by elizabeth evans
Member since:
January 6, 2006

Outside My Window

February 20, 2012 04:45 PM UTC
views: 0 | 32 people recommend this | comments: 74

Through the night

under the Southern Cross

the Easterlies blow cool

from the Escarpment

to the foothill village below.

 

With the break of dawn

Flute Player Magpie

warbles his morning wake-up

"quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle" song.

A chorus of kookaburras join the symphony

with Ringneck Lorikeet ringing a bell.

 

Image Detail

 

 

 

From winter's brisk, cold wind

To sultry, steaming days

a flight of twenty-eight hours

to the Land Down Below.

 

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d751/d279/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

 

 

During the day, our Villa is an oasis

from the searing heat of the summer sun.

Flowering pink roses and  frangipani blossoms

fragrant the air these February morns.

 

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d748/d279/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d749/d279/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

In t-shirts and shorts we meander

outside our Villa gate and fill our senses

with summer in the month of February.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I actually had several more images to go with this piece but am experiencing difficulty uploading....another Gather hiccup.

 

Comments: 74

Sandra H. Feb 20, 2012, 4:57pm UTC
I am so glad to see you arrived safely and are enjoying the beautiful weather! What a treat to see such beautiful flowers blooming in February! The birds are so colorful! I am looking forward to seeing all your adventures in the Land Down Under!
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:49pm UTC
What a shock to land at Perth airport in our New England winter clothes! Thank goodness the Airport is tiny, our friend was there to pick us up and the car was packed right across the street from the entrance. In 10 minutes we were at the Villa. A shower and a quick change of clothes made us feel "alive" once more.
Still have jet lag....so afternoon naps have become routine.
Wow, Bob! Poetry, flowers, birds ... where will all of this end?

Who cares! Keep doing what you're doing - but stay out of the noon day sun.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:50pm UTC
That noontime sun is really HOT, Mag. I know I once said I hate AC but now its become my best friend.
Without air conditioning here, Bob, you would be in fairly deep trouble. The heat can be a killer for those not used to it and who have just come from the freezer that is New England.
JustMe ~I'm happy to be~ Feb 20, 2012, 5:13pm UTC
Ah, what a lovely life and I'm so happy you and Magi have it.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:54pm UTC
That flight over the Pacific is a killer. Sigh. But now that we are home, it was worth it. The high heat should only last another month and then it will be fall...temps in the 70's. That's doable.
The autumn here is magic. So are winter and spring, come to think of it.
Peter Joseph Swanson Feb 20, 2012, 5:21pm UTC
Fabulous!
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:10am UTC
Thanks, Peter.
Atticus *. Feb 20, 2012, 5:24pm UTC
A poetic post, elizabeth, in pictures and in verse. ~ Love the magpie.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:23am UTC
Australian magpie
complex vocalisations
caroling at dawn.
Katrina Hall Feb 20, 2012, 5:28pm UTC
Delighted you arrived without any blips, and so enchanted with these flowers! Marci so much!
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:42am UTC
Oh, the frangipani has just the most beautiful aroma. We have two different types here....the white with yellow centers and the pink.
Kathryn Flynn Feb 20, 2012, 5:28pm UTC
So wonderful to see the Southern Cross and a Lorikeet. Friends of ours had one, but the grandfather accidentally stepped on it.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:44am UTC
Oh, no. One time we were babysitting a friend's lorikeet and we let it loose in the house. When it was tired it would fly back to its cage. But one day we left the overhead fan on....SPLAT.
Katrina Hall Feb 20, 2012, 5:29pm UTC
What kind of accent is that:) "Merci", not "Marci"!
Alison H. Feb 20, 2012, 5:33pm UTC
Lyrical poetry and wonderful sights of the land down under...and I can almost smell the flowers, too! Love those bold hibiscus...
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:47am UTC
Throughout Walridge Estates, are various blooming hibiscus. This one is outside our front door. It's just gorgeous.
stephen berwaldt Feb 20, 2012, 5:50pm UTC
How much beauty do you expect us to take in in a single setting? :) Beautiful poetry and pictures that give meat to the bones of imagery your words create...

