A fascinating tree in a windy spot on the side of a hill

Here's the same tree in colour (best seen in original)

This top one is an old Hybrid Perpetual which does

best in autumn in our climate

Here's an old tea rosebud covered in raindrops

and a well-known old Bourbon

Not much left, just a matter of time...

and here's another shot of the same thing

using a green filter minus colour

Hope the grandkids don't go popping these or using

them as puppets!

Here's a cute little ruby coloured viola

and this shows my age ;-)

The very first chrysanthemums for the season

and a couple of different pelargoniums..

The grandchildren love this task even though they

have to walk uphill to do it.

Here's the chain which slips over the attachment

and the gatepost

Taken in the morning sunshine before breakfast

Its a seedhead of the blue clematis

and here's another seedhead

this one's a Banksia

I rather liked this reversal

perhaps its been to the hairdresser!

Same picture the other way around

Two of our daughters have sisters from the same litter

they're now about 5 y.o but still enjoy a romp!

A couple more shots of Gemma and the ball

dogs taken on the "sports" setting

Some roses and flowers are quite unperturbed when the

temperature climbs - 38C is roughly 100F as Sheila will

tell you - and maybe the last burst of heat as we

settle into autumn. Here are more flowers and a

look at the sky bringing change.

**

Found this stick insect hanging upside down on the

branch of a rose bush this morning, they're the oddest

looking things!

Here's something easily recognised,

a miniature rose

We had this little set when our children were small, and

now the grandchildren are having some enjoyment with them.

Here's another little treasure from my music room

a little ringbox that belonged to my mother-in-law

left to me because of the music & roses motif.

Given to me by my long gone Great-aunt. The

paperweight could be 100 years of age.

What amazed me was the macro-image showed up

scratches not noticeable with the naked eye!

The paperweight belongs in my music room

and here's an open page from one of my

music textbooks.

and a SPIT cake from yesterday's 5th birthday of

our youngest grandchild.

A rose bred for Australian conditions this one

is performing right now regardless of several

days of 35C+

Here's me being waterwise with succulents

Couldn't quite decide which order to put today's shots

Those red x's again!

Here's a 2nd shot of the tissue box

and a bud opening on the plumbago

Why am I shooting tissue boxes today - well

its rather hot & glarey out there at 36C

the plumbago is an archive shot.

I've been visiting a rose nursery today taking

photos of roses I don't have growing in my

rose garden for a project I'm working on.

I pass through the Southern Vales

and it was a pleasant summery day, pure blue skies

some scenes took the eye including these horses.

For those who can't take the glare, here they

are in sepia...

some wine grapes - all the vines are LOADED

and grape pickers are beginning to turn up

for the annual harvest...

and a sign that I've been meaning to stop and shoot

for quite a while - Breakneck Creek!

Our rose garden is quite colourful right now

after some very good drops of rain

Yesterday I took these two shots

while at our daughters having

an al fresco tea

those red x's again!

a beetle and an avocado on a tree

**

Not very good weather for the outdoors today

hot and humid alternating with heavy rain

and a forecast for thundersqualls. Here's a

shot I took 15 mins ago - Sheila must have sent

the dark clouds over our way!

and a rose I processed earlier today

Paul Bocuse

I no sooner downloaded my pad that the storm arrived!

We looked after a traveller from the U.K. today

picking her up from her daughter's farm

and taking her out to lunch with us

in the Southern Vales wine growing area.

***

Lunch at Marienberg winery's restaurant after

some wine tasting to select the wine for our table.

Our visitor left Somerset enduring -2C and today's

temperature was 31C which our visitor thought was

rather hot!

A good place for disappearing in

one can't see inside without

going right over to the shed!

Here the colourful version

and with the "lights on" or psd

Note the rusty old fridge - that fridge is over 40 years old

and still works like a charm - it will freeze the drinks

or cauliflowers if we don't keep an eye on it!

A very pleasant way to fill in a half hour here and there...

