M is for a Margay: meeting a new mammal

A nocturnal small native cat here in tropical Central America. This particular little beauty pops past the Arenal Observatory Lodge now and again for a meal of chicken breasts. It used to be the pet of the previous lodge owner and was released back into the wild. A little beauty.

Z is for Zany: 'Van Gogh Ear', Rockefeller Centre.

Spring day, visiting Rockefeller Centre, NYC

Rockefeller Centre always surprises!

This visit we were so amused to see an enormous fibreglass swimming pool, upended and titled "Van Gogh's Ear". An inspired installation, zany and fitting for a perfect spring sunday morning on Manhattan.
Beautiful flowers lined the water features and the skyscrapers gleamed against the blue sky. Reminds me why I love a visit to New York, it always surprises me!

And picking up the fresh zingy Citrus Verbena Eau de Toilette from L'Occitane was a treat before ambling off to Central Park.

C is for a Clock: Grand Central Station

The clock atop the information booth in Grand Central Terminal is not only a beautiful work of art, it may be worth more than $10 million, because of the four opal faces on the clock. What a treat to head to Grand Central after arriving early on a sunday morning in New York. We wandered around this glorious building with its vast Concourse, stairways and fine details wherever we looked.

Vanderbilt and East 42nd Entrance to Grand Central Station

We were there!

C is for Costa Rica: a new country is calling

A new adventure, a new country....

On the eve of our birding adventure to Costa Rica with Bernie and Martie Krone. We head off to New York tomorrow, transfer from JFK to Newark, then board a flight to San Jose.

We have a 10 day itinerary put together by a young local birder, Johan Fernandez, who guided Noah Stryker. Noah smashed the World Record in 2015 for the most number of birds sighted in a year.

S is for Sculptures on the Beach: Cottesloe Beach, Perth

Cottesloe Beach, Perth, from the Pier.

We have been chasing daylight, flying 5 hours across from Sydney to Perth. This morning a sunrise over the Pacific Ocean and this evening a sunset over the Indian Ocean!

Inel sent me information about an outdoor sculpture exhibition at Cottesloe Beach, Perth so we hired a car for the afternoon and headed for the beach, along with plenty of other folks.

The Sculpture by the Sea was certainly popular.

The pieces are monumental, some edgy, others classical in nature and others just down right weird.

Some of the Sculptures by the Sea, Cottesloe Beach, Perth

My favourite piece was a gossamer fine wire sculpture by the Australian artist, Barbara Licha, called "Listen time passes.." The figures are captured in their boxes, or spaces, the light catches the wire and they seem to have movement and tension. Quite magical and haunting.

My favourite piece, gossamer fine, haunting piece.

F is for Farewell: leaving Australia

Guy and Inel, thank you!

Our transition starts.
We leave Killcare with Guy to Sydney. Sydney to Perth and Perth to Johannesburg.
Thanks Guy and Inel for our welcome in your homes.

Sunset, Cowra, NSW

Seascape, Killcare, NSW

B is for Bushwalking: finding a Bowerbird and a Pitta

Female Satin Bowerbird.

Blue eye of the Satin Bowerbird

Guy got us going early this morning and we drove across the headland, down Patonga Drive and we all went walking through the Patonga Creek Wetland.

It was buggy, enormous spiders and their vast nests, huge biting fire ants and we were following Guy as he tracked off path through the mangroves and the adjacent forest with its thick understory.

We all stopped dead at one point having heard a loud hissing noise which we hoped was not a snake. To my amazement it was the alarm call of a Satin Bowerbird, a female or perhaps a young adult, we had great views as the bird warily kept an eye on us.

The birding bonanza continued.

Guy noticed a colourful bird hopping through the leaf litter along the path, I could not believe it, a pitta, my first ever! We had a Noisy Pitta in our scope. Fred was just a little frustrated with not having brought his main camera along, but at least these photos can tell the story.

The Noisy Pitta creeping among the leaf litter, still grinning from this amazing sighting.

W is for Wool Bombora: an installation for The Nest@Killcare

Wool Bombora, an installation at The Nest

Detail of the wool bombing.

I have been keeping pieces of broken jewellery to use in craft projects.

The idea for an installation for The Nest@Killcare evolved when I saw a photo of some drift wood decorated with wool bombing.

Then the pattern for a knitted bird popped up and the installation started to take shape.

I knitted the birds and suspended them from pearls, water pearls, beads and pieces of jewellery.

The knitting of the sleeve is decorated with pearly white buttons. Two I-cords add texture along the drift wood.

Inel already had the nest hanging among the wood. She found the wooden knitting needles at an Op Shop and they are a quirky addition to the piece.

I am pleased with the result and it is a privilege to be able to add a piece to this beautiful home which is filled with original art works by my sisters Inel and Doreen and even by our mother.

The installation is named for the rocky reef off Putty Beach, the 'Bomby" or Bombora. We sit, either with our early morning coffee or with an evening G&T and watch the waves break over the Bomby.

Wool Bombora at the top of the stairs.

K is for Killcare: family time at The Nest

Pasta making at The Nest

A week at The Nest with family

Inel's sketch of The Nest@Killcare

A family converging and spending time together at Killcare, Central Coast, New South Wales.

Jason, Elly and Carmen from Sydney, Jossie from Orange, Fred and Sharon from Johannesburg and Doreen from Hilton.

Just wonderful.

Special memories of time on the beach, walking, swimming and pottering around the area.

Putty Beach from the veranda of The Nest

R is for Rainbow Lorikeet: and the coast banksia

The flowering coast banksia in the garden here at The Nest attracts the wonderfully colourful Rainbow Lorikeets. Both are common along the east coast of Australia and the parrots fly in early morning with lots of shrieking and almost seem excited to start feeding.

H is for Hardys Bay: a morning walk from Killcare

The routine at The Nest@Killcare is a gentle rhythm. Its starts with coffee and a rusk on the top floor veranda with it's wrap around views of Killcare and Putty Beaches. We watch the sunrise and marvel at the shape and colour of the clouds.

A walk comes next. This morning we ambled up and over the hill into Hardys Bay, looking at the birds around the exposed mangrove banks, the boats were so picturesque in the early light of day. A flat white at The Fat Goose was a treat too.

We picked up fresh bread and headed back to the house for breakfast. All this before 9am. So lovely.

H is for Heat: a Collared Sparrowhawk comes for a drink in the garden

A remarkable birding moment in Inel and Guy's garden here in Cowra.

It was 7pm, still very hot, the temperature gauge had gotten to 40 degrees at about 4pm. The bird landed in the plough-shear birdbath and even though it was cautious, the need for water was stronger. We had amazing views as it lifted and cooled its wings.

After some research the ID was confirmed as a 1st year Collared Sparrowhawk.

R is for River Red Gums: trees of Australian watercourses

An old twisty River Red Gum

Our afternoon drive along the Lachlan River here in Cowra was a study of the majesty of the river red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis.

These trees are huge, over 35 meters high and diameters as much as 3 meters. Their trunks are varicoloured and twisted, with hard durable reddish coloured wood. 

The trees tolerate both flooding and droughts!

The old limb hollows and broken branches make perfect nesting spots for galahs, sulphur-crested cockatoos, little corellas and various other parrots. 

As we drove up to Phillips Crossing, which is an historic spot near Cowra, we disturbed the corellas and cockatoos. The noise was fabulous as they squawked and complained and flew off.

Refuge from the heat, Inel in the Lachlan River

The river red gums along the Lachlan River