ANIMALS IN DRESSES

A few days among flowers and hills

2012-03-08T23:37:00.002+02:00

Me and my friends feel super after spending 5 days in Estonia. We mainly went there to do some mountain skiing and snowboarding. But my main attraction was orchid exhibition in Tartu botanical gardens.

There were more than 120 species on display and 20 of them were presented to the public for the first time!

One of the tiniest orchids there.

Then we got up in the glass house to look at the cacti and succulent collection. It was so hot I had to undress.

Orchids basking in the march sun.

Not orchids, but equally amusing.

The one on the left was one of our favorites.

We crossed the cacti section with less layers of clothes and reached the palm house. It was very high in the ceiling.
Unfortunately there was a bad smell and dust from the renovation of the old staircase.
The botanical garden of Tartu university has more than 200 years on it's back. Not the palm house, of course, but still-impressive...

We made a circle and went back to the orchids. There was a local cat. Sometimes one could spot it's eyes, staring from under some plants. Just like a small tiger! Oh, I wish I could mount my bromeliads like in the image on the left above!

This huge cattleya orchid got some extra attention from everybody-huge flowers!

More pictures from the garden are here!

We headed to a pub near by. It's one of the high-ceiling pubs in Europe. The portions on our plates almost reached the same heights...

After that we carefully glided (ice everywhere!) to see the ruins of the Gothic Tartu Cathedral.

One of the coolest things we saw was the ski jump in Otepää. We were so lucky to see three guys fly just in front of us as we had an opportunity to stand in the judges tower. We could hear the wind created by the air resistance very clearly when the guys flew by.

Later, on our way back we saw the same guys. We were chocked how young they were! Something between 14 and 16!

No pics of us on the hills of Otepää as we were too busy gliding, skiing, snowboarding, rolling, falling, running, jumping down the hill.

How I know the spring is on it's way

2012-02-29T22:28:00.005+02:00

It must the approach of the spring. All these bugs...
Otherwise I'm worried that the large number of plants and hence the huge amount of soil has served as a hotel for different kind of critters.
Look at the cutie above. I swear, I've almost licked it off off the back of my hand. I thought it was a dot of jam from the breakfast.
It's a velvet mote, but where did it come from?

Another amazing find-a live spider outside my window. I am sure it wasn't there yesterday, so it can't be a frozen corpse from the last summer. How could it even get there? It's cold outside!
My boyfriend told me he once found a spider outside on snow in -15 degrees Celsius. It was still moving, but in extreme slow motion. The thing was probably screaming in it's tiny head.

Not a bug, but still interesting. Only small birds come to nibble on this fat. It really must be the hunger of the end of the winter that brought this jackdaw to my balcony.

Rubber stamp kit

2012-02-28T19:32:00.001+02:00

We used to carve so much at school. Mostly linoleum.
After school I did some dry needle etching. And paper carving.
After years and years of staying away from it I've tried again.
It's the very (re)beginning, but I hope to improve!

A new head for the fox I drew in 2009. My first stamp in years! Everybody has done potato stamps, right?

The R bird and koala family are garage sale finds from Australia.
And my favorite stamp set, brought from Malaysia. Y?
Because I am not so good at hand writing so these are the perfect substitute!

Fooling around

2012-02-26T21:52:00.001+02:00

I'm surfing on internet. FFFFOUND! is currently on. Ahhh, lots of great stuff. Had to draw something fast. Not that great probably, but anyway. Where else could I put it if not here, right?

White cyclamen

2012-02-26T18:17:00.003+02:00

One of the winter blooming plants.
This is my second cyclamen. The first one died of drought when I was in Australia.
This one shoots flowers like crazy!
It's time to go dormant for this species of cyclamen in may. It looses all of it's leaves then and patiently waits for the next autumn, when water arrives and it can gather all the courage for the winter flowering.
Cyclamen has another appealing feature-a tuber. You can see it in the illustration below.
It's a storage organ that looks like a flattened ...frog...?
I'd like it to be as large as possible and visible above the ground. But I like the flowers as well.

Some nice plant illustrations here.

