Spring in the Forest

The wire came out of my hand Friday, so I have some mobility back.  About the experience, well, lets just say that watching a doctor try to yank out a wire from your hand with a pair of pliers isn’t a great sight (or feeling).  Lots of exercises over the following weeks should get  my hand back to full strength soon I hope!  My opinion about this whole business?  Breaking your hand is not to be recommended!

Even with a cast on, I have been getting around a bit.  With hubby on leave during his mom’s visit, we have been visiting all the cool places we could think of when it didn’t rain.  Sherbrooke Forest is one of my favourite spots!  Signs of spring are everywhere.

There were lots of crimson rosellas and Australian king parrots around, eager to be fed.

We came home extremely muddy, but happy!

Bundled Up – I Heart Faces Challenge

It took quite a while to find an image for this challenge.  Been a while since it has been cold here.  This was taken not long after I got my camera.

The kids’ grandfather (hubby’s dad) had come for a short visit near the end of winter.  We took him up to Sherbrooke Forest to see all the birds, but it started raining on the way there.  It was really cold, but great fun being amongst the huge trees in the forest, cockatoos and parrots flying around us, hungry for seeds.

(See the previous post for what the weather is like here at the moment.)

Finding peace amongst the trees

When things get stressful, I love taking a detour through Sherbrooke Forest.  With school, my own classes and just about everything else starting this week, my daughter and I took a break today and went up to the forest. 

Standing amongst the huge trees and ferns is so calming and relaxing.  It feels like you went to a different world.  (If you click on the picture to see the larger one, you will see my daughter in the left bottom corner, to give you an idea of the size of the trees).

There are small signs everywhere of the end of summer approaching.  It is a lot drier in the forest than we are used to and quite a few orange leaves around.

Still lots of moss around in the lower areas, with a small stream trickling down.

We had a sandwich sitting on one of the fallen logs, then walked back to feed the parrots.

 

I love the little crimson rosellas.  They look and sound beautiful!

Crimson Rosella

These little parrots are my favourites of the birds at Grant’s Picnic Grounds in Sherbrooke forest.   They have the loveliest sound they make when calling to each other and the colours are just beautiful.  The one to the left is a juvenile.  The colours change to the blue and red when they get older, though if you look really closely on the back of the adult, there is still a hint of the green.

My sons like the Australian King Parrot.

My daughter’s favourite is the kookaburra.  She gets really excited when she sees them.

  

Feathers and Ferns

Taking the kids for a quick visit to Sherbrooke forest was a big hit.  Being holidays, they do get bored being stuck at home. 

The cockatoos were a bit aggressive towards each other. 

 

We fed the parrots and cockatoos for a while, then took a long walk through the forest. 

 

 

After the rain, it is really beautiful in there.  The huge mountain ash create a canopy over your head with ferns waving you along the paths. 

Everywhere are little treasures for the eye.

These little blue flowers I have not noticed before.

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.

All four seasons…

On Friday the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Sunny blue skies with wisps of cloud, virtually no wind after days of wild weather. 

I took the chance to take my daughter to Ruffey Lake Park again, so we could try to see more of it.  It really is a beautiful, huge park.  Was really lovely chatting to some of the people walking their dogs.

We saw some birds I first took to be cockatoos, but when we got closer, I realised they were something quite different – pink instead of yellow.  Still big and noisy, but really aggressive towards each other.

A river flows through the park, with bridges connecting the two sides.

    

Many flowers are blooming close to the water.  All the colours and shapes were beautiful.  Here and there were signs of the insects making them home.

 

A big tree had lost its battle against the elements, falling down carrying tons of pinecones.  Its broken trunk looked bright and golden in a shaft of sunlight.

And Saturday?  Well, Saturday the rain came pouring down!  It is very welcome though.  Hopefully Melbourne will get a lot more of it.