& some "clues"

and here's one I should have thought about

a couple of days ago

and in a similar theme - Violina

Been saving this one for a few days,

its a few hours early even for us Down Under

Tired little foal having a yawn...

and another foal with his Mum

We had 40mls of rain during the night. This morning

we were greeted by gumtrees shedding their bark

and the mess on the paths! Take a look at the

pathway in the following shot I experimented with!

and here's a fully opened ROYAL bloom

There's quite a bit of colour in the rose garden

patches of blooms here and there.

***
and an earlier shot of CP
showing the variation of colour
***

My bush has blooms like this 2nd one the same time as the
shot featured as the main rose today.
This comment added specifically for Brian.

Very bright sunlight today, so had

to go hunting in the shady spots

What we found on the bread slicer tonight!

and another version of the begonia

A gumtree opposite our front gate is absolutely laden with

blossom with heaps of bees buzzing to and fro...

Here's yet ANOTHER picture of our plumbago

it is looking quite a picture right now.

Besides wine tasting there were tables of

all sorts available for sale

but we just called in for afternoon

tea and a coffee

Here's a display of some extra virgin olive-oil

and wine

The tree the koalas love to sleep in

which overhangs the road past our place

This is our front fence and the little

gate into the holding paddock

Photo taken from the road.

Just one photo at this point in time

we have a storm heading our way

right now

Australia Day holiday and the beaches will

be filled with families taking a cooling dip

in the sea. We were there yesterday and

almost had the beach to ourselves

and the air was thick with smoke.

A couple more beach photos found in

the supplementary gallery, thus...

This particular gumtree grows on the road verge

just outside our front fence. Today we've been

beavering away raking leaves and bark that fell

during the previous very hot spell we had.

A large branch fell from the ancient tree and

today it was carved up into a wood-heap and

transported to a safer part of the property.

I tossed up which one to feature today... how

do you like the lighting in this shot?

After 4 days of hovering in the 40+C heat, this

rose just burst forth with a great cluster

of blooms. This one I took tonight after

a welcomed cool change came in

This mini climber was processed today

but the photo was taken in December &

belongs to a long list waiting to

be processed.

Dick has been erecting a trellis for this

little rambler - to share with a matching

clematis.

Just one photo today...we're babysitting again

but school starts again soon.

This particular rose bears huge clusters of blooms

which can number to around 200 in one cluster!

My climber is only a couple of years old and

still busy growing, but I'm rather looking forward

to seeing it in full flight!

Here's another rather sweet single

I had no idea the ants were on the tecoma when I took

the photos! We were parked in the chemist car-park

near sunset, and Dick had toddled off to pick up a prescription

I was killing time with my camera!

More of the same

but no ants on this one

Sitting outside on a balmy summer's evening

re-filling our glasses with ice-cold sparkling shiraz

Not sure what other people say when they

want you to empty your glass, but we

often say "bottom's up..."

Aaah - the busy life of retirees - we're now off to a
picnic in the park to celebrate one of our grandchildren's
8th birthday!

Continuing with a colour series

Russet, green and grey

and a touch of pure gold

and more

I have a row of hanging pots with fuchsias

drooping from them. This is a close up

of one that's got a few blooms right now.

Here's how they looks in a cluster

Our youngest grandson, not quite 5, taking part in 2 traditional dances.

More information about these dances and our 2 granddaughters

can be seen in this photo...

The old couple out for a meal & guess

who took her camera along!

(Dick was in need of a toothpick haha...)

More shots

***

These are archival again today...we've been babysitting 2 crotchetty kids

who are sick of only having another sibling to play with.

These aboriginal rhythm sticks are hand-made

and they are sitting on my grand piano lid.

Here is the grandchildren having a lesson in traditional

aboriginal dancing.

Three with the first name of ANDREW

taking a spell from the barbecue, New Year's Eve

..in 38C heat...

The one in the middle is one of my son-in-laws.

I'm still processing November roses,

here's "Falstaff" taken side on and facing.

...another difficult one colour to photograph...