Cold

2012-02-25T18:40:00.000+02:00

Confused lady

2012-02-23T17:51:00.001+02:00

I saw one very confused lady yesterday. Alcohol could be responsible for her bad coordination. And there was a funny smell in the air.
Anyways, I helped her to gather all the stuff she has dropped in our staircase.
But the image of her standing on her knees in front of the elevator still haunts me...

Windy

2012-02-23T12:58:00.001+02:00

Not much to say... I just want to show you this wolf or fox in the wind.
Just sketching for my new film. I think I can not do without animals or at least a mixture of human and animal.
I used to dream of being a werewolf when I was small. Gee, if somebody showed me Twilight then!
But why a werewolf? They suffer much more than vampires! And they can not control themselves. Except for the Twilight saga of course...

Spinning Earth

2012-02-18T22:11:00.001+02:00

I'm sooo lazy to write something right now...
We were walking home from cinema (film"Chronicle"-not bad, not bad at all...) and I had some ideas about today's post. I was gonna speculate a bit about one particular conspiracy theory-global warming. Or rather-if it is one of the conspiracy theories. Or again-which side is right -the ones who say there is no disaster coming or the ones who claim the opposite.
I once saw a clip on Youtube where a stand-up comedian was funny in a smart and angry way. He poked fun at people, being worried for being responsible of the destruction of The planet Earth.
He was amazed how people can be so self centered again (in terms of history) and imagine they have the power to bring down the whole planet! Or if it gets a bit difficult to live here, we just disappear and the planet goes on just fine without us.
After all there were a few times in the history of Earth when huge numbers of different species have been wiped out. And it is estimated that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.
He even suggested the Earth invented human just to get Her hands on the plastics!

Great animation

2012-02-16T12:50:00.000+02:00

Oh, look at the graphics-just wonderful!

The other film by Adrien Merigeau is beautiful. And the plot is capturing.
Enjoy!
I'll go walk by the river. Probably one could call it celebration. The 16 of February is celebrated for it was when the Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed in 1918.

Conversations and drinking

2012-02-15T12:57:00.001+02:00

I've been looking for a script I've written some time ago. What a mess!
But at least I've found these old sketches along with the story I've been looking for.
A few drawings have been combined here.
I remember reading an interview with the Swedish artist/director Johannes Nyholm.
He mentioned among other things that animators tend to detach themselves from the outer world. It 's because of the nature of the work.
He said he's trying to do his best not to disappear from the face of the Earth by locking himself at home with animation sheets, puppets etc.
I feel it's exactly what has been happening to me! I feel very comfortable at home. I don't wish to go out, have conversations and drinks...
It will probably go away when the spring arrives.

Animated films

2012-02-13T11:02:00.001+02:00

Films I want to see!!!!

But they can only be found in festivals...

I've seen the one under "Savage". I liked it so much I want so see it over and over.
Funny thing: when I participated in the film festival "Animated Dreams" in Tallinn, our films were shown together. Well, my character in "Under" is also kind of a werewolf.

And a film You can watch now!

Steam

2012-02-10T10:07:00.001+02:00

I wonder why the river hasn't frozen yet? The water seems to be too warm-it's steaming all the time.

I's very cold again... I swear I couldn't fall asleep yesterday. I was worried about birds. I just found out that have probably killed a bird or two...

Let me explain:

if one starts to feed birds in winter, he/she should never let the food place stay empty, because then small birds don't look for food anywhere else and stay close by. If there's no food in your tray, they might die in one day!

So if you're not prepared to refill everyday, better not to start feeding at all.

I think I'm responsible for the death of at least a couple of birds. I've seen them hanging around, checking the cheese. I didn't realize it was so hard (frozen)... And I didn't put any more peanuts.

I don't see these birds anymore. I hope they just flew away to some neighbor.

Well, I've put out more seeds now and I'll go to market tomorrow to buy some raw fat.

Oh, and about robot people...
Come on! There's no ice on the pavement. Not even snow! Why to sprinkle the grit? Probably it's his job. He has to do it no matter what if it's below 0 degrees.

