Water, water everywhere......

Wow, what a lot of rain we had last week. For 24 hours it fell. Our courtyard began to fill up as the drains couldn't cope. The lawn got soggier and soggier. The garden beds started to look like the floating gardens of Inle Lake in Myanmar. The rain extended from Adelaide city to the Mount Lofty Range and across the Fleurieu Peninsula. Here are two photos of the cemetery that backs onto our cul de sac, taken by an adventurous local. I stayed warmly and dryly ensconced at home.

Photos by Greg Higgs

So on Sunday we decided to visit a waterfall we had never been to before, on the premise that there would be a lot of water tumbling over it. It's called Ingalalla Falls and is near Second Valley, about 35 kms north-west from home.

The drive there was beautiful. Everything was so green and bountiful after the rains. 

We parked in the car park and followed the sign that directed us to the falls. The first obstacle came as we discovered that water was flowing over a section of the path.

 But I was not to be deterred.

The area must have been well and truly flooded last week as the track was still muddy and you could see where the water had reached. We got off the track and walked along the river for a while.

 The water was running swift and strong as we had predicted.

At last we reached the waterfall. There are two falls, and in this next photo you can catch a glimpse of the second one higher up to the left. It was too slippery to climb any further so we contented ourselves with what we could see.

Steve lines up a shot.

I look around to see what I can spot.

We made our way back along the river.

The intrepid hiker! Luckily I had waxed my boots the week before.

Lilies grew in profusion on the bank.

After a picnic lunch in the shelter, we made our way home.

I always love this next view as we head towards Encounter Bay: the Bluff, green fields and our home nestling somewhere below in the fold of the hills.

Beyond Beacon 19

We set off to follow a friend's directions for a walk near Goolwa. We were instructed, rather like spies in a World War II movie, to 'Go to Beacon 19'. We discovered that this was the name of the last boat ramp on the River Murray before the river reaches the great Southern Ocean. We drove alongside the Murray ...

... past a sign that told us we were in the Coorong National Park, until we came to a sign that comfortingly said 'Beacon 19 Road'. This ended at an enormous parking area that no doubt is filled to capacity come summer.

We spotted the walking track and set off.

The boardwalk continued all the way to the ocean, making it a very easy 20-minute walk. 

Lots of spring flowers and plants were out.

The walk gradually wound  uphill over sand dunes. 

 

We were nearly there. Only a few more dunes and we would be at the Southern Ocean.

And there it was.

 We scrambled down the last bit of boardwalk and the ocean lay in front of us. The splash of the waves endlessly rolling in was the only sound we could hear. There was not another soul to be seen.

The golden sand stretched as far as the eye could see to the right...

...and to the left. The sand is so hard that cars are allowed to drive on the beach. This was the only sign of anyone else we saw the whole time we were there, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

After a stroll along the shore we settled in to have our picnic sandwiches.

It was sublime: munching on our sandwiches, listening to the surging surf, gazing at the ever-changing clouds, watching the seabirds hop along the shoreline, and simply soaking up the sense of peace.

I got out my camera to capture the pied oystercatchers that were seeking their own lunch in the shallows.

It was time to go.

We passed one of several Aboriginal middens.

At the car park, we could see the sun glinting off the River Murray in the late afternoon light.

It was the end to another lovely walk on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Spring fever

Only six days into spring and I already feel light-headed and well, springy. The sun is out, blossoms are exploding and the urge to potter in the garden is overwhelming.

The front garden is all pebbles and drought-loving plants.

The kangaroo paw 'Bush Fury' is looking good.

The cordylines seem to be thriving.

Near the red front door I have positioned three smallish plants (a dwarf agapanthus, a succulent, and a Japanese box), all of which are growing well.

I have been blessed with lovely gardening friends. One gave me this gorgeous orchid. Its buds refused to do anything for 2 months until last week, lo and behold, a burst of spring fever and I have four delectable flowers. The blue pot was given to me by another friend. How lucky I am!

 I'm a sucker for red geraniums and this one is very obliging.

The date palm was buffeted by the strong winter winds but has withstood the onslaught and is looking good. It's in the pot Kate and Kim gave me.

I had a huge cumquat tree in my last garden and regularly made cumquat jam which always turned out well. So this is my latest purchase. For those of you who like to know such things it is Cumquat Nagami which produces, so the label tells me, 'delicious teardrop-shaped fruit in the winter'. We shall see. It's only just been planted so needs to settle in.

The pot is another gift from my friend Di.

Plants are in full bloom everywhere I look:

The rich purple of the statice

Pale pink diosma blooms against the green foliage

The ever-reliable alyssum

This next photo is cheating. I love the smell of freesias. However, I didn't plant any bulbs this year so had to resort to a purchase. I am definitely putting them in next year.

We have just ordered sun screens for the courtyard, to go between the posts on the western side. This should effectively shield the area from the heavy winter rain (to a degree) and allow me to recline on the sofa in summer without the glare of the sun bouncing off next door's roof in the afternoon.

I have decided to fill in the 10 cm gap between the back fence and the courtyard with shells. I know, not a particularly original idea, but I think it will look good. Plenty to gather at the beach just down the road. It may take a while though, as the shells in the picture filled a bag and they have covered just 30 cms, and I have about 3 metres to cover.

We have also had solar panels installed. There's lots of sun here for at least three quarters of the year, and there are no trees to obstruct the panels from doing their job. In our last house there was no place to put them on the roof as we were surrounded by tall gum trees and every bit of the roof was in shadow at some time in the day. Almost every house in Encounter Bay has them.

 I know it's going to rain again soon, the clouds will spread their gloom overhead, and the wind will reappear, but that's spring for you, so for now, join me in a cup of Earl Grey and savour the delights of chez Robertson in spring.....