Photography | Owls and Orchids

Posts Tagged ‘Photography’

Time Out

Posted in Accidents, Life, Susan Jamieson, Things Metaphysical, tagged #flying through the air, #The Langoliers, #Time Out, Accidents, bruises, Life, Photography, unexpected happenings on November 9, 2014| 6 Comments »

I can choose either to be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasures. It’s all a question of how I view my life. – Paul Coelho.

There have been times aplenty when I’ve wondered where time flies but I never thought I’d find out first hand.
Being a Science Fiction fan I’d always quite fancied the idea of “The Langoliers” by Stephen King – furry balls of steel teeth gobbling time as it passed away. Definitely worth watching, if you can find it. Not however what happened.

Alas, I cannot say that I have such an imaginative reason for not writing. In fact, even this short effort is telling me my time is running out.I am working on something, it simply isnt finished. Soon but not soon enough!
From a flare up of an old complaint I languished in a state akin to despair…until I decided to take a photo of a newly flowering plant. It’s hard to pass up on those photos. I couldn’t stand, or rather squish down for the shot, so I sat in the old reliable plastic chair. Mistake! Oh what a mistake!
One moment seated on the chair, the next flying through the air with the greatest of ease. No mean feat, I assure you.

Alas and alack I’m aching like a forlorn pretzel. Better yet, a crumbled pretzel. Even sitting is no fun – and neither us lying down by the way. All typos due to the phone and screwy eyesight from meds!
I’ll be back shortly, more or less in one piece. (One piece just many bruises). Believe me, there are times I wish for …..a fairy or three to help me. Although they have nade my flowers grow beautifully.
Til later mes amis. No more flying for me!

Love me, love my fairies helping in my garden.

Blessings, Susan 💖
(C) Susan Jamieson, 2014

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Imperfectly Perfect

Posted in Blessings, Creativity, Gratitude, Health, Life, Love, Lyme Disease, Philosophy, Photography, Psychology, Spirituality, tagged acceptance, BEing present, coping skills, Gratitude, health, Life, Love, Lyme disease, Mindfulness, pain, Photography, self acceptance, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson on January 16, 2014| 23 Comments »

Heavy orchid spray I love my orchids

Imperfectly Perfect

“Excellence is the Result of Caring more than others think is Wise, Risking more than others think is Safe, Dreaming more than others think is Practical, and Expecting more than others think is Possible.”

― Ronnie Oldham

~

Doing anything half-heartedly gains you very little except dissatisfaction with life, and the reason is very simple; it is because you are settling for second best. There are hundreds, if not thousands of quotations, some by the rich and famous and some who would like to be. What they all have in common is to tell you what you should do to reach the top, whatever the top happens to be for you.

It seems difficult for me to acknowledge that today is Friday, that the ‘end’ of the week is almost here. When I sat down to type I suddenly wondered where the week had flown and what I had achieved during that time to make it appear to have vanished. An entire five days vanished almost without me being aware of it.

image from anndr.deviantart.com In your imagination anything is possible

Of course I could make excuses and blame something or nothing for the ‘loss of time’, yet the sad fact is, I don’t have a good reason. What I think may be of even more concern, is the fact that I don’t feel that I’m on my own with this. Would you say I was being “Mindful” or that I was “Being present” in everything I had done?

Strangely enough the answer is yes. I complete my Gratitude Journal every morning, refresh my Affirmations and send my healing to those I know and those I don’t. I complete my Life Change 90 program each day, all reminders of times passing and making the best use of it for myself and others. And of course, I write. When I have completed my morning ritual I think about writing and I write, whatever it is that has made an impact on me or whatever ‘comes’ to me.

image from aniisah.wordpress.com – Time where does it go?

Today, time was concerning me. The fact that I felt I was losing time… great chunks of time which I couldn’t really account for. Was my mind taking a siesta? Were my subconscious busy planning things for me to do in the future? I’m not sure and that lack of surety has made me feel uncomfortable. Have I been losing time that I haven’t been aware of? That is a truly scary thought.

