The River in the Rain: A Wet Sydney Day

Chicki by the river

The river in the rain

I’d hoped this morning that Chicki and I would be able to take our walk in the park before the rain came. But fate had other ideas. By the time we were ready to leave home, fine drops were covering the ground…

Not to be daunted, we set off anyway. A few other adventurous souls also braved the weather.

Despite the dampness, the time there passed enjoyably. The river seemed so calm, though now and then a Silver Gull would swoop straight down with amazing speed to catch a fish for lunch…

A flock of Little Black Cormorants landed in the baths at the same time as a single Egret. The Egret lingered a while after the others flew upstream.

All in all it was worth the effort.

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Here’s More: Flannel Flowers

Right now, the Flannel Flowers are out in all their glory, and I see them every day in the local bushland park. A popular spot for them is beside the narrow roadway. There they can be enjoyed by those traveling through (at the twenty kilometre speed limit).

Enjoy!

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Flannel Flowers

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It’s Wistaria Time

Here in Sydney, the Wistaria is out. Many of the older homes have displays of this adventurous climber, and now and then one sees it growing on a support in the garden of a modern home.

It’s such a pretty flower, but it really comes into its own as a perfumed plant. Unmistakeable!

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Wistaria

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I’m Back in the Water

Here in Sydney, the swimming season doesn’t officially start until October. But today’s sunshine and milder temperatures tempted more than myself into the water.

In fact, it looked perfect. The calm, clear water seemed so inviting. Until… I stepped in.

Let me clarify this. Last year, the water warmed up early. Several of us braved it in early September and were pleasantly surprised to find it a relatively comfortable eighteen degrees Celsius.

More– just yesterday I tested the temperature in the shallows. It registered a profoundly reassuring eighteen and half.

Problem is, I can’t swim in a few inches of water.

Reality: a bare sixteen degrees awaited me . And if anyone thinks that a couple of degrees difference in water temperature is irrelevant, I suggest they think again. 🙂

The final crucible: the hot water system had broken, so cold showers were all that was on offer.

Anyway, at least three swimmers, including me, faced the water. And I actually clocked up a couple of hundred metres.

Not bad for the first swim of the  season…

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It looks inviting

 

Winter Sunset in Sydney

Sydney sunset

In Sydney, lovers of sunsets must surely relish Winter. This is the time for spectacular colours and equally spectacular patterns in the late afternoon sky.

I hope that you enjoy this example.

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Golden Wattle

Right now, some of  the Golden Wattles are starting to fade..

Interestingly, Wattle has a wide variety of species, and overall a long flowering season.

Enjoy!

Wattle

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Chicki On The Rock

Chicki, Posing 🙂

I may be biased, but one of my favourite sights is our little girl Chicki. Add to that the scene of one of my favourite places, and what have we got? For my money, a lovely picture!

I hope that you all agree 🙂

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Reflections of a Bird in Flight

Reflections

Here I am again, unsure of the avian species. I’ll narrow it down to two guesses: Pelican or Egret.

Be that as it may, I think you’ll enjoy seeing this bird in flight and its reflections on the surface of the river.

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Graceful Flight

Graceful flight

What is it about flight that grabs your attention?

The star of this photograph is, in my opinion, the graceful sea-bird. Wings outstretched, its journey seems effortless.

I’m not quite certain what type of bird it is. My best guess is that it’s an Egret, but the image is too small for me to be sure.

Be that as it may, it certainly catches my eye.

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Visitors on the Shore

Plovers on the Shore

Visitors on the shore…

Some time ago these handsome bird underwent a name change.  What once we all called ‘Plovers’ are now officially known as ‘Masked Lapwings’.

Is this an improvement?

Whatever your thoughts, I hope that you will agree that this pair make a lovely sight on the sandy shore.

Rare and charming  visitors to the local swimming baths…

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