Back in action
My blogging break took a little longer than I thought it would (seriously – where does the time go?)
I’ve got a few snapshots to show you of my daily dog walk. Rain, hail or shine I get out every day (but not in cyclones or floods, you’ll be glad to know).
Our walk is a couple of kilometres (it takes over an hour so I’m roughly guessing the distance).
I actually borrowed a Go-Pro from a friend so I could take you along with me. I wore the thing on my head and felt like a complete weirdo. But after watching the footage I decided I couldn’t put you through it – with my constant head turns and look up/look down movements the whole film gave me motion sickness. So I decided to stick with the snapshots.
First stop – the creek crossing (we don’t have crocodiles on our farm, thank goodness)
Then we head to Banana Corner (and sometimes eat too many bananas)
Mango Alley is next (a lot of the trees on the left are mangoes – nom nom nom)
Pandanus Place is next
Sometimes we’re hit by a sun shower but we don’t mind…
…and sometimes it’s getting dark by the time we head home
I’ve taken pictures of birds on my walk and I was going to do my next post on them, but I thought I’d share one with you here because I was pretty excited when I noticed something different about it.
I’ll give you the long shot to see if you can see it (because I didn’t when I took the shot).
It’s a nice big hawk.
Carrying a nice big rat!
***Have a great week***
And don’t forget, Jo has a Monday Walk feature on her blog 😀
Glad you’re back! Was just wondering what you’d been up to. 🙂 Nice photos.
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Thanks Theo! I got too busy to realise how long I’d been gone 😀
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Oh to have a banana corner and a mango alley near me! What wonderful sights to see along your walks. Well, everything but the dangling rat. 😉
So nice to see a post from you, Dianne!
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Hello, Carrie! Nice to see you here. The bananas are there all year but the mangoes are only summer fruit. I eat them as I go, but eventually I have to get the truck down there, pick as many as I can and then freeze them for the rest of the year. It’s a big job – but it’s worth it 😉
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Sounds wonderful. At least to a gal in Ohio, USA. 🙂
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You cannot leave us for this long ever again! 🙂 Been thinking of you and about to check in with your twitter a/c… Lovely photos, lovely country, really lovely to have you back. Did you get a book written?
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Thank you so much for your concern, Billy Ray! I’ve been doing a lot of work on the house and haven’t finished a book 😦 I have ideas for a few but it’s just a matter of making time to sit down and get them done. Procrastination has been my middle name since I finished my last novel. No doubt, once I start writing I’ll hit it hard and get it done in no time 😉
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Hi Dianne! Welcome back . . . glad to see you out and about. 😎
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Nice to be back, Nancy! A few things have changed on WP in the last few months and I’m finding my way around the place again 🙂
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Dianne! I was so happy to see this post from you. Just the other day I was wondering what happened to you! I was going to email, then couldn’t find your email address 😦 I know I have it somewhere. I love the pictures! Even the rat! Hey, hawks got to eat too! 🙂
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Hello, Jackie! I’m really enjoying reading your ABC’s of Death. Keep up the great work!
I’m very flattered that you were thinking of emailing me. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Rara situation and reading all the blogs. It’s been an awful time…
I’m so glad you like the hawk – I had no idea when I took the pic! 😉
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Thank you for reading my story, Dianne! I appreciate it. 🙂
Yes, the Rara situation is so very sad.
Glad you have returned though.
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Hi, Dianne! It’s so great to see you again. I’ve been wondering about you. I love your photos, especially the hawk. Wow, that’s so cool! Thanks for taking us on your walk. I wish I could join you.
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Hey, Amy! It’s great to see you too 😀 The walk is pretty relaxing and sometimes I wonder if I do it for the dogs or for me! I thought the hawk was pretty cool considering I didn’t see the rat when I took it. Just a lucky snap but I guess they’re the best 😀
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Always a pleasure to read your words again and see your pictures. The idea of you walking around with a GoPro on your head made me laugh. I’ve had to wear a head lamp during black outs and feel silly indoors so can only imagine what it would be like outside with something bigger!
