Gascoyne River Middle Branch

As it is still raining, for more than a week now, and I am working on a deadline, I long for a weekend away, enjoying nature and nice weather. This photo is taken along the Great Northern Highway at our free camping spot on the Gascoyne River Middle Branch during our trip north in September 2006. My friend and I went for the ultimate outdoor trip, check our story here.

Stream

It's still raining... Winter in Perth is the rainy season, all summer is dry until the first showers start around April. The most rain falls in the winter months, June, July and August. These photos were also taken at Maryville Downs.

Bracket Fungus

Another weird bracket fungus sitting very high on a tree, about 1.70 meter high. This one seems to grown in sturdy layers, starting bright white and turning brown over time. I've taken the photo on the same walk in Maryvale Downs, along a brook which was streaming over by plenty of rain lately.

Maryvale Downs

Foliose Lichens

I like the color of this foliose lichens, this milky white green. I hadn't seen the ant when I made the photo yesterday in Maryvale Downs but only discovered it when I blew up the picture to get a good view on the crusty layers of lichen moss. Lichens consist of a symbiosis between an algae and a fungus and grow mainly on branches, trees and stones.

Fungi

This weird bright orange stuff was happily growing on several dead trees in Maryvale Downs where we had a nice walk this afternoon after some heavy rainfall in the morning. It was of a strange substance and felt like mushy old peaches from a can which are a bit off...

Gumnuts

The beauty of these gumnuts is beyond imagination. The powdery white coat on the outside, the little stars in the middle which burst open with seeds when they are ripe leaving a hollow nut behind is so ingenious.

Mid winter in WA

Although it's midwinter here in Perth today was like spring, the sun was shining in a blue sky with only a few clouds floating around, while yesterday rain was pouring down, 19mm! I enjoy working at home as I can go out into the garden to warm up, the house is still cold inside, and make photo's of the African daisies who bloom abundantly at the moment. Plenty of bees around collecting honey, this one has huge orange clumps of pollen attached to it's legs.

Osteospermum

Also called African Daisy

Frogmouth

The Frogmouth is a kind of owl, they are nocturnal and I've never seen one before in the wild. This one was in the same park as the possums in the centre of Melbourne, the Carlton Gardens. I saw it flying to this branch high in a tree. It was sitting very still but because of the full moon we had a pretty good view on this magnificent bird with his bright big eyes and a hairy bill. I suppose he didn't like the flash of my camera too much...

Protea

While in Melbourne I also visited my uncle and aunt who live in a green outer suburb where close to their home is a huge flowering Protea bush which were almost finished but there were still a few beautiful cones. Look at the hairy tops, you almost want to pet them...

Possums

This little guy was sitting in a tree right on the corner of Nicholson street in the middle of Melbourne last week. He looked pretty tame too. Later, when we walked back to the hostel through the park, we saw heaps of his little friends, all running around and hopping onto trees. The furry one on the top photo was very interested in us and he was looking beautiful in the light of the full moon covered in clouds which gave it a spooky shine.

Bush flower

This hairy beauty was growing in the bush near Collie last summer.

Seed Pods

This is part of my huge collection of seed pods I've collected in the last few years. I made these photos early last year when I started my project for ZEOFORM™, the new name for ZELFO®, a 100% biodegradable plastic made from cellulose fibers. This week I will be exhibiting at VIVID in Melbourne at Furnitex, the furniture show, with my sustainable poufs:

Frog

I love frogs! As a kid I could play for hours with my little green friends and I was very excited when I discovered these guys in the toilet while traveling up north. The only time when I wasn't too excited was when I desperately had to go for the big thing and all toilets had three or more frogs each... I am still very sorry for the lot in that one particular toilet...

Spiderweb

I have different bowls of seed pods all around the place. Last year in Autumn I was too late to put this bowl inside and by the time I thought about it it was too late... A family of Redback spiders had taken occupation in it...

Busy Bee

I am feeling like this busy bee at the moment as I am working pretty hard on several projects at the same time because I am going to Melbourne next week to exhibit at VIVID and have a deadline for Monday so working all weekend... This bee was photographed by my partner last year when the lime tree was blooming. The smell of citrus tree blooms is one of the best smells in the world together with jasmin it is in my top list!

Echidna Chasm

These huge rocks at Echidna Chasm in Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles) get fabulous shades of color with the sun turning over at noon. Ingrid took this photo when we were exploring the Kimberley end 2006. The blog is in Dutch but you might want to see the photos in this stunning outback area.

Purple

Native Wisterias are blooming at the moment, this photo is taken in Bold Park were there is heaps of native Wisteria covering the bush. If you zoom in they are gorgeous. Like little faces with two big white and green eyes.

Jellyfish

Late Autumn I was cycling along the Swan River and had a stop just behind Point Walter where my partner was doing his first kite-surf lesson to make some photos of him. As I was quickly bored with it I had a better look in the water. And at a secluded area I found this lot of jellyfish. Beautiful creatures although most people don't like them. I especially like the movement of these jellies!

Orange

On the moment the garden is green and the first Nasturtium flowers have already shown up. These eatable flowers are a beautiful color splash in the garden but also looking good in a delicious salad.

Feathers

This is Bep, one of my chickens who is already too old to give me fresh eggs, last summer she and her sister Sjaan only layed about 30 eggs and I don't expect too many this coming summer as they are four years old now. But they enjoy life and I enjoy them. Look at her feathers, they look more like hair... it's her winter coat.

Rain drops

Last week after a morning shower I went out in the garden and saw these beautifull drops on the leaves of several plants. Jewelry for leaves...