Taking a small blogging break this week, but thought I would share a couple of pics of the Red capped Gum - Eucalyptus erythrocorys - other common names include illyarrie, and helmet nut gum - which is flowering in our area right now - though its native habitat is north of Perth on undulating limestony sites near Dongara, and also north of Kalbarri National Park where it grows as a mallee. The flower can be 7cm across and is quite spectacular and has red caps you can see in the photo below before it bursts open.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope to see you next week. I
am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see
fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its
best!
Last Friday evening I was asked to take photos at rehearsal of The Roof Goats and friends prior to the opening night of their show "Face at the Music" for the Fringe Festival at The Cube Theatre at the Bunbury Entertainment Centre on 7 February 2020.
What a FABULOUS show and what a privilege. These guys are a very talented bunch that love what they do. Last year in 2019 I took photos of the Roof Goats at their Fringe Festival show at the Bunbury Entertainment Centre, so I was thrilled to do so again.
Their show, which was a mixture of styles, kept the audience enthralled and entertained. And was an amazing collaboration between all the singers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, and back up musicians, involved.
Mid last year The Roof Goats asked for photographic submissions from the general public, to which they wrote music and lyrics for the show. The results were outstanding. I hope they bring out a cd. If I have to pick a favourite, mine would be "Little Swan" written by Michael McIntyre, who was accompanied by his beautiful singer daughter Lydia. Mike is Mauritian and the piece was inspired by an old photo taken of a group of Mauritians on a boat which sailed across the Indian Ocean to Western Australia. Part sung in creole, this wistful song speaks of their longing for their homeland and family. You can see the photo in the background here.
This piece was followed by a jaunty upbeat not-a-sea-shanty "The Mannie Swan".
I also really enjoyed "Your Hands" written by Geoff Robinson and Brad Snelling about the bonds between brothers and sisters.
Our Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company Artistic Director Nicole Kostezky again danced to some of the music - "That Girl" written by Nick Maher
and collaborated with dancer and cellist Lesley Ironside for "Shadows and Light" also written by Nick Maher
And no this is not a young guys band....they are right in my era... no wonder I love them!
Thank you Roof Goats - Peter, Todd, Damian, Nick, Mike, Geoff and Brad.
In this pic below you can see artists Jeannie Lewis painting a "Live art" during the performance of "Shadows and Light" . The piece was auctioned after the show.
Thank
you so much for stopping by. Have you been to a fabulous concert recently? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. I value your comments and look forward to
hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a
wonderful week. I
am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see
fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its
best!
Hi everyone, it is a little while since I last blogged about our Half Lap of Australia last year, but today I thought we would continue as I still have lots to show you. My last blog post was back in December when we were at Kakadu in the Northern Territory - you can see it here if you missed it - Exploring country - Kakadu, Northern Territory
From Kakadu we continued south to Mataranka (you can see the spot up in the northern section of the Northern Territory map below) where we stayed for a few days exploring and relaxing in the thermal pools. More about that later.
Today I want to tell you about one of my favourite northern Australian wildflowers - the White Dragon Tree - Sesbania formosa. This has been an favourite of mine since we first saw one flower high up in a tree Purnululu National Park in the Kimberley of Western Australia in 2012. The species name is from the Latin formosus meaning beautiful, referring to the flowers, which are the largest of any in the Australian pea family.
When we arrived in the Bitter Springs caravan park at Mataranka we were given a site beneath one of these beautiful trees. There were many more flowering in the area where we were. Oh bliss!
The White Dragon Flower belongs to the pea family. The tree grows to 12-15 metres high and bears large creamy-white fragrant flowers arranged in sprays. Their petals are about 10 centimetres long. The smooth slender pods are about 70 centimeters long and the seeds are bean like. You can see the pods in this photo.
They flower from May to September, and fruit August to September and grows in the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Northern Territory, with a small occurrence in Cape York in Queensland in Australia, usually in wet black mud of seasonal swamps and floodplains or along watercourses. The tree is fast growing but usually short-lived - about five to seven years. The maps below shows the distribution in Western Australia and Northern Territory
Other English names are swamp corkwood, dragon flower tree, and water tree. The Western Australian aboriginal Bardi name is rirwal or arninyban, and the Yuwuru name is rirwal. The Northern Territory Aboriginal Language Names: Jaminjung, Ngaliwurru, Nungali: Jangarla (Jam, Ngal, Nung). Jaru: wirrwirr. MalakMalak, Matngala: Lurrklurrkma (Mal). Ngarinyman: Jangarla. Wagiman: garnbit
The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Australian Aboriginals used an
infusion from the inner bark for treating sores and general illness. Dishes could be carved from the wood.
Bush Books - Common Plants of the Kimberley - Dept of Conservation & Land Management, Western Australia
Thank
you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed learning about the White Dragon Tree. Do you have a favourite native wildflower? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments.
I hope to be back for more about our exploration of Mataranka in the Northern Territory.
I value your comments and look forward to
hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a
wonderful week. I
am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see
fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its
best!
