Where the wild orchids grow - Western Australia

We have a small patch of bush near our home that separates the houses from the main road. I have written about it here before - Wildflowers are starting to bloom

Every year the wild orchids and other wildflowers put on their spring display and I go there to photograph them. Sadly every year I see more invasive weeds taking over, but the delicate wild orchids still manage to push up through the weeds.

I love walking in the Australia bush - it is so peaceful and rejuvenating. So it is lovely to have this little pocket of bush near my home. I hope you have somewhere where you can walk in the bush near you. 

In this mosaic, going from left to right across each row, you can see -

White Spider Orchid, Leek Orchid, Purple Tassels, Milk Maids, Purple Mat Rush

Dampiera, Rush Cotton Heads, Running Postman, Cowslip Orchids, Wild Violet

Donkey Orchid, Mangles Kangaroo Paw (Red Kangaroo Paw), Pink Fairy, one of the Pea family, White Spider Orchid.

Here is a closer view of the Leek Orchid "Prasophythum" of which there are over 25 different species in Western Australia.

And the delicate little Donkey Orchid - "Diuris" of which there are 20 species in Western Australia. So I couldn't hope to clearly identify this one.

The White Spider Orchid - "Caladenia longicauda". There are many varieties of White Spider Orchids - so I am no botanist, I can't clearly identify which variety this is.

 And our Western Australian floral emblem, the Red Kangaroo Paw, Mangles Kangaroo Paw - "Anigozanthos manglesii"

A wildflower guide is essential if you enjoy wildflower photography or just exploring a bush path. The two I have used for this post are - 

Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia - by Bob Liddlelow - R&R Publications Australia Pty Ltd

Colour Guide to Spring Wildflowers of Western Australia - Part 2 Perth and the South West - by Eddy Wajon - Wajon Publishing Company. (currently a set of 4 books covering two thirds of WA)

I hope you have enjoyed this little walk in my bush block with me.

I cherish your comments, so I look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful week.

Cathedral Avenue & Australind Pioneer Cemetary, Western Australia

On Wednesday morning I went out to Cathedral Avenue which runs along the Leschenault Inlet at Australind, about five minutes from my home. The paper-bark trees form a natural arch over the roadway, which has now has a re-routed road around it so that you can just walk along the road along this part. It is such a lovely peaceful place to walk.

and a close up of the beautiful bark of the paper-bark tree with the early morning light on it.

We have an old pioneer cemetery in Australind near where I live. There lie the bodies and ashes of some of our early  pioneers from 1842 onwards. The Australind & Districts Historical Society have done a lot of work out there since the last time I was there. And now there are lists on the entrance archway with the names, death dates and numbers of the graves, so you can identify them. Many are marked only with a simple number. Others are falling into  decay - like this one - crumbling and overrun by weeds - I cleared away some of the long weeds.

From the number on the grave I found it was the grave of Rachel Smith - aged 19 - died 2/7/1852, George Smith - aged 32 - died 25/7/1852 and Henry Smith - aged 4 months - died 15/9/1852.
They died so close together - I wonder who they were and what was their story.

The cemetery is a peaceful place in a pocket of bush. In the spring time the freesias push up through the ground and flower in profusion.

I hope you find a time for peaceful wandering over the weekend.

Update - Some information (see below) about George and Rachel Smith was sent to me by Phyllis Barnes, Bunbury historian, and editor (with others) of   "The Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton : 1840-1861" . Please click on the link - Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton


Thank you Phyllis for this valuable information. It was wonderful to learn something about George and Rachel. 

Quote from Phyllis - "I believe in getting such info onto the jet stream so long as it is accurate. I cannot tell you how George died, possibly pneumonia but have never quite worked out how a little baby can get to paint – presumably lead poisoning that takes weeks to build up and was sometimes chewed off the cot by a child!!!"

Rachel Catherine Clifton was born on the 10^th of March 1833 in London although the family was living in France. She was the fourteenth child of Marshall Waller Clifton who was appointed the Chief Commissioner in Australia for the Western Australian Company in May 1840.