Thoughts of Alzheimer’s, blackouts, seizures, or other malady which have no name, just visceral fears, ran amok through my mind. The fear of losing one’s faculties is a great one since there is usually little chance of coming back from such a problem. “Accepting what is”, as I have read previously, would simply not be something I could comfortably acquiesce to.

image from http://www.josephinewallart.co.uk Bubbles of time floating away

I have to add this little incident which occurred moments ago. My husband told me he had a rather unpleasant headache, something which is unusual for him. However he is off in his little den with computer, doing heaven only knows what. Since there was silence in the house I called out to him – and since he is concerned about my welfare he came to see that I was alright. Checking on his ‘timetable’ to the days close I asked him if he had taken his little blue headache tablets. He replied in the negative. He had become caught up in whatever he was doing and his headache was still thumping away, something I can validate only too easily. In a mock stern voice I said, “Well, you’d better take some immediately, and I mean that with the utmost infection!” Infection? The moment the word escaped my lips I knew it was wrong and he fell into gales of laughter. Charming! It is said that laughter is the best medicine, but take it from one who had some dreadful headaches, laughing with a headache is to be avoided. At least for me it is.

Pre Lyme meds

Taking the humour from the situation, I ask myself where my mind was. What was I thinking about? Was I thinking? Was I being courteous, mindful and present with my husband? I was thinking about him, his headache, and his little pills and hoping he would be finished soon, so he could rest. So what caused the slip?

Truthfully, it is a little unnerving, a little frightening, and preys on my mind. I can blame ill-health, the brain fog, the medication, but is it? Is that the cause of these slip ups and loss of time? I believe there is nothing serious wrong, but it remains an unanswered question.

I question whether I have the right diagnosis since I feel no better after nine months of treatment than before, in fact I feel worse, much worse. New horrors are affecting my mind, my stability, feeling as though my spine will fall apart like a domino stack at any moment, cracks and creaks and severe muscle and joint aches. All these should surely be getting better by now – or at least some of them?

image from gardeningwithconfidence.com Because beauty hides the pain

Today I looked at some photos taken just two years ago, just after we became engaged. Happy days! I have some photos taken just a couple of weeks before my Lyme diagnosis and all the medication I began taking. In both instances I looked happy, full of life and energy, and slim and smart. I know people say being slim is not a benchmark for how your life is and “If you’re fat, you’re fat – accept it”. No way! Not this little black duck. If I had been overweight previously I could say it was a fair comment. The only difference is the medication and my worsening physical state.

So I’m left with a conundrum and many questions. Perhaps that is the reason for the slip. I hope if any of my ‘fellow Lyme sufferers” or the “Fibromites”, or fellow bloggers I have come to know, have any insights, suggestions, or anything to calm overwrought nerves, I would be more than simply grateful. In fact, if anyone has any words of advice to offer I would listen since I know that solutions come from many strange and otherwise discounted places.

Orchids, always Perfect

I know I am “Imperfectly Perfect”. I might also be “Perfectly Imperfect” and that is how it should be. I am who and what I am. I care, for the people I have come to know, their hopes, their dreams, their problems and hurts. You, my readers, have become dear friends and I trust my dear friends to tell me the truth, their truth as they see it. From there it is my responsibility to find my truth.

That, to me is what a community is all about. It is, I hope, what our WordPress community has become. I have been welcomed, in my idiosyncrasies and that is a great gift, one I willingly reciprocate because friendship is a great gift.

I can live with “Imperfectly Perfect” since I accept I am a “work in progress. We all are.

My Dancing Lady Orchid.

“When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.” ~Bernard Baily

When the world seems full of imperfections, and answers are hard to find, there is a perfection in Orchids which soothes my heart, my mind and my soul.

