Dusk

Walking as the day

slips into sunset and dusk

the world changes colour

the trees and grasses

even the rocks glow 

the air is still and

everything is blanketed 

with a calm quiet

even when the forest tunes up

with the song of cicadas

 

on the beach

of a little cove

I see a figure

someone's totem

let me flip him over

soft evening falls

bringing with it

a gentleness

and ease

Oh Blessed day

Whales

The day was hot and glorious

so clear and calm

the ocean was turquoise and teal

so so still

and there were whales

firstly a family of frolickers

rolling and flapping

the sound of each slap 

reaching me on the coastal path

a few small boats were right out 

in the sweep of the whales' trajectory

as they moved across the bay

taking their calves down the coast

back to cooler waters of Antarctica

I sat in the shade of a casaurina tree

above the clear transparent waters

and idled away time

the flipper slappers

then became tail flashers

it is hard to tell how many there are

in this family group

and who is who

there was no breaching unfortunately

but a day of frolicking

down in Hell's Gates

the water was glass

and a couple of divers

made the most of the clear waters

Oh Happy Days...

Goannas on the Go

When climbing Noosa Hill to Sunshine Beach

we first pass through the park picnic area

where it is not uncommon to meet a goanna

This one, an inquisitive fellow

cruising under the picnic table

heading for a group of munching visitors

tinted a light yellowish green in parts

on his young body

just a small to medium sized specimen

not at all like the enormous fellow 

that crept out from under my bed one time

At the top of the hill I look down

over north facing Laguna Bay

round the bend and face south 

to see the village of Sunshine Beach

which is a suburb of Noosa Heads

and further the next small towns 

strung along the coast

Coming down the hill we meet another goanna

on the path who scurries into the undergrowth

and pretends not to be there

He is a bigger fellow

older and greyer

A wild tropical storm yesterday

whipped the leaves from the trees

and carpeted the path in patches

creating a soft cushioned walk 

with silent footfalls

which may have been why we spotted 

the Splendid Blue Wrens

a group of three tiny wrens

flitted and preened in jerky movements

making it impossible to capture a good shot

On our return

after a shared roast turkey, cranberry sauce, rocket and tomato sambo

with carrot, celery apple and ginger juice

we hear a thump

and spot something between the trees

a small red necked wallaby

we've seen him once before in the same spot

amazed that wallabies live in this park

so close to towns

we've never seen another in the National Park

in over 34 years

Australian Wild Iris ~ Dietes Irioides

It has been a good Sunday wildlife walk

and the rain yesterday has overnight

turned the forest green

Oh Happy walking days...

Ruffled

The ocean is ruffled

like a starched lacy petticoat

the breeze is warm

as I walk at the end of the day

stopping at a favourite tree

now dead

but still beautiful

against the sky and ocean

I look for whales

and spy a spout

and another

look here...

too late 

another day...

Tiny Flowers Big Views

Most of the spring wildflowers 

in the park are spent

but the odd little flower remains

on the verges of the walking track

tiny splashes of colour

humble and simple

to complement the broad views 

and create the big picture