The camelias are coming in to keep us cheery during the colder months. Our garden is looking amazing with all the work that Simon the new gardener has put into it. He's hauled huge bag load after bag load of prunings and clippings, sometimes carrying them up the 3 entire levels from the Bay to street level.

Michael's Birthday Brunch with family and the usual suspects....

Lovebirds and their photographer....

This morning there were dad duck and junior paddling around very early. Like any good parent, dad was in control and swimming rings around his progeny, or maybe he was swimming rings around himself?

By turns, the Bay is shimmeringly silver, foggy grey, dusky lavender, and today shiny brown, after several days of rain.
J'aime beaucoup ces couleurs que changent plusieurs fois par jour.

Like Shakespeare's comparison with mercy, the rain we have been getting in Longueville has seemed clement and gentle.
(The Eastern Suburbs have copped a more violent lashing, but, hey, rain is rain in my view.)
Still the dams haven't gotten any, we are told, and the run off just goes into the sea unfortunately....

The dinner party occasion of Judy & Michael's 20th wedding anniversary....Household plus the chefs Lyndon & Beth....

Another good day for birdwatching....This ibis has been coloured grey by the sun's slant on the tidal mud.
And I caught the pelican before he caught his afternoon snack....

We were privileged to have a visit paid today by showy Mr. Spoonbill....

Wooden dinghies resting on trees bouncing reflections of trees dripping out of dinghy mirrors...and so it goes in Tambourine Bay....

Morning & evening clouds....

Does the white beauty of a natural thing make your heart ache with the loss of your own innocence?
Is it possible ever to retrieve that sweetness?
I say yes, if your heart can still respond, of course you can....

A small lightning storm blew up this afternoon, just in time to contribute to a gorgeous sunset, but unfortunately leaving very little rain in its wake....

Elaine's 60th was a roaring success, with our women's group turning out all dressed up and looking for a night of fun!

Sunrise and sunset are so beautifully dramatic here, while the middle period of the day is a bit flat and maybe uninteresting. It's the light that makesall the difference, and this is true with us human beings, too, isn't it? Those individuals who we call "bright sparks" give us reason for slogging on; so much better when it's our own lights that are turned on.

No matter any difficulties that I've had in my life, I admit my own good fortune that I am at heart an optimist.

For no explainable reason, these sextuplet yachts turned up in our Bay after Easter. Maybe they are a bunch of retirees who are travelling around together? They looked remarkably like they were going to get bogged as the tide went out but it never eventuated.

Some of the animals I encountered on Mitchells Island over the Easter break....Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph the dolphins even tho' they popped up repeatedly, but never when my camera was ready!







A trainer exercising her race horse on the beach near Manning Point....

My last photo of the Easter weekend at Mitchell's Island, a glorious sunset viewed from Voss Place, behind Scotts Road.



Looking east, toward the mouth of the river....



Daniel learning from our neighbor Steve how to chain-saw the radiata pines....

Easter Thursday

Now here I go getting all artsy-fartsy with my photoshop program, but don't you think this is a bird and plant of fine feathers?
Why the ibises decided to invade our neighbors garden I don't know, but maybe there was something special on the menu for lunch....

There's a little park on the far side of our Bay and just up the path from the Sea Scout Boatshed. You can get there via the walk through Warraroon Reserve which is about 30 min. return at a good clip. You can see the grass is green again after the recent rainfalls. May they keep coming!

I must be into boat sheds at the moment. No explaining where the camera gets pointed.
These days I look at the shapes in the water and think "How would I paint this?"....