Blessings, Susan x

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The best laid plans…………

Posted in Accidents, Blessings, Challenges, Coping Skills, Gratitude, Health, Life, Life lessons, Lyme Disease, Magic, Motivation, Personality, Philosophy, Photography, Psychology, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged acceptance, Amatuer photography, Bed and breakfast, BEing present, blood tests, coping skills, Fire Tailed finches, Fox, Glasshouse Mountains, Gratitude, happiness, health, hives, ht summer sun, ice cream. local produce, King Parrots, Life, life lessons, Lyme disease, Maleny, Mindfulness, Pael Headed Parrots, Photography, Possum, Rainbow Lorikeet, self acceptance, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, Wootha on November 21, 2013| 13 Comments »

image from www-arts-wallpapers.jpg

There are so many things I had planned to do this week, from the ordinary mundane of going shopping to the obligatory visit to my Lyme doctor. Yet the best laid plans often go awry. I wanted to inject a little light-hearted anticipation into the week instead of following the same routine as always. Then only feeling tired at the end of getting all the ‘to do’ list done, but nothing that really made me crack that “I’ve had a wonderful experience smile,” which has been missing for too long. It didn’t need to be anything astronomical, or expensive, just something my husband and I could do, out of our normal routine and lighten the everyday routine. Remember, best laid plans and all that jazz.

Okay, this was going to be a little easier than I thought, when I realised my doctor’s appointment was at 7pm. It’s a three-hour drive up to see him, which meant that it would be a long day for me if we made a round trip when we couldn’t leave until after 8.30pm. Checking out the local Bed and Breakfast places in Maleny or close by wasn’t very hopeful at first. It’s a beautiful place to visit and at this time of year, coming into summer, even more so. So when we found a lovely place at Wootha, available for us, it was an immediate winner. At the top of the range and overlooking the valley towards the Glasshouse mountains, I could feel the tension draining away just thinking about it. But I forgot about Murphy’s Law and the best laid plans warning. I sent up my request to my angels for a nice break and off we went.

Wootha towards Glasshouse Mountains

Misty morning mountains

Beautiful old tree

Glasshouse Mountains

Across the mountains towards Brisbane

Huge Bunya Pine

Even in the air conditioning of the car it was hot. I don’t travel well in the heat and the medication has my blood and body super heated at the ‘best’ of times just now. The blazing sun beat mercilessly through the windscreen like a well stoked furnace. I have a magnificent case of hives so the heat was adding a new dimension to the itchy torture. (Best laid plans again). But distracted by the scenery, we arrived and breathed a sigh of relief. It’s amazing what a heartfelt plea for relief can do to ease sorely troubled minds and bodies. Unpacked, a quick refresher and off to the local ice cream shop for one of the most magnificent ice cream cones imaginable. All locally sourced produce and heavenly taste. For one of the very rare times, brain freeze was – worthwhile.

Apart from a long discussion of what’s next, needing to return early the next morning for bloods to be taken, there were no real surprises from the doctor. We had been looking forward to a sleep in and leisurely breakfast, but we could get around that too. Our hosts were only too gracious in offering to let us have breakfast after the test. I was woken through the night by the sound of an unusual barking noise. Not a dog but a fox barking to her young. After a look outside under the full moon, where of course I could see nothing, I returned to my comfortable bed to listen to the possums running across the roof and into the trees, noisily talking to one another.

We awoke to the sounds of the Rainbow Lorikeets making a raucous noise around the bend in the verandah where the owners fed them each day. It really was a colourful display.

Sleeping on a cloud

A beautiful view to the mountains

Giant Tree Fern

Rainbow Lorikeet feeding frenzy

Forest Pigeon

Fire tailed Finch

Off to the doctor and a small procedure later I was waiting for the nurse to take blood. That’s when things went ‘off plan’. My ‘best laid plan’ went up in smoke, but not up the needle. Once, twice, three times and still no blood. Again – once, twice, three times and as she removed the needle the blood flowed freely – too late! I was feeling hot and more than a little bothered. I heard someone say “adrenal surge’ after the procedure and I would have to see the collection office in town. Oh well, it could have been worse I suppose. That was an errant thought which came back to haunt me later. In the interim the nurse suggested breakfast and a drink and get the tests done later. No arguments here, nor from my husband, the gentleman in the peanut gallery offering hilarious solutions to the lack of blood. It’s always funny watching from the sidelines, I know I’ve been there too, but silently!

Welcomed back into the cool sanctuary of the home we quickly went to freshen up. Then it was back into the dining area where we were greeted with a freshly squeezed orange juice and a huge selection of fresh fruit, rhubarb and peach compotes and local yoghurt with the hostess’ own muesli blend. The entertainment from the birds continued as we were served with a delightful cheese souffle, accompanied by fresh asparagus spears and bacon. I have never yet managed to get a souffle to rise as beautifully as this, and it almost melted in your mouth. Refreshed and hunger assuaged we settled back with a cup of tea.

