After a year

This morning I took some pictures of Victoria Park as I walked the dogs. I realise it's been almost a year since I posted a similar picture - when I began to use a camera and to write online as well as on paper.

I began blogging to share some of my life with people in Melbourne I didn't see so much when I moved to Ballarat. However my friends and family didn't read it! They preferred letters and phonecalls and visits.

But I came to love the process of looking closely at my day, using images to focus my words. I read other blogs, followed links, learned a lot, and I found some writers whose posts became a vital part of my day.

A few days ago I took another step and put out a few comments. And I got some back. Thank you! I feel full of spring, like the yellow lilies in the park.

Sundews

There are tiny sundews in the verge along Gillies Street, but only for a few weeks so you'll have to enjoy them now.

camellias and silk to remember

This post is in memory of a bit of Ballarat I loved. Sadly there doesn't seem to have been much local comment on its passing.

In order to modernise the golf course, build a new housing estate and widen the road into Ballarat the long, deep, shady avenue of beautiful old pine trees, alongside the Avenue of Honour, has been obliterated.

Huge old trees, mysterious little old sheds, deep pine-needle paths,

all the scent and colour that cooled summer walks and sheltered winter ones have gone in a few weeks.

The old pro store must have had the mossiest roof in Ballarat. Behind the store there are some doomed camellia bushes and I'm trying to grow some cuttings from them.

This is my nifty miniature cutting greenhouse made from a plastic raspberry container.

I did the Gardening Australia thing and dipped the cuttings in the best redgum honey.

Here are some of the camellia flowers that I picked when the dogs and I slipped behind the wrecker's fence.

I'm making a scarf for a friend from rescued pieces of fog-grey and camellia-coloured silk. She loved the old avenue too.

Changing skies 2

Yesterday's sky

No clothes on the clothes line today

Just water and light.

and more lovely rain may fall tomorrow.

Changing skies

The soft days of early spring are over. Hazy blue skies have deepened to lapis lazuli, and the intense light makes reading outdoors difficult without a shady hat.

Larking about Daylesford

We woke up to a warm dry morning - third in a row - and drove over to Daylesford. At the Sunday market I found a yellow glass platter and a bag of garden-grown grapefruit. Yin bought the serious food while I pottered.





Then I found the new Lark shop. At Last. I've been following it's creation on the Lark blog spot http://the-lark.blogspot.com/. The shop was as charming as I expected and I bought a little Ladybird purse and MixTape Zine.

When I got home, late in the afternoon, a desperate dog insisted that he, I and Kitty-the-sheepdog set out at once for a walk.

Kitty was happily lying in the grubbiest spot in the garden, but she was willing to come along too - when she'd thought it over for a bit.

The plum blossom has already gone above the side gate and we walked out under a mass of deep purple native hibiscus. Daylight saving began this morning and summer is on its way.

Chthonic

With the recent rain and warmth these hand-sized funghi heaved the earth out of their way,

and mushroomed into the sports ground of the high school across the road.

The school grounds have been empty because of the term holiday, so they have had three days of quiet to emerge.

On Monday the students return. I'm afraid that when I walk through Monday evening all this amazing effort will be for nothing and someone won't have been able to resist kicking them out of the ground.