a hungry woman chases Spring

September 24, 2014

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Alice Springs, gardening, nature, photography

Spring fills me with a little bit of crazy. Something inside me feels just a tiny bit drunk with magic. It is, perhaps, a little more subtle here, in arid land, than in other climates, but there is no doubt when it arrives.

herb-garden-courtyard — herb garden: chilies, mint, parsley, basil, oregano, dill, thyme, onion, chives (rosemary, curry tree and lemon thyme are elsewhere)

onion-blossom — Onions against mosaic wall

My winter-worn herb garden has been transformed into culinary promise. (The bloody fairies went ‘walkabout’ when I needed them… but all is forgiven now.)

honey-bees-onions — bees on onion flower

A month ago, the rosemary bloomed profusely, sending out the invitation ‘Come one, come all, there’s a party in this garden!’ The citrus trees soon joined the festivities and have set small fruit. This week, onion flowers are the perfect source for drinking nectar.

Non-native wildlife, behaving suspiciously

No doubt the neighbours have seen me around, creeping… oddly, capturing images in early morning light… off with the fairies, perhaps?

green-insect-macro — tiny green visitor, shot with macro lens on iPhone camera

moth-wings — translucent wings of moth shot with macro lens

A few tiny, winged creatures find their way inside. I lean and stretch and contort as I capture their delicate profiles.

lemon-illuminated-kitchen — evening light illuminates kitchen

Rays of light also find their way inside, as well as illuminate the outside from new angles.

wattle-flowers-australia — laden Wattle tree against blue sky

Native Wattle trees are heavy with musky scent and ball fringe– ready for Mardi Gras!

Fragments of childhood visit briefly; “I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree….” (Joyce Kilmer 1886-1918)

“Ring-a-ring-a rosie, pocket full of posies…”

desert-rose-australian — Desert Rose, floral emblem of the Northern Territory, Australia

eucalyptus-blossom-australia — Eucalyptus blossoms

fig-tree-spring — Fiona fig, redolent with promise–yet again!

The fig babies have gone from the nursery to more spacious surroundings, so they can survive the harsh summer heat. Old friends have donned new green frocks, pretending they will play along! Be careful Fiona, there are four adolescents vying to take your place! (see 2013 Spring in Arid Country)

Especially for the resident kangaroos, there is the ‘gazania run’… located in their regularly used thoroughfare, punctuated with a peace offering of water at the end. (It seems to stop the little darlings tearing at the other plants as they try to get to the water at irrigation points.)

I have a secret little patch of… watercress… plenty of moisture in a sheltered pot, shaded by the yucca plant. Shhhh…

New season light has incited my rebellion for the mundane… breakfast cooked to inedible this morning, and where was the cook?? Running back and forth to see if golden highlights had reached this plant or that corner of the garden. What is food when you are crazed with Spring?

your friend, the Light Chaser.

~Ardys

24 responses to “a hungry woman chases Spring”

Francesca

Sep 24, 2014 at 4:39 am

You have captured that crazy Spring feeling so well, from the insects feasting on nectar to that new, subtle light and smell. And more of those excellent macro shots too. Great photos. I am enjoying the sounds of spring too. Our king parrots have returned, and I even like the souund of the lazy buzz of a fly inside the house.

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 5:55 am
  
  Haha, yes, the buzz of a fly certainly signals warm weather. Ours hardly left this winter, however, despite a couple of pretty cold weeks. Thank you Francesca.
  
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davidprosser

Sep 24, 2014 at 4:47 am

Some fantastic shots from a beautiful garden Ardys,
xxx Huge Hugs xxx

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 5:53 am
  
  Thank you David!
  
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Selma’s Table

Sep 24, 2014 at 5:49 am

So enjoyed this post Ardy! What a beautiful garden and caught so lovingly with such evocative photos. Superb! Enjoy the spring…

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 5:52 am
  
  Thank you Selma. Spring is very brief here, but we are having a good run this year.
  
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Betty

Sep 24, 2014 at 6:44 am

You really take us there, Ardys….and you have really mastered the art of iPhone photography!

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:21 am
  
  Thank you Betty, I do see my photos have improved.
  
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Joanna

Sep 24, 2014 at 7:56 am

I love that you have watercress growing tucked away in there! Just thought I know nothing about where Alice’s water comes from, but there must be underground water, is that it? Is that the source of the name, Alice Springs? I am going to interrogate wiki next and become knowledgeable. Your moth photo is exquisite! and I have enjoyed this little walk in your early morning garden, breakfast can wait XX

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ardysez

Sep 24, 2014 at 9:22 am

Yes, it is underground water and yes, there is a springs that the town is named for, but that is not our main water supply. Thank you Joanna!

