My photograph shows some of the remaining blooms on our Camelia shrub in the foreground. This has been a wonderful year for this shrub, with a dazzling, continuous array of beautiful blooms. It is unusual to see blooms remaining on the branches at this time of the year. In the background, looking exquisite, is one of our two Tree Peony shrubs. These are in flower a little later than usual but happily just as brilliant and luxurious as ever. Fronted by some Forget-me-nots and bright yellow Wallflowers.
I was busy mowing our lawn this afternoon and I was privileged to have this chirpy little Robin as a companion.
PROMPT ~ Landscape When you gaze out your window — real or figurative — do you see the forest first, or the trees?
Rainbow Lorikeets
AUSTRALIAN RAINFOREST BIRDS
by John Yeo
I always look beyond the fringe of trees at the edge of the forest and imagine the birdlife living and existing within. Some of my favourite early morning walks within a forest have been during our visits to our family in Australia. I would take a small video camera and wander around the trails, overawed with the colourful variety of the native bird life.
My walk in the forest this morning was interesting and rewarding. My first encounter was with one of my old friends, a Brush Turkey.
I came across this turkey walking straight towards me along the track, I got a wonderful close-up photograph of him, until he saw me and ran off into the forest. Then as I got to a bridge over a little brook near the main road, I spotted an Ibis and an unusual Heron type wading bird fishing in the brook beneath the bridge at the same time.
I took a good photo of the wader and I should be able to research and identify this bird later. Easily the highlight of my walk came next, when there was a chorus of very loud screeching from a flock of five or six Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that landed on some tall Eucalyptus and Paperbark Tea trees high above where I was standing.
I was able to stand and get some very good pictures of this wonderful sight. A sight that will live in my memory and I will relive over and over again when we get back home to England, through these photographs. The panorama of bird life on display today was not complete even then, as I encountered a pair of Kookaburras high up in the tree canopy and I got some very good photographs of the pair of them together.
This is a response to a prompt provided by WordPress
PROMPT TIDE
THE TIDE OF TIME
by John Yeo
The tide of life had flowed for quite a number of years before this particular birthday arrived. The circumstances were definitely weighted against it being an overwhelming experience. We were still securely locked-down, sheltering from the dangers of catching the dreaded Covid virus. Most restaurants were closed to diners eating-in and holidays were certainly out of the question due to worldwide restrictions on entry to most ports of call around the world. In the past we have been able to book a short term break in our favourite little bolt hole here in the U.K., not far from home, where we were able to celebrate with catering provided and some entertainment.
Firstly, I had to solve the problem of purchasing a greeting card without exposing myself to the possibility of contracting this abominable virus. I decided to buy an online card and I proceeded to put together a great card using a couple of photographs together with one of my poems. Whilst I was on this useful site, I discovered that the firm also delivers flowers and I added a bunch of thirty stems of beautiful roses. I then postponed this delivery until three days before the upcoming birthday.
The card and the flowers arrived on the prearranged day and the flowers were spectacularly beautiful. These were placed into a couple of vases straight away and the card was checked and prematurely displayed.
I had dreamed up several ideas for the actual birthday celebration. I put together an online greeting card and displayed it on both of our timelines on social media in the early hours., I woke early and served tea and toasted homemade bread to the birthday celebrant while I was tunelessly singing, ‘Happy Birthday to You,’ Several early birthday cards had arrived and these were quickly opened to the accompaniment of surprise and murmurs of appreciation.
I planned to order a delivery of an Indian/Asian meal and we had a lot of fun choosing our selection of dishes from the online menu of our local restaurant and we plan to indulge in a slap up meal this evening.
The final strand to this unusual birthday present will be a shopping voucher or cash to be spent in the near future when the pandemic restrictions are removed.
This is a response to a prompt provided by WordPress
PROMPT ~ The little things Describe a little thing — one of the things you love that defines your world but is often overlooked.
TOAST
It’s the early morning slice of toast that springs to mind first, when I consider the little things that would certainly be overlooked in any analysis of my early morning world. I’m always awake early and I make my way to our kitchen to prepare the early morning tea for both of us. I open the fridge door and select a slice of bread, preferably Margaret’s home-baked, although a slice of supermarket sunflower and pumpkin bread is an acceptable alternative.
I place the bread in the toaster, which is set for a light toasting cycle, meanwhile, I switch the kettle on, in preparation to make the tea.
My slice of toast pops up in the toaster and I remove it and place it onto a small side plate. I liberally coat the bread with olive spread, which immediately begins to melt into the hot bread. Then I add a small amount of marmite; yes! Marmite, the spread which apparently is universally loved or hated by everyone. The category I fall into is obvious. I then cut the slice of bread into four squares and I pop one piece into my mouth immediately. I never chew the bread, I allow it to soften and literally melt into my mouth. I savour the flavour of the strong taste of marmite mingling with the taste of the spread and the flour that makes up the bread. The homemade flour is exceptionally tasty. In the meantime I prepare the tea, at the same time slowly inserting a second square of heavenly marmite-flavoured toast into my mouth. When this has been successfully savoured and consumed I repeat the process until I’ve consumed my morning slice of paradise.
