Lanes

I had to run some errands in the city yesterday, so Argy came along and we made a bit of a day of it. After admiring the treasure-troves at Tessuti and Cake Deco, we spent some time exploring Melbourne's quirky city lanes.

My favourite was Presgrave Place (above) where we found this ramshackle red couch and art prints hung along the brick walls.

I would have felt quite at home in this alley, if it weren't for Argy standing holding his nose disdainfully: eeewwww ... who's making that awful stink mum? (Er, perhaps more like home than I thought).



In Hosier Place, Argy enjoyed blending into the surrounds. We spent ages admiring the amazing artwork. A lovely time had by all.

(Note to self: must remember to reiterate that crayon on walls at home does not fall within the bounds of street art).

Summer days (and a spot of spelunking)

I am listening to the patter of large rain drops on our roof. Its a muggy, misty afternoon and our family's new year holiday - filled with blue sky, warm breezes and fresh country air - seems an eon ago already.

If you too, are sitting somewhere grey, lean in a little closer to your monitor. Look at the blue, blue sky in this next holiday snap. Perhaps we can pretend its sunny, together?



Hang on. Ooops.

Apparently, that's not the sky after all. We're looking down a steep hill, here ... and that's water at the bottom.

This is Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, South Australia. Isn't it the most exquisite colour? Even more beautiful than a summer sky.



Most of the year the lake is steel grey in colour, but changes in the summer. From memory the transformation is a chemical reaction related to temperature ... rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb ... calcium carbonate ... rhubarb, rhubarb ... and wavelengths of light. (Whew, I think I almost got away with that explanation.)

The lake is situated in an extinct volcanic crater; one of a series in the area. The city of Mount Gambier is known for its craters, sinkholes and caves.



We also did a little cave exploration while we were visiting the city. This dark, cool limestone space is Engelbrecht's Cave, which stretches underneath a number of suburban streets. We took a very interesting tour.

Some of the tour party would have heard interesting facts about its formation and features and how its a popular cave diving site. Me? I mostly heard things along the lines of fault lines and collapse and how a power pole in an adjacent street mysteriously disappeared into a cavernous void one evening.

My attention wandered a little as I pondered whether our parked car might suddenly drop through onto our heads.

Luckily my attention was diverted as the tour guide cheerily told us that the word spelunk means "to explore caves for fun". Which is funny, because I thought it was more likely to be the noise I'd make if I lost my footing on, say, quite a steep stair case. Arrrrrggghhh ..... spelunk.



Thankfully, I managed to descend this particular set of stairs without incident. They lead to another of Mount Gambier's beautiful natural features - the Umpherston Sinkhole.



That's natural in the sense has-had-a-formal-garden-planted-smack-in-the-middle-of-it.



Apparently one Mr J. Umpherston thought that this spectacular limestone sinkhole would look better as formal sunken garden. The one-time cave is full of ivy, ferns and moptop hydrangeas arranged on terraces. Planted in the late 1880s, it remains a lush green garden to this day.



I have to say I liked the pretty hydrangeas ... and roofless cave ... very much.



No cars or power poles to fall through on one's head.
(Are you sensing the joys of spelunking were a little lost on me?)


Umpherston Sinkhole
Jubilee Highway
Mount Gambier, South Australia 5290
Open sunrise to 1am (floodlit at night).
Entry free.

Engelbrechts's Cave
Chute Street
Mount Gambier, South Australia 5290
Entry fee applies. 45 minute guided tour.
Mon - Fri: 10am - 2pm
Sat: 10am - 2pm
Sun: 10am - 2pm
Public Holiday: 10am - 2pm
Good Friday: 10am - 2pm

Blue Lake
John Watson Drive
Mount Gambier, South Australia 5290
Free (3.6 kilometre road and walking track)

Bloomin' marvellous {Blogtoberfest day 31}

This is how the garden looked a couple of days ago. See how the mass of spring blooms swaying in the warm breeze and dappled sunlight were cluttering the place up? Ixia flowers everywhere.



Thankfully some 50mm of rain has taken care of the problem.



Yep. Shredded. Decimated. Shuffled off the mortal coil. Ex-Ixias.



Along with that pesky rose. The one with dozens of buds that were threatening to flower. The branches fell off overnight. (That should save on pruning).



I'm not upset. No. No. Its fine. Really.

Bye, bye October - it was fun being part of Blogtoberfest. Thanks Cathy for hosting the month long blogging festival.

