Flowers rain and sonnets

One of the lovely things about the home we are house sitting at the moment are the pot plants. The lady obviously has a love of cacti, and there are some large pots with some well established plants coming into flower.

Somehow cacti flowers are vibrant colours, nothing wishy washy about them, and when you get a pot full of them they are just beautiful.  Here is one pot by the pool, covered in lovely red flowers.

Another of the cacti is a bright orange flower. I took this side on, so its not looking down the throat of the plant, but you can see the size of the flower. Its very big. In one city in China I lived in, there were enormous cacti right down the centre of the road with massive flowers on that lasted for ages. I guess there are many different sorts.

This white one has just come out today. The sad thing is the flowers don't last very long on the plant.

Probably the most striking flower at the moment is the bougainvillea plant. The famous TV program Bourkes Backyard has a tip sheet on this flower. Our plant is absolutely smothered with flowers at the moment. Peter has moved some of the pots around, and with this sitting against the pool fence, it looks just lovely. Probably the biggest plant I have seen was at my sister in laws home, many years ago. It was the purple coloured one, and the plant was about 20 years old, and went from the house to the garage. It was a massive plant and absolutely fabulous when in full flower.

I wrote earlier about the mango trees on this section, and the flowers are changing now into the baby mangos. I took a photo today and you can see the baby mangos forming. Not every flower becomes a mango, and during the next couple of months as they develop many of them will drop off, leaving a few to become mature fruit. If we are still in this house when they are ripe, I will enjoy eating my fill of them, mangos are one of my favourite fruits.

 

The last picture for today are some jacaranda trees. Peter and I went into Brisbane on Thursday and took the train. Driving in the city centre is a bit stressful when you don't know where you are going, so the train is the best way, it's cheap and not held up by traffic on the motorway.

One of the best things was looking at all the jacaranda trees in flower on the way in. I was a bit slow with my camera, so missed some of the really good trees, but right along the track, these beautiful purple flowers are everywhere. There is a park in the city called New Farm Park, it is by the river and at this time of the year is just fabulous with all the jacaranda trees, then when the flowers fall the ground is covered with them.

And as I sit and write this it is raining. Well, it is a bit of an apology for rain really, I don't think the concrete is even properly wet, but there is a bit of a shower around. I looked at the Brisbane weather radar and they are having a lovely thunderstorm up there, so they will be getting a good shower hopefully. Its hard to believe that people, me in particular, can get so excited about a bit of rain. But we have had the driest October on record,and when you live in a country like Australia, which can be dry for months on end, seeing a bit of rain can be so so exciting......

Acutally quite some time ago I wrote a couple of sonnets about drought and rain, I'll put them up now. I have copied and pasted them and the font is different. I hope you enjoy them.


 

Sonnet to Australia’s drought

 

The earth is red it’s dry and dead and bare

For years and years this place has been my home

In silence sits the snake who tastes the air

A ‘roo expires, exhales its final groan.

 

The hawks and eagles glide above on high

For them they see an endless fine food fest

No bush no tree no spinifix they spy

The earth has opened wide its jaws in death.

 

With utter desolation all around

Relentless heat, despair is all we know

No cloud no rain ho hope is to be found

Oh earth! Ope’ wide I’m coming down below.

 

I’ve slaved I’ve worked I’ve really done my best

But now I’m beat.  I lay me down to rest.

 

 

Sweet tears

 

I see on the horizon one small cloud

It’s fluffy, white, the first I’ve seen for years

The baked dry earth looks up and clamors loud

Oh! Send me please a few of your sweet tears.

 

I see on the horizon come more clouds

A tiny ray of hope is in my heart

I bow I kneel I pray with voice aloud

Oh! Send me please a few of your sweet tears.

 

I see on the horizon big dark clouds

A distant rumble clear assails my ears

With bated breath in hope the whole earth bows

Oh! Send me please a few of your sweet tears.

 

I jump for joy I cry, release my fears

At last I taste the wond’rous clouds sweet tears.