One of the things I love to do when I drive up to our home in the Dandenong Ranges from the suburbs is to open the windows of the car at the foothills.  As you make your way up the hill you can smell the trees especially on a hot afternoon in summer.  I arrived home from Western Australia last Saturday night and as we came to the foothills I could smell spring.  There are many flowers, trees and shrubs blossoming now and the smell was divine.  My garden is blooming delightfully, so much seems to have happened in the two weeks I was away.  But before I get on to things closer to home I have a few more things to share about my time in Western Australia.

During the bush walk I took with my brother, we went to check a camera he had set up near a waterhole.  The camera is movement sensitive and takes photos during day light hours and at night.  The idea of setting the camera near the waterhole is to see what animals are visiting the area.

My brother checking to see what images were captured.

Here are a couple of images caught on the camera of a goshawk taking a dip.  There were many images of kangaroos too.

  This little patch of bush is unique with conifers growing and also has some interesting rock formations as can be seen in the photos below.

 

 I found this red flowering gum, beautiful.

I saw this galah take a small twig of gum leaves down into the hollow of the dead branch he's sitting on.  Breeding season must be upon us.

The day before I was to come home I felt like another walk in the bush and came across this lovely green spider orchid.

Native grasses in the bush.  I like the pink tinge on the ends.

Grevillea

Not quite sure what this plant is but the flowers are lovely.

A rather large birds nest from last year I suspect.

Low growing plants flowering.

 

Dead mallee tree root.

I always visit my "standing up while falling down" tree while I'm on the farm.

I did other walks as well to take photos of possible subjects to paint at a later date.

Speaking of painting, later this year I will have somewhere to set up all my equipment permanently.  Remember there have been some interesting things happening in our back yard, here is a little more.

More soil excavation.  I dug out that pile of soil with a mattock as hubby had done his back.

 

The materials sitting on the grass are a kit form shed/studio.  I'm going to have my own room to play in, all my craft and painting gear is going to be in there.  I'm one very lucky lady.  We do of course need a guest room in the house which is the reason for the shed/studio outside.  All my gear is currently in the room we had for guests and has taken over.  So it's just a little bit exciting to say the least.

This has been rather a long post, thank you for taking the time to read through it all.

Anne  xx