Last Year, and New Year - on the cusp.

Firstly, just a few photos of a small party on New Year's Eve, at Vicki and Owen's place and a few photo of a beautiful rose flowering outside my bedroom window.

As usual these are found at a Facebook Album which is accessible to everyone freely.
No need to sign up for anything.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153465684089829.1073742007.809229828&type=1&l=64a7f57127

It behoves me to publish an annual figures for rainfall at my house for 2014.

Monthly totals - January through December, and Total for 2014.

I can confirm that my record is very close to the official Bureau of Meteorology figure for Robertson village, despite notable variations on a month by month basis. They got an annual total for 2014 = 1728.3 mm.

Lousy photo through glass
just to show it is a real Blue Wren

Going Up
Male Superb Blue Wren chasing his own reflection

Adult Crimson Rosella looking for yesterday's
left over Watermelon

A lovely photo of a lovely rose.
Just Joey as it was on New Year's Day.

Christmas wishes and Happy New Year

Wishing everybody a very Happy Christmas and the very best for the coming New Year.

I write this on 21 December 2011, in the full knowledge that, in the minds of some people, this will be the last year of existence, based upon an interpretation of the ancient Mayan Calendar. Personally I do not credit such stories.

Neither does Wikipedia: Maya_calendar>

•  Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for a New Age belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012.
• December 21, 2012 is simply the day that the calendar will go to the next b'ak'tun.
• Sandra Noble, executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization FAMSI, notes that "for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle". She considers the portrayal of December 2012 as a doomsday or cosmic-shift event to be "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in." The 2009 science fiction apocalyptic disaster film 2012 is based on this belief.
  

I take heart instead from the efforts of this male Superb Fairy Wren, who along with his female partner, and another young male bird, are busy planning for the future, by feeding three youngsters in a nest, at Cloud Farm, up above Macquarie Pass.

At peak feeding times, they (collectively) feed the chicks, every 2 minutes. Not much time for worrying about an ancient "Doomsday" scenario.

Have a good New Year.

But as with every Year, I believe we should all live this next year as if it will be our last. 

Carpe Diem

• "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future", and the ode says that the future is unforeseen, and that instead one should scale back one's hopes to a brief future, and drink one's wine.
• You might prefer the "related but distinct is the expression memento mori Memento_mori> ("remember that you are mortal") which carries some of the same connotation as carpe diem. For Horace, mindfulness of our own mortality is key in making us realize the importance of the moment. "Remember that you are mortal, so seize the day."
  

As of course, every day, of every year might be our last chance to make a difference - regardless of the nonsense talked about Mayan Calendars.


Instead I prefer to take my lead from this little Guy - the cock bird, or male Superb Fairy Wren.
For me, he is the epitome of my view of both Christmas and New Year: 

• New life, and facing the future with vast energy
  - working hard, 
  - but doing his best to look "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (just like me)!

Best wishes to all readers and all lovers of Nature, 

whether in Robertson, or elsewhere.

More photos from Cloud Farm

While still recovering, at Cloud Farm I witnessed yet another stunning sunrise effect

of early morning light on the flanks of Knights Hill.

Taken at 5:51 AM on Saturday morning.

Sunrise lighting the Illawarra Escarpment below Knights Hill

I went and checked the progress of the nestlings

of the Superb Fairy Wrens.

At least 3 nestlings all bunched up

with wing feathers developing. 

Superb Fairy Wren nestlings - in nest.

While I was out and about, taking photographs, an Australian Land Leech 

presumably Gnatbobdellida libbata))

managed to attach itself to me.

As usual, I was not aware it was attached until it dropped off.

I heard it hit the floor - with a thump.

I was sufficiently impressed with its size that I took several images, before I released it.

Leech - bloated after feeding on my wrist. Felt-tip pen cap for scale

Presumably it felt that I had needed some "medicinal bleeding" to aid in my recovery.

I actually don't agree, but it was only "doing what comes naturally", 

so I could hardly hold a grudge against it, could I?

Leech making its escape, over bricks