
A little while ago now (I heard today is the last day of winter on the radio, this morning) I saw such a beautiful red tree on my morning walk.

A little while ago now (I heard today is the last day of winter on the radio, this morning) I saw such a beautiful red tree on my morning walk.

Spotted while walking around my village. Looks like the junk mailer got here before me.
An uncharacteristic drop in temperature and overnight rain transformed the endless vista of the mountains into an intimate landscape with pockets of life rising up from the valley floor.



The Blue Mountains Winter Magic Festival is held each year around the winter solstice, and is a community event that brings artists, musicians, drummers, dancers and the wider community together.
The sense of fun amongst people who were gathering for the parade was fantastic, with singers, drummers and a samba group all creating as much noise as possible. The effort people had put into their costumes was tremendous, and I was particularly struck by the drum corp, who managed to keep in character and drum out the beat for everyone to march to.
I took a trip up into the mountains last Sunday, to check up a couple of places for some photography and to get some “shutter therapy”.
As I climbed the mountains, the temperature dropped several degrees, and I ended up at Mount Wilson, as I’d been told the trees were particularly good during Autumn.
Alas, I was a couple of weeks late, and most of the trees were bare, although there were some particularly beautiful Japanese maples that had retained their foliage.
My wife and son are away visiting Mémé during the school holiday, and I have a weekend to myself. Autumn is here, and I wander out into the garden, with the intention of tidying up and catching up with odd jobs.
It is so still, so quiet. Normally, the garden is full of noise and movement. Nola tending to her plants, Cameron chasing his friends around or jumping on the trampoline, the air full of shrieks and laughter.
Today is so still.