Fiesty Friday

Sometimes i just sit and watch the show..some days it is just what the Dr ordered..between vet visit after vet visit and a load of work on the property i just need some me time.
I hope you enjoy the show as much as i did..take note of how the bigger roo put paid to the youngen’s silliness..well for a little while anyway 🙂
Off to dinner tonight so will catch up soon..

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I did say i wanted to go on a trip didn’t i ?

Well what an eventful few weeks..and the cherry on the cake of discombobulation was my little trip.

Yes i have been banging on about taking a trip…well ask and you shall fall..not quite the trip i had in mind!

I was lucky that hubby had gotten back from Sydney only hours before and our son and his wife were here..which they would not have been if hubby was still away..yikes..

I am still very sore but also very lucky i could have done some major damage as i hit my spine directly on bone when i fell, i have been able to sit up for awhile but then forced to lie down..tomorrow’s MRI for my sciatica ,which has not let up, will be an interesting moment i am sure..as i may have to be steam rolled flat before they can do it 🙂

Today Spring which was late in arriving..well it left..actually it left yesterday but today was hotter..by 10.30am ,which was really 9.30am as daylight savings kicked in, it was already 33C ..we got to over 38C today..this week we have been told will be nasty heat and wind..joy of joys.

Funny we never have a gentle easing into any season here..it’s bang ..

I was so happy to get emails and hear that some peeps had received their cards..i hope everyone else gets theirs soon as the mail is so random..

I never understand how different it can be,from one state to another one country to another..i mean my sister sends me something from suburbs away it takes a week..i send her something and she jokes she gets it before i sent it!

So if you are still waiting i am super sorry 😦  seems the post is not as efficient as us bloggers at getting things done!

So i am off to bed..my back aching..and i have been trying to reply and catch up but when it starts singing i just have to ‘down tools’ as us Aussies say 🙂

So tonight i leave you with a most beautiful scene..i think so anyway..

I was in my kitchen the day before my tumble and looked up to see this sweet family to the left and behind our barn..so i crept out the back door..

Now this family i think is a new one as they have been hanging around but are very skittish when they see me..which is fine…keeps them safe and me safe and all is right in the world!

So i had to be super quiet..they do have great hearing despite what some folks think..i grabbed an outdoor chair and popped it against the fence and like a jack in the box only slowly i popped my head and camera up..yes i know i wonder why i fall..go figure..

Well they did spot me and seemed to be quiet cautious but did not take off..i got a few shots but the trees were in my way..so i went back inside and slowly out the front..a few took off but the others seemed content to munch the green grasses that will soon be gone..and i could see why..there were a few Mums with joeys in the pouch..and hefty sized ones too!! .. little monkeys having a great time while poor Mum lugs them around 🙂

I was so happy to see healthy happy families..so without anymore waffling as the back is getting antsy i present this gorgeous family..

Have a great week all..Loves Fozziemum

 

Oh hello..

 

 

Umm can we help you?

 

Time to move on maybe

A little Friday Therapy

There are times a girl just has to grab her camera and hit the road..and that is exactly what i did yesterday.

I needed to get out and get some therapy and nature is my therapy.

I read and article our friend Brian’s Dad Terry had shared about nature and the health benefits..of course i know this ,but it was a good reminder that maybe now ,when i least felt like it, was a good time to get out and absorb some of that natural therapy.

So i headed to the Canola fields again, the skies were dark and gloomy which was perfect..i really wanted some action in the sky.

Of course as i drove, in total 179 kilometres, the sun came out..but like life itself the skies changed..at times bright blue ..really vivid blue with puffy white clouds,then they would come over grey or almost black.sun peeking through.

It was a perfect reminder that nothing stays static.And that change can bring good things to us also.

So i found several fields,some down badly pot holed roads..well really pot holes with some gravel road attached!

I love the sense of freedom that i can just drive..no real destination often following the skies or distant vistas.

I would pull my car over get out open the boot and out comes the step ladder..and the tripod and of course my dear friend the camera.

There i am 54 years old with a tripod over 6 foot high precariously perched outside a farm fence..a step ladder and up i go..what a sight!

Farmers drive past very rarely but the customary nod or wave and off they go.

The sun was so lovely when it came out..the breeze was warm and scented and almost like a summer evening..and the sights were glorious.

And so i sit or stand atop my ladder taking pictures of the things that make my heart skip a little beat..the things that fill my eyes with joy and my body with energy..these are the gifts we get that cost nothing and give so much..a farmers back breaking work provides me the therapy i need.

Before i leave you to hopefully feel some therapy from these images i want to say thankyou for the wonderful feedback from my little venture i am starting.