My 1000 words {Blogtoberfest day 11}

I was going to sit down and write a witty thousand word piece.
But in the interests of cutting verbosity, I give you this photo instead (you know: pictures, 1000 words and all that sort of thing).

Sunset, Sunday 10.10.10

Tricked {Blogtoberfest day 3}

Last week I needed to travel to Sydney for an appointment, so Mr HB took time off work and looked after Argy and Bargy. It was the second week of school holidays.

We all know what that means don't we?
Yes. Mr HB was conned.

You see, an unwritten rule says that during the second week of holidays, sibling must turn against sibling. There should be a lot of whining. And people looking at each other the wrong way. And general affray. Not to mention odd bouts of hand to hand combat. And rain; lots of rain.



As you can see, my trip to Sydney was tough too.



(But I might keep that thought to myself)

Improbable

Please choose the correct response.

An hour after taking these photos at the Royal Melbourne Show, Liesl ...

1. competed in the Woodchop finals
2. rode out of the showgrounds on a prize winning Huacaya Alpaca
3. vomited on spectators standing 30 feet below a ride called The Hangover
4. realised that she should have packed raincoats and an umbrella

Yep, never saw it coming either.

Labradorable

Motorcyclist and faithful companion, snapped in
the city centre in Melbourne

A winter's day

Long exposure

Can you see the car?

I have been playing around with the Available Light setting on my little point-and-click camera. The addition of a tiny tripod - in place of a shaky hand - has allowed some photography in the dark.

I was so taken with the car in this long exposure, that I hung about at the gate waiting for the next transitory object. It was only as the camera let out an audible click and whirr, that I had second thoughts.

Quick, hide the camera you loony.

The suited gentleman striding down the street, might be less enthused about my experiment. Especially if he knew I wished he was wearing a miner's helmet so he too would produce a light stream.

I slunk away before he could wonder what the crazy woman was up to.

The sunset clause

Five hundred and ninety-nine days.



Three hundred and two photographs.



Infinite beautiful colours and effects to admire.



But do all good things come to an end?



Maybe.



Last night Mr Hoppo Bumpo presented his handiwork. He was right chuffed with his new flywire screen.

Er, right over the window where I take my pictures.



This might sound just the teeniest bit evil, but do you think I should ask him to take it down?

Once smitten, twice shy

Our warm spring has been bringing early visitors to the garden.

There have been spiders' webs everywhere: criss-crossing the clothesline; spanning potted plants; tightly binding the strawberry and lime blooms; and trailing in floaty threads seemingly from nowhere.

In the past few days I have had my camera out recording the spiders' handiwork. The macro setting on my little camera has allowed me to point-and-click up close. Really close.

There have been precise and orderly webs; others, constructed chaotically. Some have been full of tiny ensnared insects; others filled with puffy dandelion seeds.

My last photographic venture took me to a large web spanning between two plant pots. And there ensconced firmly in the middle, was the owner. She looked quite big. I wondered whether she was an orb weaver - a wonderful spider that dismantles its old web at the end of the day and spins a new one each evening. My parents once had one in their garden and it was fascinating.

As I positioned my camera to capture her, I noticed her lovely long legs. I moved in a little closer and noticed her shiny black body. Then as the flash went off, my blood ran cold. The bright red stripe on her back was illuminated mometarily.

Ahem ... no, not an orb weaver.

As the old song says never smile at a crocodile ... or ask a redback spider to say cheese.

All garden spiders have since been served with notices to vacate.

Noxious (Blogtoberfest day 14)

Only at Chez Hoppo Bumpo, would we discover ...



... that the prettiest plant in the garden is considered in some parts ...



... to be a weed; an alien invader; a garden thug ...



... and that its botanical name is allegedly derived from a Greek word meaning ...



.... bird poo.

These delightful facts brought to you as part of Tinniegirl's Blogtoberfest - a post a day in October.

She wore a halo of silver

The moon, 6.45pm Wednesday 5 August

The moon at dawn

The grass was a crystalline silver carpet.
The morning air nipped at cheeks and finger tips.
But it was impossible not to stop - and admire.
A golden moon in a watercolour-wash sky.

The colours of dusk

Even when stuck in traffic ...



... there is still something pretty to look at.

Autumn sunset

Smoke

Yesterday the smoke started to drift in earnest across Melbourne. Visibility lowered; the sky yellowed. The sun turned an unusual shade of red.

I cannot begin to imagine how horrible it must be where the fires actually burned. The acrid smell. The eye-stinging air. The irritation to the lungs. Day upon day.