Happy or unhappy?

2012-02-09T14:20:00.006+02:00

I swear, I can see if my birds are happy or not. Of course, you can, many would say. But I ain't talking about body language, nor the calls.
It's the eyes that give away the emotions.
In this shot the birds are very anxious. The branch in the cage just fell down, startling poor things.
And they are never happy when I eyeball them with the lens. I think it looks like some hungry big eye to them.
Strange enough, they are less intimidated by the camera when they are out of the cage. Probably it feels like there's more space to escape in case the eye moves any closer.
I am a bit careful letting them out lately. It's because I have provided them with greens and egg-food all winter. It makes them think the conditions for mating are perfect. So they start dragging all kind of rubbish onto the ceiling lamp. I don't like them pecking on the rug in the corridor. Lot's of dangerous things, attached onto shoe soles can be brought home ...
Let's wait for the real spring, with warmth and the sun. And then I'll give them a cozy nest to have babies in...

Doodled antilope

2012-02-06T19:28:00.000+02:00

I have never been a huge fan of digital paintings. Of course, much of that stuff is amazing, but I still love the physical work.
Well, today I tried it out. Really difficult, I think. Much more difficult than painting on canvas. From now on I will be a bit more amazed when I see something digital.
Take a look at this for instance...

Sounds in films... Pfffffffffffffffff....

2012-02-04T18:58:00.002+02:00

It gets below -29 Celsius at night. The windows are covered with ice. From inside. And just a few centimeters away there are flowers opening...
The meteorologists warn people not to go out at night this weekend. Ups, I have to visit my friends.

I was watching a film yesterday.
I want to talk about movie sounds. I get ...well, not annoyed, but puzzled.
Why on Earth would a computer make all those sounds while processing data, while numbers or pictures are popping up. And the best - if there's something to be downloaded. Then the machine goes buzzing. Pfrpfrrrrrrring...
I say : pfffffff. What a nonsense. One would go crazy just after a few minutes with a computer like that!
Have you noticed, only if it's a very serious movie, there's no sound there, behind the computer actions.
And I'm not finished. The sounds that creatures make. The ones that simply can't produce any kind of sound. OK, snakes can hiss. But come on, not shriek while attacking or dying in agony!
The best is the screams of spiders! WHY??? I think it's much more sinister if it dies or sneaks up on you in silence.
I won't mention the films. You must have seen plenty of those...

A few steps back

2012-02-03T23:19:00.002+02:00

I was checking one of the blogs, written by a lithuanian and I got all sentimental. The blogger has been visiting Gothenburg...
I've spent a bit less than a quarter of my life living in Scandinavia. A couple of years in Copenhagen, but mostly in the second biggest town of Sweden.
I suddenly got an urge to visit Gothenburg. I'm not sure why so suddenly, cause I haven´t missed that rainy, dark climate yet...
Anyway, here are some pics from one my homes during those years.
I think I´ve managed to make it very cozy for myself.
The old TV might look odd in such a modern country, but I watch it very seldom. And I used it to paint on...

All the painting on the walls are painted by me...
Oh, and I painted the walls as well. As well as the ceiling. There were red wine spots up there. Don't ask me how...

The TV hares.

The view.

I used to sit and look through the window a lot. This is one of the best ways to rest. Especially if You live in a city and have no opportunity to see the horizon. Which supposed to be a very bad thing.

I wonder how often Norwegians or any other high land people climb up the hills just for that.

The older animals

2012-02-01T17:00:00.004+02:00

I had some trouble with my computer today. I think, I need a new one.
So before I start talking about computers, I just want to say that these are my old drawings.
I could not do much on my PC, so I went through the old stuff.
I like to archive my work digitally...

So anyway. Computers are like old people. Or at least our actions towards them remind of the situation of elderly people in our society.
They start acting a bit different when they get older. So suddenly we do not have patience. We always blame them. Feel frustrated around them.
There is a cult of youth when it comes to gadgets and especially to the ones I have been mentioning here.
Well, but at least my oldie wont be bored when it is retired. It will be able to enjoy cinema, internet surfing and occasional file backup...

