A Seaforth walk

Things not to do in Seaforth early in the morning: forget one’s hat.  I have worn more spider webs than I care to mention. But I didn’t shriek too much. (You wouldn’t have heard my plaintive cries over the sound of the birds here in Sydney. My word they are loud.)

I had hoped that I wouldn’t have been the first person to walk down some lovely bush paths today. You always want someone to clear the spider webs for you. But it was Sunday morning. And it was early.

But it’s going to be hot today, so I wanted to enjoy a toodle around the neighbourhood before it became too unpleasant.

And there is the small matter of two pavlovas to do for the luncheon party.

For those of you who live in Sydney. And Bronwen in this very street will just roll her eyes and say: ‘Oh, that Bougainvillea, so over rated’.

But it’s huge!  And it’s growing all around and up a rather handsome angophora tree (eucalyptus, gum). I can’t get close enough to really check.

It’s that fantastic clash of native plants and imported beasties.

And just 100 metres further up this tiny sea-side street you get this:

That’s better. I do love this stand of trees.

And can you see, just at the very top a strange shape.

Here, this will help.  My favourite tree.

Yes, very ugly and unprepossessing.

But this banksia tree is older than this neighbourhood by about one hundred years.  A limb is dead, the thing grows in mad directions; but this banksia manages to prevent yet more housing on this tiny street.

It’s protected.

Hurrah for tree huggers.

And now the internet connection has disappeared and I seem to be writing only for myself. It will update and reconnect eventually.

I have also been madly distracted by the darn birds.  I am ever vigilant in keeping the sulphur crested cockatoos out of the bird feeder.

This was a job that kept my dear father very busy most mornings. And I can well understand the battle. These birds are huge. And they have a way at glaring at you which is quite menacing.

It’s the rainbow lorrikeets we feed, not the cockies.

They are so tame after years of patient work that you can feed a few of them from your hand. (And then spend ages afterwards sweeping up the pumpkin seed husks off the verandah.)

And it’s a battle of wills I have won this morning.  But it required me to leap up from this keyboard and go out and fling cushions at the (protected) birds.

See, protected trees, protected birds. I somehow managed to slip away from my lovely trees and end up with feathers.  I need to go and make a cake.

More of my lovely walk and visit with extraordinary trees anon. I only made it 500 metres up the road on this blog.