A Thursday in Photos

Good morning from my balcony.

Less than two weeks to Christmas Day. That makes it panic mode time, doesn't it?

I was hoping to be organised, to have gifts bought and ready to go in the mail. To have Christmas cards made to have ... done all those other things on my non existent list. It hasn't happened. I bought tyres for my car instead of gifts and have worked and slept instead of crafting. Well I guess these things are a little more important than gifts arriving in time for Christmas to family.

Plenty of wispy mare's tails there.

I've been busy with both my jobs, working everyday (except the weekends, well every second one anyway) at one or both. I've been doing one on one lessons with one student recently and it has been so much fun and so much learning, for both of us. I never knew how much I didn't know about how the English language works. Thank goodness for wifi and google.

I am trying to grasp some Christmas spirit, some Christmas fun but it just doesn't feel like Christmas here despite the decorations sprinkling the town. 

What I am however, is fascinated by this tree with its bell shaped flowers. Very apt that it flowers at this time of year. I think flame trees should be now knows as a Christmas bell tree. What do you think?

Actually there is a lot in flower now, mostly in reds and yellows. Very clever of the council that. There is the odd bit of pink about but I need to photograph that yet. So for now you get to see yellow and red.

One of the yellows is one I like and one of Mr Sparky's favourites, a golden shower tree. Thousands upon thousands of flowers cascade from the tree. A mass of yellow, all bright and cheerful. It immerses you in its yellow world when you stand under it marveling at the raining flowers.

 

This street is one I drive everyday that I head to Nova, so pretty much every day for the last month. I love the brightness these poinciana bring. The funny thing is that when me and my bad memory of street names describe it as the street with the round-a-bouts and all the red poincianas, most people know exactly what street it is. Tree lined streets filled with flowers do tend to stick in your mind, apparently. 

After stopping for photos a few times recently, I finally managed to get a rushed 'nearly in the middle of the road' photo of red lining the street. There is way too much traffic along here for what I want, I think. Maybe I need to have my own personal traffic controller so I can get photos I want in unideal places.

Today has seen clouds gathering and this afternoon we were being serenaded by thunder. Thunder and storms are something I have missed. Last weekend saw the first 'proper' thunderstorm since we moved here and, we missed it in Cairns, as we were on the Tablelands. Mind you it was wide spread so we saw it up there. Going on forecasts I guess you could say storm season is here, something we didn't have last year. Bring it on!