On a clear and cold June day, I turned another year older and celebrated my birthday day with a bushwalk in a forest not far from home. With the sun high in Winter's blue sky, we rugged up in several layers against a chilly and brisk wind and set off to picnic in the Samford Conservation Park. Our picnic spot, in a red ironbark forest, is just over the ridge from our place.
To add something warm and nourishing to our packed picnic lunch, we drove the 'long way round' and stopped in at a local bakery, in the Samford Village, for pies. Mine was fresh and hot from the oven and filled with lentils, tomato, onion and zucchini. Along with the sweet strawberries and other goodies we'd packed, it made for a simple and warming lunch.
At our quiet picnic spot, we chose a table under the trees from where we could hear the whip birds calling and watch the kookaburras perched upon their branches. This fellow kept a keen eye on us as we ate our lunch and we left him in charge of our picnic basket when we headed off on our bushwalk.
Along the winding, rocky track we took, the ground was carpeted with fallen eucalyptus leaves. Either side of the track grow the forest's trees, so many being straight and tall and thin like matchsticks in comparison to the older specimens among them with their thicker trunks and their rough and deeply furrowed bark. These are the ironbarks after which the gully we looped around is named.
Two trunks in the forest.
Being Winter, there were very few native flowers in bloom but the forest's foliage, shaded in a myriad of gorgeous greens, was beautiful against a backdrop of barks.
The green of a young grass tree.
Spending time in the forest, with the high blue sky above, the ground firmly underfoot and tall trees all around, felt the perfect way to spend some of my day.
Meg
It looks so peaceful and still there. I do enjoy a picnic on a cold, clear winter's day.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Meg. X
Thanks, Jules. It was a peaceful spot to picnic. The bush track was very quiet; we didn't meet anyone else along the way so the only sounds were of our footsteps, the wind rustling the leaves and the birds. MegXx
DeleteA Belated happy birthday to you, it sounds like you had a wonderful day. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos of a beautiful wood, so different from anything we have round here.
ReplyDeleteWe have the exact same picnic blanket!
Thank you! I love to see photographs of the 'woods' that grow so dense and green in your part of the world too. They are so very different to the drier, more open bushlands here. We do have beautiful rainforests too in Australia but these thrive in areas of higher rainfall.
DeleteI love our old red picnic blanket. It's gotten a lot of use over the years!
MegXx
Happy belated birthday, Meg.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. It was a lovely way to spend the day.
DeleteMegXx
From your photos it looks like it was a perfect day for a picnic Meg.
ReplyDeletePerfect picnic weather, Sherri. It was lovely to be outdoors and to enjoy the forest. MegXx
DeleteHappy Birthday it sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate....if you went to the French Bakery in the village their chicken and veggie pies are amazing. Our family went to our local spot just after the orders were lifted to have a family BBQ however the place was full so we all turned around and went to my sisters place instead. We are going on Saturday so will go early and the spot we usually get is never busy even if other parts of the park are. I'm looking forward to some family bush walks myself this week. Have a good week. Kathy
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely way to spend my birthday, Kathy. The picnic spot and bushwalking track were very quiet. I hope you enjoy your BBQ on Saturday. It's perfect weather for it. MegXx
DeleteWhat a lovely way to spend your birthday. Many Happy Returns!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosie. I had a lovely day with the picnic and bushwalk and a cake that my son and husband made together. Simple things and happy things.
DeleteMegXx
I love the forest, too. That bird looks so happy, like he's smiling. I love your tablecloth and picnic basket. You've got style.
ReplyDeleteKookaburras are one of my favourite birds, Stephanie. They are often cheeky characters. 🙂
DeleteMegXx
I can't imagine any better way to spend a special day. Thanks for sharing with us. I have a June birthday, too....and always thought I'd love if my day was a cold crisp one instead of the hot and humid ones I usually get. Lucky you!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a lovely June birthday too and that it wasn't so hot for your day this year.
DeleteI love that my birthday is during the colder part of our year because our Summers are usually scorchers. A bushwalk on such a day would hold no appeal for me at all. Meg:)
Happy (quite belated) Birthday! Your bush walk sounds delightful! I'm not a fan of our Australian bush however I really love the bush smells - the eucalypts, the moist winter soil, gum and wattle flowers. So relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Evi. We have this drier bushland close to home but also the deeper green of rainforest a short drive away up a mountain range. I love the contrast of the two; their greens, plants, temperatures, creatures and scents too are so different.
DeleteMegXx