Sticky Beak, by any name

The Eastern Spinebill, enjoying our ever popular Grevilliea Scarlet Sprite. Apparently this is THE nectar to get through the winter on. I have more shots which better illustrate this incredibly handsome fella, but I couldnt resist sharing these more candid shots with you.

More info: Eastern Spinebill at Birds in Backyards
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I frequently call the Spinebill a Nuthatch. This is a throwback to my days in my Country of Origin. Similarly, there are still times I find myself walking to the wrong side of the car. (Either to the drivers side when I am a passenger, or to the passengers side when I am driving).

Noisy Frozen Flight

(((Nom, nom, nom.)))

What the...pesky human! Hey, stop that!!!

Oh! I am so outta here!

Once again wishing you could see these full size and without compression. Ah well, the download would be prohibitive - Im sure your imaginations can fill in any missing details.

Im still sicky and icky, so thats all for today - Stay well!

I hab a code in my nose

A canna lilly from late summer. Id tell you which one, but I bought it on ebay, and its definately NOT the one I bargained for. Wont buy plants online again! Good thing its pretty.
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Ive come down with a head cold. Im hoping all the sitting and staring and not caring is at least partly due to that, and not all the new med. Iam still very flat.

For example, yesterday I went to feed the Budgies, and discovered that Freebird had died in the night. My only reaction was to get the shovel and bury him. Just seems a bit odd, cold even, to be so disconnected from one's emotions.

I cant live flatline and inert. The universe is not set up for me to sit and watch TV all day. The 30 day trial continues.

What a long, strange trip its been

Bonne Chance is doing well, although progress is still slow. Here he is enjoying a nap and looking very handsome. If I warm a piece of raw chicken, he will let me pet him for about a half hour, purring the whole time.

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It seems many of those side effects I was having, were related to a slight overdose. Just because the old med wasnt working anymore, doesnt mean it wasnt still active in my system. So it would have been better to wean off of it, instead of cold turkey. Which I knew, but willingly ignored.

But then they started me on the new med at twice the recomended starting dose. It could have been a lot worse, so Ive been lucky. Things seem to be stabilizing in that department now.

As for the desired effect? I still cant say, but so far Im flat. That kinda makes everything harder, not really caring one way or another about anything. In its way its good to no longer wish to be hit by a bus in between bouts of homicidal rage. But I still wonder why there isnt some better treatment for depression, in this age of scientific marvels every minute.

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"Sometimes the light's all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
what a long strange trip it's been."

~ Truckin', Grateful Dead

White Plumed Honeyeater

As promised, a shot of the White Plumed Honeyeater, now to sift through the shots of the Spinebill and see if I got any good ones of him....well, maybe not right now, but soon. Promise!

White Plumed Honeyeater at Birds in Backyards

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Sweating, staring. Seeing the GP tommorrow. Dont know if I should stick with this med or jump ship. Feels totally queer to be me on this stuff.

Assimilating an altered reality?

Amanita Muscaria or fly agaric, info at Wikipedia. Shot on a cold rainy day in a conifer forest last April. Tempting though it was, we did not collect either of the two specimens we found that day, so it is not this fungi that alters my reality of late. However, it does make a fitting illustration for my present state of mind.
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Its day five of the new anti-depressant. My heart is trying to escape my chest. The whoosing sound in my ears is fascinating. Dont much care what is undone around here. Light sensitive, as though with migraine, but there is only an average headache. Spending alot of time sitting. Staring. I cant remember to breathe.

Re-de-lumped

From my big backlog of pictures, this sunset from last March speaks most to me today, so here it is for you. It was a spectacular one, and fleeting, as are all sunsets.

So yesterday was the second go at my benign-so-far breast lump. They went deeper in and further around this time to get 'clean margins' to lessen the chance that it will regrow, which it was already doing. Joy. Some parts of being a girl have no glamour.

Between the ears, I saw the GP Monday and she agreed, sounds like the anti-depressant had conked out. We theorized that as it wasnt working, there was nothing to wean off, so thats a small win. It means I could start a new one the same day. Today is day four, and the general rule with anti-depressants is that they need to build up in your system, and it can take up to a month to see improvements. Often sooner, but a month is giving it a decent chance. Fingers crossed this one will work as nicely for me as the previous one.

I dont think everyone who is depressed HAS to be on meds. But sometimes there is just no sense suffering needlessly.

And here my body says I should get back to resting, Thank all of you for your kind messages and wishes. They are each much appreciated. Mwah!

Clowns and Incapacitation

Here we have a Noisy Miner, reluctantly posing for the camera this last April. I call these guys clowns, because they do remind me of clowns. Im not especially fond of clowns. But if the funny nose fits, one must wear it.

For more information try this link: Noisy Miner at Birds in Backyards

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Iam incapacitated, nearly totally, by my depression. It is so NOT voluntary. I am convinced this is more than depression, and will bring that up when I see the doctor monday morning. Will try to blog again tommorrow, but if not, dont worry. The second surgery for the breast lump is this Wednesday, so it all just may get too much - but I will keep trying to fight. Be good to yourselves!

Drama King

I like the high contrast here, although not technically brilliant, I still like it. My kitty Priapus and the camera love each other.

Rolled out of bed and hit the ground running, and it aint over yet...so thats all I have today - hope you have a more pedestrian pace out there, Cheers!

