Now that the Alphabet Challenge is completed, I’ll get back to blogging my Europe photos from last year soon. Firstly though, I’m feeling a real connection with my neighbourhood. It’s been such a delight to wander the suburban streets with my camera and no time pressures. I can forget about what’s going on in the rest of the world and focus on what’s right in from of me. Mindfulness at its best.

I love the gardens and the details and the architecture. I dream of living in a nice cottage with a garden. Steve and i were walking last Sunday and I’d stopped to inspect a garden. I liked the way it was designed with no lawn and no fence and integrated so well with blurred boundaries and nice curved paths. I stuck my head around a tree to see if I could get a photo but only had my 60mm lens with me so couldn’t fit the scene in, when the owners walked in. I gave a sheepish look, complimented them on their garden design, and we spent the next half hour chatting about all sorts of things, from garden design to live music to kids and schools. I took the photo of the giraffe in his tree. He thinks one of his adult kids brought it home one night but none of them can remember it so it’s a mystery giraffe.

While we were chatting to Michael, a lady walked up and asked him if she could leave the groceries she was carrying in front of his car because she’d parked hers somewhere in the area but couldn’t find it. We took her number in case we discovered it on our walk and bumped into her in a few different streets. Wendy eventually find her car and all was well.

After grabbing a few supplies in Fairfield Village we bumped into Harriet, who lives in our nest of flats somewhere. She was lamenting that her arts trip to the red centre probably wouldn’t be going ahead due to Covid-19. We chatted on our way home and she told us about the house for the blue tongue lizard that Craig had made. Craig lives at the top end of the flats and sure enough, there was a little rock structure nestled in the garden for Bluey. Steve had put out a saucer of water for him (or her) a few weeks earlier. So it seems it is a safe haven for blue tongues in our neck of the woods.

Really just a simple Sunday walk around the neighbourhood but very nourishing for the soul.

Anticipation. This beauty is growing on a fence just down the the road from me. i’ll be going back regularly to check on it. (one of the Hardenbergia’s)

Not much further down the street there this little patch of Cosmos that I covet. One of my favourite flowers

The combination of large and small autumn leaves and the textures and colours are a delight. Maybe more so for me because I come from a climate where Autumn colour is non-existent. Maybe less delightful for those who have to sweep them up!