Sunday Selections #412

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  River flagged last week that she may not be joining us for a few weeks.  We will miss her.

Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  Since Christmas it has been hot here.  Not quite as hot as some parts of the country, but way too hot for comfort.  For the next week our temperatures will range from the low to the high 30sC (90 - 100+F).  So I have taken very few photos this week, and am trawling through older ones.  And of course, my usual obsessions with the sky, the birds and the garden will be on display.

And a view of my fruit salad - which I have been largely living on.  

It includes pineapple, mango, passion-fruit, kiwifruit, lychees, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, peach , plum, nectarine, apricot, red and green grapes, and probably more things I cannot think of at the moment.  Yum.  Fruit salad spells Christmas to me.  I made a multitude of Christmas cakes too, but we haven't had any here yet.

From the relative cool of 'inside' we continue to delight in the birds.  

 There have been LOTS of corellas.  Charming, cheeky chaps.

 In this photo you can catch a glimpse of the reason for the multitudes of corellas.  They are very partial to the flowers of the Japanese Silk Tree.  As are the galahs and the cockatoos.

 We can now hand feed this Crimson Rosella too.  He/she is still wary, but getting braver by the day.

We are (naturally) on water restrictions.  I have been weeding early and dragging hoses around in permitted watering times (and fell over yesterday doing so) and the garden and the birds have been loving it. 

When I was complaining/whinging/bitching and moaning about the vandal cockatoos I mentioned that they haven't yet discovered the back yard.  Which means that the sunflowers I planted (for them and others) have flowered.

The lilies are flowering well too.  Some of them are on stems over eight feet tall.

This red one has no scent and doesn't assault sensitive noses.

I hope the New Year (which is approaching at a rate of knots) brings you everything you could hope for.  Stay cool or warm - whichever is appropriate.

Sunday Selections #411

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  I am a bit more random this week, and am featuring 'installations' in our town centres.

The first comes from a town centre close to home.  The installation were put in quite recently (November) and I hadn't seen it until I went Christmas shopping (shudder).  There are two of them facing each other titled 'I Am & I Hope' by Nathan J Lester.

 On those dangling ribbons people had written their wishes and/or a description of themselves.

I only saw one description which read simply 'I am AWESOME'.

The hopes were more varied and included: I hope
'for the best',
'for mental fitness'
'for diversity'
'for biceps'.

Some less rushed day I will explore further.

I went into town one day last week to do my usual shift on the crisis line.  It was a hot day, with a squillion people (conservatively speaking) rushing from shop to shop.  There were other signs that Christmas is nearly here too.

I liked the wooden star benches, and suspect they are illuminated at night.

 The Christmas trees are new addition.  If you embiggen you might be able to read the sign which described them as a 'Live Christmas Tree Forest' and invites us to snap a selfie or hang a bauble.

I was there early and there were no selfie takers and the baubles were few and far between but I do like the live forest.  And it was a hot day and the scent of pine was delicious.

Christmas is indeed very almost here.  For those who celebrate I hope it is everything you could hope for.

However it is also a difficult time of year for many; including the bereaved, the lonely, the poverty stricken.  With that in mind we will have a very low key Christmas and I will spend Christmas evening volunteering with Lifeline.  Judging by my shift this week it will be a very, very busy night.

River posted a Sunday Selections on Saturday featuring Christmas in her part of Australia.  It puts the decorations here to shame.  She promised more for today too, so for much more Christmassy bling please visit her posts.

Sunday Selections #410

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
Like River I usually run with a theme. It is rain this week.  Many of you will know that much of the east coast of Australia is drought stricken.  This week buckets of rain fell.  On one day we got more rain than we had in the preceeding three months (combined).  Days later we have continued to be blessed with water from the sky.   The rain was widespread too.  Some areas flooded, trees and houses damaged (because our climate doesn't understand moderation).  The drought has not broken, but a promising start has been made.

So another wet walk in our garden, and a damp excursion in a (brief) break in the rain.

And then to our excursion.  Himself has had dental woes this week.  He broke a tooth.  The dentist decreed a crown.  A temporary crown was installed.  And broke three days later and a week before the permanent can be installed.  After he got the temporary repaired we headed off to Scrivener Dam, and then down to Weston Park for a kangaroo fix.

 We shared our admiration of the kangaroos with a family visiting from Canada.  They were particularly impressed with how muscular the roos were.  And how totally 'laxed.

The wind and the rain had wreaked havoc on this tree.  A tree I remember from my childhood.  The piece which split away must have been at least thirty metres in length.

 I do love our pelicans.  And would face plant in an instant if I tried this pose.

Words were said at my klutzdom in amputating that stretching wing.

We were very lucky.  It wasn't sunny while we were out, but it wasn't raining (much) either.  It bucketted down again when we got back to the car and stopped for the drive home.  When we pulled into our driveway thunder rumbled, and as we got inside the skies opened again.  While I welcomed the rain, my heart goes out to those who were hit with its 'other' side.

Sunday Selections #409

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  Not so much this week.  It is hot, I am tired (and still battling the sinus infection).  So please bear with me.

The liliums in the garden are in full bloom.   Some of them are so heavy with flowers that they droop and have to be picked (which is not a problem).

  
A solitary foxglove and hippeastrum are also flowering.

And there are a kazillion (conservatively speaking) weeds.  I weed for an hour or so most mornings (before it gets too hot).  The weeds grow 24 hours a day which explains the losing battle.

Still in the garden (but not grown by me) I was fascinated by this lichen.

We continue to feed the birds and can now hand feed king parrots, a corella, a crimson rosella and a cockatoo.  

The sky continues to delight me.

And just one more shot this week.  This is a light I noticed in a newly opened restaurant.  I thought it look like a dandelion ready to be blown - or is that just me.

Enjoy your week. 

Where are the Words for Wednesday

Thank you so much for your generous response to my request for hosts for this meme.  We have the year to come filled!!!

December 2018:  River will be hosting on her blog.
January 2019:  lissa will be hosting on her blog. 

February 2019:  River will be hosting on her blog. 

March 2019:  Delores will be hosting on her blog. 

April 2019:  messymimi will be hosting on her blog. 

May 2019:  Margaret Adamson, and her friend Sue Fulcher (published here).  
June 2019:  I will provide the prompts  
July 2019:   Wisewebwoman will be hosting on her blog.
August 2019:  River will be hosting on her blog. 

September 2019:  Delores will be hosting on her blog.  
October 2019:  Margaret Adamson, and her friend Sue Fulcher (published here). 

November 2019:  Me again.
 December 2019:  Cindi will round off the year for us on her blog.

We are being provided with prompts by people in both hemispheres so they may pop up in your reader as early as Tuesday or as late as Thursday.  

If any of these months don't suit, please let me know via email.  I have turned the comments off on this post.

Sunday Selections #408

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  This has been a very, very busy week.  I am returning to Sunday Selections' origins and posting photos which have been languishing (perhaps for good reason).

Murals I have spotted while out and about.

This one was installed in the centre of town after gay marriage was legalised.  And, which I hope to photograph soon, the 'walking man' on pedestrian lights in town has been replaced with a walking gay couple.

The three images above are on the boards covering the old post-office as it is repurposed.  I think the horned and crowned figure in the first is a tad odd.  And I don't know whether it is winking or has a problem with its eye.

Two different sides of a taxi-rank shelter.

 The bus murals are at the bus interchange.  I wonder whether when our trams are up and running (which appears to have been delayed) there will be tram murals at their stops.

Family time continues.  They are due to leave late today and I hope to get back to reading your blogs very soon.  I have missed you.