Monday i shall be mailing the card sets to the winners..and soon i hope to have the finalised details of what i am planning..

As always please enjoy my day out with me..the bonus is your butt will not get numb from all the driving i did !

Loves Fozziemum

I love the different contrasts here

Crouching down to see what i could see

You know me and lone trees

Neatly lined up

Clouds coming in

Skies changing moods

Taking over the shot

Views to sooth the soul

Again contrasts make views interesting

Heading to where..i was winging it

Rust and gold

I hardly touched this is processing..amazing colour

I know this is technically weird but love this anyway

Expanse

Like a painting

Lovely

What the field is all about precious Canola

Then white..not Canola but just as glorious

Fields of beauty everywhere

Those skies ever changing

Close up of the white field flowers most likely fodder

Farm gates cannot keep the beauty from escaping

Tracks through the crops

The trees look very ominous against the vivid crops

Such a lovely sight

I made a Uturn so i could take this shot.i was so happy to see these sweet lambs

A sneak peek and a return next week

Forgive my extended absence my friends..i have missed you all and i will be back next week if you will have me..

Some cool images for my friends who are having a hot time of it..

Look forward to catching up with you all…much love Fozziemum

Winter fog on mountain tower @ Mount Alexander

Glistening dew bubbles on moss @ Mount Alexander

A congregation of tiny toadstools at the base of a tree stump @ Mount Alexander

Early sunrise views after a snow flurry @ Mount Alexander

Snow and tree roots hint at the chill @ Mount Alexander

A tiny twig looks mighty against the dew bubbles @ Mount Alexander

All alone a tiny toadstool shares the moss with some sprigs of colour @ Mount Alexander

I captured my images and left only my footprints @ Mount Alexander

The rumbling skies frame the pine trees and farm house @ Mount Franklin

Gum trees blossom @ Mount Franklin

Pine forest is dramatic and different to Eucalypts @ Mount Franklin

Playing with images taken @ Malmsbury of the Viaduct

The bridge over duck ponds @ Malmsbury

A compilation image of one i took @ Mount Alexander..a novelty over sized light bulb against the backdrop of mountains..i flipped one image and created a sphere..the image of mountains and clouds within is my take on a global perspective of nature

A different view

Hi guys..well the internet war continues..the landlines are back on..one phone though is dead..so needs replacing..hubby talked to the telco’s and they tried to explain the in’s and out’s of what is going on..i am still no clearer..so as i have been going bats over this..it struck me..bats!

Well grey-headed flying foxes to be exact.

These sweet and much maligned creatures live in a colony in Bendigo’s Centennial Park.

Before hubby and i headed to dinner in town for his birthday we went for a stroll  through here..we caught them as they were just starting to stir from their sleep.

I have been meaning to get pictures of them since we moved here so long over due.

The grey -headed flying fox is listed as Vulnerable on our species list.The adults have wingspans up to one metre or 3 feet and weigh in at a kilo or 2.2lb.

Please enjoy going ‘batty’ with me ..

 

Just hanging out in the park..like most kids

The little wings are really hands and protect from the drizzle we had

I see a fuzzy little head

Some still asleep..too early to party

Staring to stir an evening of fruit eating awaits

Snug and safe

Like decorations on a tree they are

Centennial parks gardens near the conservatory

Wild on Wednesday

Hi guys…well looks like i am back with the Wild folk again..a return of the roos has meant i am spoiled for photo ops..

They are healthy happy and flourishing..many joeys in pouches and many young males who seem to outnumber the girls…this should make for some very interesting times ahead!

I have spotted some real whopper boys too..three so far..and even from a distance i can see they are BIG!.. they seem to be staying mainly in our back paddock..interesting when i go for a walk..need to be a bit careful i think ..

I have shown a brief video this week and have an extended one which i will try and get up next week.

With the roos we are always cautious on our street..but even more so as a few are really random in their jumping..and i have tried to capture a picture to show how close they get to the road and you cannot see them until the last moment.

They are super camo and often ‘camp’ as they call it by the verges and when a head pops up it scares the beejeebers out of you..i would never forgive myself if i hit one..we have a young healthy Male who seems happy to camp at the back of our property and by himself..he may be branching out and looking to start his own mob..he is not injured ( i always try and check) and is eating and happy….so maybe this is his time to be the man of his own family!