Morran at my place

2012-01-31T11:20:00.002+02:00

I have finally got "the Morran project book"!
Very colorful in means of colors and styles!

P.s. somebody has to teach me how to make big, but good quality gifs...

My contribution.

Winter observations...

2012-01-30T15:32:00.000+02:00

Ou yeah ou yeah-cheese!

Being in the moment

2012-01-22T21:53:00.000+02:00

We slowly cross an arch of a bridge. If somebody could see us from above, they would see that a line of swan tracks diagonally hit the line we are standing on right now.
The straight line of the bridge softly becomes a ribbon. The white stripe takes us to the orangery, belonging to the botanical garden of Kaunas, Lithuania.
Did You think I was in some other warm country? Or this was yet another retrospective of Australia ?

The were two huge swans battering about in the glass house. But they weren't birds. These were brides. You can see them in...not quite unexpected places. The opposite-You expect to see them in all the places that are natural or very much remind of nature. Places that are historical, idyllic, etc.
But I once saw a wedding couple standing in front of a black nylon (?) wall of an outdoor concert stage. What did they need a black background for?
Of course I'm talking about the conventional weddings. I have no idea what backgrounds "the original" people choose for their wedding albums.

I had a chance to pet a big iguana lizard on my way out. I regret I haven't taken a picture. But then I started thinking abut an expression, or no, it's not an expression. A research has been made that if people take pictures of events, places, they erase it from their minds. They will only be able to remember that day or place when they see the actual photo. And all they'll remember is what they see in that photo. It's possible they won't even remember the emotions of that moment.
I had an experience of this kind in Australia.
We had lunch in one small town near the ocean. The view was astonishing, majestic. And the only thing I took pictures of were seagulls, peaking through the top of a table.
And when we were leaving the town I started to regret I haven't taken a picture of that view.
But now, when I mentally go back to the places we've been I can only remember that one place very sharply. All the places that are caught on camera are remembered the way they are on the paper.
You know the moral here...

Postcards traveling

2012-01-20T12:45:00.002+02:00

Have you ever heard of post crossing? The idea is that people from all over the world send each other post cards. You never know where You'll have to send the next card, or where you gonna get one from.
One can write what kind of cards they'd like to receive.
I love all of my received cards! And I'm running out of magnets!
And it's so much fun to find one in the postbox! Because it's only bills most of people receive nowadays.
Today I got the dinosaur card from Portugal. The sender is the author of the illustration! Simão works in a Dinosaur museum! How cool is that???

...one friend of mine couldn't understand why it's fun to receive cards from people you don't know... I think she should try it first :-)

One very angry chichuahua

2012-01-19T14:01:00.000+02:00

I've decided, it's much more healthy to doodle or sketch than check Facebook, blogs or other addictive stuff while rendering something. Of course, I could surf in search of really useful thing, but then I get all interested and forget to work.
Sketching takes less time and is ...a... productive?

Orchid seminar no.2

2012-01-15T22:52:00.006+02:00

Haha, you can totally see what I'm interested in at the moment.
When I look at my photos under "My style" tag, I become ... sad. I really don't like most of them. First of all, I need a new camera and I need to get out. Cause these photos at home are so boring and ... ugly. Yes, ugly.
But anyway. I'm not so much into clothes right now anyways.
Plants plants plants. Films, drawing, eating, walking and travelling is what is important and of interest right now!

And about this post. It's a second seminar about orchids for me. It was held today.
The orchidarium You see belongs to one very fun lady. She probably has the greenest fingers of all the people I've ever met.
I'm not sure if You remember, but I've posted pics of her cacti and succulents earlier.

You see a tiny orchid Taeniophyllum (also called Pin head orchid, minute orchid, leafless orchid , tapeworm orchid). The species in the genus are small to very small leafless epiphytes with flattened green roots which contain chlorophyll and have taken over the photosynthetic role of the leaves. The leaves are reduced to minute, overlapping scales covering the stem apex. The flowers of the species are very short-lived, they are mostly greenish-white to yellow
And there is a flower spike coming!

