Grey Days

The carnivores have moved into the neighbourhood.  Over the last couple of years, we have had the occasional grey butcherbird visit but they don’t normally stick around.  February has been the exception.  The butcherbirds must have a nest nearby because a juvenile has been practising its maniacal cackle.  It is very endearing.  On the other hand, there have been few smaller birds around.  Too tasty, I guess.  Read more

Christmas Time In The City

A little Aussie satirical poem because, well, life vapes and then you die.  This is not the happiest poem so you may want to skip it.

It’s Christmas Time In the City

no joy no joy no
air no air no air none

kirribilli smokin’
white men jokin’

it’s Christmas time in the city

make haste to land of the smoke-free

blow smoke up ya
are we having fun yet?

not me not me not
happy mo-mo

no joy no joy no
air no air no air no

Christmas barbie in the city

Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen.  It happens when you’re starved of oxygen.  I will resume my normal calm programming as soon as we can breathe again.  Maybe in a few months time.  Or maybe when we meet our Paris emission target through accounting loophole.  Not happy mo-mo.

Regards.
Tracy

Australia.  Perfect one day.  Bushfires the next.

Book Review – Small Town Kid (by Frank Prem)

smalltownkidcover

I’m a fan of a good love story and Frank Prem’s memoir, Small Town Kid, doesn’t disappoint.  This small book of exquisitely written poetry traces Frank’s life from baby through to young adult in the small town of Beechworth, country Victoria (Australia) during the 1960s and 1970s. Read more

A Vow Softly Spoken

What is life without hope?  Amidst the ashes and broken dreams wrought by the bushfires in Australia, life goes on.

A Vow Softly Spoken

smoke in the distance
lights a wildfire in our heart
hope for the future
heart, mind, body, soul
we shall overcome

wedding

My nephew and his lovely lady got married recently.   I wish them all the very best.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

For the Ragtag Daily PromptWedding.

Stir The Mountain Pygmy Possum

In Australia, the expression ‘to stir the possum’ means to stir up trouble, controversy, or interest in an issue.  So I thought I would use that expression to generate awareness of the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum.  There are less than 2000 mountain pygmy possums left in the wild and their survival is on a knife’s edge.  What a tragedy it would be if they were lost to us forever.  I have just completed my mountain pygmy possum mosaic and am excited to share it with you.  Then, one thing led to another, and I had to write a poem for them too.  There is always hope and as usual, good people are working hard to save them.  Find out more about these incredible little marsupials and how you can help them here.  Now for the poem. Read more

Beneath The Surface

This is my response to the Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge — Creepy.  It is a dark and mournful story (hopefully).  The events, places and people described are purely fictional.  Illustrative photos made to fit, were taken on my recent short break.  Alrighty, let’s get on with it. Read more

Dream Lover

When I first started blogging, I realised I had to take some photos to accompany my words.  Now, after nearly two years of blogging (how is that possible?), I search for words to accompany my photos.  This blogging business has also re-ignited my True Love’s passion for his own photography.  He hasn’t been this happy in a long time.  Maybe we will find what we are looking for someday. Read more

She – Red Capped Robin

Ladies and gentlemen, words cannot express how excited I was to see my first female red-capped robin recently.  Red-capped robins (Petroica goodenovii) are uncommon breeding visitors to the Canberra region (Australia).  I’ve only ever seen one male.  And, we had the camera with us!  Wonders never cease. Read more