Jacaranda time again

The glorious purple haze of the Jacaranda are once more bursting out with exuberance. Reminding me that it is just a year since I achieved a long-held dream to visit Grafton at Jacaranda festival time.

I did mention the visit just as I shut off for a year. I did say I would post about the experience soon!!!

(See that promise here …. https://pommepal.wordpress.com/2016/12/24/time-has-flown/ )

The world-renowned Jacaranda Festival is held annually in Grafton, Northern Rivers New South Wales, from the last weekend in October to the first weekend in November.

Inaugurated in 1934, this was the first of Australia’s folk festivals and celebrates the magnificent spectacle of the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees that grow in Grafton’s broad tree lined avenues. Henry Volkers introduced the first Jacaranda trees to Grafton and each year the trees are celebrated, although it has changed over the years to adapt to today’s society, this traditional event is still widely celebrated within the town.

The oldest floral festival still celebrated in Australia, was first appreciated in a much different way. It was one of the few means of entertainment to look forward to. So when Jacaranda time rolled around, the town was in high spirits. Even during the difficult times of WWII, this festival had a way of uplifting the community and giving them something wonderful to celebrate. https://jacarandafestival.com/history/

Finally I was to see this wonderful display. A dream come true. We stayed in a delightful Airbnb farm cottage just on the outskirts of town and for 3 days I was able to immerse myself in the sight of these majestic trees.

Of course we took LOTS of photos…

We came across a vintage car display. I liked how the splashes of red/orange stood out under the purple canopy. A good combo colour idea for art I thought…

 I took this photo as I really liked the lovely old Queenslander with the picket fence framed by the purple Jacaranda. The falling blossoms make a beautiful carpet. I must draw or paint that I thought. But of course I haven’t, yet…

Another great colour combination.

Did you know there are white Jacarandas? I didn’t till I saw these. I looked them up and discovered they are quite rare, the Jacaranda is indigenous to South America.

I took so many photos but I think this was my favourite.

After a satisfying day it was a pleasure to sit on the veranda of the farm cottage and watch the sun set over the  Clarence River.

Golden hour. (This has not been photo shopped…)

The sunset reflects the colours I have been seeing all day.

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RAIN…..

Breaking and falling news.

It is pouring with rain and it is forecast to last till Tuesday.

After almost 3 months I’m ecstatic, the garden is loving it.

Now I can really get into redesigning my garden…

watch this space

G’day, from a very hot springtime in Australia

The year has flown by and past experiences are falling into the shadowy recesses of my mind. As I grow older the ability to remember the details of what happened and when grows dim.

We are encouraged to live in the now, savour the moment, and I do. Life is so busy and full of activity, but my aging brain struggles to recall the details of past happenings, and there has been quite a few (I think!!!)

Now what where they…

In my quest to try different artistic activities, with varying degrees of success, I have even stopped taking many photos. That reliable record of dates and things done.

Here are just a few of the sketches and paintings I have done during the past year…

So what about the “year of the artistic endeavour”? Oh my, that sounds rather pretentious. Well I’ve discovered I am definitely no Renoir or Turner or even a Pollock. Not even a Grandma Moses, but maybe I still have time to aspire to that as I have another 5 years to go till I reach 80. I really enjoy dabbling and being absorbed in my right brain activities. But I lack the determination to put in hours of  practice, I flit from this to that, easily giving up if it doesn’t work out the first time (and it seldom does). Too many distractions, and I’m easily distracted…

I live in the present and plan for the future and the next adventure. Now I suddenly realise my life is rushing by unrecorded….

Anyway do I really want to spend what’s left of life concentrating on one endeavour, trying to reach perfection…

So I’ve decided to embrace everything that comes along and just dabble and play at life. Don’t feel guilty if I don’t put in the hours of practice trying to achieve perfection.

Just enjoy life and be thankful I am healthy.