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You’re so right about the GoPro, Letizia! I’m constantly looking where I’m walking (for snakes) so the movie went up and down and up and down! And the dogs kept giving me odd looks wondering what was on my head LOL.
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Haha! I always think that dogs must think we’re crazy half the time. I wonder if you can somehow strap the GoPro to your neck?
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My friends think I should strap the GoPro to one of the dogs! LOL 😀
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Yes!! What a crazy ride that would be 🙂
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Hi Dianne! I have been thinking about you recently, wondering what you were up to. Love the pics (send the hawk over my way to keep the field mouse population under control – maybe even to scare the rabbits out of the garden (they ate all my beets and spinach starts soon after I’d planted them). Nice to see you’re back at the blog. Looking forward to reading your next post.
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Hello back to you, Dianne! That hawk is amazing and I’m so glad it’s eating rats because they’re my least favourite creature. Hawks are very handy to have around. We don’t have rabbits here but we have bandicoots so I fully sympathise with you and the state of the vegetable garden.
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I’m envious of your extended blogging break, but I’m so happy to see you back, Dianne! I’ve missed your stunning photos and critter visitor stories 🙂
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I’ve taken some nice bird photos, Jill. And also one of a huge spider (it’s called a ‘bird catcher’) – but i’m not sure if I should post it here. I think I’ll put a warning at the beginning of my next post so it doesn’t shock people too much!
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Yes! Post it! 🙂
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Welcome back Dianne! I’ve missed your funny, amazing, inspiring posts. It’s good to see you’ve been keeping yourself busy too.
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Thank you for the warm welcome back! It’s good to be back 😀 You can call me funny, amazing and inspiring any day of the week! xxxx
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I would definitely stop at the mango trees to eat some of that delicious fruit!
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It’s very yummy, Colline – especially when it’s fresh off the tree! 😀
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Welcome back Dianne. I’ve been watching for you so swooped in, (like that hawk on the rat!!!) as soon as I opened WP this morning and saw your new post lit up in my feeds. I’m envious of your lovely walking track, especially all those mango trees. You should link it to Restless Jo who leads a cyber walking group. https://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/jos-monday-walk-canalside-in-nottingham/. She would love to join you on this walk. Is the RUC all finished now? Looking forward to your future bird post and many(?) others
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I actually meant to link this to Jo’s page and totally forgot! Oh dear, I hope she forgives me – I’ll do it now 😀
The RUC still has a way to go but it suits me very well at the moment. It’s such a beautiful place xxx
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You’ve worked hard to achieve your dream Dianne. Now soak up the pleasure.
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Hello, Dianne – lovely to see you back. 😀
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Helloooooo, my dear one! Lovely to be back 😀
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Dianne doll!!! So glad to “see” you. I’ve been thinking about you so much, but I didn’t want to bug you.
We get sun showers here, and I love them to pieces. Mr. H and I call it sun rain. When I come visit, I’ll stay in Mango Alley. 😉
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Hello my dear Britt! I’ve seen some FB and Twitter posts and have been thinking about you a lot! Congratulations on the hand-stand I wish I could do that 😀 Mango Alley is certainly the place to be! xxxxx
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It was a long break but I hope you benefited from it. Welcome back Dianne.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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It was very restful, but I missed my blogging buddies. Thank you so much for the warm welcome back, David 😀
xxx Huge Hugs Back xxx
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I echo the ‘lovely to have you backs’. I actually checked a couple of times to make sure my notifications were working properly lol. I totally understand gaps – and procrastination. Enjoyed your walk – I’m visualizing fresh mango smoothies and margaritas year around. And mango & corn salsa, and mango muffins. OK – I think I’m going to bed dreaming mango recipes!
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That’s very sweet of you to check to see if I was still here, Suzan! I love being part this is great blogging community 😀
Mangoes are one of my favourites! Last year I collected a lot of them and spent about three days peeling and freezing them – strangely enough I never got sick of eating them while I was cutting them up. I made mango chutney, mango smoothies (yes – with some vodka) and mango cheese cake. Mangoes are the main reason I can put up with the tropical summers here 😀
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Great to see you back Dianne. My posts have been erratic with long breaks due to health problems but I have wondered where you were. Interesting news from here: a young Romanian woman founded a Writers Club here recently and I’ve met some really interesting people; had to miss the last meeting but hoping to make the next weekend.
