Blossom August 2017

The spring blossom is well and truly  out in Melbourne, but in colder Ballarat it's still mostly  buds.
I'm walking down Sturt Street every work morning now, and yesterday I saw this lovely cherry tree dropping pink blossom over the footpath.

Canadian Creek May 2017

I've been pottering around Canadian Creek, just near Poverty Point trying to match up the mining settlements on the nineteenth century survey maps with what is here now. This spot was full of people and their mining gear and huts 150 years ago.

The land has been mined and lived on and covered with rubbish and cleaned up and now replanted with local trees and shrubs. They are growing well, as you can see when I stand Mr Pip against the last one on the right of this photo.

Custard tarts

This is the best custard tart in Ballarat, possibly in Victoria. Better than the Portuguese style in Journal cafe, better than Chinese Dan tarts. Rich, soft & flaky pastry. Sweet cool custard inside.
Plating Works makes these. They sell at the Lakeside Markets and in Wilsons - occasionally.

Custard tart, white nectarine, Queensland green tea. Perfect Autumn snack.

Summer lushness

I walked down through Victoria Park to see the annual begonia display in the Botanical Gardens by Lake Wendouree.

The luxury of the cool green grass in the gardens, when all the city is parched this late end of summer, was wonderful.

The conservatory was already full of people who love begonias.

I participated too, in the happiness of masses of wildly fluorescent, frilly and fleshy-petalled begonias.

Once begonia flowers were modest, tough little rainforest plants like these.

Now here they are, in their humid glasshouse, safe from the dry, alien summer of Ballarat. A triumph  of a hundred years of gardening art.

Illuminations

Coming in to Ballarat for the White Night illuminations. 

In a minute the sun went down 

the lights came on.

A beautiful night

Lake walk late evening

Despite the dog's best efforts

This evening we got to the lake a little later than usual. 

It feels as if the summer is finally cooling down a little, gentler and autumnal.

Deep winter, July 2015

Seven in the morning.  It's minus 4 centigrade. Yesterday morning it was minus 6. Really cold and beautiful. Even the dog hesitated before going out. His nose, my nose, both numb.

We waited for the sun to rise before going out for our walk.

   It was still very cold!

The marigolds have kept blooming as the winter has been mild until a few weeks ago.

 

 

 

It was icier, more frosted and slippery, outside our protected garden. We had to walk very, very carefully.

Chinese gold rush memories

Pottering along Victoria Street on a beautiful late autumn afternoon. I'm looking for the house of Henry Quock Ping who was a doctor of Chinese medicine here in 1873

   

Down in the former Main Street business area, the new memorial to the Chinese heritage of Ballarat is looking good. Hopefully it will be finished by Heritage Weekend.

Open Monument by John Young. 

A sculpture to celebrate what the Gold Rush Chinese brought to Ballarat. 

Red Poppies and Crimson Rosellas

One hundred years since the Gallipoli landing, and I loved the kindness and care in the hand-made poppies. Remembering with love. 

Then this afternoon, looking out the window after rain, I saw the Crimson Rosellas.

The second rosella can just be seen at the far right.

The instagram effect is not deliberate - just an inept photographer.