What I Saw.

 I spotted this swarm of bees while on my morning walk today, and was fascinated by the colour of the massed bee bodies.

 There appeared to be two swarms, but the beekeeper that I contacted to come and rescue the bees told me that it was all one family and that it 'hadn't got it's act together'.

He wanted to know was it a 1, 2 or more bucket operation to re-home them, hence the photographs. I imagine that it would depend on the size of the buckets!

Wonderful Wisteria.

 Whilst I have seen wonderful wisteria like this before, this particular property had masses of it.

             But I have never seen a double wisteria before like this one above and below.

Not only are the flowers so beautiful, but the colour varies from pale lilac to quite a dark shade on the same 'bunch'. An absolutely spectacular form of the climber.

Bits & Pieces.

                                         A wonderful dragonfly piece of artwork beside a pond.

                                                                  Tree snails ?

                         I wonder what this caterpillar will turn into, a moth of some sort I expect.

                                                  Wonderfully textural seaside grass.

Grass Trees.

 I don't know what it is about Grass Trees (Xanthorrhaea), that is so appealing. I love their varied shapes and forms as do so many other people.

Some are fat, some are skinny, some are short, some are tall, and they all have mops of bushy 'hair'.

Seen from a distance as here above, all the old flower spikes sticking up look like a field of swords or sticks ready for the battle. Grass trees grow very slowly, so although some are quite small they may be many, many years old.

Pinnacles Galore.

     These photos show some of the limestone pinnacle formations in the Nambung National Park.

 Most of the photos that I had seen before visiting the park gave the impression that the pinnacles were all huge, but most of them are not! The photos must all have been taken from a low angle I think.

                                   For more information about this amazing spot click   Here

Memorial to the HMAS Sydney 11.

 This is part of the extensive memorial to the ship HMAS Sydney 11 which was sunk off the coast of Western Australia in 1941. More information Here.

This cupola of birds, 9 meters high and 12 meters in diameter, is intended to be uplifting in nature while enclosing a sacred space of remembrance and a symbolic link with the men of HMAS Sydney II. It forms a canopy, which is a filigree of stainless steel and an open weave dome. The whole effect of distilled light reflects the silver sea, creating a sense of disembodiment and peace. Standing at the centre of this empty space, one becomes aware of the vastness of the ocean; this great open grave and as one’s eyes are drawn upward towards the light, there is a sensation of looking up at the surface of the sea from below. By day, the beauty of the Geraldton blue sky can be glimpsed, filtering light through the silver winged shapes into the Memorial inner space; while at night, the cupola, lit internally, would form a dome of gold, glowing on the top of Mt. Scott.
This inner space in itself is highly symbolic and is designed to be evocative of the emptiness left behind by the missing crewmen.

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  This is a very moving sculpture of one of the women left behind when the ship never returned.
You can read more about this highly symbolic memorial here

Paper Daisies

 Another photo of the Wreath flowers, this time with the mauve Trigger plants growing alongside or even in the middle of the wreath. The Trigger plants get their name from the flower parts that have a trigger that snaps down onto visiting bees or flies to make sure that they carry off some pollen on their backs when they leave the flower.

 Millions of white Paper or Everlasting Daisies with a few yellow ones off to the left.

                                                           Another million or so!

Beautiful Wreath Flowers.

 When I was told that we were going to see Wreath Flowers, I misunderstood and thought they were Reef flowers! But they are indeed Wreath Flowers, and amazing they are too.

 It looks for all the world as if someone has stood on the back of  truck and tossed wreaths of flowers out the window!  They only grow in disturbed soil apparently, which is why they are lining the sides of a sandy road some 130 Km from Geraldton in Western Australia.