We’re back on Harakka with Ice Swimmer, but we’re not on the top of the island as predicted in the previous post, Chapter 13 – Interlude III, Mystery Path. That chapter was mistakenly published out of order by this administrator. We’ll get to the top of the island on March 4/19 in Chapter 16 – Top and Around. My apologies to Ice Swimmer.
Wetland ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
There is a valley near the southeastern shore. In the valley, there are wetlands.
It’s time to join Ice Swimmer on Harakka Island.
Return to the Mystery Path ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Ice Swimmer has more rocks to show us and they are full of colour and pattern. Let’s go….
Details. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
This part of the rocks comes with stripey details.
Detailed Details. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Here is a more detailed look on the details.
Decidous and Evergreen. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Many of the broad-leaved trees were exhibiting their deciduousness while, the pines show their evergreenness all through the seasons.
Grain. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
The pattern is like figured woodgrain.
The Border. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Humans are not welcome on the other side. Gulls and geese will keep watch in spring and summer. The dinosaurs were absent in October, but no human was seen trespassing.
In the next installment, we will have walked the path towards east (to the left of the last picture) and we’ll see something completely different.
It’s time for another walk with Ice Swimmer and he has more incredibly beautiful rocks to show us today
Surface. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Ice Swimmer’s here and today he has rocks to show us. Be still my heart…..
Shaped by Ice Age. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
The rounded forms of the rocks come from the Ice Age. The bottom of the glacier was full of rocks embedded into the ice that was quite flexible under the huge pressure, grinding the rocks into rounded shapes. [Read more…]
Let’s join Ice Swimmer on his walk around the island in the next chapter of his series.
This interlude is about colours, warm and cold, greens, yellows, reds and others.
Warm Cold Colours. ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
As I predicted, nothing very much happened for about a month. The only visible change was that the leaves got more and more dark green and opaque, as the tree ramped up its chlorophylls supply. And the stem got a stiff wooden core and thickened again, gaining back the volume it originally had when it was all bloated with water. Subtle changes, they only could be observed up close and if you knew what to look for, but they are vital for the tree.
Last weekend the tree started to grow again and during this week it sprouted a new leaf and at the end of it there already is budding of another one. What will happen next is that the tree will sprout one long(ish) shoot upwards and one long(ish) root downwards. This first year I will leave it grow more or less uninterrupted to get a strong sapling. However the seed was fairly big, and the tree already is nearly as big as some of my current bonsai trees and I expect it in first year grow at least a few decimeters in height.
The growth rate and pattern will later on decide on what kind of bonsai it will be, but it seems that about 50-80 cm height in Chokkan or Hokidachi style will be about right for this species. I have no experience with persimmons (and I choose to not look it up), but plenty with other species. So far it does not look like it would be suitable for the more “dramatic” styles – its growth pattern this first month is very similar to that of sycamore maples and the leaves are fairly big too. The distance between the nodes is very short, and if it stays so, that would be excellent.
©Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
It’s another beautiful day on Harakka so let’s join Ice Swimmer on his walk around the island.
Wind Power in HDR ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
A HDR photo is generated using multiple photos with different settings from the same view. It is suited for stationary objects. Or when you want to play with things. [Read more…]
It’s time for another chapter in Ice Swimmer’s series.
Pond and The Building ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Another icy day, ©voyager, all rights reserved
What a strange winter we’re having this year. Yesterday we had snow flurries in the morning, freezing rain in the afternoon and then snow flurries again overnight and this morning. It looks pretty, but under that blanket of snow there’s a thick layer of ice that makes walking treacherous. The ice is also still coating the trees and hydro wires which is a bit of a worry. It’s supposed to start warming up tomorrow again with a projected temp of +5 by Friday and after that who knows.
It’s time to take another walk with Ice Swimmer as he tours us around Harakka.
These pictures were taken on the rocks of Harakka, in various places and various times, both on Saturday and on Sunday. The wild/feral violas could be found all over the rocks wherever there was a large and dry enough crack or other place in which there was some soil.
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
Our journey on the rocks of Harakka will continue in the next post of this series.
It’s time to take a walk again with Ice Swimmer who’s here with the next chapter in his series.
Railing and Autumn Colours ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved
A look back north to the path that goes to the western cliffs. The Artists’ Building is in the right behind the earthworks. [Read more…]
Lofty has sent us a few follow-up photos to his post of January 21/19, Mt. Lofty.
Here are some pictures taken from Mt Lofty on the morning of the day after the super Bloody Full Moon Eclipse Thingy. The first shot is of moonset over the city, the second and third are of the sun about to rise over Mt Barker, the next little mountain to the ESE. They only vary in zoom and where the auto exposure is pointed. The building on the right of the picture is Mt Lofty House, nowadays an upmarket hotel. Notice how they are taking fire safety seriously, with a row of large water tanks set below the main entrance.
©Lofty, all rights reserved
©Lofty, all rights reserved
©Lofty, all rights reserved
Beautiful shots, Lofty. Thanks for sharing.