Astonishing sunset in MtLawleyShire

Why was this sunset so astonishing when they are always beautiful?

Well, for one, I ran out of batteries – but fortunately, my neighbour had some. Whew! I won’t let *that* happen again.  And then there was the moon.

I didn’t think it would be at all remarkable – the cloud was quite thick

 

& the sun sent out rays as its light tried to escape

 

Colour was reluctant

 

and when it came, seemed sullen

and then…

that rose burning gold

 

and then I looked east – the moon rising above golden clouds:

 

 

 

more colour came into the eastern skies along with the clouds, fighting the moon

 

 

in the west, the colour flared and touched the clouds that were only thick down near the horizon

 

the eastern skies had nothing of gentleness about them at all

in and the west, the colour deepened

burned

soothed a little

 

and the scattered clouds threw the beauty far and wide

 

 

 

& finally – the moon

It stunned me, this sunset – involving both east & west. I got quite dizzy turning around and around.

I am so grateful to my neighbour 🙂

MtLawleyShire: sunset & the moon

The end of the day where it was 41 by 9.30 in the morning and terrible fires where 50 homes were lost in the hills.  I hadn’t expected sunset, though by this time, it had cooled considerably, so I was astonished to walk out at around 7.00 pm to realize there was a sunset.

 

 

 

The easter sky was clear and here is the early evening moon:

the sunset continued flaring and burning

 

In the east – the moon

From a different corner:

 

 

 

Evening moon:

Eastern colours

 

Two views of Beaufort Street to prove I got there – I needed milk:

 

evening moon:

twilight on the way home:

 

 

this moon came out slightly blue:

but here, in her proper dark, the end of my walk – the moon:

The night was much, much cooler.  It went down to under 20 degrees, so it was almost possible to sleep!

MtLawleyShire’s sunrise and sunset

It was the hottest Perth has experienced in some time.  It peaked at 43.1.  And the night before I couldn’t sleep.  Not sure why.  So I was awake and suddenly wondered what dawn looked like in a cloudless sky.

This is the view down the main road that looks east, down the block from me.  I stood in the middle of the road to take these 🙂

The sun is coming…

In the west, the colours were softer.  This is the direction I take my sunset photos from 🙂  In this first one is a magpie on top of the telephone pole, singing in the day with its beautiful warbling:

I went back inside and Fattee Cattee was taking advantage of the easterly which would bring the heat, but for the moment, brought the night-time cool of the deserts sweeping across the river flats where Perth is.

 

I stayed inside all day, & Fattee Cattee did too.  It was terribly hot.  I ventured out as the sun went down a little & saw the late afternoon moon

In the ‘cool’ of the evening, I went out to look at the sunset – it was still about 37 degrees Celsius – & this is after 7.00 pm.

 

 

Early evening moon. It looks so cool.

I then walked down to Beaufort Street.  The east with the moon looked lovely (it had cooled down to 35 degrees by this time)

 

In the west, the malevolent glow of the heated day burned, signifying the heat of the say to come:

 

the gentler colours in the east seen through a lemon-scented gum:

And twilight lingered in the sky

 

The redness lingering as I walked home, taking photos and eating an icecream – more difficult than it sounds as it was still hot and the icecream melted…

Finally, darkness – no coolth at all, but still – the beauty of the moon

I hope you’ve enjoyed this and that my problems with WordPress don’t have a nasty effect.  I can still reply to comments if you care to make them.

