A HAPPY FLOOD

Hello

It may sound strange to be excited by a flood, but there it is:

local flash flooding caused by a heavy storm, possibly aided by a high tide downtream in the Brisbane River...

After the months of the Summer of Horror, heatwaves and bushfires, we are thrilled to have this bounty from Mother Nature...

This is Moggill Creek, alongside of which is a popular local walking track...

Today's flood was so quick, the bus driver was caught unawares, and could not cross the flooded creek.

Passengers were soon out, standing on the bridge and taking photos..

And the locals were there as well, including the Red Cardinals, armed with cameras and big smiles.

We Aussies have been water-starved for a very long time....

Raindrops on roses..

Yes, the Red Cardinal garden is finally getting into flowering like Springtime - although Autumn is only a few weeks away..

For several months, we had not a bloom in sight during the Big Heat..

Our lawn has come back to bright green, so pretty..

More raindrops on roses..

We almost lost a tree fern in this garden, but it has grown a new frond.

The cheeky cockatoos still come looking for food, watching me at breakfast time...

New cushion, K mart, $8.00!!

It is time for a watery picture:

Rahel Ungwanaka, 1946- Arrernte/Luritja people NT. 'Waterbirds' 2002

Rahel Ungwanaka, another painter and potter from the Hermannsburg School in Central Australia (see previous post).  A founding member of the Hermannsburg Potters, her work is known for her quirky and irreverent painting style, and dramatic depictions of the Western MacDonnell landscape, as seen in this picture of the country associated with the work of the late indigenous artist Albert Namatjira {1902-1959}

Have a great week

xxxx

WET, HOT, COLD

Last weekend we had what is now described as a 'Weather Event'....

We had an old-fashioned downpour, followed by a local flood:

Little Aussie was here, so we went to have a boy look...

Sadly, the weather event escalated as it went down the East Australian coast, causing havoc in Sydney, and more a day later in Tasmania.

While we were at the park by the creek, Aussie took some exercise.

He was very restless being confined to the house because of the heavy rain...

His 'Impromptu on Playground Vibes' was a delight to the ear....

I plucked a sprig of this coleus plant from the garden at my father's care facility.  It has grown quickly - a little memory of my Dad, to share with my family.

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree...

What with global warming and all, even after a few cold mornings, Winter is finding it hard to set in here.  
Back up went the temperatures after the rain, with record-breaking highs for June around the State.  We had 27c here yesterday.  
The hibiscus are happy of course.
And a nicely cold morning is forecast for Saturday.
Goody, scarf and coat time.

Remember the great nasturtium getaway of 2015?
Well, it self-sewed itself and re-emerges from the pot, hell-bent on escaping over the railings and down 3 metres to the ground.
Nearly made it last year....

Thank you all, dear Readers, for your kind and beautiful comments on my previous post.  I have really appreciated your caring presence.

The loss of a parents is a rite of passage, I suppose, at any age.
I am suddenly the oldest living person in my birth family.

Does that make me a matriarch?  Do I even want to be one?

I am not sure...

Keep warm...

and have a lovely weekend wherever you are.

XXXXX

A TOUCH OF PINK AND A FLOOD

Hello, lovely readers...

Duchess Kate has gone to the hospital - the world's attention moves to London..

and my new Geraldton Wax shrub had its first two tiny pink blooms today.

Could it be a sign?

These are my neighbour's roses..

and these are mine.  She wins!

I see the punters are predicting a girl, and the favoured name is Alice.

Princess Alice sounds pretty.

We chose Alice for one of our children, who turned out to be a boy.

That was back in the day when you never knew what you'd get until your baby arrived...

By the time you read this, we may already know!

Made these lemon crunch muffins today.

They are mouth-watering.

The recipe was featured on Shane's beautiful blog,

Roses, Lace and Brocante.  

Pop over and have a look - I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do - the recipe appeared 3 days ago.

Brisbane has been inundated by an abnormal rain deluge with violent storms over the past two days.

Flash floods everywhere, and high winds.

We are fine, but shockingly, there have been five people lose their lives in separate incidents in floodwaters.

There were dozens of rescues in just a few short hours - so sad.

Our creek has flooded overnight and remains high and swift-flowing.

I saw debris up to 4 metres above the current water level.

Nature can be harsh in Australia..

Last week we took my Dad (94, and still loves an outing)

to view a dam in the hinterland...

It is Autumn, so some trees are skeletal, and striking to see in the bright sunlight..

We found this interesting, rounded, sculpture...

which on close inspection turned out to be:

An Eagle!

I'm not doing a capsule travel wardrobe post..
done it before, always take the same things, and the only real decision made is which scarf to take.  Or beret, purchased in Paris for fun in Quebec.

However, I have been working on my system of packing the other essentials for a month of living out of a suitcase.
Inspired by a post on Tamera Beardsley, last year, I have followed her system, 
necessarily adding another couple of bags for medicals and the clear plastic on-board baggie for liquids required on international flights.
I like to be organised, and maybe, just once, I won't come home to find that something has disappeared somewhere along the way...


Wolf Hall is on TV tonight - we are still enjoying it.

Happy weekend 

XXXX