IT's OFFICIAL!! First of September is the first day of SPRING!!
It was a lovely start too, warm sunshine - if only I hadn't been so worried about the bigbird....I fretted all day over it, then thought a walk at dusk for a beautiful sunset would be the way to go - but I missed the light - Doh!! still, I took photos anyway.....




The swan was grazing on the bank but I have auto-corrected this one because really it was black-on-black and all you could se was a yellow eye and a bit of red beak in the original!!
Today, Sunday, is the second day of Spring, and another pleasant day - I went my usual walk but once again only a single swan...and a gaggle of seagulls...

I am hoping this means that the other is sitting in the reeds on an egg...but as they are identical I don't know if I've seen the same bird twice or both birds once....???

While I'm on the bigbird theme, I guess I have to add that clearly only one bigbird has been sighted in NYC this week, and a rather glum one at that...curious quacking has been coming from him as well, and clearly all is not well in  FPCL... I anxiously await developments, but seriously, is this  a 'happy face?'...I think not (and THIS is after he WON... don't want to see him sad, then....)
..Mind you, he's looking at the reporter who asked him a tricky question about changing his coach which seemed to catch him out rather and had him babbling none-sense until he eventually got himself into a right old lather...Hmmm...something's up there - he began in a twist and clearly stopped himself from saying something he wants to keep private...poor Marat, he's really not a happy banana right now in spite of what he says...(sends him a comforting hug because boy, does he look like he needs it at the moment....) WHERE is Sasha, I cry - and I'm inclined to pout.

Well, a couple more shots of my afternoon perambulations along the river - went right past the Pipeworkers Park and out the other side of the Living Museum of the West - took a couple of shots of the remaining stone buildings that were part of the Hume Pipeworks....


And then on the way back I saw a wattlebird swooping from the tree and trailing it' s feathers in the river before flying back to the branch and flapping it's wings - these birds have the most raucus cry - almost like a sulfur-crested cocky - I watched it for ages but only got a pretty ordinary shot..although I quite like it..


Then I got home and did laundry and mopping and vacuuming - my house is now clean and fresh but I still have three weeks worth of Clean laundry on the spare bed - so of course my darling boy had made his bed in it - and as spring is here and both of them are beginning to shed their winter coats, now is the time every piece of clothing I own is covered with fine grey or white hairs...but really, how can you disturb him....looks comfy, huh!! awww...loves the babies....
especially when he makes adorable little baby snuffling snory noises.......

So that;s your lot for this week - topsy turvey as ever, but tomorrow is another day, lets have a good one, everybody!!

.....you come across something unexpectedly wonderful!!! On my Sunday walk today, I found that rather than turn back at th usual point, I felt like keeping going..I felt like I could actually go for miles and miles.... although I didn't see the swans today ( well, I saw one of them in flight on the way home...I watched it fly up river until it disappeared) I DID see another of my old friends, another refugee from Newells Paddocks (which is getting more water back but still ot enough) the big fat white duck......

..and when I got down to my regular turning point, one of the many cormorants in the area was just chilling on the viewigpoint...so rather than disturb, I just kept walking, past the bend in the river....

and on into The Pipeworkers Park..and there I made the discovery! Welcome to...

The Living Museum of the West turned out to be a series of symbolic gardens, tracing the history of the MAribyrnong River Valley, from the earliest times of indigenous occupation,So there are a series of gardens representing each phase of occupation of the river valley, and even looking into the future!! It was unexpectedly wonderful and I am glad that I decided to go on rather than turn back...the only problem - I hadn't got my memory stick in my camera and I ran out of memory - but nevermind - I'll go back and finish taking pictures - here's a few, to give you an idea..(If you click on the pictures, I just discovered, they get bigger!!!! The first pic is the aboriginal story of the area..


On my way back, I took a few more shots of the trees in the area...thinking how the bark of some trees really is like skin....the palms have the skin of an elephant...


while the name says it all in the case of the PAperbark..

And like people, there is a seemingly infinite variety of colours and textures.....all beautiful..




Well, that's about all for this week - I am now going to treat myself to a HOT bath,  a rare occurence due to the drought, but I am stiff as a board from my pruning exploits in the garden yesterday, another story entirely, so instead of my regulation 3 minute shower, I shall tonight run the bath, in which I intend to immerse myself until the water goes cold and I turn into a prune, drink some wine, put a "Lush' Orange and Lemon bathbomb in the water and finish my book -Rupert Thomson: "Divided Kingdom"...(see you all in the Green Quarter) Then I'm going to read Oliver Sach's fascinating book, "A leg to Stand On" (again) So, until the next time, I hope the week provides everyone with a moment or more of joy - grab the moment, and wring  out every last drop of it ......