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It’s not good to hear you haven’t been well, but I really hope your health improves soon. Being part of a Writers Club is fabulous. I live too far away from the city to belong to a club so I think it’s great someone near you has formed one. Enjoy! 😉
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Welcome back, Dianne! It’s good to see you again. 😀 And living by the Mango Alley… lucky!
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Hello, Zen! Great to see you here. I hope you’ve been well and busily writing 😉
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Welcome back Dianne. Your part of the world looks idyllic (well, apart from the huge bugs and rats) and a far cry from office life. I’m not sure a townie like me could ever learn to survive in a wild environment though. Glad to know you’re well.
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Thanks for the warm welcome back Roy 😀 I do live in a beautiful place but it does have it’s dangers. One of my dogs has taken to catching snakes (which I’m not altogether happy about) and she was bitten on the foot a few weeks back. She is fine and I am surprised because many of the snakes here are deadly. I guess there’s nothing I can do about it except yell at her when she takes off after one. Her antics are probably the least relaxing thing about the walk!
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It was a wait, but your pictures are so great. Your world reminds me of my farm in Thailand. Mangoes, bananas, sugarcane, nice big rats… By the way, that is the best way to view those nasty things. Glad you’re back.
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Nice to see you Dannie! Will you be heading back to Thailand again? When I lived in the city for 12 years I really missed this place. I took a huge drop in wages to come back here, but it was worth it 😀
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I do miss Thailand and we plan to , at the very least, visit often to our little farm. Right now my brother-in-law is watching over it. Living now in Florida and spending time on the ocean again has made moving back a hard decision.
You live in a beautiful area!
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Welcome back! Great pics–I love that the hawk photobombed your landscape. With all of its edible diversions, I can see why the walk takes so long. We are similarly blessed.
You have been missed–good to see you back in my inbox.
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Hello Alta – I knew you’d love these pics being a farm person yourself. It’s wonderful to be able to just step out the back door into a natural environment. Country life is the best! 😀
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Cool walk! I might get hung up at the Mango section though and not be able to leave. One less rat! Good job, hawk. Glad you’re back. Hope you had lots of fun on your hiatus.
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Sometimes I get caught up in Mango Alley and the walk takes a little longer 😉 I just love the photo of the hawk because it was such a surprise to see the rat in it’s talon when I took a closer look at the pic …. and rats are my least favourite animal. Now that’s my favourite bird! 😀
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Great photo of the hawk! That’s some big rat. 😯 So nice to see you again and go along with you on your walk. Love the sun shower pic.
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The sun must have been in exactly the right spot for that pic because I took another one from a different direction and couldn’t even see the rain! I love the lucky and surprising shots 😀
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Me too. 😃
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So happy to see you again. It’s been a long time. Love the pics. I didn’t see the rat until I looked at the closeup and then, looked back at the other pic and I could see it’s legs and tail.
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Good to see you again as well. I’ve actually missed blogging and catching up with everyone. I’m so glad you like the pics! 😀
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Oh Dianne, how I’ve missed thee.
These are all beautiful. That last hawk shot is breathtaking.
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Oh, I love your words! I have missed thee also xxxxx
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♥️
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So nice to see you back Dianne and love your part of the world. Very beautiful.
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I just love your part of the world as well, Kath. We are both so very lucky 😀
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Indeed we are Dianne xxx
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Sorry for my late arrival, Dianne. By the time I got home from Norfolk last night, and ironed and repacked for my son, there was precious little blogging time. I am so appreciative and flattered that you’ve linked to me. 🙂 Thank you for the gentle exercise. Now … bananas, mangoes or both? It’ll soon be breakfast time 🙂
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You’ve been very busy, Jo! I may have to bring a blender on my walk next time so I can make a banana and mango smoothie 😀
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Wow. I’m utterly and totally in love with where you guys live – it’s like paradise.