I spot him when i get home from the shops..i get out of my car walk over near the barn and through the scrub and gumtrees i can see him resting…we play this game when i leave and when i come home..he seems quite bored with me 🙂

 

I took some pics of him for you all and also have included some of the roo that was by the road on our street..it is a deadend street and we are the last house so he is safe..we all take extra care on our street..we are quite proud of our roos 🙂 he also show how well camoflagued he is..certainly born to live and survive in our bush environment..he watched me ..and in two hops was across the road and giving me the ‘look’…later next week i will post the pics of the funny little roo that was already on the other side…he played peek a boo with me..it is not easy to take a quick pic with my camera on my lap in the car..with a dirty windscreen..so forgive the roadside pics 🙂

Have a great day i am off to bed to catch some zzzzz’s

 

Lone Male camping

 

Hears me

 

Decides to look around

 

Checking the direction of the noise (me)

 

Oh it’s her again!

 

See this great camo!

 

Over the other side in a second

Wild on Wednesday rewind

I imagine you have all guessed I am offline a bit these past few days..i am in a flare up..tired sore and hence unmotivated!
But I finally found my video in the deep recesses of my computer..and thought I would share it as my Wild Wednesday offering..it always makes me smile to watch my roos and they have been not so frequent as the grasses dry up…so please enjoy the Ketchup Mob.
So turn the volume up and fill the screen and excuse my spelling errors..sheesh..

Bashfuls New Years day adventure at Mossman Gorge

I was going to show you our New Years eve with Bashful ..the video for some reason will not upload to youtube..but we spent the evening on the beach at Palm Cove..watching fireworks on the barge at the end of the pier over the beautiful Coral Sea..we had a hankering for Fish and Chips but the only restaurant open was the Italian one..so they made us a kids serve and we ate this delicious food and enjoyed the fireworks and then headed back to our resort.

New years eve ..Bashful watching the fireworks at the beach

Well the first day of 2015..i awoke with what appeared to be a broken toe…it was like an eggplant and pretty dang sore…a pity as we had plans..and no bad toe was going to interfere!

We had booked for a guided tour through http://www.venturedeeper.com as they do Mossman Gorge tours.
This tour was for 3 hours so my toe would just have to ‘man up’ .
Mossman Gorge is not far past Port Douglas and we headed off with Bashful in the pea pod hire car .
As we approached the Gorge it was starting to rain..still humid and very warm the rain was refreshing and after all we were in the ‘wet tropics’.
We entered the Mossman Gorge Centre and were met by Rick our guide,he had umbrellas at the ready and to our absolute joy we were the only ones taking the tour with him!
This was going to be awesome!
The rain stopped as we went with Rick and caught a mini bus to our destination for the beginning of our walk..we had chosen the Upper Gorge walk (great with a toe like mine!)
Rick was a great guide , very knowledgeable about the plants the trees the environment and a musician also so Hubby was of course impressed!
The walk was stunning..not at all stressful on the feet..the scenery magical the water and giant stones awesome..the air was fresh with the smell of mosses and funghi. The canopy alive with birds and the water so clear and clean and full of native perch a protected species.
Rick explained the way the eco system worked here and we were amazed at the amount of diggings in the ground from feral pigs..he said they were a big problem and one that the lands caretakers were trying to manage as best as possible.To say we were impressed with this beautiful place would be an understatement!
Halfway through our tour we stopped at a gigantic strangler fig tree..where Rick pulled out of his backpack some thermos’s of water with a bit of lemon in them for us..very much appreciated!,then the trail mix and chocolates..we sat and chatted about life ,music, nature and family..a lovely break and in such serene surroundings!
I must say to that the resemblance of Rick to the actor Sam Elliot was uncanny..tall slim cowboy boots and an air of being totally at home here.
In a very candid conversation he explained his love of nature..he and his older brother used to shoot roos..they did this for feed for their dogs (many moons ago he said) and many country people did this.
One day apparently his brother shot one and when Rick went to prepare it for his dogs his brother said “no just leave it”
Rick never shot another roo..he could not comprehend the pointlessness of the roos death…like I said a candid conversation and an event that profoundly changed a young man and turned him into the man who had such respect for nature today and was so proud to share with us.

Our break over we continued our tour and before we knew it we were finished..3 hours of the natural world at it’s best spent with a man whose love for this gorge shone through every word he spoke.

When we returned we asked Rick if there was a good place for a safe swim..he got a piece of paper drew us a map and voila we had a place to cool off..we said thankyou and headed into the café for what was one of the best coffees I have had in a long time! Rick headeoff to take his daughter for a flying lesson!!
The following are some of the pics from our day..i have to do the second part tomorrow as there are many more of the water features and where we headed to with Rick’s map!