The Co. had purchased 103 000 acres of land that formed a huge square from just north of the Collie River to about Wokalup and from the west side of Leschenault Estuary into the hills; the town of Australind was to be on the southwest corner.  Shares were sold to investors and settlers who were willing to emigrate entitling them to 100 acres of rural land and four ¼ blocks  in town. The surveyors left England in December 1840 arriving in January 1841, but then it all went pear shaped and many investors withdrew taking their money - a blow from which the Company never recovered.

Nevertheless, Clifton arrived in Koombana Bay on the Parkfield on the 18^th of March 1841 with 11 of his 14 surviving children including three little girls - Lucy was 11, Rachel 8 and Caroline was 6.

Three sons of the Company Secretary, Charles Henry Smith, came to Australind –

John Valentine Smith, later Sir John, arrived on the Island Queen in December 1840 with the surveyors on the Island Queen, and then George and Henry came on the Parkfield  as Gentlemen Settlers.  All three worked for M.W. Clifton who thought well of them and frequently mentioned them in his Journal.

Rachel and George were married at on the 21^st October 1851.  Her brother Charles Hippuff Clifton married Maria Elizabeth Glynn, ward of the Thomas Little of Belvedere, earlier same day in the day in a Catholic ceremony at Belvedere, then joined Rachel and George in a dual Anglican ceremony at Australind.

The young couple went off to live in Perth but Rachel died in childbirth and George soon afterwards.  All this comes to life in 'The Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton … published last year.

Phyllis Barnes

Foodie Wednesday

This week my day off from work was Wednesday, and I spent a lot of the day playing around with food photography. It has been my project this year to learn as much as I can about food photography and it has taken over my days off work. I don't know where it is taking me but I am certainly enjoying the journey, meeting up on the net with other foodies and learning a lot as I go, especially about lighting and styling.

There are lots of resources and inspiring photographers on the web and you can hook up with a lot of them through Flickr and Digital Photography School. Go to my links and check them out.

Here are my efforts from Wednesday.

First is Chai Latte - taken back lit by morning light, this is my first attempt at capturing the steam coming off a hot drink. You need to have a darkish background to capture the steam. You need to have everything ready and pour in the boiling water at the last minute. In the foreground are some chocolate stick biscuits and a piece of cinnamon stick.  Originally I was going to have the cinnamon stick in the glass, but the drink is not thick enough to support it.

 Next is coffee beans - just poured onto a white plate. Again back lit by morning light.  Some friends on Flickr say they can almost smell the coffee beans in this shot.

 Coffee beans again - this time tumbling out of a cloth bag with an old metal scoop that I found at my mother-in-laws house.  This was taken in shade on the patio, so I used a gold reflector to try and throw in some warm light.

Chillis - I would have liked the background to be whiter in this image. I have played with it in pp but this was as white as I could get.

Playing with food photography doesn't always require really expensive dishes - this is two minute noodles.

and a different angle -

And then I read on Dario's food blog about using light from a south facing window - I have always been using a north facing window - but of course it depends on which hemisphere you live in..........so out with the coffee cups for a simple experiment.....the lighting looked pretty good, but I didn't have any time to play around with something more elaborate. That will have to wait until another day.

 Time to cook tea - I had been so involved in my foodie photography that the whole day had gone.  But just one last photo - this is lemon meringue pie - it is my speciality - but you wouldn't be able to see that from this photo - it was probably because I was in so much of a hurry that the meringue wasn't as good as it was supposed to be. It still tasted delicious! And shot again here in my south facing window!

So there you have it. A day of food photography. Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you!

A ducks watery world

We have a small swamp area a few streets from us. It is a lovely place to wander and sit quietly on the benches in the shade of the trees. 

When I saw this duck on Monday I rather envied him swimming in his beautiful watery/reedy home amongst the paperbark trees.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Spring is the time for tulips

Every year at Araluen Botanic Park - a beautiful garden set in 50 acres of shaded valley at Roleystone, south of Perth -  they have massed plantings of tulips. We visited today and the gardens were ablaze with beautiful blooms in orange, red, white, yellow, pink........a glorious pallet of colour.

