Australian King-Parrots

A couple of Australian King-Parrots came to visit us the other day. They took me by surprise as that’s never happened before. I have seen them fly over the house and far away but never this close.

They were on our veranda having a chat with our pet bird Amore the Alexandrine Parakeet.

Amore was not impressed and had been doing her squawky pants impersonation for about half an hour. I thought I better check what all the noise was about and this is what I saw.

The fence thingy that the male is standing on is a temporary fence  – my effort to keep all the Muscovy ducks away from the veranda. It works some times 😉

Aren’t they stunning – the male has a completely red head and the female has a completely green head and breast.

Male Australian King-Parrot (Wide Bay, Queensland)

Female Australian King-Parrot (Wide Bay, Queensland)

Male and Female Australian King-Parrots (Wide Bay Queensland)

 

Male Australian King-Parrot (Wide Bay Queensland)

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Friday Photos

My sister came for a visit and took some photos. Always good to look from a different perspective.

Sugar Cane has been harvested in a nearby farm

(but the Crush, as they call the 6 months of cutting and crushing of cane, still has a few months to go).

A cane train in the middle of the town of Bundaberg is taking the sugar cane to the mill nearby.

The cane is then crushed and turned into the different types of sugary stuff that we use for so many things.

Smoke in the distance from a fire (maybe a back burn or a sugar cane burn off)

A total fire ban is now in place because of the high risk fire conditions (including the drought)

Me kissing the horse next door (Clancy) on the nose

He wants it to rain so he can get some decent grass happening!

The trees are green but the grass is like brittle, dry hay

We’re collecting fresh branches for the mini-goats and alpacas

the boyboys go chompy chomp

Who are you?

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Note: All photos in this blog post are by Lisa Crook. Thanks for the photos Lisa – did some minor editing but I’m sure you won’t mind 🙂

Paradise pre Federal Election (photos)

The race is on Australia

There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – so there!

But the spring strawberries are ripening just fine 🙂

The cumquat, lavender, bayleaf and rosemary patch is coming along sweet

cumquat may

life goes on

Buttons the calf will chew on the issues and ponderate the cruel nature inherent in life itself

The alpacas are more concerned about the state of their hair on a windy day

Merlin is getting very nervous with the approaching weekend.

Saturday is the annual shear for our alpacas, so get ready to say goodbye to the long locks (oh, and it’s the election #eek)

photo from googles images

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haiku

sounds like fun

splashing in the bird bath

water tinkling

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If you want to know more about haiku and related forms I highly recommend you pop over to Australian poet Ashley Cape’s blog where he has done a terrific short series of ‘lectures’ on the subject which I found very inspiring.

Ashley covers:

Background

Form and Structure (syllables, kireji and kigo, related forms)

Compositional Techniques (1 & 2)

I found them so inspiring that on the night of reading his posts I had a very vivid dream where I wrote a haiku using the sense switching technique (compositional technique no. 2) and I was worried that I would forget the haiku so I wrote it down (in my dream). On waking I had (typical 😉 ) forgotten the haiku.

I had another dream a few days later where I wrote down 3 haiku and yes, I forgot those as well.

I do have a technique where I can re-enter my dreams if I wish (you can too if you want to) but I would rather let my subconscious do it’s own thing and not interfere too much – it all works out in the end.

tallyhoo 🙂

puffnstuff

A calf was born a couple of weeks ago in our back paddock. Our neighbour asked us if he could keep some cattle on our property for a while to separate them from the rest of his herd.

He also asked the kids to name the calf.

Tessa came up with Buttons for the calf and Rose for the mother 🙂

I love those names.

I wanted to call them both ‘the calf/cow that cannot be named’ so that we won’t get too attached to them (for obvious reasons).

I’m always saying to the kids ‘don’t get too attached to the cows’. We’ve already bought one beastie off the neighbour to ‘save’ him from his final trip (Black Moo – you may remember).

