Sunday Morning

On a beautiful, cool, calm Sunday morning, with no pressing chores waiting to be tackled, what better way to fill in an idle moment that take a walk? Walking for pleasure in summer is impossible; flies and the sap destroying heat combine, making a walk the last thought on the mind.

Not to waste time completely I set out, hoe under one arm as the never-ending fight against melons is a daily task, and now Three Corner Jacks, a menace of a plant that sticks to tyres and rubber soled shoes as they hitch a lift to a new area to put down root and reproduce in their hundreds. I circled the western boundary, cut across The Park, which is in reality a large paddock but with intermittent stands of gum trees does resemble a park, especially as the numerous bare branches provide a resting place for the myriad of birds that flock to this area, digging out several melons and one three corner jack. However this was not my main reason for taking a walk. Chores are for weekdays. Sundays should be relaxing, and as I fully intend sitting on my posterior, knitting so as not to be completely lazy, to listen to the football this afternoon, a walk is one way of compensating with a clear conscience.

I left the hoe near the back door, and set off once again down The Avenue where my eyes were drawn to the varying types of bark on the different species of gum trees. Such colour and texture! If one stops to give nature a second thought surely amazement is the forefront thought. All over Australia gum trees take root, send up saplings that sometimes grow into huge trees. That there are so many species is incredible. They are easily identified, so I have been told, and have scientific names that I do not know. I simply call them by what I observe.
Hence there is the rough barked gum tree in which 'my' tawny frog-mouths perch, and there are the white barked gum trees that have a wonderful silver/white bark. Once I made a wall hanging and not having a 'proper' hanger on which to attach it, and not having the patience to wait until we went to the city where I could purchase one, I wandered down The Avenue, found a suitable white branch, and attached the wall hanging, which incidentally was my first foray into this type of work.

This morning the sun was shining on the tall ancient overhanging rough barked tree at a corner of The Avenue ... what a superb picture just waiting to be captured! Barely three metres further on the silver/white bark of a different species called to me, 'Take my photo too!" I obliged.

I walked reasonably quickly as this little excursion was to regain fitness lost during the summer, and once out onto the lane beyond our boundary I couldn't resist taking a photo to the west, and to the east.

If it wasn't for the gum trees and wattles one could almost imagine wandering down an English country lane ... except of course this is Western Australia, where the skies are nearly always blue.