Araluen was first established as a youth camp in 1929 by JJ Simons, who brought back plants from his overseas and interstate trips,  Creeks running through the valley create a cool moist climate, making it an ideal site for Simon's dream garden. Simons called this valley "Araluen", an Eastern States aboriginal word meaning "singing waters", "running waters" or "place of lilies".

Araluen is today a delightful garden where you will find streams and waterfalls, trees, gardens and pathways, places to sit, and places to picnic. 

This year for the first time, I planted some tulip bulbs in my garden. I was advised to store the bulbs in the fridge to get them really cold before I planted them. (It is probably a "you live in a warm climate thing) They were really beautiful, and I will have to plant more next year!

 

And a little Haiku poetry I wrote in the middle of the night...........

dew drops on petals

glisten in the morning light

and tulips open 

This beautiful bloom was snapped in the wind, so I used it to take some reflection shots.

A few years ago we visited Tasmania in October. Wynyard is the tulip growing area of Tasmania, and in October they have the Tulip Festival. I have never before seen colour as amazing as this.

Thankyou for looking everyone. I hope you have enjoyed this wander through the tulips. I treasure your comments, so I look forward to hearing from you. 

This is my contribution to Mosaic Monday. To see the beautiful images created by Mary and other wonderful contributors, please go to the link - Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

I would also love you to join me over on Flickr - Life Images by Jill on Flickr 

You might also enjoy - The Joy of Spring - and - Last Blooms of Autumn

New apricot blossoms

1st September is the start of spring in Australia - and last week the first blossoms appeared on our apricot tree - with the promise of new and continuing life.

Today 30th August would have been the 60th birthday of my daughter-in-law's mother, Dora. Sadly she died in 2008 and never met two of her four beautiful grandchildren. It still saddens me that Dora is not a part of their lives.

I am posting this photo of the first new apricot blossoms in Dora's memory. You are forever in our hearts Dora.

Jen has again this year formed a team for "Light the Night" which raises money for the Leukaemia Foundation. This memorable and uplifting event to give hope for a brighter future for people with blood cancer.
If you would like to find out more or donate please click here - Light the Night

Lemon tarts for Mosaic Monday

This year I have been exploring food photography, and along the way I have been inspired by many wonderful food photographers on the web that I have found through Mosaic Monday and Flickr. I have learnt so much from these photographers.  Thank you also to Dario in Sydney for his food photography blog and critiques at - Food Pixels.com

So, with thanks to one of my favourite "foodies" - "Tartelette" for the recipe (and her amazing book on food photography - From Plate to Pixels - here is her link - Tartelette) here are lemon tarts I made last Thursday for my Dad for his birthday dinner.  First I had to go to the shop to by the little tart tins.

The pastry is a sweet short crust pasty (the most fiddly bit), with a simple lemon filling, with lemons straight from my lemon tree. I have never made this lemon tart before - they were delicious. 

and some beautiful yellow daisies from my garden. They are guaranteed to flower just about all year round.  In a cute little jug I brought recently from a garden shop.

I hope you have enjoyed my exploration of the lemon tart. I am linking up to Mosaic Monday - to see the work of Mary of other wonderful contributors - please click on the link here - Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Camp amongst the wildflowers

During spring wildflower lovers and bird watchers travel to Western Australia’s mid west to enjoy the enormous variety of wildflowers and birds. Two easily accessible free overnight camp sites at Camel Soak and John Forrest Lookout located in station country on the north eastern edge of Western Australia’s wheatbelt east of Perenjori allow visitors to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquil scenery any time of year. 

Pink Velleia at Camel Soak

Access is initially on bitumen from Perenjori via the Perenjori-Rothsay Road and then good gravel roads to the campsites. However, be aware that flooding and boggy conditions along the road can be encountered after rain, as we discovered on our visit in April, so a 4 wheel drive is recommended.  

Camel Soak campsite is nestled under shady trees at the base of a granite outcrop on the Rabbit Proof Fence Road, approximately 39 kilometres east of Perenjori.  There is plenty of camping space and the picnic area has a drop toilet, wood BBQs and picnic tables. In spring the surrounding bushland is covered in wildflowers, particularly fields of everlastings and velleia. Orchids can also be found around the base of the rock.