Just to show you how fluffy it was.

I’ll get the fruit next time.

King parrot

Pale headed Parrot

Hibiscus ?

Rainbow Lorikeets

It was hard to tear ourselves away but…. the pathology needed visiting before we could enjoy walking around town. Then we hit a larger snag to our ‘best laid plan’. After waiting quite a while in the surgery, since no-one told us we could just walk up and knock on the door, (usually I wait to be called in when it’s my turn), I went in and after she spent ten minutes deciphering all the requests she pronounced sentence, “You haven’t eaten, eggs, nuts, banana, etc, etc this morning have you?” she said. “It really should be a fasting test!” Well, that was that. Best laid plan up in smoke and not going out that day!
Not her fault but I was thoroughly put out. Finding her in town was one thing, waiting for her another, then to be told she couldn’t do it anyway. UGH! We walked around town, somewhat jaded, and I have to admit I was hot and itchy by now before finally settling for a visit to my favourite crystal shop to soak up those lovely vibes. Not a total waste then. We left feeling soothed by all that crystal energy and set off back to Byron.

I’m sorry to say the strain was too much, I really can’t take the heat and I fell asleep on the way home. I woke up in agony and had to be helped inside the house. Thankfully one plan I made had worked out magnificently. Knowing I would be away I had posts ready and scheduled for publishing, so I met my NaBloPoMo challenge and I’ve been tweaking photos and today’s blog.

It was to be an easy day. My tests are booked in and a mountain of messages have been attended to. Photos are all downloaded and labelled. Have you ever noticed how the names escape you if you don’t label them immediately? Brain fog, that’s my reason, that and the heat which fries my brain.

Here’s a lovely picture of the storm lilies which came out after the storm we had on the weekend. Delicate shade of pink on the edges, just beautiful.

Storm lilies

I hope you enjoy the views as much as we do. Plans are meant to be broken and sometimes you get amazing surprises as a result. If we hadn’t had our plans altered we wouldn’t have been able to spend time watching the birds, seen the King and Pale Headed parrots, which don’t hang around with the noisy Lorikeets. The Fire Tailed Finch was a real treat. It felt like we were being fortified for the disappointment we had no idea was coming. I’m grateful for that blessing.

Blessings to all.

Susan x

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Picture Perfect

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged acceptance, Amatuer photography, BEing present, Bird Life, Black Cockatoos, Crystal cafe, flowers in bloom, Galah's, Gardenia, Gratitude, happiness, health, Honey Eaters, Kangaroo Paws, life lessons, Magpie, memories, Mindfulness, nature, Photography, Self Development, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Tp Knot Pigeon on November 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

Black Cockatoo pair

“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” ― Henry David Thoreau,

It’s been a while since I looked through my photos and I realised there were, not just a few, but a lot that I had taken. The term “snap happy” came to mind, but with it came the realisation that I was storing lots of memories of the outings we’ve had. What made it more important was the knowledge that all the excursions didn’t revolve around doctors and tests. Certainly they were there, but interspersed with them were the moments when we could forget that we had been running around “just for that reason.” So I decided to compile a cross section of the things which took me away from the doctors and tests and back into the light hearted day, or night, and revel in the beauty of nature and life.

Yesterday it seemed like a strange way to start the day by grabbing the camera, but Black Cockatoos are not usually seen here, yet there they were sitting at the top of the tree watching us get ready to leave for the day. Since it’s the first time I’ve seen them here it was a great start to the day.

Top Knot Pigeon sings

Kookaburras

Golden Kangaroo Paw

Red Kangaroo Paw

Crows on lookout

Gardenia Radicans

The Top Knot pigeon singing his song on the rooftop was so quirky I couldn’t let it pass. The beautiful Kangaroo Paws have been providing such a beautiful display for months I thought they deserved to be included, and who can go past the beautiful scent of the gardenias.

