Happy new year to all of you who follow Fifteen Acres.  I got quite a shock to realise I haven’t posted since May –  2017 has really been a strange year.  I must admit to looking forward to a brand new beginning in 2018, and getting back into the swing of regular updates. There are still plenty of things happening here.  While my time has been limited this year, I have photographed new species, baby animals and other natural phenomena of note.  I look forward to posting about these in detail, beginning in a day or two.

It seems to me that the weather has been following a different pattern too, so I’ve found nature to be a little unpredictable recently.  A good example is Spring flowers.  Spring was very late arriving, with cold days extending well into September, followed by a few warm days, and more cool days.  When Spring did eventually arrive, it was very short-lived.  All of the flowers seemed to go ‘boomph’  together.  Early, middle and late Spring flowers were often blooming at the same time.  The flowers disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

While some things have changed on our fifteen acres, there are also the continuing stories of the kangaroos, cockatoos, ducks and kookaburras. We still have spectacular light illuminating the bushland and highlighting natural forms and textures. Most of all, I still wake up and dash to the window to see what the day looks like,  whether the wildlife is close to the house, how the morning light illuminates the trees.  Every day I feel lucky to have the abundance of natural bushland surrounding me.

I’ve selected the cover photograph for this post because it was shortlisted in a local photography competition.

Here’s to a new year.  I hope all of you find 2018 filled with health, happiness and inspiration.