Closeups

Although a top temperature of 35 degrees is forecast for next Wednesday, the extreme heat seems to have gone out of the days and the early mornings are beauteous: cool and fresh with dew spangling petals and blades of grass. The crested pigeons leave their prints behind them as they hurry around searching for their breakfast on the lawn.

A clamorous thunderstorm brought a little more rain during the week and the garden continues its rejuvenation. I like to look closely at flowers and enjoy the shapes of their petals with remnants of dew still upon them. The sublimity of nature in creating these beauties, seemingly without effort, is wondrous.

One: Rosa ‘Spirit of Peace’ captures dewdrops on her petals.

Two: Osteospermum ‘NoID’ enjoys a dewy morning.

Three: Gaura lindheimeri ‘Belleza Dark Pink’. Butterfly-like petals and stamens seem to float in the early rays of the sun.

Four: As the sun rises the Bright Ones take centre stage. Here, a Zinnia salutes the sun…a little yoga reference there.


Five: Rosa ‘Calypso’ has looked miserable all summer but has at last found the strength to flower.

Six: Caught in the act! A bee heads for a Salvia ‘So Cool Lilac’.

I’m joining in with the Six on Saturday theme. If you would like to see what the other Sixers are doing this week, or to join in yourself, do not hesitate to pop over to The Propagator’s blog.

Weather today: Partly cloudy, 15 to 27 degrees C.

50 Comments Add yours

  1. I’m pleased you have cooled down and are able to produce this good set

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Derrick.

  2. Tracy says:

    Lovely, Jane. Almost like spring, isn’t it?
    So bright and cheery.

    1. Jane says:

      It is a bit spring-like Tracy. That is what we noticed on our drive to Sydney last weekend as so many trees are putting out new leaves after the rain.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Just lovely, Jane.

    I’m pleased to say that I believe Summer is finally leaving us. The intermittent rain and cooler days are most welcome.

    I do so hope your garden is finally coming back to its former glory. Despite the difference in our weather (between NSW & Victoria), I think you and I both are looking forward to Autumn this year.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. Yes, autumn is something to look forward to. Of course we still need rain (do we ever stop?) but at last it’s possible to look out at the garden and not feel a sense of despair. I hope autumn is good to you too.

  4. Fred says:

    Very nice closeups ! My preference goes to the bright zinnia and very good point to the bee in the air !

    1. Jane says:

      I was pleased with the bee photo as I found it very difficult to take a good one. In the end I kept on and on clicking (the beauty of digital photography) until I managed one that was half way decent.

  5. Lis says:

    Beautiful photos, Jane. Nature’s a pretty astounding artist, isn’t it? Great shot of the bee . . . and I do love a bit of yoga in the garden! 🙂

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks Lis. We go out in the garden each morning and admire the natural art.

  6. Jude says:

    I love flower close-ups! And happy that your garden is recovering. I’d happily share the rain we have been experiencing with you, I’m sure it has been raining since September…
    Rosa ‘Calypso’ is well named – what a beauty. The thoughts of roses and daisies to come keeps me going, but oh, this wet and windy weather is so depressing. So thank you for showing me a glimpse of summer 🙂

    1. Jane says:

      It’s amazing what can be done with photos these days with the aid of a computer. Such fun exploring the inner depths of flowers.

      We’ll be looking for rain again before too long as there is plenty of warm weather left for us, and autumn does tend to be a bit dry. I’m glad I can send you some sunshine electronically, Jude.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Beautiful close-up pictures. Lovely Six-on-Saturday.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, glad you enjoyed them.

  8. Lora Hughes says:

    I guess I don’t need to send the rain I so much want to get rid of. Truly love that gaura. I’ve stuck w/white, but that one is so beautiful. They’re fascinating blooms, aren’t they? Which zinnia is that? It looks so lovely in that photo. Fantastic 6, Jane.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks Lora. I can’t tell you the name of the zinnia, I’m afraid. I planted some from seed at the beginning of last year and the flowers must have enthusiastically tossed their seeds around as they’re popping up everywhere. I’ve long since lost the seed packet.
      And do send rain – we’ll be needing some more soon.

  9. Gill Heavens says:

    Fabulous photos!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you Gill.