Sulphur crested Cockatoo

The Coucal returns

Very noisy honey eater

Dancing Lady Orchid

Playful whales

The Coucal revisits

The yellow on this Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is so brilliant, like a splash of sunshine on his ‘fascinator’. Our friendly Coucal keeps visiting which is unusual and so he gets two photos. They make the most unusual noise so are very difficult to miss. The honey eater is even weirder, at times he sounds like a dog barking and for a small bird, so loud! I love the one of the two whales, flippers in the air. I couldn’t decide if they were playing together (probably were) but it looked as if they were waving to us.You know I love orchids and this one has been flowering for months. The yellow is so bright – another reminder of the sunny days.

Magpie, beak full of cake, Crystal Castle

Cockatoo ready to eat

Wildflowers

Clivia

Trumpet Flower

Ginger plant

I mentioned how funny it was watching the magpie attacking the cake at the Crystal Castle Cafe. He managed to get most of the icing off his beak but he really didn’t want to leave that cake behind. Despite their reputations he didn’t get upset when I moved the plates away from him either. A mixture of photos of flowers from the area and at Crystal castle. With so many nectar producing plants it’s not surprising we see so many honey eaters. I couldn’t finish off without one of our regulars, the Galah. Here he is just waiting to pounce on the feeder. When there is some room it’s everyone for himself, or herself.

Gallah waiting to eat

Breakfast anyone?

Night flowering Cactus

“A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.” ― Leo Tolstoy

This then is my little corner of the world. I hope you enjoy a little peek into it. I am grateful that with a little reminder I have been mindful of my gifts from a bountiful world. Sometimes it’s difficult to realise I am Being present with my world and these pictures show me how much I have changed.

Blessings. Susan x

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Love is found when Life is right.

Posted in Blessings, Creativity, Gratitude, Life, Love, Magic, Moon, Photography, Spiritual, Susan Jamieson, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Amatuer photography, BEing present, Dancing Lady, happiness, Inner-peace, Life, Life and Love, Living from the heart, Love is in the air, memories, Mindfulness, Mother Nature, Native fauna, Native flora, Orchid, Photography, Soul Growth, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, unconditional love on October 30, 2013| 8 Comments »

Sunrise, the magic of a new day.

There is nothing quite like the sun rising from the far side of the ocean and begin to light the sky. The glittering sparkles of life as the sunbeams dance across the ocean create a picture which speaks for itself. Even after a sleepless night it seems to put a period at the end of the darkness and signals a new light for the day. Anything is now possible.

Moonlight on water.

At the other end of the spectrum, and day, is the interplay of light and dark. A reversal of the morning but with it’s own unique magic. It brings to mind that all things are possible within the velvety cloak of the night, especially when the magic moonlight is infusing the area. It can bring chills of anticipation to the soul.

Halloween was not ‘celebrated’ when I first came to Australia and whilst we never went to the joyous extravaganzas of America, as children we used to have fun. With a full and unpleasant day planned tomorrow, (foisted on me by necessity), I hope to share some of the memories from that time. If not, we’ll see what happens. Until then, we had a little fun and let the inner child play and I though you might like to see.

Letting the imagination run free.

In a spirit of playfulness we decided to experiment with the camera and lighting and I quite liked the effect. Since they were done for fun I think we managed to achieve our aim. I wanted to show that despite the obstacles we may find along the way, a little light hearted play can do wonders to bring out the inner child. Here’s a similar pose with Ray. (He’s a little more shy).

A reflective pose. Mysterious and saturnine. Love it.

Of course it wouldn’t be the same without some of the flora and fauna around. We were lucky to see a frilly lizard in the garden, obviously disturbed by the new building site. Unhappy for him but good for us.

I’m not happy here. I think I’ll just pass on through.

Since I’m showing off my flora I have to include my beautiful Dancing Lady Orchid It’s been a mass of flowers for weeks. As each of the budding orchids flower I’ll include them somewhere in my blogs. They are a passion of mine so I know you’ll understand.

Dancing Lady Orchid.

To finish off, a panoply of colour and shapes. I may have trouble handling the heat but this explosion and profusion of colour and light, shape and form, the beauty and joy of life, is surely the best indication of love Mother Nature has given us.

If you click on the photos you can see the colours so much better.

: Mixed Kangaroo Paws

: A Cycad, one of the oldest known plants.

