junes photo hunt

Well I'm late again with my photo hunt! I've been on the look out for suitable photos all month....although when I saw the prompts I did wonder how I was going to manage finding flowers and gardens in the (not quite) middle of winter!! Considering the lack of gardens and such like in my life right now, I have been a tad 'loose' with some of my interpretations but that's what prompts are for right? Simply a springboard for ones imagination!

1. My garden: Yep, this is the extent of it!! Mind you, this teeny patch is quite needy and demanding of just the right conditions to facilitate proper growth without rot! I don't mind though, since there's such a quick turnover and a high yield both in terms of input to end result, as well as nutrient wise! If anyone is interested - I use what I think is a cheap meat defroster to grow them in!!

2. Flowers: As I said, there are no flowers right now, at least not here where we are staying. Stuy and I went for a drive to a local look out one Sunday and although I did find a small native shrub with some pretty white bell flowers, it was so windy that all the photos were blurred - although I can't completely blame the wind since it's probably my lack of photography skills, haha!

Anyway these tiny little fungi were shining so enticingly in the weak sunshine that I just had to snap a few pics of them as well! I was on my tummy on quite a steep and moist downward slope and didn't even see the tiny broken one that's stuck to the top of another! It wasn't until I got them onto the computer that I noticed!! They would have been only about 6 or 7 cm high and I may or may not have had my specs on ;o)

3. Insects: I spent a delightful morning painting with my 8 year old granddaughter recently. She has been doing arty bits with me for years and now wants to learn a bit more about watercolours, so I'm having her once a week for some fun! She has a nature journal so we went for a walk and discovered....leaves ;o) I wanted to paint the pile of insects that we found in the bus when we pulled the wood panels off the windows. The unfortunate bumbles, beetles and dragonfly met a nasty end but shall be immortalised in my journal!

4. Sunrise/Sunset: Although one can't actually see any pretty clouds and setting sun, this was taken at sunset on the Winter Solstice Eve last week. I'd gone back down to the cottage and as I drove up the hill I noticed how the last off the suns rays were just picking out the family as they gathered around the small fire. They were all wearing red so it really stood out. Of course my pic doesn't really capture it all that well....but I've found sunsets have to be experienced in real time to get the full feeling that accompanies them!

5. Something wild: There's a couple of wild things here - my dashing man and the magnificent scenery visible from this hidden lookout. It was simply freezing, there was a big drop and I'm a tad nervy of heights but the view was glorious.

6. My choice: I found this amazing contraption out in the paddock one morning. Its a White Basket Fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium) and while it's a bit stinky and gross looking, it has a strange beauty too. It stayed out there for days before it eventually sank down and disappeared back into the earth. Apparently they are edible when immature but after seeing what the mature fruiting body looks like, I think I'll give it a miss!

Since I'm late to the party I can't link back to the original post but if you want to have a look at what others have found for the June prompts take a peek at Kates lovely summery blog.