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EllaDee

Sep 24, 2014 at 9:41 am

As I read “a hungry woman chases Spring” I immediately thought, what a wonderful Sabian Symbol… As it turns out, that’s not quite where you were going but if you had been, your words and pictures describe beautifully the pleasure of renewal, the honouring of the cycles that let us begin again, now matter who, what or where we are 🙂
And I do also love the “gazania run” with water for the kangaroos, and your little oasis of watercress.

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:16 pm
  
  I had a feeling that title might either be confusing or intriguing for people! Glad you weren’t disappointed! I love the ‘gazania run’ but our neighbour is about to put a fence right through the middle of it. I’m so disappointed. When we first moved here, there was a 3 metre deep thicket of native trees that offered generous ground cover for animals. The owners at the time decided that was the very place they HAD to install a pool. So most of the trees went. House sold twice more. Gradually we re-established our side of the boundary with shrubs and a couple of trees and now a fence will go in. 😦 That’s life. We do have a breezeway between our studio and house and the kangaroos already use that as a thoroughfare too, so at least they will still have an escape route. Thank you EllaDee.
  
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tableofcolors

Sep 24, 2014 at 11:40 am

What lovely spring garden you have in full bloom! I just planted tulip bulbs today and watched as migrating geese flew overhead. They will circle around for the time being and feed but soon they will be flying south!

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:19 pm
  
  Thank you Laila. I really enjoy this garden. There is nearly always something interesting happening in it, and it is not huge. I love the contact with people such as yourself who live in different parts of the world, and to follow their habits and change of seasons as well. I’ll look forward to seeing those tulips in your spring!
  
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ardis

Sep 24, 2014 at 1:50 pm

I’m with tableofcolors! Picking apples and putting up the last of tomatoes and peppers for the upcoming winter soups. Hoping I have enough firewood laid up, and draining garden hoses to put away until spring rolls around again here. I am so glad I found your blog, so I can enjoy the images you post as we head into opposite seasons. Beautiful photos, and quite intrigued to think of your challenges with kangaroos. Here on my acreage, the challenges come from being overrun by wild turkeys and white tailed deer.

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:22 pm
  
  I’m so glad you have returned Ardis! Your preparations for winter sound a bit like my cousin’s preparations. She lives in Wyoming. I wouldn’t have a clue what to do about a wild turkey or a white tailed deer!! When I was growing up in Ohio deer sightings were rare. But now when we visit they are everywhere, so I can see that could be a problem. Thank you for stopping by!
  
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Dale Robards

Sep 24, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Wonderful post! Portland has just wound up a perfect Spring and Summer and they are on their way to you. So nice to have a friend on the other side of the world!

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:23 pm
  
  I am just thinking how wonderfully fortunate I am to have such a nice group of readers from all around the world! So glad you’ve sent that perfect Spring and Summer over to us! Thank you for reading, Dale.
  
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glutenfreezen

Sep 24, 2014 at 2:52 pm

Absolutely beautiful photos! And until today, I’d never even heard of the macro lens for iPhone. Another toy I must look into. Ha I envy you going into spring. We are just entering fall. I love fall with all of its beautiful colors, crisp air, and scents…but do not look forward to enduring many months of winter. I’ll have to live vicariously through you. 🙂

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1. ardysez
  
  Sep 24, 2014 at 9:32 pm
  
  The macro lens I use is the Olliclip Macro 3 in 1. I love it. It opens a whole variety of options for interesting photos. You can probably order it from Amazon. Fall is a beautiful time of year there, too. That is one season we don’t have much of here. The light changes and the temperatures, of course, but very little foliage change. Funny enough, as the Spring foliage comes on, that is when trees drop their leaves here. I’ve been sweeping and raking my buns off! Thanks for reading April.
  
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peakperspective

Sep 28, 2014 at 2:54 am

While taking a tour of your verdant spring greens and long-necked blossoms, I heard myself say half a dozen times, “That one’s my favorite–no that one … no.” So I give in. Australia is lush with life and North America is just getting down to the business of tucking in our toys and sending our fading flora off to slumber in their beds.
I love the opposition as it makes me think outside myself and feel the world as larger than I thought.
Happy Spring, Ardys!

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1. ardysez
  
  Oct 5, 2014 at 12:10 am
  
  Thank you for reading Shelley. It is a really odd concept to get one’s head around, that we are having opposite seasons to you.
  
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Lorraine

Oct 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm

I know it takes a lot of time and care to have everything looking so lovely. Thank you for sharing. Who cares for it when you are away?

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1. ardysez
  
  Oct 5, 2014 at 12:12 am
  
  The short answer is ‘no one’. Everything is on automatic irrigation and requires no hand watering, except one pot that has very low water requirements. Our neighbour waters it once a week when she collects our mail. It does mean we have a lot of ‘tidying’ to do when we get home though! 🙂
  
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