🙂

screenshot

Weekly Photo Challenge: Window

This Weekly Photo Challenge: Window is right where I am aiming may wee camera at the moment.  Where I work, I am surrounded by modernistic architecture and the reflections around me provide endless (not always successful) challenges for my lens.  So I thought I would have a go:

Stairs in a window:

Windows in windows:

Across the road – in a window:

The city – in a window:

A tree in a window

Heritage architecture in a modern window:

A window display:

 

Sunset in a window:

Cat in a window (this is how I prefer to see my neighbour – Mr. White. Quite charming to me, he is Fattee Catteee’s nemesisisis)

Against a window: peppermint tree flowers:

& finally – trees make a window through which to glimpse the colour of a cloudless sunsetty sky:

I hope you enjoyed my entry, which seems, now, a little – er – literal.  I have enjoyed it 🙂

 

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MtLawleyShire – some flowers and birds

Nothing startling, just a quick post – well, it was supposed to be, except the uploading process went a bit strange.  Nonetheless, most photos have been successfully uploaded (I had to abandon the tree photos), so here is the year so far in flowers and birds – with a few from West Perth.  I think it has been so unremittingly dry that the roses are just not doing so well, and there is also no-one around to water the gardens.  But there were a few:

West Perth Roses:

 

&, most surprising, a sunflower on a street verge – not common in West Perth, I assure you!

Flowers around MtLawleyShire:

 

 

In an abandoned garden – the apricot rose. It flowers and grows, surrounded by the straw-like remains of grass.

 

Hibiscus – they are such wonderful subjects, in glowing red:

 

white:

or black and white to play with light & shadow:

 

the flowers of a coral gum:

 

frangipani:

 

 

startlingly delicate, this pale purple thing, and tiny white flowers from a straggling spiny thing in my garden:

 

And now some birds.  They aren’t in my garden so much any more because one of their nesting places has been destroyed, but they are around:

A family of New Holland Honey eaters in a  Grevillea bush:

they were singing and calling (they have a lovely song)

 

And this is why: a young New Holland:

& here – a young singing honey eater.  He was so scared.  His mother is just out of shot ona  higher branch.

I hope to post more, including my walk home from work on New Year’s Eve.

I hoped you enjoyed my flowers & birds.

 

MtLawleyShire sunset – 8 Jan 2014

sunset a night ago – glorious and threatening.

It started with sky calligraphy and clouds of coffee cream:

 

 

 

The light brightened down near the horizon

 

 

 

light rayed across the creamy clouds

 

and fire began a slow burn down near the horizon:

 

colour flaring into the clouds:

 

 

engulfing the horizon in heat and beauty:

 

 

in the south west, the clouds glowed

 

 

 

stunning colour glowered

 

 

and sullen fire glowed in the dark

 

 

It all seemed to threaten what is happening tomorrow and over the weekend: temperatures reaching 44 in Perth.  I will not be going outside to take photos! For you in the northern hemisphere – enjoy your winter!

😀

 

MtLawleyShire – Happy New Year, Apologies and an Illawarra Flame Tree

Happiest New Year to all of you.

I haven’t forgotten you – but there is not, at the moment, time to read all your posts, or in fact post much myself.

But this I wanted to share with you. I took these photos on New Year’s Day and haven’t had time to return.  The tree has probably stopped flowering now, which is sad.

There are several of these trees growing around the perimeter of Hyde Park, but I have never seen one in full flame before.  The Illawarra Flame Tree, or Kurrajong, is native to the east coast of Australia, but is grown in many places because it is a stunner.  It needs water when young, but manages droughts when fully established (which is good because we’re headed straight into one).  Like the jacaranda, it loses its leaves, then flowers, though recently, the flowering times have become erractic due to the changing climate, some flowering as late as April.

For me, the spectacular colour – enhanced by the bright sunlight – is almost unreal.

I first saw it as a blaze of scarlet amongst the sombre pines

& here it is – blazing in the sun, against dark green and summer blue sky, the red of already shedding flowers adding unexpected colour to the ground

Looking up through the blanches is a strange sensation – it feels like faerie, unreal

 

The contrast against the darker foliage in the park was astonishing:

   

and against the sky:

 

the flowers themselves are rather lovely:

but the best of it was in the sunlight playing amongst the fall of scarlet:

 

These 2 are my favourites:

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos.  I miss you all and look forward to catching up properly ina  few months time when I have submitted my PhD.

Keira