After rain the gnamma holes on the rock fill with water and the small granite catchment on the rock, also known as The Rock Hole, was sunk as a watering point for men and their camel teams who camped here while constructing the Number 2 Rabbit Proof Fence between 1903 and 1906.  The 1166 km long Number 2 Fence, and the 1837 km Number One Fence, stretching from Cape Keraudren on the North West coast to Starvation Harbour on the South coast, were built to stop rabbits invading Western Australia’s agricultural regions, but did not however stop the invasion. 

Further east, 61 kms east of Perenjori along the Perenjori-Warrieddar Copper Mine Road is John Forrest Lookout. The Lookout is located in the Damperwah Hills which Sir John Forrest (explorer and later WA’s first Premier) discovered and named during his failed search in 1869 for the missing German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. In 1897 Forrest used the hill-top as a survey point during his expedition to Cue and Day Dawn. 

 It is easy to understand why granite outcrops and hills were used as survey points and lookouts by our early explorers, and as camping places to rest and water their horses. As well as the expansive viewpoint which would have assisted them in mapping their progress, the shelter of the outcrops would have given relief from days of forging their way through the thick scrubland.

The walk up to the Lookout is 750 metres uphill, but is not difficult. During spring, the dry scrubland is covered in many varieties of wildflowers and your climb will be rewarded with a spectacular 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding station country spreading out to the horizon in an undulating sea of scrubland splashed with the colours of spring.

To see this complete article, see On The Road magazine, August 2011.

The wildflowers are starting to bloom

Only about 500 metres from my house is a stretch of bush between the houses and the main road. Every year when spring comes I go there to look for wild orchids to photograph. Sadly foreign weeds and grasses are choking out the natural vegetation and every year I see more and more weeds (you can see them in the top RH photo trying to choke out the beautiful mauve wildflower - the wild violet). 

And now some of the beautiful banksia trees are starting to die. The last couple of years have been very dry and the water table has dropped - and some believe it is because of climate change and global warming. 

Today when I went walking in our patch of bush some of the new spring wildflowers were starting to bloom. In this photo you can see wild violet, hovea and fire bush. Soon I will go again to look for the wild orchids. 

It is lovely to have a small stretch of bush to walk in so near my home.

If you are Australian you would have heard of the book "Snugglepot and Cuddlepie" by May Gibbs - a much loved Australian children's book about gum nut and wattle babies and their adventures. (a bit like Australian fairies I suppose)

In the book the bad men were the "banksia men". If you look in the first picture - this is a picture of the banksia nut after the flower has died off. The "eyes" pop open and the seeds fall out. This will especially happen after a fire. You can see why May Gibbs may have used the "banksia men" as the bad guys - they look pretty fearsome.

The banksias flower in our patch of bush around Christmas and the flowers look like giant Christmas candles. The one in this picture would be about 1 foot - 30cms - long. 
















In the picture below you can see a close up of the parts of the flower, just before they open. 

We haven't had a lot of opportunity this year to go bush walking (with other goings on in our lives) but now that spring is just around the corner I hope we will be able to get out and do some bush walking, and I will again be able to indulge in my passion for wild flower photography.

Have a wonderful weekend, and hug the ones you love. 

Went down to the beach to play one day.................

I recently found this peom in an old poetry book I found while packing up my mother-in-laws house. The book is called "The Charge of the Light Brigade and other story poems" (Scholastic Book Services, 1969)

I really liked the image it created of the little girls playing on the beach and the treasures they found...........and the innocence of childhood and carefree days on the beach.

ps - there are no capital letters because this is how it was printed in the book....

maggie and milly and molly and may

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles; and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

It’s always ourselves we find in the sea

                                                             By EE Cummings

It is winter here in Australia, but the beach is so much a part of the culture of Australia it can be enjoyed any time of year in different ways.  Here is my mosaic I created from the poem - some photos are new from our recent weekend in Yallingup, and some are from my archives -  unfortunately I don't have a star fish...

 I hope you enjoyed the poem and pictures. I look forward to hearing from you. I am linking up with Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. To see the work of Mary and other wonderful contributors, please click on the link here -  Mosaic Monday

Take care, have a wonderful week, and hug the ones you love.