Outdoor Images

Today is Mothers' Day, and I have to admit to spending it very quietly on my own today.  With the threat of rain tomorrow, some pressing jobs need to be done around the property, so my husband is working this weekend.  Yesterday was such a beautiful day here, so I decided to take him morning tea - scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream no less!!!  It also gave me an opportunity to see some of the paddocks that had been under floodwater.  The photograph above shows the unripened pod of a type of wild gooseberry that seems to have become rampant since the flooding.

This photograph shows the ripened pods, which do contain berries.  I seem to remember eating this type of thing when I was a child, but they don't look all that appetizing to me now!!  These are going to be a real pest if the introduced grasses don't get good weather next Spring, enabling them to flourish and perhaps choke out such things.

One job that has to be done is filling in large sinkholes or washouts caused by the water.  Some parts of this mess are twelve or more feet deep.  This used to be a levy bank that protected the cropping land from smaller floods, but it's been all but destroyed now.

 It's going to take quite a while to complete this task, very slow going, pushing soil from one place and moving it another, simple as that.  And, a rather tedious job at that.  Thankfully, at the moment the soil is rather moist, so the task isn't quite as dusty.

I also had a moment to look at the crop that is growing on the river flats [planted since January].   This crop is mungbeans, but as you can see from the photograph, it's rather uneven.  I actually didn't photograph the entire crop, it's just too unsightly.  Bad weather and disease have not been kind to it.

The green are the immature pods, and of course the black ones contain beans almost ready to harvest.  I believe the mice are having a wonderful time.  There are so many pods off the bushes and on the ground.  Here you can see the beans spilled out and wasted.  I wonder how many dishes of mungbean sprouts are sitting out there!!

One old tree beside the lagoon took my eye as I walked around checking the newest pasture planting.  I think the patterning on this tree is evidence of termite infestation.  No doubt the tree had all but died during years of dry weather, so they've moved in to feast on it.  I suppose we should try to find some beauty in the interlocking lines.  I think you can also see the floodwater mark on the tree.  I didn't notice that until I had the photograph up on the computer screen.  Oh, the lush green in the background is yet another flourishing weed.

I hope some of these shots are of interest.  Thank you again for your kind comments on my last post.  You are all so supportive.


I wish all a very Happy Mothers' Day.