FEATHERLESS FLORAL THEME...

I recently returned from a quick trip to Victoria where I stayed with friends in the Macedon Shire, north of Melbourne.  My friends have put a lot of time into their gardens and are just now reaping the reward for the year.  Unfortunately for me, I was a week or two early so missed their magnolia tree flowering although it was trying very hard to oblige.  This shot of one of the buds in the early morning is a favourite from the trip and was taken on my last day.

My friends had planted tulips in pots and they do say a watched pot never boils, although in this case, it was never flowers.  Again, on the last day, this one was beginning to open.

I don't think I'd ever seen, or at least noticed, the hellebore rose before my last visit to Victoria.  Perhaps we have them here in Queensland though. I must take more notice because I thought they were delightful. I had to almost contort myself on the ground to get a decent shot of them though as their heads hang down.

The fruit trees on the property all have daffodils planted at the base so when the trees flower (very soon), they'll be doubly colourful.  There was a daffodil festival in Kyneton at the time but the daffodils there seemed very few and far between so not sure just how good the festival would have been. We visited the day after the Festival and saw lots of green daffodil foliage with flowers about to open; perhaps I wasn't so much early as the flowers were late.

Like here in Queensland, wattle was out everywhere at the time, and these two examples caught my eye. The magnificent tree on the right was a very unusual colour and the brightness of the other was very pleasing.

Did you notice? Not a bird in sight....