Friday, October 30, 2009

Cockies

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Cockies

Here
in Australia
we have two kinds of cockies
those that scuttle around
the kitchen floor
after dark
and those beautiful creatures
that claim the skies
as their home














The Yellow Tailed
Black Cockatoo family
sat on the edge of the ocean
in the National park
this morning











 



Mrs Cocky
has a white upper bill
and a bright yellow cheek patch











 



Cutie Cocky
her daughter
sits nearby
in a Banksia tree










 



enjoying the seeds
of the Banksia nuts














Cutie reaches out for a nut














snipping off a branch in her way
with her secateur like bill











 



she grasps a banksia nut
in her claws
and severs it from the tree
 










 



what a clever Cocky I am















she raises the nut
to her mouth
like a luscious corn cob

Click the photo
to see the seeds in her bill








 



and proceeds to extract the seeds











 



she then tosses the nut down below
to where I am standing










 



in an adjacent tree
her father sits

Can you spot the gender differences?

My Cocky has a pink rimmed eye
a softer yellow cheek marking
and a grey upper bill

He is also
considerably bigger











 



He too is munching
on Banksia nuts seeds














Mrs Cocky all this time
has been crooning a plaintive song
unlike her usual loud distinctive call

which other days makes me stop
on my walks
and search the skies
for the graceful slow flapping sweep
of these large birds
over the wallum and forest











 



and she leaves her high
look out perch










 



to join her daughter
on a branch
at the edge of the ocean
 











 



which is where
we will leave the Cocky family
the Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos
the harbingers of rain











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Monday, October 26, 2009

Windy Walk



A Windy Walk
along the ocean's edge...









The wind gusted
and rain fell
last night









 



and today it is blowing
out at Hell's Gates
almost strong enough
to fly...










 



like the Black Cockatoos
swirling and circling










 



over the wallum
that edges the coastal strip










 



It doesn't appear
as if the rain reached this side
of the headland










 



where the grasses are rusted brown










 



and the hillside colours
muted and homogeneous









 



 along the side of the path
the tussocky grasses fold
in the gusts










 



the white-capped waves swell
and bounce
onto the rocky shoreline















the casuarinas on the beach
sway their hula skirts
with enthusiasm









 




and a solitary seagull
on the wet sand
doesn't mind
at all...










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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Brisk But Beautiful

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Brisk but Beautiful



Put on your coat
and hat
and gloves
Grab your scarf
It is brisk...









we are going to
the Botanical Gardens










 



parking in here under the
new shoot green
tree canopy















the rununculous










 



are bright and cheery
just what we need
on such a chilly morning










 


the pansies are huge









 



as are the resident ducks









 



my eye
is drawn to the green
dome of this spring sky



We warm ourselves
over coffees
in the Gardens tea house










 



and later
I head off for a walk
to the University
in Ilam




 









Cherry blossom drift
almost a prettier sight
than the cherry tree











 



new leaf growth
on deciduous trees









 



and conifers










 



a sign of
renewal
and rebirth









 


camellias
that seem too perfect














almost like a lotus











 



I am particularly fond
of the rugged
old man
clematis









 



and its ability
to transform
a dusty city fence
into a thing of beauty














bluebells ring out










 



 and fat thrushes hop









 



over fairy tale lawns










 



and here we are
along the stream
that becomes the Avon River,
on its way down
from the Southern Alps











 



the learned hallowed
Halls of  Knowledge

are rainbow fringed








 



in azaleas









 



Look, azalea
rainbows encircle the green
an insect heaven









 



 We'll warm up in the coffee shop
at the corner of my street
with my sister and niece


hot chocolates












 



a tiny sample
of rich caramel cake









 



and the requisite
soy flat white

with jaffas!














Happy Days





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