The hardest thing is to resist placing a second slice in the toaster and repeating the process all over again.
WEDNESDAY 14th APRIL 2021 ~ FLASH FICTION ~ POETRY
This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘The Last Post on WordPress’ ~
Prompt ~ WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?
S/he said Pause whatever you’re doing, and ask the person nearest you what they’re thinking about (call someone if you have to). Write a post based on it.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?
by John Yeo
The person seated next to me responded with ‘I’m reading the newspaper.’ Which happened to be an online version of the ‘Daily Mail.’ I am aware that one of the prime reasons for this choice of newspaper is the crossword puzzles and mind games that go some way to the alleviation and defence against dementia. The news is almost a bi-product of the investment in purchasing the newspaper. I then asked,
‘What would you be reading if it wasn’t for the puzzles and mind games? In that particular newspaper?
The unsurprising reply came as, ‘I’m not sure, probably The Independent.’ This reply was obviously based on the more serious aspect of buying a newspaper as an independent slant on the news.
This response got me thinking about the influences that shape the mind. Most people’s habits of thought and inspiration come from the newspapers that we tend to devour on a daily basis. A constant flow of opinion and the slants on what is happening in the world is ingested and percolated from our reading habits. Usually our choice of newspaper is not so much dictated by our parents, but largely influenced by their choice of newspaper. Until we get to our further education establishment where we develop our own instinctual choices.
The wide variety of news sources today allows us to ingest the news in many different ways including the single daily take of our regular morning newspapers.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?
by John Yeo
‘What are you thinking about?’
‘The trail is very obscure, Many twists and turns Millions have come this way The path is very well worn.’
~
‘What are you thinking about?’
‘Across the seas, another shore, There are many signs, Many corners, many directions, Many examples to follow.’
~
‘What are you thinking about?’
‘One door unlocks another door, The instinct quickly learns The only way is forward, Be kind, be gentle, be firm.’
~
‘What are you thinking about?’
‘Your trail began at birth, Already the myriad clues and signs Were building a pattern to follow. The learning never ends.’
This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘The Last Post on WordPress’
Prompt ~ LUMINESCENT
Photo credit by Kris Williams
BIOLUMINESCENCE
by John Yeo
Photographers and nature lovers have been watching bioluminescent plankton glowing off the Welsh coast.
Bioluminescence describes the light that some living creatures, such as fireflies and jellyfish, emit from their cells.
Photographer Kris Williams captured the above sighting in Beaumaris, Anglesey in Wales.
To discover vivid natural bioluminescent plankton, one of the best places is in the Indian Ocean.
Travellers to the exotic waters, surrounding the islands of the Maldives, may be treated to a dazzling natural phenomenon that turns the night-time ocean into a field of glowing stars.
As waves break on the sandy shore, or bare feet step into wet sand, a bright blue glow appears. This magical effect is caused by the bioluminescent plankton that often appears in warm coastal waters.
A trip to the Maldives could be on our bucket list when we are finally allowed to travel again.
This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘The Last Post on WordPress’
PROMPT DO-OVER
Go back to a blog post you always thought could be better, or were unsatisfied with – now, fix it.
( Blog post resurrected from Wednesday 6th March 2018)
This post was deficient in that there was no indication that it took place in Eastern Australia and it was lacking any photographs. I hope this has fixed those unsatisfactory problems.
I had a habit of getting up early and walking along in the local nature reserve. I went for my first walk through the natural woodland in the park with the camera, the weather was cloudy and threatening to rain, I had decided to risk a soaking. There were not many birds around to photograph, although I was aware of the usual cacophony of sound from the trees and scrub in the woods.
The first bird I came across was my old friend the brush turkey who was in the process of building a nest in exactly the same spot as he did fourteen months ago when we were here last. I shot some photographs of him hard at work and wandered along the track which was quite muddy from the incredible rainfall here of late and I was forced to turn back and retrace my steps.
On the way I was met by my friend the dog walker, a man who I had met in the same place walking his dog when we were here last. Then the rain suddenly came and I was soaked to the skin, within minutes I sheltered under some enormous Palm tree leaves and waited for it to stop. I heard a rustle behind me and I was just in time to photograph another brush turkey.
The rain stopped and I was able to continue on my way. As I was nearing home I noticed some movement in a beautiful Golden Penda tree which was in full bloom and covered with lovely yellow flowers. These trees are everywhere in this area, and they are all covered with pretty yellow blossom at this time of the year. To my surprise and delight there were several rainbow lorikeets feeding on the nectar produced by these wonderful flowers, and I quickly snapped a photograph of the lorikeets feeding, until I was noticed by the birds and they flew off.
PRECIOUS WATERS
