close to home in MtLawleyShire

No great walks over the last couple of days, and I didn’t mean to take photos, but – well, how could I not: sunsets and cats and flowers and trees in flower – and my favourite lemon-scented gum ….

The first walk I saw some roses in people’s gardens:

 

and then discovered this in a hedge of mexican rose flowing over the fence of a lady’s garden.  I know her and her little dog to say hello to.  One of her neighbours saw me taking photos of this flower and told me its name was ‘Dutchman’s Pipe“, then turned it around to show me why – you can see the shape of a pipe at the back of the flower.  He then found some seeds which I will plant later.

 

While we were talking, this sweet little tabby purred around my legs but it was too quick for photos of its very sweet little face.  I only got this one:

I walked home in time to catch sunset clouds and the glow in the western sky:

 

 

In the last of the light, I saw this wonderful wattle bush in full flower.  The perfume was wonderful.

Coming home was this: the eastern sky filled with reflected sunset pastel colours:

and here she is – waiting for me to come home:

Today I went a little earlier.  I was a warm day, not one cloud and the sunlight was bright.  All the street trees on William Street looked glorious – the paperbarks or cloud blossom trees.  You can see why it’s called cloud blossom.  I love the way one is almost growing around the speed sign.

 

I managed to take some close-ups of the blossom:

 

And then, no apologies – I took photos of my favourite tree – growing outside where I used to live.  The great glorious lemon-scented gum:

The tangle of the long thin outer branches, the strength of the core internal branches:

 

The wonderful chaotic tangle of it:

Branches compartmentalising the sky, looking like elbows:

 

The strength and size of the trunk and main branches:

 

and this – this looks just like a hand:

Further down the road, still outside where I used to live, is an ancient Grevillea – with a scarlet flower:

Further down, people had roses in their gardens:

 

and here is a lovely young gum on the street verge.

And couple of trees had gum nuts (its flowers had been yellow) and red gum blossom.  I love these 🙂

 

Walking past one place with a huge frangipani tree in flower, there was one dropped on the pavement:

and over the road, a driveway almost swallowed in white Bougainvillea:

I went to my favourite cafe – it has a bookshop next door.  I took a photo of Beaufort Street from inside, but it was too dark to be really successful.

     

Beaufort Street, looking towards the city.

Then I met my cousin who gave me a ride home, so there were no more photo 🙂