Thanks for sharing, and have no fear, sooner or later you’ll get the hang of the go-pro! 🙂
Cheers!
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I think I need a go-pro with one of those automatic stabilizers so it doesn’t bob around so much 😉
Thanks so much for coming by and I’m so glad you like the place! 😀
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Given that I live in New Delhi (India) which could fit the entire population of some 10 million people and is about as “urban” as it gets… yeah, a place like your new habitat is a dream to aspire to. 🙂
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You’ve been missed, but good to hear your voice again.
Lovely pics of your part of the world. 🙂
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It’s lovely to be back again, Peter. I’m so glad you like the pics xxx
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Glad you’ve got hawks to take on the rats! And I’m jealous of the banana and mangos, and all those goodies you can just pluck from the trees!
Best of all, though, it’s great to see you back in the blogosphere!
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Thanks so much for the lovely welcome back, JM! It’s great to be here to catch up with all my blogging buddies 😀
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Lovely to “see you” 🙂 And that you’ve been enjoying life while off-screen. I love going on virtual walks, and I enjoyed yours… I’d be rolling home on a sugar high if I did it in reality. Pandanus Place is beautiful, and lovely that you pass by on your walks.
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I think my dogs are usually on a sugar high when they get back because they love eating the sugar cane. I’m not sure how to stop it and they’ll probably all end up huge. But it doesn’t seem to have done them any harm, so far….
It’s great to be back blogging and to catch up with everyone. I’ve missed you and I feel very recharged after my break xxxx
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Well there you are! I was wondering… I hope you’ll post what you did for the last 6 months. Me, I wrote, taught, played with my dog, wrote. That about covers it.
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Thanks for coming over, Jacqui! Me – gardened, wrote, sanded, built, walked dogs. We’ll done to you for doing so much writing 😉
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Nature walks. Always an adventure.
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Absolutely, Cynthia. It’s great to get right out into the country 😉
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I was just thinking the other day we hadn’t heard from you in a while. Welcome back.
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Thank you so much. I’ve missed this forum a lot. It’s great to be back 😀
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Lovely! Glad you’re back. You’ve been missed!
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Thank you Allen. It’s been too long and I don’t know why the time is just zoooooming past!
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Welcome back. I was thinking about you recently, wondering how the writing is going. I love those pictures. I’m thinking it would be fun to make signs and post them at all your named places, Banana Corner and whatnot. I did that with a fairy garden I made years ago, when the kids were little. It was fun.
Love the hawk with the rat. Great shot!
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You’re right, Kate, it would be great to make up little wooden signs! I left out Lichee Lane because there are bee hives there and it’s a place I avoid – but I love lichees!
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Nice to see you back again!! 🙂
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YAY – great to see you too 😀
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Really great to have you back Dianne and super photos to boot!
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Thank you! I don’t know what life would be like without my camera 😉
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I can’t imagine how wonderful it would be to stop and eat bananas right off the tree!
At our Arizona place, we have grapefruit and orange trees in the yard, and it is a real treat for us to pick some fruit for breakfast each morning!
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And I’m sure it’s so very good for you! I love grapefruit and oranges, Margie:D
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Gorgeous pics! I especially love the one of the sky.
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I don’t know when I’ve ever been so happy to see someone pop up from cyberspace – our friends are very important to us, and we miss them when we don’t here how they are doing. Apparently your break was successful, and I am thankful for that. I love the pictures – particularly the grave site. Lovely.
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I’m so glad you’re happy! It’s great to see you here 😀
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Beautiful photos!!! Glad you’re back. 😀 Your walk looks refreshing.
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Hello, Daphne. Great to see you! 😀
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Welcome back! I’m seriously late in this, but yes, I really am that far behind in reading! And still I try to catch up. Silly me 🙂 That looks like more than just a creek you cross, but that’s dedication. Awesome photo of the hawk and the meal, by the way.
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Lovely to see you here, Janna! xxxx
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