Time to return, periodically, to Blogland to try and capture and record some of the past years experiences and relive some of the magic moments before they disappear for ever in the relentless march of time and the ever accumulating new activities and outings…

One constant joy has been watching the garden through the seasons and now spring has arrived, though it is so hot, reaching and breaking all previous temperature records, it feels more like summer. The garden is in glorious bloom. So I will end with a few photos I took this morning…

So here I am back again. It has been a long time since I posted in WordPress and I quite surprised myself that I could remember how to do it.

So G’day to my friends out there, I’ll look forward to chatting with you again.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge : Up on high.

Be careful walking under the she oak trees when they are full of nuts. They are also full of Galahs tucking in and dropping the shells on unsuspecting passers-by who do not look up…

Notice how spiky those nuts are?

Galahs are very cheeky, I think he is grinning, he has just scored a bull’s-eye on a tourist!!!

Of course one of the most beautiful sights to be seen when you look up is the ever-changing sky.

Keep looking up! I learn from the past, dream about the future and look up.

There’s nothing like a beautiful sunset to end a healthy day.

Rachel Boston

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So many people walk around with their eyes downcast.

This week Nancy tells us to look up.

Thursday Doors : The outback pub in a Ghost Town

Along a red, dusty road in the outback of Western Australia this door leads into the tavern. It is all that remains of the town of Broad Arrow. A simple corrugated iron shack.

The town was gazetted in 1896, and at its peak during the gold rush, it had 15,000 residents, eight hotels, a soft drink factory, two breweries, a hospital and a stock exchange. By the mid 1920s the rush was over and the town was virtually abandoned.

The walls are covered in names and messages, some recent and some dating back to the early 1900’s.

Come inside…

It’s rather dim and gloomy but it still serves beers and a basic roast meal if you are hungry and it offers accommodation. But, thankfully, we had our own travelling accommodation with us.

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Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time) 

Thursday Doors : Through the glass doors…

I visit the Murwillumbah Art Gallery quite often. The most recent visit I show cased Margaret Olley and her amazing art and the studio she worked in.

But the building is also a delight to walk around and as I passed these glass doors the beauty of the light and the shadows the late afternoon sun created I thought was also a work of art.

Stepping outside on to the deck the stunning scenery of the Tweed Valley unfolds before me and has me trying to capture the picture perfect art of nature.

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time)

Wordless Wednesday : Up, Up and Away…

Garden Photography Challenge : Essence of Summer

In early summer, October and November in this part of the world, summer is heralded in with the glorious, flamboyant display from 2 trees, that to me, shout “summer is coming”.

Neither are natives, but they have been planted as street trees in many areas.

The lovely lavender shades of the Jacaranda mass planted are a joy to behold.

The display is only short-lived. Often wild winds will devastate the display and a carpet of leaves are all that is left.

The town of Grafton, about 300 kilometres south of here, is famous for its streets lined with these beautiful trees and each year they have a Jacaranda festival in early November. This year I am going to be there and have pre-booked accommodation. Expect many more Jacaranda photos then…

As the Jacaranda fades the vibrant Poinciana takes centre stage.

Our local shopping street has them featured. I also have a young one in my garden. As yet it has to come into full flower, maybe it will this year, it is now about 10 years old.

June has slipped by and this is the last of the “essence of summer” challenge from Jude, “earth laughs in flowers”. I have enjoyed remembering summer as winter is now biting down under, but the shortest day has been and gone and we are now on our way back to summer…

Next month we will be looking at the “edible garden”.

Randomly chosen partners…

Beauty and the beast

Lorikeets are partners for life

Traditional Korean wedding outfit

Jiving with your partner on the streets at the Tauranga jazz festival

Another random selection for this weeks WP challenge “partners”

Thursday Special : Mirroring…

It’s summer, surf’s up and time spent with friends is priceless at Burleigh Beach

Sacred cows mirrored in still waters in India

Queenstown, New Zealand botanic gardens

Southern Alps New Zealand

It is the reflections mirrored  in water that often catch my eye. So when Paula challenged us with the theme “mirroring” I came up with a gallery of random images I have captured  during my travels and of course at my beach…