  10. Chloris says:

    All dazzling! And extreme heat, what a wonderful thought. I would love some of that right now.

    1. Jane says:

      I’ll swap you, Chloris, for some of the wet stuff!

  11. Lovely bright collection as storms hit here.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. I hope you don’t have any problems from the excessive rain you’ve been having.

      1. I’ve just got sitting water on the lawn. Annoying, but not the flooding we’ve got elsewhere in the country so lucky on that front.

  12. June says:

    Lovely to see some colour and to dream about temperatures of 35 deg. Your flowery garden looks lovely!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, June.

  13. You’ve presented us with a beauty parade of lovely flowers and the bee shot is fabulous. Love it!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you Katherine. The bee shot was a happy accident as I pointed the camera and hoped for the best. There were a lot of photos with no bees at all!

  14. Beautiful photos. The rose is lovely and well done done capturing the been in flight – I’ve yet to manage that.

    1. Jane says:

      I took many photos before I managed to achieve it. Lots of patience needed!

  15. You have captured the sun with photos, the light is wonderful. I did not appreciate the difficulty of light and plant photography until I started blogging. Glad to hear you are getting some rain. I thought the Rose was a Hibiscus!

    1. Jane says:

      I mainly point the camera and hope for the best, and in amongst all the photos there usually seems to be one that is worthwhile. It’s amazing what can be done with digital photos.

      It was very early morning when I took the photos. Once the sun comes up properly, it’s too glary.

      1. Same here and delete a lot!

  16. Anonymous says:

    How lovely to see the garden recovering so well. I love autumn, usually the best season. I hope it lives up to my expectations

    1. Jane says:

      I too hope autumn is good to you.

  17. Kris P says:

    Every shot is beautiful, Jane, but those with dewdrops were especially compelling. I’m glad you got some rain, even if summer’s heat hasn’t entirely released its hold yet.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Kris. Our forecast for Autumn isn’t very promising, but one never knows, perhaps there’ll be a stray storm or two to get us through.
      It was so long since we’d had any dew, it was a thrill to see it!

  18. Beautiful Jane! Yes, the extreme heat seems to have gone and the days are glorious.

    1. Jane says:

      Your garden must have bounced back into shape after all the rain you had up north! Thanks, Carol.

  19. Lovely to see your garden in flower (miraculous considering the weather we’ve had!) The photo of Rosa Spirit of Peace is my favourite, what a beautiful flower. I just love roses, they are utterly beautiful. (I don’t have many although they are such hardy plants for our climate.)

    1. Jane says:

      Spirit of Peace is a special rose for us as it was given to us in memory of my mother-in-law, so I was happy to see it flowering again.
      It always surprises me how tough roses are considering they have such soft and delicate flowers. They don’t even mind the terrible clay soil we have here.

  20. I love that zinnia Jane! It is so unique and unlike any that I’ve ever seen. I would never have known it was a zinnia, and it is gorgeous.
    Love the photos with the dew. Looking forward to days when early mornings show dew instead of frost. Hope you survive the heat and will soon enjoy some cooler temps with rain!

    1. Jane says:

      The zinnias have been quite amazing, popping up in places where I certainly never sowed seeds, and then having flowers I certainly didn’t plant last year. Hmmm- a bit of promiscuity in the garden, perhaps?

  21. Megan says:

    Gorgeous photos, and so refreshing to see after that terrible hot summer. The rain has been a blessing and it is so wonderful to see the rejuvenation in the bush and in gardens.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks, Megan. Let’s hope we have a milder autumn.
      I’m waiting to see rejuvenation in the fire affected area near us that we passed through today. Some of the trees have shoots all up their trunks, but some look as if they might never recover. They have been very thoroughly burnt.
      It’s amazing though how lawns ( including ours) have bounced back when they were brown just a couple of weeks ago.

  22. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. It’s nice for us still in the grips of Winter to be reminded of the height of Summer.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. It’s not long now until you’re in the height of Spring!

  23. macquie says:

    Beautiful photos in full of grace, Jane. Thank you for sharing them with us.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Makiko.

  24. Anonymous says:

    Such beauty, thank you for brightening my day

    1. Jane says:

      It’s my pleasure!

Leave a Reply to JaneCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.