Shades of Pink

Different shades of pink, from delicate and pale to bright and deep, ...

 Pink petals of a Cranberry Hibiscus bloom.

Pale pink strawberry  smoothie.

Deep foxglove pink.

A fluffy pink puffball.

Playing with pinks for a quilt patch.

Bright pink salvia bloom.

...are such pretty variations on a sweet colour.

Meg

The Carlo Sand Blow at Rainbow Beach

As the view of the Carlo Sandblow opens up, at the end of the forest track that takes you up there, the sheer size of it takes your breath away.  A vast expanse of golden sand covers the landscape in every direction; a 15hectare sandy "moonscape" whose colours change along with daytime's light.

It's impossible to capture the enormity of the sandblow in one single photograph. Instead, your eyes travel along and across and down; taking in the length and breadth and depth of an incredible natural phenomenon:

From out on the sandblow, formed over thousands of years by strong on-shore winds blowing grains of sand up and inland (My mind boggles at just how many tiny individual grains of sand there would be!), the views are stunning:

We visited in the late afternoon, when the day's warmth and light were fading, and stayed for the setting of the sun. 

Our legs were weary indeed after exploring the sandblow; walking, running, jumping and climbing its expanse of fine, deep sand left us with the contented tiredness that days out in nature, at a place like this, send you home with.

Meg

The Cliffs at Rainbow Beach

There's a spectacular place, about a three hour drive from here, where stunning cliffs of rainbow-coloured sands tower over the shore. Of course, it's called Rainbow Beach, after the more than 70 different coloured sands that make these cliffs, and this place, so very unique.

     A distant view of the cliffs at Rainbow Beach. 

     A closer look!

     A rainbow of colours  in the ancient sands.

Nature's earthy hues.

We are not long home from spending a few days exploring this part of the world. It's been more than twenty years since we were last there and, for our boy, this was his first visit. He found the array of colours in the crumbly sands captivating. Yellow, orange, red, brown, black and white and a myriad of ochre-coloured hues in between. 

Deep ochre colours in the rocks.

Ripples of colour represent the passage of time.

The cliffs are rich, not only in colour, but in indigenous and geological history too. While geology explains cliffs shaped and sculpted continually over time by wind and rain, and of sands stained by iron-rich minerals over thousands of years, the indigenous people of the area tell the ancient story of a spirit rainbow who, during a battle over love for a woman, shattered into shards of colour over the cliffs. Either and both ways, they are fascinating and beautiful.

Our days away at Rainbow Beach were filled with sands, from the earthy hues of these cliffs to the magnificent Carlo Sand Blow which I'll show you later in the week. It's an awe-inspiring place too!

Meg

p.s.  I found information on the geological and indigenous history of Rainbow Beach cliffs on the websites at the following links:

The Coloured Sands Beach Walk  (Queensland Government, 2017-2020)

Rainbow Beach Coloured Sands (Fraser Tours, n.d.)

Such beautiful paintings

Many years ago now, I saw a painting, in a little city gallery, by an artist I'd never heard of before. In the most beautifully dappled colours, he had captured the changing light from tall tree shade to reflections by water's edge and the explorations of meandering children along the bank. It reminded me of long and free Summer days spent in waterholes and by creek beds in the place where I grew up. I couldn't afford to buy that painting, even though I so very much wanted to, but I've never forgotten the beauty of it and the memory and feeling it left me with. The artist was Dale Marsh and I have been enthralled by his paintings ever since.

Dale Marsh's beautifully dappled colours.

(Detail from The Overgrown Garden, 1985.)

I didn't know it then, but it is his work that features on the giant mural that welcomes you to Bribie Island. Children running, full of joy, down a sand dune greet you as you drive off the bridge and onto the island. Dale Marsh loves this island, referring to it as the "cradle to my soul and the inspiration of my life". He is now 80years old and still painting this place that means so much to him. 

Bribie Island's welcoming mural.

(Image credit:  The Bribie Islander)

A deep love of place.

(Dale Marsh, 2019)

So it was to Bribie, for which Dale Marsh feels such affection, that I drove last Sunday to see Catching the Light, an exhibition of his work at the island's little seaside museum. Paintings inspired by and of the island adorned the walls of a light-filled gallery that looks out upon a view of the sea. Older paintings and more recent paintings and all so very beautiful.

Catching the Light Exhibition Booklet. 

In the quiet gallery, I spent much time with each and every painting. Looking up close at the brushstrokes and dabs of colour, layers of them, and then from distance to see the painting in its wholeness and wonder. 

 Detail from Morning Ramble at Red Beach

(Dale Marsh, 2016)

Detail from Reflections on a Posy. 

(Dale Marsh, 2014)

I think a deep connection to place, like that which Dale Marsh feels for Bribie Island and which inspires his incredible paintings still, is important for all of us; a love so profound that it gives us a home to drop anchor in and a safe harbour to come back to. Perhaps, that is what I felt when I saw that painting all those years ago now. I recognised "home" reflected in its dappled colours and in its light.

Meg

  

Purple & White Flowers in my Garden

There are masses of some very pretty purple and white flowers blooming in the garden right now. I think the deeper purples really highlight the pure whites they are in flower with. A lovely colour combination!

