It was the first trip of the year and little time for anything except work. My plans of walking around town with camera, taking pictures of the magnificent heritage architecture in the Goldfields region, were scrapped. The small mining town felt like it was bursting at the seams with people. An atmosphere reminiscent of the wild, wild, West. I just didn’t feel comfortable walking around on my own. I drove to the sister town of Boulder and it was the same, so I returned to the hotel without taking a single picture.
The next day at lunchtime, as is my habit, I went to the park for a quick lunch and hoped for a longer time with camera photographing the gum flowers and birds. It was nearly 40 degrees C and no shade. I had to return to the office, dejected, without a single photograph of my trip!
As I approached the entrance to the building, it caught my eye. I had seen it the previous day in the garden. It looked like it was some kind of plastic toy wedged against another plant. The next day when I returned from lunch, it was still there. I decided to walk closer to inspect it.
Echeveria ‘Domingo’
It took my breath away! In the harshest sun in harsher country, this bloomed with such delicacy. I have a desk plaque on a table in my foyer, a reminder to self, each time I enter my home or leave it – “Bloom where God plants you”. When away from home, I needed this to touch base.
I showed the picture to the office staff. They loved it. “Where did you find this?” they asked, thinking it was from one of my travels. “Outside, in the garden, by the front door”. They looked confused and surprised. One staff member’s window opened to this and she never noticed it before! I had no idea succulents are so beautiful. I learnt something new that day. It will definitely have a presence in my new garden.
On my return home, the flight was full. I was seated at the back. Never a good seat on a Friday night when miners are going home and have had too much down time at the bar. I averted my body, away from the odour of stale beer, and towards a succulent sky.
My trip, fraught as it was with work, taught me to look beyond the desk and when plans don’t work out, respond to curiosity and look beyond.
I brought the vision home, to share with you.
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
In response to Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
In response to A Photo a Week Challenge – Work
Christmas Lily, Esperance, Western Australia
Summer, in my 
I got to Bunbury just moments before the sun slipped into the Indian Ocean. A moment of pause for me and others too it would seem.
This morning I was up early and headed to Big Swamp where the bottlebrush is blooming.
Among the reedy grass I caught a glimpse of a swamp hen chick, not yet purple, blue and red.
The Welcome Swallow chick was a delightful ball of fluffy feathers. It is so new, it didn’t know fear of me.
There were chicks every where making a silent call for food.
A young New Holland honeyeater obliged with a moment of stillness.
Then came the Splendid Blue Fairy Wren, in his gorgeous feathers of blue.
After a frantic game of chase, he rested with his mate.
On the other side of the boardwalk, the big cormorant ignored my presence. I’ve not seen this type of cormorant here before. It sat on the branch for the whole of two hours I was there. Probably still there!
Her garden is a delight. I stop to take a picture here and there.
The ornamental almond tree was frosted white.
The ornamental peach tree bloomed elsewhere.
There were bulbs bejewelled with bees.
I found this in one corner, my camera sees what she hasn’t in a long time. “How on earth did that bloom there?”, she asks me, and we both laugh at her surprise. 
I loved the white flowers in another corner and asked her what they were. She tells me, they are English May, a cutting from her grandmother’s garden. It’s something she cherishes. Not hard to see why.
She is seated on a plastic chair, crutches to the side, water hose in hand dousing dirt in front of her with about 15 silver eye keeping her company. They dig into the damp soil for tasty morsels. She giggles like a little girl at their antics.
A Shared Space 
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