: Clivia

: Indian Mynah at work

: Salmon day lily

: Beautiful fragrant Hoya.

I hope you enjoy a wander through my garden of love, right where the life is.

Blessings to you in your love filled life.

Ciao, Susan x

Life is a great surprise – Rosella Style. Part 1. (owlsandorchids.com)
Attitude, Gratitude and Change (owlsandorchids.com)

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Surviving the Storm

Posted in Accidents, Blessings, Challenges, Coping Skills, Life, Life lessons, Photography, Poetry, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, Uncategorized, tagged Amatuer photography, BEing present, coping skills, High Seas, Life, Mindfulness, Mother Nature, Photography, Power of Nature, sadness, Spirituality, Storm, Storms, surviving the storm on October 29, 2013| 4 Comments »

In the inky darkness of early night

The wind’s rising howl shrieked

A keening round house and home

Through trees whipped madly

Seas tossed wildly aloft

The storm showed its fury

Mighty Oaks uprooted

Flying crazily across the sky

Deadly airborne missiles

Landing where whim and fate would have them lie

Never a care for the humans there

Seas rising grey into the sky

White caps curling, tossed high

Crashed ferociously onto man made walks

Stormy weather

Throwing all before its might

The fury of the storm claimed the night

Mother Nature showing her dominion

With the daylight comes the count

The cost of her mighty roar

Reminding us of our small place

In the grandeur of the world

Challenging us to try again

To rebuild lives as they once were

To pray yet again for a miracle

To save us

When Mother Nature roars.

image from blogs.roanoke.com

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Life Rosella style -Robby Rosella’s exciting adventure. Part 2

Posted in Accidents, Blessings, Cameras, Challenges, Creativity, Gratitude, Life, Life lessons, Love, Magic, Photography, Spiritual, Susan Jamieson, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Amatuer photography, BEing present, Blessings, colourful camoflage, coping skills, Grevillea, happiness, leaving the nest, life lessons, Mindfulness, Photography, Rosella, Rosella family life, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, the first leap, unconditional love on October 27, 2013| 4 Comments »

Robby Rosella taking a good look at the world.

The more chances I had to see the little birds inside the nest, the more excited I became at seeing them finally come out to say hello to the world. We now knew there were two babies inside from the earlier photos. There was always a lot of pushing and maneuvering around inside the hole (nest) but we could only make out bodies and feathers. Looking into the darkened interior it was guesswork to say how many babies were inside.

What I loved most at this time was seeing how quickly they changed. You could see them growing in front of you as their feathers became more colourful and they really started to look more than pink skinned bodies. Between the parents and last years offspring flying to and fro constantly it made me think of a Rosella highway.

No, I don’t think they have to worry about getting fat.

Then, in the middle of last week I though I heard the sound of something hitting one of the windows. Not very loudly and there was silence after it. Since I was ‘laid up’ at the time, I took myself to the bedroom window to see what had made the noise. I thought something had hit the laundry window but wasn’t sure.

I did not only do a double take but took several minutes to convince myself I was actually seeing what was in front of me. He was actually six feet away. but it took that long for my eyes to adjust and pick him out next to the rock wall. The Rosella parents have obviously been encouraging them to come out of the nest – at least they were doing lots of talking to the babies after they had fed them, so I’m guessing that was what prompted this.

Now how did I get here?

Unhurt but unsure of what to do he stayed right where he was. Should I try to help him?

I’m just going to look at this funny thing in front of me and pretend I’m back home.

So, here is Robby, (we think he may be a male from the colourful plumage, but that’s only a guess), sitting in front of the rock wall and looking slightly bemused. He had obviously been braver than his sibling and decided to come out of the nest to have a look at the big bright world, but had fallen afoul of a gust of wind and down he had sailed. My dilemma was what to do. Should I try to catch him and return him to his nest or would he be safe enough until he could get back himself?

The sound of a door closing inside the house saw Robby flutter up into the garden where we could hear him chirping plaintively. Unable to bear the suspense I crept quietly outside to see if he was alright. There he was hiding under the foliage, standing so still I had to strain to see him. They are incredibly well camouflaged.

If you click on the photos they will open up for a better view.

Can they see me?

