I think we’ve had these images before, but since naturalcynic expressed dismay at the lack of close ups of the condor, here’s the next smaller bird I have to offer: Norbert, a European griffin vulture. According to one of the falconers he takes a much more direct approach to food than “waiting until you drop dead”.
©Giliell, all rights reserved
©Giliell, all rights reserved
©Giliell, all rights reserved
I personally think his feather collar is just so posh.
More fun than fungus, ©voyager, all rights reserved
Jack and I haven’t really wandered too far from home this week because fibromyalgia and damp weather don’t get along, but that just gives us a chance to check out the changes in our own neighbourhood. These mushrooms for example weren’t here earlier this week. Must be all the rain we’ve had. I’m not familiar with this variety of fungus, but they look to me like more fun than fungus.
I was the foreigner here, as this is a lovely, satisfied, well-fed Macedonian spider enjoying the autumn sunlight. And a small side of fresh flies. Below the fold.
Opus has sent us another colourful treat. This time it’s shoes and they are wonderful. It’s no secret that I love shoes, but I could never hope to have shoes quite this wonderful. They’re bright, bold and such interesting designs. Opus says,
More pictures, this time from Reykjavik. Shooting through glass is tough, but I think they worked out well. More of the sights that one sees when traveling with fabric artists. I might never have noticed if not for them.
Well, Opus, I think traveling with fabric artists is definitely a good thing, but your camera skills are what makes it all come alive in photos. Thanks so much for sharing.
©Opus, all rights reserved
©voyager, all rights reserved
Most of the cornfields around us have been cut down and readied for spring, but there are always a few farms that leave the stalks insitu over winter. I’m not a farmer and have no idea why, but today I was grateful to find something/anything that wasn’t a dirt bare, wet brown field.
The last rose of October, ©voyager, all rights reserved
October roses are always a welcome sight, but this bright pink beauty is the last one left in my garden. There are no new buds left and the plant is getting ready to go to sleep for the winter. Sometimes I think it would be nice if I could sleep through winter. I have enough of a fat pad to survive hibernation for a few months and it might be nice to avoid the days upon days of darkness and cold. On the other hand, I would also miss Jack pouncing like a cat into snowbanks and making happy faces full of frost. Winter is Jack’s favourite season. He loves the cold and would stay outside for hours if only someone stayed with him. He has been known to crawl into the creek when it’s full of floating ice and drift downstream with a look close to ecstasy on his face. Jack’s fur is very seal-like. Only the outside hairs get wet and even when he’s been in the water for an hour the downy hairs below stay dry. He also has a bit of a fat pad and a big buoyant chest and, like all labs, his feet are webbed. The boy is built for swimming in the cold and he loves it.
Ah…that’s better. See what I did there? I just gave myself a reason to look forward to winter. I promise I’ll share pictures so you can have a reason to look forward to winter too.
A while back I recall a conversation in comments where rq mentioned that the trees dance when no-one is looking. Well, for this Tree Tuesday Lofty has found a tree that’s dancing when everyone is looking. Lofty says,
Another Eucalypt from my favourite bicycle riding area, it’s “doing the twist”!
That it is, Lofty. What a marvelous tree. Thanks for sharing.
Twistree ©Lofty, all rights reserved
It’s damp and drizzly again and while I might not like the weather there are certainly things that thrive when it’s moist outside. Fungus for example. Jack and I haven’t been to the forest in a few days and I was surprised to see this big bright piece of flaming fungus grown so large in 3 days. I swear it wasn’t there on Friday. It fits right in with the October colours all around it, but I didn’t expect to see fungus in a frilly orange party dress.
Flaming Fungus, ©voyager, all rights reserved
Pretty orange frills, ©voyager, all rights reserved
Oversized kittens
Ready?
©Giliell, all rights reserved
Look, look, I’m climbing a tree!
©Giliell, all rights reserved
Fuck, I actually climbed a tree.
©Giliell, all rights reserved
Thank goodness. Mum said if they have to call the firefighters again I’m grounded. Literally.
©Giliell, all rights reserved
These incredible photos were sent to us by Avalus. The first time I saw them I just sat there scrolling back and forth taking in more and more detail. The first shot is all about camouflage, but after that it’s all about standing out. It’s a wonder filled study of a beautiful creature. Avalus says,
this encounter I found the most impressing. It was a really large dragonfly, just sitting on a mossy patch of sidewalk in the botanical garden of my University. She did not mind me in the slightest and I could take pictures from a few centimetres away.
She did stick her abdomen in the moss repeatedly, so maybe she layed eggs? There was a pond-flowerbed maybe 20 cm away.
The finger is for size, I did not touch her.
As you can see in picture 11, it is a beauty and a beast (if you happen the be a insect)!
Avalus, thank you so much for sharing.
libelle 1, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
I poured another batch of resin last night.
I stirred it, and I stirred it, and then I stirred it some more and it went much better.
First you can see my prepared wood pieces. I wrapped some laminated foil around them and secured it with tape. That was a good idea.
Beech and fir, broken off and wrapped.
©Giliell, all rights reserved
My workspace all set up before the pouring. I used the little cups from a sweet to dye some resin.
©Giliell, all rights reserved
That’s waht it looked like afterwards
©Giliell, all rights reserved
Oh, wait, did you want to see the results?
This dose of extreme animal cuteness comes from David in Oz who says,
And now for something completely different, I give you the white kangaroos of Bordertown. (http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2015/08/19/4296371.htm)
Shot these pics a week ago, just in time to catch a joey with mum. Enjoy
Well, they certainly are something completely different and I can’t stop smiling at the photos. In the second to last picture it looks to me as if mama has heard a rude word and is gently covering her joey’s ears. Thanks for sharing, David.
©David Brindley, all rights reserved
Yesterday Giliell posted about the wonderful gift of acrylic casting supplies that she received from Marcus, noting that she’d been considering trying this art form. Well, I received the same gift from Marcus last week and I wasn’t even thinking about trying resin casting. Marcus just knows. He knows that I have a large collection of seaglass and that this is the perfect medium to pair with them. I can’t wait to try it, but I’ve been rearranging my cabinets and my work table is buried under a ton of paper crafting crap right now so I haven’t gotten past the gazing in wonder at it all yet. Well, I have watched a few how-to videos (link below) that have given me lots of ideas for using seaglass and more. I love the bracelet Giliell made and it’s made me even more anxious to try it. Alrighty then…time to clean up the mess and play. Tune in over the weekend to see if I can make something as pretty as Giliell did. Thanks, Marcus. You definitely spread sunshine.
Resin Obsession (a very good site)
Wow, Thank you Marcus
Yikes! The bigger picture (my work table is under there somewhere)