Mossman Gorge Centre

Arriving at the Gorge

Looking deep into the gorge wilderness

Beautiful mountains

The story of the mountain

Another view into the forest

Now this is impressive

Sticky bean tree

The sticky bean tree story

I loved how the light fell on some little patches in the rainforest..highlighting them for just a moment

The sky seems so close to the canopy

A funghi lovers paradise

Bashful chilling in the gorge

A strangler fig..these roots sound hollow when you touch them..unbelievable they hold such giant structures

More amazing funghi

The giant Strangle fig we stopped at for a break..Bashful really impressed

The strangler fig story

Look at these beautiful toadstools

The pattern on the trunk of this amazing tree looks like a tiger in the bush!

Wow..i was so enamoured of this beauty..look at the colour!

So pop back tomorrow and I shall continue our trek through Mossman Gorge..a day that was yet again spent in awe of our amazing world.

Wild on Wednesday

It has been a while since I did a Wild feature..the roos lately have headed to find greener grass and there sure is NO green grass here at the moment.

I miss their visits and I think they are mainly down the back paddocks where the dams on everyones properties ,including ours, provide much needed water that has dried from the grasses and foliage.

So apart from being busy and the roos being elusive I was kind of stumped as to what I could feature from our little property..i did the Stumpies and a lot of people were very amazed at them some people even kind of scared by them,funny the way we react to reptiles even when usually none of us will ever see the things that scare us so much!

Last night I ran out of milk, so Hubby headed off to the shops,it 7.30pm and still light..i got a call on my mobile

‘Hey grab some gloves and come down the driveway’

I could hear our sheep baa’ing but for some stupid reason instantly thought we had a cow loose somewhere! go figure..not a cow close by anywhere..

No what we had was a Tortoise! Hubby has driven down the driveway and seen an odd dirty looking thing and braked in time to stop..there he was..Tutor Turtle..

He bought him up to the house,he was very dry and had come from either the dam over the neighbours or the dam on the other side of our property.

Either way he was headed to bush without water and near the road of our street.

We popped him in the pups pool,added some big concrete blocks so he could get out and in and left him to settle and get some water ,after tea we came out and he was in the bottom of the pool happily swimming around,so off we went and took him to our dam down the back.

Here he will have shelter from reeds, food from the yabbies ,frogs, and leeches..and as much as we have had no rain our dam is much deeper than the one he has wandered from.

I am almost certain I have seen a Tortoise in our dam so he will have company also and there is not a road in sight so if he wanders again he will be safe!

We watched him as we set him just in the water’s edge..the sun was starting to go and when he was ready he stretched his neck out had a peek and off he went to discover his new home.

He left nothing but some bubbles in the surface..i wish you well Tutor..Drizzle Drazzle Drazzle Drone…time for this one to come home.

Tutor : He is an Eastern Snake necked Tortoise..he was most likely a male due to his smaller size.He was about 9inches in diameter and had a flatter body than the fuller females

They get the name snake neck because unlike other tortoises or turtles they do not ‘pop’ their heads in and out they wrap them around and under the shell.

They also have the nickname ‘Stinker’ because they have glands that release a really foul smell when picked up or scared..and yes PEE YEW he was letting them rip!

Please enjoy a very different Wild Wednesday with these pics and the little video.

 

In the pups pool..getting some much needed water

Finally a little foot pokes out

Having a peek around

Lovely little critter

Putting some water on his little shell

Showing Tutor his new digs

That neck right out and off he goes

Nothing but some bubbles to know he is there

The sun setting on another great adventure here at home

Spring and the lizards are enjoying the garden

Well I was pretty excited yesterday..i spotted a Blue tongue lizard while I was making a coffee..grabbed the camera and off I went..he was beautiful..not happy with me bursting in on his sunbathing though…I took some pics..guided him off our driveway and came back in..

Blue tongue

Enjoying the sunshine

Later as I was heading out to the shops I found two Stumpy Tail lizards heading towards the garden..i went and grabbed the camera again and spotted a third one! talk about a busy yard!..

Two Stumpies heading to the garden

The lush garden full of snails is the big drawcard for the lizards

I love this ones dark colouring

This big one heading into the garden with a snail in it’s mouth

Eventually one of the Stumpies headed off back to the bush…and then this one did the same thing..off through the fence..

Off back to the bush

So later in the evening when I was watering the garden I spotted a small burrow in the sugar cane mulch…

A little burrow

I had a peek and it was the darker Stumpy..but guess what….
Yep this dark Stumpy was not alone….

Baby Stumpy!

So the darker one is a mum! and this little guy was in the burrow with mum..

What a busy busy garden!

Baby was very light in colour so different to mum!

So it seems we have four Stumpies in residence..and because the pups and kitties are all out the back I have no worries about them sharing the garden..i won’t need snail pellets at all now!
Just have to watch for snakes..they all like the same thing..