Which reminds me, the other day Michael had a day out with a friend and when he got home he said to me ‘don’t get too attached to me Mum’.

hahahaha

I said ‘it’s too late for that son, I’m your Mum’!

Michael has been taking some happy snaps and was keen to share them with the world:

Buttons the calf with mum Rose (and friend) by Michael Bryden

Michael also got a couple of photos of the alpacas.

He was very chuffed with this one because it is very rare for both alpacas to have a rest at the same time in the day (one is usually standing up and on the lookout for predators – as you do, when you are a tasty herd animal)

Merlin and Spirit having a snooze by Michael Bryden

I prefer this one (because you can tell they are still alive):

‘Merlin spoils it’ by Michael Bryden

But Michael was unimpressed and hence the label ‘Merlin spoils it’ 😉

He cracks me up that kid!

Anyhoo, chaos is still upon us in Bryden land. We all had the flu which was great fun #not and Michael is off on Saturday for a 7 day bus trip to Canberra via Sydney (and even gets to go to a snow field).

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odds and ends

First time Broccoli

Double Trouble – I’m the headless chook bottle feeding Raspberry and Pippin

Sheba is very unimpressed with the ever increasing size of the pack (and her order in it 😉 )

Can you guess what this is?

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Note:

Having some technical and other issues at the moment.

My PC is on the way out and needs to be replaced ASAP. It is literally falling apart.

My rural (even though we are only 10 minutes drive to a major town) internet connection is as slow as a wet week (and to make it worse my monthly download allowance has been reached – thanks to the kiddliewinks)

My email is not working so I have to use another computer to access my email! It is some sort of bug related to updates.

And most importantly, my brother Daniel has been very ill in hospital for the past week (though is now at home) and is having great difficulty eating and drinking because of  a chronic condition 😦

The good news is the kids are back at school and almost enjoying it 🙂

Elysian Fields in Autumn

Is that a wee leprechaun I see?

Some of our Muscovy ducks (the ducklings joined them yesterday) 🙂

Our bamboo forest (some would call it a windbreak 😉 )

A leprechaun house that fell out of a tree!

Our new Silkie rooster (Edgar Allen Poe) enjoying the company of his ladies (Snowy – the main gal, Vegemite, Henny Penny and Ms Eagle)

My newly established vege patch (tomatoes,oregano, basil, capsicum, eggplant, silver beet, chives, lettuce etc.,)

Wake Up Gabe!

Spring is springing!

Snakes are shimmering

Bubbas are bouncing

The hungry are listening

Witchetty grubs are wriggling

😉

Sunflower Power and Happy Day Snaps

Archiving some photos for the Memory Bank 🙂

A while ago now, but worth remembering (Burkes Backyard Magazine, March 2009)

Michael’s super duper sunflowers!

‘smile and the world smiles with you …’

Andy the Great with his son Michael’s Super Sunflowers!

Yes, very tall they were!

Where’s the ball Jazz?

Do you want to play too Bruno?

One of you will have to be the umpire

That game of tennis was a dog’s breakfast – I’m off!

Emu’s are just plain rude (and scary)!

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flowers, froggy and doggy surgery

splash of red on green 🙂

‘Acalypha hispida (Chenille Plant)
Euphorbiaceae

Traditional remedy or use: Used in Indonesia a vermifuge, to treat colic and intestinal disorders; also used as a poultice for sores. As a food source, the leaves are boiled and eaten.

Modern remedy or use: Still used in Indonesia.’

Source:  Plants of the Medicinal Garden (Palm Beach State College 2012) – thanks to Robert and Dawn for identification

green on pink 🙂

blue 😦 on brown on green

Sheba the Labradoodle dandy

Sheba is having surgery today! She will be having 6 small benign tumours (they look like little pink brains the size of peas) removed from paws and body. I will pick her up this afternoon and give her extra cuddles. She may find it hard to forgive me but food and smoochy cuddles will go a long way to getting back in her good books.

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