Collaboration

2012-01-14T22:28:00.007+02:00

I'm glad to announce that I'm working on yet another film, comisioned by Šviesa publishing house, Educational games department. This time I'm only responsible for the moving part. Animation that is.
I'm gonna give life to drawings by artist Algimantas Rolia.
I really like his work!

The green code

2012-01-14T15:43:00.005+02:00

I consider myself very fortunate to have such talented friends!
You see a very special book here. It contains stories by ordinary people. The subject is nature, it's preserving. Green thoughts in general.
The "head" of the project is EU Parliament member Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulienėnė.
Coordinated and compiled by-Justė Brukštutė and Benas Buivydas.
Stories-by 19 different people, mostly children and teenagers.
Book design and illustrations-by Jonas Liugaila and Rūta Ivaškevičiūtė (both are also here).
There are two illustrations, created by two other people. They are the winners of the visual part of the project.

The format and the paper are sooo pleasant!

My friend Luka is a part of the book as well.

It's a pity one can't find the book in bookshops. There were only 1000 editions printed. I was lucky - I got mine as a present.

You can see the whole book here. It can also be downloaded as a pdf...

Good morning

2012-01-11T09:13:00.000+02:00

Dragon head like phalaenopsis flower.
Is it the first colder morning in Lithuania this year? Wow, minus 6 degrees Celsius. I'm being sarcastic here if you can't hear me...

Cinnamon and chocolate and sweet sugar

2012-01-09T20:24:00.002+02:00

As You have probably noticed, my interest in plants took a sudden turn.

Most of my desert plants are dormant (at least I hope so). Almost no watering, no movement, nothing. But many orchids bloom right now. It's not easy to say no when you see some in a shop. I like small species. Or (funny enough) bigger plants, but with rather small flowers.

People on the orchid forum say it's an Oncidium Sharry Baby. It fills my home with odor of chocolate and cinnamon...
I start my morning with smelling it.

This is another "baby". Probably an Oncidium Sweet Sugar.

I can't smell anything on this one.

Oncidium has these funny flowers, that look like dancing ladies. Can you see them?

The spring is approaching and people will soon start ordering plants on internet. I wonder if I'll get infected with that one.

Putting a hairy sock on

2012-01-07T14:58:00.001+02:00

Last december I visited Rūta Kiškytė and her "Hairy sock" Kioskas.

Eglė Xiapin (check out her very special contribute to the new Hairy sock collection) is browsing through the new catalogue, full of fresh photos by her friend Rasa J.

Huge collars and necklaces received special attention. I remember I had a similar necklace of two red bubbles when I was small. Just that thing was like 5 times smaller. Rūta's piece made me feel like child again...

A collection from another girl who shared the space the same evening. See her tasty stuff at SpindiJewellery !.

Rūta's jewellery has been exhibited in Melbourne, Australia and the next stop is New York!

The notorious (for her special/odd/fun/colorful choices) Sussie Bubble likes "Hairy sock" stuff!

I tried out the gigantic collar.

On the work table...

The quality is amazing! Everything is made with real care.

And the December!

2012-01-04T13:53:00.000+02:00

The last month for my calendar! It has been a pleasure!

I was thinking: next December suppose to be the last month ever because the end of the world should come as some prophesy says.

I've got friends in Australia. All new days start there. So it means they will be the first ones to witness The End. Because it can't start simultaneously everywhere, if there's an exact date mentioned. I hope my friends will let me know how it went!

Circus in the beginning of November

2012-01-03T20:47:00.007+02:00

The November from my calendar. The October was posted earlier.
I think I like this drawing the most. It's exactly how it feels in the end of autumn. Empty...
I'm trying to think of some special dates. Nothing comes to my mind...
If you don't count the first of November, of course.

Wolves in forest in september

2012-01-03T09:32:00.002+02:00

I have reused a part of my old print for the month of September. This is a paper etching, made during a print making course in Gothenburg, year 2004 or 2005.

Wolf children are big enough to run around at this time of year. Human children start their school in September in Lithuania.

