Pemberton

Pemberton is a long way down south of where we live in Western Australia.  See...

Not that the long drive affected me at all...

We went down for a 20th Anniversary Handfasting for two of our Druid friends, the lovely Michelle and Dusty.   How gorgeous is this photo taken by Ashley?

Pemberton is best known for being in the thick of the Karri forests.  Karri are... well... I think unless I ever get to see a Redwood forest, they are probably the most amazing trees I'll ever be amongst.  What better cathedral for a Druid than this?

Their energy is so peaceful and dignified, even if sometimes the humans amongst them are less so...  :D

Don't ask me! Something about being vampires in our cloaks, I seem to remember!

There are beautiful waterfalls too.  Above is the Cascades where we did the Handfasting and below is Beedelup Falls.   Do not go on the swinging bridge down there with naughty people, I warn you now!

And there is this very odd little place known as the Goblin Forest.  Creepy but very cool!

I could imagine so many little critters in there, and as somebody else said at the tine, "Do not touch the water!"  (LOTR reference there for my fellow fans.)

I might try to use it as part of a piece of fantasy art at some stage.   We got a bit lost finding it but when asking for directions we got to meet the lovely Patrick the Stick Obsessed, a Tricolour Rough Collie.   Gorgeous boy and what a lovely place he gets to live!

We stayed in a lovely rammed earth chalet by a lake.   In the first two hours I saw three birds I'd never seen before.  Two of them, the Golden Whistler and the Firetail, were both just hopping around on the grass outside our window!  It's a twitcher's paradise!

I won't horrify you with the blurry photos I got.  Here's one of a Red-eared Firetail from Birdlife Australia:

And here's a male Golden Whistler, from the same site.

For comparison, here is my photo of one.  As you can see, I'd better not give up my day job for nature photography just yet!

What, you say you can't see it?  But it's right there in the middle of the lawn!

See?  Heh.

I hope August sees you enjoying whatever season is yours to enjoy at this time, spring or autumn.

Get outside, look at birds and trees and skies and rocks.   It's good for the brain!

See you next time I feel like blogging!