Rabbits in the rain

I decided, rain or no rain, we were going to the park.  It was still dripping a bit when we got there, but the sky cleared within a few minutes.  The advantage of the recent rain was that almost no-one was around.  That meant the rabbits came out.  We had been to Westerfolds so many times, yet never before had we seen the rabbits.  And there were so many of them!

Very skittish creatures though, so I couldn’t get very close.

The rain had really filled the river.  The water was rushing and foaming down.

These little parrots were nesting I think.  They kept popping into an old hollow tree.

Rainy days and nights

We have been getting some glorious rain in Melbourne recently.  It is so needed.  Parts of the day is sunny, but most of the night the rain comes bucketing down.  Nothing as nice as curling up in bed listening to the rain fall.

This photo was taken near sunset on Saturday, the same day as the photos of the previous post.  All four seasons in one day…

Cloudy and rain forecast

The day started really beautifully.  The clouds were bulky, towering masses in the sky, bright bright blue showing here and there. 

My lovely, kind husband stopped on the way home at a church he saw from the tram, so I could take photos.  Isn’t it absolutely breathtaking?

It has now started to rain and hail.

Pretty in white

I finally finished the debutante ball photos.  I thought I would share a few since between them and the rain, we have been trapped inside a bit.  The beginning of the shoot was at Candice’s house of her getting ready.

Her little sister surprised her by dressing up as a fairy and blowing bubbles.

The girls were absolutely gorgeous (and the guys were really confident and full of life – but their photos will have to wait).  So the shoot was a lot of fun and an immense learning experience for me.  The first time I attempted something so big and so long (from 10am to 2 pm).

 

Summer sunset over the Yarra

The sun is setting later and the days are getting longer.  By the time I get to the city for class, it is nearly sunset, not dark anymore.

 

 

Ps after a few days’ battle, my blog isn’t classified as spam anymore, so I can post again with a bit more ease.

Royal Melbourne Show 09 - AusAxe

The guys were really  keen to see the wood chopping competition.  Wow, but those guys are fast!

First they chop in steps on the log and mark where they have to hit. Then two guys get on the logs, the whistle blows and they start chopping.

Their hits are amazingly accurate.  The axes aren’t just any old axe, they are specially made, each one for a specific type of wood and each costing quite a lot.

I am sure the announcer said this gentleman is 67.

 

To give you an idea of how fast, they were probably done by the time you read to here…

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Royal Melbourne Show 09 – The Horses

The first events we went to see were the horses.  It was so much fun!  The kids had an absolute ball (and so did I). 

First were the show horses.

Then came the bush games

Three teams competed against each other.  They were racing on foot, on horses, quad bikes and with wagons.  The spirit was awesome!  I blurred so many photos because I was laughing so hard… whoops!

  

One of the funniest was when they had to drag a teammate behind a horse.  One holds the ‘stick’ with the horse coming, the rider grabs the stick….

and off they go!  Generally all you saw of the guy on the sheet was boots and heels!

 

If it hadn’t started raining, I think I would have been happy to sit there all day.

Royal Melbourne Show – The Rides

Friends invited us to visit the Melbourne Show this year.  We warned the kids we would just go to look, no rides.  The rides were fun to watch though.  (And I had a ball taking photos!)

 

The sky was a bit overcast when we got there, then it started raining right after the horse races.  After that the clouds cleared and it became a beautiful day!  The next post is about the horses.

Bikes in the city

The colours caught my eye.  So many bikes in Melbourne each day.

 

I will post more pictures by next week.  Just finishing off the debutante photos.  Between that, sick kids and my own cold, I seem to be a little swamped at the moment.  There seems to be a little less time for fun than usual.

Flowers in the city

Standing at a traffic light behind people going home from work, I saw these gorgeous flowers.  Such a beautiful girl and the bright pink just caught my eye.

Shadow play

The last few days the weather has been very sunny.  Bright blue skies and hot weather seems to be the forecast for this summer.  Walking past this fence, I couldn’t resist.

 

I guess there are advantages to walking everywhere with my camera.

Debutante Ball

I was privileged to be asked to take some photos for a friend’s debutante ball.  It was a bit tiring shooting for more than four hours  straight, but the experience was worth it.

I am still processing, but here are a few shots of her getting ready.

      

Magical Forests

Walking amongst the giants of the forest is so calming.  Everything is green and lush at the moment.

 

The trees are huge…

and the path winding.

Everywhere are small treasures to find, like these growing on fallen trees.

A Fascination with Birds

My husband is starting to think I am addicted to Sherbrooke Forest. I just love going there to fee the birds and walk amongst the huge trees.  Last week I took a friend to experience it for the first time.

This time we even saw a kookaburra.

  

  

 

The birds really are not shy about landing and climbing over anyone they suspect of having seeds.

After being their so often, my daughter has gotten quite blasé about the birds.