Thank you submitting to the Gather’s Luminous Writers and Artists. Now Featured.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:49am UTC
Oh, I had many more images....but Gather isn't allowing me to upload. To actually get two of the pics I sent them to my email and then I copied and pasted...rather laborious.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:50am UTC
Thanks for the feature in Gather's Luminous Writers and Artists.
Alice G. Feb 20, 2012, 6:05pm UTC
Such a lovely song of a poem and the pictures are marvelous too. Thanks for sharing.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 1:58am UTC
Thank you, Alice, for stopping by.
Nancy S. Feb 20, 2012, 6:12pm UTC
It's got to be beautiful when you set it to poetry Bob. Nice that you can experience 2 summers.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 2:00am UTC
Yes, another summer and then come May 15th, I'll slip back into Spring in Mass.
Natalie Neal Whitefield Feb 20, 2012, 6:20pm UTC
You paint such a pretty picture, Elizabeth! So welcome here in the frozen North. Featured now and warming us here at
Home Comfort

elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:44pm UTC
So different from cold Boston, too. A routine is slowly taking place. Mag and I are up early...5 by the latest and try to get most of our errands or adventures done by noon. Then we hibernate during the hottest hours...and usually by late afternoon we get the "Fremantle Doctor", a cool breeze from the Indian Ocean. Then once again we can venture out.
The Perth area is going through a building boom right now and I can't believe the carpenters, brick layers, etc can work in this heat. Everyone wears big floppy hats to protect them from the sun.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:44pm UTC
Thanks for the feature in Home Comfort.
J. Reid Feb 20, 2012, 6:34pm UTC
Impressively well done! Smiles...

Thank you for submitting to: Natures' Photo Stories
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:38pm UTC
Thanks, Johnice.
Kathryn Flynn Feb 20, 2012, 6:53pm UTC
Featured under the Southern Sky in the Triple Name Club.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:33pm UTC
Thanks for the feature in Triple Name Club.
Chris Brockman Feb 20, 2012, 7:44pm UTC
Y'all are really down south! Beautiful images and lovely words. Give my best to Magi.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:35pm UTC
Yes, off our southern coast is the Southern Ocean and then Antarctica! But you would never know it...it's 96 degrees here today. HOT!
G'day, Chris!

From Boston, you can't get farther south than Perth. It takes a lot of doing to get here but, boy, is it worth it!.
Chris Brockman Feb 21, 2012, 8:26pm UTC
Hot, cool. And g'day to you, Magi. It's always good to be back home.
Sophie S. Feb 20, 2012, 9:04pm UTC
Ah, I want summer.
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:37pm UTC
Summer is lovely when temps are in high 70's or low 80's....but today its in the high 90's. Thank God for air conditioning and pools. I can't imagine Mag growing up in the Bush and having neither of these amenities.
Inland - that is, from coastal Perth - to the east and to the north it is much hotter. And I spent my childhood in bush towns. The summers were hot, to put it mildly.
Priscilla P. Feb 20, 2012, 10:46pm UTC
Your words and pictures bring great delight
elizabeth evans Feb 20, 2012, 10:54pm UTC
Thanks, Priscilla, for stopping by.
Sherrie H. Feb 20, 2012, 11:02pm UTC
The photos carry me right back (forward?) to summer. Love it! So glad you are getting to enjoy another down under adventure.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 2:02am UTC
Yes, it's my third. First time I came it was Spring. Second time it was spring and summer.....and now I'll experience summer and fall. Mag says fall is the most glorious season. We'll see.
Diane Huizenga Feb 20, 2012, 11:34pm UTC
Beautiful poem coupled with outstanding images.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 2:08am UTC
Thanks, Diane. I took these photos the day after we arrived. It was such a contrast to our place in New England.
Granny Janny Feb 21, 2012, 1:23am UTC
The birds of paradise appear to counter- act the hardship of flight. Lovely way to settle into
A homestead.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 2:12am UTC
Would you believe the inside of the Villa was exactly how Mag left it 9 months ago...no dust...nothing. Our back patio was a mess from the blowing Easterlies...but all our plants and bushes were fine. Jacob, our 94 year old neighbor, watered everyday.
Granny Janny Feb 21, 2012, 4:29pm UTC
What a sweet neighbor!
Barbara H. Feb 21, 2012, 4:04am UTC
Oh, how beautiful! The last rose in your photos has always been my favorite. Like a delicate lady in a pink petticoat! Thank you for sharing your wonderful journeys.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 4:23am UTC
All our roses survived Magi's nine month absence thanks to our 94 year old neighbor who watered everyday.
Lawrence U. Feb 21, 2012, 5:38am UTC
Delightful images!
What an interesting write!!
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 5:33pm UTC
Thanks, Lawrence.
Linda K. Feb 21, 2012, 9:16am UTC
I love your pictures of the birds and flowers. Keep them coming!
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 5:32pm UTC
At sunset last night we went up to the hills "to shoot" kangaroos. Although we saw many, the lighting was poor and when I viewed them later that night, not one I kept. Maybe we need to go out earlier tonight. Mag thinks I'm obsessed but I want to get good images of them in their natural environment. (:
Nana to Seven Cutiepies Feb 21, 2012, 1:08pm UTC
Just a mere 28 hours away there are beautiful birds singing melodious songs and gorgeous flowers with the fragrances only Mother Nature can produce and all of this can be enjoyed in shorts and a Tee. Amazing.
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 4:41pm UTC
28 hours may seem such a short time but that flight over the Pacific is a killer. Both Mag and I can't sleep on planes so we find the hours to go by slowly.
But it is amazing....when you arrive in Perth...a whole new world. Right now, it's early morn here....5:40 AM and the symphony outside is just starting.
Nana to Seven Cutiepies Feb 21, 2012, 4:50pm UTC
Yes, too long for me unfortunately.
ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Feb 21, 2012, 5:02pm UTC
You were suppose to hide me in your luggage. Guess you forgot.
Oh well, I will sit back and enjoy the photos. :)
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 6:13pm UTC
Where were you when I was packing?
ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Feb 21, 2012, 6:19pm UTC
The time zone threw me, I got confused about the departure time. ;)
Sonia M. Feb 21, 2012, 5:12pm UTC
From winter's brisk, cold wind
To sultry, steaming days
a flight of twenty-eight hours
to the Land Down Below.

