Canberra (Australia) – A veil of green pools on valley floor. Grey-filled sky billows adding to uncertainty. Will I or won’t I go for a walk? We put on our gardening gear and gumboots to dig in the loam once labelled the garden bed of death. Intermittent sunlight sounds of engines thrumming, dogs barking, bees humming and tiles cracking. Beyond Canberra, on the vast flood plains of eastern Australia, rivers rise, fall and rise again.

Obligatory landscape photo – African Love Grass smothers all in its path.

Mum and the two remaining magpie chicks wait in the rain for dad to return with grubs from softened lawns.

Currawongs take over the art studio in inclement weather. The studio door is always open to opportunistic feathered friends.

We are not plagued by shadows or doubt.

There are never enough hours in the day and night to bark at creatures hiding in the chocolate vine that grows thick like the rainforest where it belongs. Clicks goes the shears – click, click, click – until the offending rodent is evicted. But wait, there may be more.

Obligatory flower photo – a dark mystery (dianella?) hovers on storm clouds in the distance.

This was Canberra’s wettest November on record. Much of eastern Australia has been affected by floods, but Canberra has been lucky to avoid the worst of the rain and storm damage. We are also privileged in that over 97% of Canberrans above 12 years of age have received their Covid vaccinations. I will leave you in suspense regarding progress on my mosaic. It’s coming along, a bit like the spread of the Omicron variant, but not as fast.

Be your most compassionate selves, ladies and gentlemen. Protect the ones you love by getting vaccinated (and boosted). There are many of us with underlying medical conditions and we deserve our freedom too. Every little bit helps.

This is my response to “The Changing Seasons” photo challenge, jointly hosted by Ju-Lyn (Touring My Backyard) and Brian (Bushboys World).

Kind Regards
Tracy.

32 thoughts on “The Changing Seasons – November 2021”

    1. A couple of walks, Margaret, but all the grey days blend into one another.
      I’ve been tidying up on doctors visits during the lull. Because I hadn’t had a tetanus shot for about 30 years and I have a tendency to nip myself with my tools, I got a tetanus booster earlier in the month. You could add that to your list. 🙂

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  4. Lovely photos, Tracy. The three birds in the rain is a beauty. Ama evicting the rodent? Very effective, I hope. Jabbed and boosted….and now awaiting omicron? Will this ever end?

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    1. Thanks, Lois. Although Ama would like to bark at the rodents 24/7, she has to come in overnight for our neighbour’s sanity. Unfortunately, they come back then. Little rats! We’ve been finding piles of snail shells so at least the rodents are good for something.
      I don’t think even the experts know how this virus bizzo will end, Lois. 😣

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  6. Hi Tracy, your image of the galahs is stunning. Strange weather in many countries in the last few weeks. It’s been muggy and warm here in Auckland, though not as much rain, which is unusual for this city. Looks like it’s going to be a hot summer if the weather forecaster is correct.

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. Hard to believe I actually took that galah photo. 😄
      We had our first hot day today. It was very humid. I guess it had to warm up sooner or later. I hope steamy Auckland is not too steamy for you, Suzanne. I am not a fan of such weather. It’s like breathing under water!

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

    1. Unfortunately vax rates are lagging in other parts of the country, Natalie. I hope other communities will see how protective vaccination has been here in Canberra to date and then decide to give it a go.
      Thank you too for dropping in each month.

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  10. Hi Tracy! Your purple plant may be a Cordyline. There’s a beautiful one called Red Fountain developed by the Jury family from NZ which is very popular and available in Australia. Instead of forming a stem it branches from the base. See my blogpost : https://exploringcolour.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/new-zealand-plant-species-and-cultivars/ Also an Aussie talking about it (and planting it) in this Youtube vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLaRalmXR_k I’m not sure what the flowers are like so couldn’t check that aspect. Cheers!

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  11. I appreciate so much the peek at the Magpie family – you captured them so well in their state of anticipation!

    Love your take on vaccination: compassion; did not think if it from this perspective thought of it that way. Even with both my shots (booster forthcoming end of December), I am still loathe to linger in crowded places.

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      1. Looking forward to the magpie chick running – I get to see it in action!

        It’s such a muddle keeping up with what’s what with the variants, etc etc. Fortunately for me, Loving Husband keeps abreast of developments (news doesn’t depress him like it does me!) so he helps me sort out what I need to do.

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  12. I’m slowly catching up with my blogging buddies after a 2 week break from all things WordPress.
    Lovely poetic description of your month Tracy good to hear about the 97%, qld still lagging way behind.😷. Looking forward to seeing your latest mosaic when finished. Stay safe

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