I don’t think they can

I’ll just blend in here.

He must have felt safe because apart from a peak out he decided to stay well hidden under the shrubbery. The adults started chirping away and we could hear the little fellow answer so it wasn’t long until they started to make their way down to locate him and to feed him.

If you click on the photos they will open up for a better view.

I can hear you there.

Yes, keep calling.

He’s definitely here.

I can hide too you know.

I’m getting closer now.

Come on, it’s time to go now.

Robby was apparently not ready to relinquish what he felt was a nice safe place to hide. There was plenty of foliage around him since he was in the middle of the Prince of Orange Ixora. I’m sure the fragrance from the flowering Hoya would have reminded him of his nice safe nest too. After a nerve-wracking night, for the human watchers at least, and a brief shower, we resumed an unobtrusive watch on Robby’s progress.

The adults were becoming louder in their calling. Whether they were trying to encourage his brother or sister to come out or Robby to get home I’m not sure, however about mid morning we received another surprise when we saw this.

Two more babies inside the nest.

Ray had seen one make the leap earlier in the day so that meant we had a clutch of four baby Rosellas inside the nesting box. (Does it show we felt like proud parents ourselves)?

That only left the question of Robby. A night on the ground, even being fed by his parents, was obviously not what he was happy about. He began a trek in quick dashes across the grass towards the far wall bordering our neighbours garden. The grass there was a little higher (late with the mowing, lucky for him), so with his colouring he was almost invisible.

A couple of the adults were calling from the tree and two came down onto the ground to encourage him to ‘make a leap’. Another one.

If you click on the photos they will open up for a better view.

Time to come out now.

OK I’ll lead the way.

There a wall there.

Oh, Ok I made it.

I can hide here though.

I’m just looking Mum.

Right, up you come.

Time for you to come out now.

Aw Mum, he fell!

As dusk drew down we were wondering if Robby was destined to spend another night on the ground alone. The adults had been feeding him regularly but it certainly sounded like he had a pep talk after each feeding. Suddenly there was an explosion of sound, feathers flapping and a whirring as he took off and sailed up onto the roof. An adult was soon on the scene and from the noise which sprang up a short time later we presumed he had made it back to the home tree. Success!

All the babies are now hopping around the tree, scavenging my Grevillea for honey and filling out nicely. The riot of colour seeing them flitting through the tree is magical. It has certainly melted my heart seeing the family reunited. Rosellas maintain family groups often and come back to help raise subsequent clutches of young. It certainly is a beautiful example of the circle of life.

On watch, at home.

A happy ending for our Rosella family. No doubt they will be back again since they have claimed the nesting site. I am going to look forward to seeing them again.

I hope you enjoyed our little excitement at the Rosella tree.

Blessings. Susan x

If you missed the first part of the story and would like to catch up.

Life is a great surprise – Rosella Style. Part 1. (owlsandorchids.com)

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Life is a great surprise – Rosella Style. Part 1.

Posted in Blessings, Challenges, Gratitude, Health, Life, Love, Photography, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Amatuer photography, Australian Bird Life, Australian Wildlife, Currawong, Eastern Rosellas, Family, feeding the family, Green Tree Frog, Grevillea Sandra Gordon, home, King Orchid, Life in the back garden, Local birdlife, Nest box, Parents and their young, Photography, Rosella on October 25, 2013| 2 Comments »

Love is in the air

The love bug bit early this year (I think) and we have had the Eastern Rosellas back in the nesting box in the front garden. Above is a photograph of one of last years parents feeding the almost full grown offspring. Now we have the parents, their offspring from last year, (two birds) and a clutch of new babies.

We have been trying to guess how many were in the box since we didn’t want to disturb them. Mum and Dad have been flying madly to and fro and there was lots of cheeping from inside. Excitement has been rising as the weeks passed.

: Home sweet home.

: Checking out the area.

: Setting up house.

: Nestled in the tree.

It was really tempting to get closer as the bird box is right above the King Orchid which was flowering spectacularly a short time ago. In fact it was whilst photographing the orchid that we learned it was inhabited. There was an explosion of feathers from the bird box as one of the parents left in a hurry at being disturbed.