That says it all....! 28 hours....Yikes!
The longest flight I have taken "in one bound" was 14 hours straight....but the longest trip I have ever taken was from Seoul, Korea to Columbia, SC....with 3 flight breaks/changes in between...that was almost two full days long!

Glad you made it safe and sound!
elizabeth evans Feb 21, 2012, 6:12pm UTC
It was a long, long flight with two short breaks....Boston to San Francisco (where we literally had to run down one terminal and then run down the international terminal to the end. We just made it to the end of the line boarding. Then the 14 1/2 hour flight over the Pacific. Landing in Sydney, you go through customs which took a good hour standing in line, then you have to pick up all your baggage and haul it across the whole airport, check in at Quantas and then board a shuttle bus for the domestic airport. Then you race to your gate and once more our plane was already boarded.
Mag is still experiencing jet lag....though I'm pretty much over it. Yesterday he saw his Doctor....this morning he's having blood tests and then a stress test to check his heart. I'm sure everything is fine....just routine.
ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Feb 21, 2012, 6:18pm UTC
I hope all is well with Mag. Take care while you are enjoying the fun int he sun!
Sonia M. Feb 21, 2012, 6:32pm UTC
One of the biggest worries when flying is not making it from one gate to another...and invariably, they are wayyyyyy in opposite locations!

Hope Magi gets a good medical report card! Let us know!
Marilyn (PaintsOnSlate) S. Feb 21, 2012, 9:22pm UTC
I'm glad you are there Enjoy your stay. I just had two weeks of summer in February and loved every minute. I know you and your camera will enjoy each minute down under. super photos.
Marilyn (PaintsOnSlate) S. Feb 25, 2012, 4:51pm UTC
Thanks for posting this to Texture Photographer
Desert Dreamer Feb 22, 2012, 5:12pm UTC
A delightful combination of words and photos. I like the Fluteplayer the best! :)
Barbary C. Feb 24, 2012, 9:19am UTC
Pushing the green envy buttons here!

Your photos are best of show. There must be prizes our there for them.

frangipani- love the sound of the word.
Kat W. Mar 1, 2012, 9:11pm UTC
Beautiful images and words! I'll be experiencing the Australia via your photos.
Joann B. Mar 19, 2012, 7:54am UTC
This is really lovely.
JOHN BECK Mar 19, 2012, 8:14am UTC
I agree.
Barbary C. Sep 14, 2012, 11:26pm UTC
Came by to see this again - sleepy - read flute player Magi -

:)
elizabeth evans Sep 15, 2012, 6:49am UTC
(:

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