In Sweden they do it in August...

Small dog syndrome

2012-01-02T23:38:00.000+02:00

It seems I am not done with the topic of small dogs. Remember the old animation (sorry for the quality)?
Today I felt like exercising a bit. See what it turned out like...

August sniffing

2012-01-02T10:27:00.001+02:00

This is another page from the calender I've made.
My birthday is in August. Estonians celebrate their independence day at the same time. Oh, by the way, my boyfriend is Estonian.
All the jokes they make about slow Estonians aren't true. They are just serious, calm people!
Why dogs?
I used to be a real dog person. Though I have had my own puppy for 4 months only. I have developed an allergy that forced me to say good bye to all doggies. But I have noticed I've started to feel love towards cats. Probably because lots of my friends has one at home. I think I like them more than dogs now. Not just cause my allergy of cats is tiny, but also because they are less in your face, not that vocal and tidier animals.
I hope someday I'll rescue one poor kitty from an animal shelter...

Gold leaf!

2012-01-01T21:31:00.003+02:00

The New Years party. I danced so much, my leg muscles and knees hurt!
It never turns out as one plans. I wanted to cover a half of my hair in gold. But the gold leaf would't stick to the hair gel. So, just a few crumbles on one side had to do.
I also wanted to have a more dramatic make up, but probably with not enough gold the drama just evaporated...
I used greasepaint to make the face pale. The same paint actors use in opera and clowns in circus.
We were a bit in a hurry to leave, so I totally forgot to take a picture of my dress. But I hope there will be some photos from the party.

Happy new year!

2011-12-31T11:14:00.001+02:00

The last day of December and You see the month of July from my calendar.
The photo is made in Australia, Melbourne. It was a very green street. Felt as if we are in a jungle.

I hope You will have a great party tonight!

Waiting for tomorrow

2011-12-30T22:34:00.001+02:00

Not much going on today. I'm on a stand by mode in all possible meanings.
Probably as millions of other people. We just promise ourselves lots of things. Things we gonna do the next year.

This is my new set up. An orchid in it's own little atmosphere. Until it needs to be watered and the glass goes up.

The Fox has a new friend The Rooster. A garage sale find from Australia.

A bit more of Australia. A branch of an eucalyptus tree. It fills the room with a very nice fragrance.

The only corner that is a bit more unusual than always. No Christmas tree, nothing, just that lamp garland...

See the tiny green balls on the right? It's my plant. The stems have rotted a bit, so I needed to cut them and just let them lay a bit until trying to pot again.
Sad time for plant growers. Always too dark at home.

Good morning to may

2011-12-30T12:40:00.002+02:00

Good morning!
May! One of the favorites! A month of birthdays: sister, her son (my godson), my boyfriend...

New Years Eve tomorrow. I have bought a black dress and I have a nice idea for my hair. But I got what is called a cold eye (I'm not sure about the English term). Probably will have to wear an eye-patch or something... I could look very "Twin Peaks".
Have fun tomorrow!

Eggs in April

2011-12-29T12:52:00.001+02:00

April is known for Easter. Most of the time.
This April will be special for me cause I'm gonna visit another continent again! Can't wait!
The photo I've used for this month is taken In Adelaide, in South Australian museum. In a cupboard, full of drawers containing all kinds of goods.

Home in March

2011-12-28T16:56:00.003+02:00

A page from the calendar I've made.
You might have seen January and February already.
And this one here is March at my place with friends.
It's probably the ugliest month of the year, so it's extra important to make the home as cozy as possible.There are some good things about it though: days are longer, it announces the spring. And there are a few birthdays to celebrate.

Happy holidays guys!

2011-12-25T15:19:00.000+02:00

That's the sister!

2011-12-19T23:40:00.002+02:00

This is my younger sister Asta.

A night out.

She is a jazz singer. A deep voice.

She can also draw.

I can't sing at all...

The calendar is ready

2011-12-17T13:17:00.008+02:00

It turned out rather OK. Tiny though-12X12 cm. But it made one person very happy yesterday.

I'll show the rest after the Christmas.