Little Wattle VS Noisy Minor

Who will win? Whoever gets the nectar first!

This knife wattle (Acacia Cultriformis) has proved very popular as a perch for birds resting between drinks at the spiny greville (Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite').

Not just a perch, but also a battlefield for possession of this valuable food resource.

The Little Wattle Birds have to work so hard defending the two of these I have. Since they are so popular, I have found room for a couple more around the back.

In addition to the Noisy Minors, the Common Indian Myna has learned how to partake of this shrubs nectar, and in the last month or so we have had other pirate types too. I will work on some shots for you of the Eastern Spinebill and the White Plumed Honeyeater. I could use some wings of my own to keep up with them.

Cold hands, warm heart!

Thank you very much, KJ. You are a sweetie, Mwah!

Little Wattle Bird gives us a look in

Literally! Lucky I had the camera in my hand. I had been trying to shoot other birds from the kitchen window, when I wandered into the lounge room and saw this familiar face looking in at me!


He is perched in the Calistemon, or Bottle Brush tree that hosted a swarm of bees (for two days) a while back. Also the very same tree that my Stanhopea Occulata and Encyclia Cochleata reside in.



I said "QUOCK!" and he looked straight at me and opened his beak as if to reply. But alas, the moment was lost when suddenly Priapus could take no more. The furred one launched himself upward, and abruptly made bone crunching contact with the glass.



The bird had naturally flown off. I shook my head at the crumpled mass on the floor. The blighter was already putting on a show to say "I meant that to happen.".

Nearby, Aurora flexed the claws of one paw out into the air, saying "Oh, we believe you." Then after a quick backstretch added, "Thousands wouldnt!"

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Im going to try to blog everyday. I have made some great strides with my giant backlog of photos, and so have lots I can use here. So fingers crossed the routine of blogging will be good for my brain.

Also, I am trying to get out of the house for a half hour during the brightest part of the day - hey, they sun has actually been out for two days running - makes a change.

MISC(ellaneous) Grill Monday

Its been grey and rainy ALOT lately. Add to that: the Solstice is near. Could it be the weather and the season have a role in my deepening mood? Its not outside the Realm of Possibilty.



I think this is the last orchid currently in flower...it might be BL Westfieldensis (P.L. Flava x BU Glauca 'Super'). Well, thats what the tag it had when we bought it said. Im not convinced though.



Ive named these two spotted turtle doves Heckle and Jeckle. One of these days, Bonne Chance will have had his fill of their teasing him. Mark my words! Crummy photo here as the day is so terribly grey, and the screened window Im shooting through is unforgiving with the low light outside - such is life.




What-o! Persephone is taking a rather large liberty with Bonne Chance and his lunch, dont you think? She in fact pushed him right out of the dish! I suspect she will have to repay him one day.

Spent, Narcissus floats. Drifting.

While arranging some flowers at the kitchen sink, this spent blossom was discarded. After it hit the water, I noticed how dramatic the ribbing of each petal looks. Naturally, I had take a pic.
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Last Sunday, I wrote that I did not know what I was feeling. That may have been a signal that something is not right. Now, nobody should worry about me, really. Im not going to off myself or anything like that. But I have been hearing the dark thoughts again. It may be that my anti-depressant has stopped working.

All re-uptake inhibitor type anti-depressant medications are equally as prone to this "poop-out" phenomenon. It is a mammoth nuisance, I can tell you.

So, its a waiting game for the moment. If I continue to fall further down, then its the meds. If I manage to pull myself out of the quicksand, then perhaps there is another explanation for this nosedive.

How long to give it before running to the doctor is the big question. Ive tried several other anti-depresants over the years. All of them had side effects that range from "annoying-but-I-can-live-with-it-in-exchange-for-some-other-benefit" (like the one Im on), and all points in between right on up to "Unacceptable! TERMINATE! Unacceptable! DONT TOUCH ME!! UNACCEPTABLE!"

...now I am loosing patience with sitting here trying to force an encyclopedia of information into one short blog post, Im going to RUN AWAY for now and find something else to do for a bit - Have a good day out there!

Caught in a passing sunbeam

Short grey days. When the sun peeks out from behind the clouds,
run outside and soak it up.

1st Encyclia Cochleata of 2009

First blossom of the season on one of my favourite orchids, Encyclia Cochleata. Last year's shot is here, if youd like another look. I was going to write more, but someone has stolen my afternoon, blast them!

Subterfuge!

Oh! So youre a pretty little housecat, just pretending to be a homeless vagabond. Living under the streets only part of your time...slumming it with the kids from the ghetto trying to represent for the opressed masses. All the while slinking home to a comfy bed and warmed tins of Royal Meow. Uh huh. We see how it is now.

Last Roses with First Narcissus

One day last week, it stopped raining long enough that I could tackle a couple of garden jobs. One was to cut back a couple long and unruly canes from a few roses. Not time to prune the roses yet, but I needed my path back before August. From the ends of these ruffian branches I collected a nice lot of rosebuds - some shown here. (Mr. Lincoln and Bettina.)

You might also notice that there are Narcissus blossoms on the left. Very early! It wasnt even winter yet. (I think today is the first day of winter.)

When I see things blooming out of order, I wonder how much is due to climate change, and how much to the micro-climate in our gardens.

Either way - flowers at the kitchen sink make doing dishes alot nicer.