy you your colorful parrots my friend 😊. Your mosaic is gorgeous. I look forward to seeing the final product.

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  3. I love your springtime photos! I got a big kick out of the header photo. The magpie seems to be saying, “You rang?” (This was a catchphrase when I was growing up. I have no idea where it came from.) Your mosaic is coming along very nicely! Finally, thank you for the good news on the COVID front!

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    2. My neighbour is giving the maggie mince, Liz, which might account for why it is being so companiable. I’m horrified. Mince is bad for them. This one is a smart bird. He chatted to us yesterday. He started talking kookaburra, switched to a wolf whistle and finished with an emergency siren.
      The face is proving troublesome. I knew it would. I’m going to do a flower next time!

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  4. Your photos are beautiful, Tracy. You do have the prettiest birds, too. I was looking at my garden yesterday, and my camellias are starting to produce buds. I have red and pink in the front yard and white and pink in the backyard–my winter splash of color. I hope we get to see the finished mosaic!

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  5. Wonderful images Tracy, the Albany woolly bush looks beautiful and your mosaic-in-progress looks gorgeous already! 💜

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    1. Thanks so much, Tish. I think I’ll be very busy in November with the garden and the mosaic. 😄 Have four tomato plants in the ground and it got down to 1c the other night! They survived. Some more seedlings to go into the garden this week, so yep, very busy. I’ll pop over to see what is happening in your garden soon.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Great post Tracy! My favorite photos are the parrots and the artsy photo! I’m glad you are enjoying your new season. We here are headed into winter, but it it a beautiful time of year in the desert 😊

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  10. Tracy, you’re the third person mentioning having to deal with storms today. Must be the changing seasons. Wonderful moments capturing your feathered friends. We’re enjoying the bird life here in our temporary accommodation. I think the birds see us as caged animals behind the glass 😉

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  12. What a wonderful series of photos. Your True Love certainly takes excellent bird shots. He seems lucky enough to capture the birds in good light too.

    ……and you’re lucky to have missed the storms. I have many enormous branches broken off the tall trees behind my apartment block…..and small branches of course. The wind, thunder and lightning have been enough, let alone the torrential rain in Melbourne and its suburbs.

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    1. Thanks so much, Vicki. My True Love does take beautiful photos. The light was terrible in these photos. He backed off on the shutter speed and hoped they wouldn’t move too much. He always give me the pained expression when I ask him to take a photo for me in low light but that is most of the time so no point in complaining.
      Yes, we were lucky to have missed the really bad weather. I thought of you when I saw the reports on the storm damage and power outages. I hope it settles down for a bit. Have you been for a wander since?

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Pingback: The Changing Seasons: October 2021 – Touring My Backyard

  14. A beauty-filled reflection, Tracy! I am soooooo glad that this month has held many smiles for you. It must be so exciting that things are headed in the optimistic direction.

    Thank you for sharing your work in progress – I know that is very challenging to do, so I appreciate the peek very much. I love what you’ve done thus far. I mosaic-ed with the children decades ago (nothing as ornate as yours), and I remember the glue-cleaning, grouting, but I have to say my least favourite part was cutting the tiles … it always made me so tense and the glass tile dust made me so itchy. We did cover several lovely pieces (end table, foot stool, picture frames) so it was well worth it.

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    1. Thanks, Ju-Lyn. We are remaining optimistic.
      Glass tiles are tricky to work with. I don’t work in glass because I don’t want to leave small shards around that the dogs may accidentally get into! Some of the terracotta tiles I use are dusty though and that is also a hazard.

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      1. For some reason, most of the tiles we purchased initially from the craft shop were made of glass – they weren’t so dusty as terracotta (I imagine – as I’ve never worked with terracotta) but they created enough fine dust to make me itchy if I worked with it for too long. You’re right though, it wouldn’t be good for the doggies to get hurt.

        Looking forward to seeing your completed creation.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Your work in progress is already looking fabulous Tracy. I’m so glad ACT seems to be managing Covid so well. We’re struggling here, and I’m afraid that the opening of shops this morning (people queueing overnight!!!!) will make things worse.

    Yay for spring, and beautiful flora and fauna.

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    1. Thanks, Su. Ive come to a standstill on the mosaic because of wet weather and storms. At least it cuts down on garden watering.
      Restrictions are easing further, Su, and we will be almost back to normal soon. I’m a little nervous but that is normal for me! As you would expect, infections in schools among unvaccinated kiddies are growing. I do hope that the vaccines will turn out to be safe for the young ones so that can be approved for use in children. It is a lot to ask of parents to isolate over and over again.
      We had a big shopping frenzy here too! The targetting of misinformation to vulnerable groups is reprehensible.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Our junior schools have yet to return to classroom learning, but I believe that is to happen next week, so I guess we will see an upsurge in child infections too. I heard that the Pfizer vaccine is considered safe for children 5-11 (at least it’s being used in the US), and as that’s what we have almost exlusively, I guess Medsafe here will probably follow the FDA.

        Meanwhile, scan, mask, sanitise, social distance … repeat!

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