Skywatch Friday: A Rural Sunset

"Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." ~ Denis Waitley

Out in rural Cedar Grove (2012), surrounded by green pastures, grazing cattle and distant mountain ranges. The golden sun setting, amongst a sea of clouds catching colour... It was a beautiful, serene sunset. And in that moment I was aware, that this day like every other day, was a gift to be cherished...

I am grateful for this day!

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Wild Bird Wednesday: Bar-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwits are quite large waders, with females being bigger than males. The Bar-tailed Godwit is mainly mottled brown above and lighter and more uniform buff below. It has dull white underwings, and a long, slightly upturned bill. 

As the name suggests, the white tail is barred with brown. This is the non-breeding plumage of the Bar-tailed Godwit and is the main phase seen in Australia. The breeding plumage is darker and more rufous, with females duller than males. Young birds resemble non-breeding birds. 

Bar-tailed Godwits arrive in Australia each year in August from breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere. Birds are more numerous in northern Australia.

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Tweed Coast: Cabarita Beach

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” ~ Robert Wyland

It's no secret to my readers that the beach is my "happy place".

Casuarina Beach runs almost due south for 8 km from Cudgen Headland and Creek to the rocks just north of Norries Head, at Cabarita Beach.

The view from Casuarina Beach to Norries Head.

Almost completely encircled by a nature reserve, lake and its beautiful beaches, Cabarita Beach is an unspoiled pocket of paradise on the Tweed Coast.
Cabarita Beach, only 20km south of the QLD border, is one of our favourite destinations on the Tweed Coast. The original name of this charming seaside village was Bogangar, an Aboriginal name, meaning "place of many pippies".

Down on the rocks below Cabarita Hill, just north of Norries Head.

Looking north, all the way to Fingal Head in the distance.

Looking south along Maggies Beach from the Cabarita Foreshore Trail which takes you up to the top of Norries Headland, where there are stunning uninterrupted views to the north and south.

More views south from the top of Norries Headland.

Looking south along Maggies Beach; the rocks below are called "Razor Back" and the headland in the distance is Hastings Point.

Looking down on Norries Cove, immediately south of Cabarita Beach. The 200 m long beach is tucked in between Norries Head and the rocks and bluff that separates it from Cabarita Beach. This is an unusual beach, in that it varies tremendously in size and shape depending on the pulses of sand (sand waves) moving around Norries Head.

Facing west, we watched the sunset, just the two of us. While it wasn't one of the most stunning sunsets I have witnessed, it was certainly serene.
I am always in awe of God's special way of "announcing" the end of the day!

I've been suffering severe withdrawals from our regular weekend beach trips (usually every 1-2 weeks) due to some surgeries and a prolonged hospital stay during the last 6 months.

I'd give anything to walk along the sand by the waters edge. I do hope I can head down to the beach this weekend...

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Wild Bird Wednesday: Forest Kingfisher

The Forest Kingfisher has a dark royal blue head with pale turquoise on the back.There is a large white spot over the bill. The underparts are white.The male has a white collar which the female lacks. In flight there is a prominent white wing patch.
There is a broad black eyestrip extending from the bill to the eye coverts. The tail is royal blue above and below is black to dusky grey. The long, straight bill is black and the lower mandible ('jaw'), which is long and upturned, has a pinkish contrasting strip along the bottom. The eyes are dark brown. The legs and feet are dark brown or dark grey.The eastern race incinctus has a greener back with a smaller white wingspot.

The Forest Kingfisher is essentially a tropical and subtropical kingfisher. I spotted this one on power lines above a narrow country road in the New South Wales Tweed Valley.

The Forest Kingfisher is also known as Macleay's, Blue or Bush Kingfisher.

(**Information from Birds In Backyards**)


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Rural Skies

I love some of the rural areas of Brisbane and surrounds. While doing an image clean up, I discovered some old images from 2012.

Cedar Grove is basically on the border of Logan Shire and the Scenic Rim... The mountains in the background are part of the mountain range known as the Scenic Rim. This area is rich in farming and beautiful landscapes. It is probably one of my favourite areas, other than the beach.

I love lone trees!

The cloud formations in the sky were fabulous!

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