FSO Water/Lakes/Streams

This week I am staying really close to home.  We don’t have a lake but we do have our lovely little stream with many moods.

Although in places where the water is deep, it can take on the appearance of a small lake:

In summer it sparkles as it rushes over rocks:

It’s a magical place for children and dogs to explore:

In places, up the mountain, close to its source, beautiful ferns line its banks:



Late last summer, when we were in the grips of a drought, it became choked with weeds:

Then the rains came, and the bridge to somewhere:



Became the bridge to nowhere:

Murky floodwater spread from the creek across the farmland:

But even before the floodwater recedes, when the blue skies returns, occasionally you catch it in a reflective mood.  It always seems to me that this is when Mother Nature takes a deep sigh, having spent her forces, and rewards us with beauty to compensate for the damage done.   (I admit it is a bit harder for the farmer to be so appreciative!)

And after the rain we find lovely little waterfalls:

I love this stream in all it’s moods, there is always something to delight the senses.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to "the creek".  Thanks to Nicole Howard for the topic.

If you'd like see some amazing photos of Water, Lakes and Streams, just head over here.

Unexpected pleasures

I went for a long walk this morning to ease the kinks out of my back (the price of spending two days at the sewing machine) and noticed how pretty the weeds are at this time of year. So this afternoon when Georgia and I went for a walk, I made sure the camera came with us.

Down by the creek was an unexpected pleasure. The dairy herd was in a paddock beside the creek but a number of them had walked out of there and were grazing along the banks of the creek.

They looked so lovely amongst the long grass.

It’s an environmental ‘no, no’ these days but my dog wouldn’t know how to chase a cow to put them back in the paddock and I decided I would enjoy the sight, as, who knows, I may never see it again.

Once one cow does something, all the others usually want to get in on the act and before long lots of them were leaving their paddock and going for a wander down along the creek.

I think they were also attracted to the sound of our voices.

Krystal, Shayde and their little friend, Jessica came looking for us and we all went walking up the little side stream that comes down out of the mountains.

Another unexpected pleasure - the girls discovered a water hole deep enough to swim in.

And in they went, clothes and all!

By the time I convinced them that they had been swimming long enough the cows had been retrieved from their paddock (and the creek) and were making their way to the cow shed for milking.

And now the bottoms of my feet are sore from walking along the stoney bottomed creek.

But that’s a small price to pay for the pleasures of the day.

Waterfall Adventures

"Do you know what farmer lives here", asked Georgia as we stopped on the side of the road to look at the water rushing down out of the hills. I didn't and wondered vaguely why she'd want to know.

"Well, can you find out?"

Gaining interest, knowing when a story is coming my way, I asked was it important.

"Yes, we need to find out the name of the farmer who lives here. Then Daddy can ring him up and ask him can we play in his creek. " (I notice that her dad gets the really important jobs to do.)

"This is the best creek I've ever seen. It could be the best creek in the whole world.

We could climb way up there to the top of the gully,


Then scoot down with the water.


(Her imagination starts to kick in....)
We could fly out over that waterfall,


swish through that culvert, drop out the other side


and scoot on down the creek

to wherever it goes."

Adventure indeed! I didn't have to enquire who "we" were. I just know it would be her and me; you have no idea the feats that child thinks I'm capable of. As I climbed ever so carefully down over a bank to get closer to the bottom of the little water fall I move like a lady my age, a bit cautiously and paying attention to where I put my feet. The child sees an intrepid explorer fighting her way fearlessly through the jungle.

I admit I don't do much to discourage her flights of fancy!