Have you ever had a surprise sitting there, waiting for the right time to be opened and you are so excited waiting to find out what is inside? That’s how I’ve felt for the past few weeks. When the chirping became louder we started seeing the parents and offspring almost stripping my Sandra Gordon Grevillea of the nectar. I thought it was beautiful that the young from last year returned and helped raise the next generation.

The only time there was any concern was the arrival of the local Currawongs. They are predatory birds and love getting the eggs from nests if they can. One particular day there were six hopping all over the tree during the day. I spent more time shooing them away than doing anything else.

: Feeding the family is busy work

: A little breather needed

: The local Currawongs thought they might find an easy meal

: But there was always someone keeping watch.

: Food, food, I have to get more food!

: The first peak outside.

So, we finally saw our little family, the fledgling, peeping out of the box. One quick shot and the head popped back inside again. We still had no idea if there were more babies inside and didn’t want to scare them away. Peering through the bedroom window each time the chirping became load was an occupational hazard.

You can imagine our surprise when we found out we had more than one baby inside the box. We caught several beautiful shots of two heads popping up and down at the ‘mouth’ of the box.

: I see you – can you see me?

: Hmm Dinner time.

: Can I see two heads there?

Success – we finally got a great photo of the babies!

We have two!

It was really difficult to get an idea of whether we were seeing the same two heads or perhaps more. Parents and young from last year seemed to be dashing to and fro so often we thought there may be more. The Currawongs were now no longer a problem and we had to be patient to find out exactly how big a brood was hiding in there.

Yet as always, the path of love, and life never runs smoothly. I was loathe to leave them because we thought they might be venturing outside at any time, but my doctors appointment was scheduled and I had to go away. Peering through cross eyes at a bird box through a camera is a challenging task so I had to content myself with making sure they were there and waiting. But there was a mishap to come.

To remind you of the orchid in the tree…. and for Laurie, our Green tree frog who serenades us at the laundry door every night.

: King Orchid, a spectacular view for the broody Mum

: Green tree frog serenade… beautiful

: Add a Butcher Bird caroling the dawn in.

I couldn’t resist showing our Butcher birds who come caroling every morning. We are Blessed to have such an abundance of beautiful wildlife at our doorstep.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy taking them. I love sharing the amazing life we have around us, especially when there may be a struggle going on inside. At least I can see straight, talk sensibly and have my fingers do the walking. 🙂

Next – An unexpected development.

Ciao, Susan x

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Short Circuit

Posted in Accidents, Blogging, Lyme Disease, Moon, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Blogging, coping skills, frustration, full moon, Moon, Motivational, pain, patience, Photography, Spirituality on September 20, 2013| 4 Comments »

image from mondoexploito.com

I’ve been missing for a couple of days with the usual doctor to doctor trek, tests and more tests and waiting interminably for results. Ended up with the expected kinked neck and back plus a whopper of a migraine from the sun. Strange we had those hot days when I had to be trundling around in a car.

Well such is life at the moment. Despite having to squint out of one eye, the pain in the other was too much, and my internal organs were having the own mini revolution, I managed to prepare a couple of posts ahead of time to make up for my possible lack of impetus at the end of the day.

I thought it worked well until today when I felt less than chipper. In fact I felt flatter than a badly flipped pancake. I have dragged myself around wearing dark sunglasses, cracking my eyes open only enough to stop myself from walking into everything. In the beautiful darkness of out Harvest Moon I ventured out long enough to grab a few pictures and do a moon filled post, mainly because I love the colours of the moon here. Selfish I know.

So, back with the sunnies in my bedroom (the glare from the computer) and I had my blog done….. what happened next was tragic. Like most electrical equipment it had a sudden attack of the “let’s have some fun with her.” the screen blinked and I had an empty screen. No draft saved (odd) and nary a full stop in sight.

So you have my explanation for no real blog…. a poem I did a little while ago which suits my mood at present and I’m taking my eyeballs, which feel as though someone has pierced them with a flaming brand, to bed with a cold compress. The real blog will follow next week.

Have an amazing weekend…..I’m keeping my eyes closed unless the sun eclipses over me.

In the meantime, here is a photo from the last full moon…..

Beautiful, isn’t it?