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What a dream it is to swoop and skim just in time, turn, and dive again.

The buds flowered.  Their surrounds looked hostile   but nurtured success.

Defiant rock wall  braced against a fluid force  intent on winning.

Homes warm their faces,  some blinds blinking at the glare,  of the morning sun.

My gold was spent.  Gone in less than a minute  leaving me richer

Searching for lush colour,  I found instead, dried flowers  a blessing in disguise.

Drowsy gulls paddle  waiting for a pink ocean  to light up the  pool

The pesky breeze moves on  leaving the ferns to resume  their quiet life .

The plants leaned forward  in a gesture without seeing  "We know you don't we"?

The hapless tree falls  luckily among kind friends.  What a way to go.

A pause, and then  frothy horses all line up  and thunder in to shore. Newcastle Beach NSW

I set out a bit later than usual this morning and was a little surprised to find this little Eastern Spinebill preening itself in the shrubbery. It was very still and the low Autumn sun revealed a lot of small birds flitting about the dense scrub. I hope you enjoy this video......

Waterbirds are common on our coast. So, here's a couple of short takes I managed while staying at Forster, that may be of interest. During my short stay here, my usual habit of rising with the birds didn't happen. However I did manage to see a White Eared Honeyeater. This is not seen in my area, so I was quite pleased. Not great photography but interesting nonetheless.

Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about 308 km north-north-east of Sydney.  My visit there last week, Feb 25, 26 and 27, followed wild weather conditions which whipped up the sea into a brown foam. Flooded rivers turned the sea to muddy brown. The Tanks is an unusual rock formation where the waves spray water into a protected safe swimming area. The unusually rough conditions delighted a couple of local boys who challenged the waves. Local fishermen and their catch were not deterred either. The men are catching luderick , using cunjevoi as bait. Crowdy Head is a headland on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Forster and Port Macquarie, overlooking the mouth of the Manning River. It is the site of Crowdy Head Light, a 24 feet tall lighthouse built in 1878. Tinonee is a small town on the banks of the Manning River, near Taree on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in the City o