 Salvia

Salvias have fast become one of my favourite plants in our sub-tropical garden.  They are colourful, fragrant, long-flowering, hardy and bees love them! I have quite a few different varieties growing now. This particular one, grown from a cutting, was given to me by a friend. It's thriving in the garden, covered in a mass of flowers. Whenever I see it, I think of my lovely gardening friend.

Wild Iris

A row of these strappy plants stops soil, from our driveway garden bed, washing into the rocky path we've made along one of our side boundary fences. Every single one of these plants came from the division of a clump I have in another part of the garden. They are incredibly hardy and readily self seed so you need to be sure you want them in your garden before you plant them! Wild Iris is sometimes called Butterfly Grass. Their masses of white and lilac flowers, fluttering about on the tops of their longs stems, do remind me of butterflies.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow 

I remember this old-fashioned shrub from the gardens of my childhood. It's so pretty when in bloom; covered in flowers that fade from a deep purple all the way to white. It has a sweet fragrance too. Rather nondescript when not in flower, it's stunning when covered in a profusion of purples and white.

What colours are you noticing in your garden right now?

Meg

The Freshness of Spring

After a very dry Winter, Spring has brought with it such welcome rain. Rain that has sparked the new growth of this new season.  The grass is growing green again. After their deciduous Winter, the first leaves are unfurling on the plane tree. Creamy, fragrant blossoms cover our mandarin tree. The bees and the butterflies are busy, attracted by the emergence of more and more flowers. While I am excited too, by the blue of the cornflowers and the deep orange buds on the hibiscus, I am more enchanted this year by the freshness of Spring's green.

 New leaves emerging on the Plane Trees.


A honeybee foraging in a mandarin blossom.

A little cucumber seedling.

Feathery new growth on  Yarrow.

My own enthusiasm for the garden, which had waned with the lack of rain, has returned anew. Little seedlings, cucumber and snow peas mostly, have been tucked into warm, replenished soil. Pots of multicoloured petunias have been planted up and will no doubt flower soon. Clumps of day lilies have been divided and replanted in the little garden by the front gates and a dwarf mulberry tree settled into a pot where it will hopefully thrive. It seems that rush of fresh Spring green, that followed that most welcome rain, has lifted my inner-gardener's hopes!

I have deeply felt the change from Winter to Spring this year, more strongly than I can remember in years gone by.  How about you? How have you responded to the turning of nature's seasons in your part of the world?

Meg

p.s. I am keenly aware of how lucky we have been to receive rain here. There are many in Australia; farming families and communities, their stock and our wild creatures; struggling with terrible drought.  I hope that the heavens will open over their parched lands soon. Xx

Golden Tones

Golden tones in a spectrum from the brightest of yellows to almost orange to mustard and burnished brown, found in and around my everyday.

A deeply golden pumpkin destined for the roasting pan & soup.

The flowers of a climber that twines itself over our fence from next door.

Slices of sunshine & a pineapple top to plant. 

The mustardy yellow fabric for a new top.

A dusting of warm cinnamon on little apple muffins. 

Sandy coloured yarn for a shawl.

(I'm not sure if you can see the flecks of a deeper yellow.)

My fascination with these colours of late comes as somewhat of a surprise to me. Normally, I favour beautiful blues and the greens of nature but at the moment it's these rich golden colours I feel drawn to. Perhaps it's the new season? Perhaps, I just feel like something in my wardrobe that isn't blue? Whatever the reason, I think these golds are gorgeous and glorious. 

What colour/s are you enjoying right now?

Meg

Hooray for Hippies!

A row of beautiful, bold and bright red buds have burst into bloom in our garden. They are simply stunning!

 A red row in the morning sunlight.

 A cluster of buds.

 Hippeastrum blooms up close.

Similar to those in Selina's garden, but with streaks of white upon their deep red petals, they are the flowers of the gorgeous Hippeastrum lily (or Hippies, for short). The bulbs which give rise to these amazing flowers were given to me by my sweet mother-in-law, coming from her garden to mine. What a gift! 

I planted my row of bulbs just out from the verandah above, in a position where they receive full morning sunlight and afternoon shade. The soil they are planted in is deep but not overly rich. They don't get a lot of water there, just whatever they soak up from the rain and the odd watering when I'm refilling the birdbath.

Hippies only flower for a few short weeks, but the opening of their striking red blooms is much anticipated every year. Hooray for Hippies!

Meg

p.s. If you'd like to see some of the different Hippeastrum blooms or grow some Hippies in your garden, this link has some helpful information. 



 

Gorgeous Groundcovers

These sweet, cheerful groundcovers intermingle happily as they spread out over one of our largest garden beds. Hundreds of their blooms offer up their 'daisy faces' to the sun, to the honeybees that visit them often and to me, as I walk by.

The lovely Lilac Hawkesbury River Daisy (a native groundcover).

"Blue-eyes" with silvery foliage and beautiful blue blooms.

 

The sweet and simple flowers of Seaside Daisy.

Each individual flower is simple and beautiful but, when planted in drifts or so they spread over a larger expanse, the impact of those single blooms is multiplied many, many times over. They are my own little field of flowers in my suburban garden bed.

Over time, these groundcovers have grown and spread out to create a carpet of pretty little flowers. They have covered and shaded the soil, kept weeds at bay, softened the edges of our concrete driveway, fed the bees and found themselves in many a homegrown posy or daisy chain crown. They are a true delight!

Meg

p.s.  Here is a website list of ten Australian native groundcovers. Perhaps you might have room for one or two to run riot in your garden!