another look at Melbourne and the Yarra River

after admiring these gorgeous kangaroo paws...

and after a lovely warm welcome
and sitting around doing nothing under the wisteria
watching one of the resident cute cats....
watching the world go by
we headed off for a walk
to see what was happening
down by the river
the Yarra River meanders past here usually,
but lately has been in flood...water had been up over where I was standing taking this photo apparently...

debris washed up
there are lots of kids and families come here on a hot day
but unfortunately a 19 year old who wasn't a swimmer drowned here the weekend before the floods. Very sad. It took the police divers 24 hours to find his body after he went missing.

trees also succumbed to the floods the next weekend

a very pretty area usually, but a bit muddy when I was there



think this one might have been there for a while...
a sit to sit on while down at the wetlands beside the river. Apparently they have been dry for about the last 15 years ...
pity the thistles and algae have taken over

what looks like a tomato isn't, and is poisonous unless treated...
plenty of fungi


plenty of firewood...
and some balls for the dogs in the menagerie...


some beautiful native plants my sister loves to grow


and what is the cat up to now?
having a little kip
in her favorite spot...
more beautiful flowers
some geraniums

we even did a spot of weeding the dandelions..
and a fuschia in flower outside the kitchen doors...very lovely.

and while writing this post here back at home I am being alternately delighted and tormented by some wonderful Whip birds calling outside the kitchen window. A wonderful sound to hear, but I cannot see them! Wikipedia says they are often heard but seldom seen. Not fair. I have often heard them out in the bushy area where I play tennis, but haven't heard them here as much. Amazing.
And it is raining here again. Will it ever stop? Another cyclone in Darwin, floods in the Barossa Valley in SA, and heavy rain and flash flooding again where my son and daughter live in Melbourne. Prayers for all affected by these events.