Have a nice weekend!

2011-12-16T14:56:00.001+02:00

Some of them are rather recently purchased, but I just wanted to post plants I haven't posted yet.
So these three here are aloes. Small ones. I really love them. Aloes are so different, but still recognizable species.

An orchid - Maxillaria tenuifolia. It's flowers will be small, but they will fill the whole room with a scent of fresh coconuts!

Even though it has no flowers yet, and who knows when will I get to see them, I admire those bulbs. And the new bulbs climb higher and higher.

A hoya obovata. I traded it for another plant.
Probably everybody has had a large hoya growing in their home. Most likely in the kitchen, as these plants love humidity and heat. But it was usually one kind of plant that was popular at that time. Or more correct-that was the only kind available.
The same plant that has been growing together with me growing up is still happily living at my parents home.
There are so many different hoyas! And the uglier the leaves are the more appealing the plant is to me. Some of them produce huge fragrant flowers. You should just google to see it.

A Senecio stapeliformis. It's still separated from other plants. Living in a big glass vase, in case it has some bugs or fungi disease.

I hope you enjoy it's shape and color as much as I do...

Desert and tropical plants together. We'll see how it went next spring.

Euphorbia lactea forma cristata is difficult to grow on their own roots, and are generally grafted for convenience on Euphorbia canariensisor Euphorbia resinifera. The top plant can become very large. I wonder how can the one under support it.

A crassula. Again, I have forgotten, which one. A small cool plant.

The tropical corner.

The Chinese Money Plant or Pilea peperomioides.

That's it for now. I'm off to a printing company to pic up the calendar! I hope there will be no surprises. Like wrong colors or something.

Totally random

2011-12-15T12:58:00.003+02:00

I promise, these are the last photos of Australia. At least I think so.
While waiting for the 2012 year calendar to be printed I had to choose between this or a bunch of plants. I wonder how many people prefer one over another...
And about the pics: the one above is very special. It was the only day I could wear my bikini without getting goosebumps. And I also had a dip n the ocean. Once in 4 weeks!

Australians love their dogs very much. Most of the people I've seen had two dogs. And usually they weren't the pure breed. Unless I'm not familiar with some Australian breeds. But at least I know the Australian cattle dog!

Each time Luka asked me to step into some grass or bushes for posing, my body would go into a shitting rabbit position! My expression of fare of poisonous snakes. Laurius expressed him self in a way that makes me laugh when I think about it : yeah, the snakes are just lurking on every corner, waiting for you to pass so they can throw themselves on your feet and bite your repeatedly!
I can't say I'm afraid of snakes. Like some people get panic attacks when they as much as hear someone talking about one. I just have read what symptoms one gets after a bite. I'm talking about Australian snakes in particular.
The worst fear I have is probably suffocation. And that one is among the causes of death after a snakebite.

A tiny Japanese garden near my friends home. One can have a wedding here. Australians love to get married in zoos, botanic gardens, wineries and other odd, but aesthetic surroundings.

A couple of seeds I was planing on to take home with me , but chickened out cause of the customs.

As it turns out, a few shops here in Vilnius have plenty of exotic seeds for sale. In purpose of home decoration. Well, it's not the same. I wanted the ones I have picked my self!

More walking in the hills just outside of Adelaide. The more time passes after the trip to Australia, the better it seems. I have even stopped telling people that it was cold there.

A skeleton of a wedge-tailed eagle. It's amazing what long legs almost all of the birds of prey have. Usually the long bones are hidden among the feathers. Until they need to be extended away from the body to snatch the pray.

Some very funny Australian flies. Fatty fatty!

The larvae of the Green Parasitic Fly is a parasite in other insects. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about this...

And this here is a photo from internet. But I just wanted to remind you that this is the kind of spider I had an opportunity to meet in a camping toilet. I first noticed the legs peeking out from under the toilet lid. And it just sat there looking up at me. I tried to kindly push it a bit further with a piece of toilet paper, but it just decided to stand it's ground.

Oh, and it was a bit smaller than the one in the pic. A teenage (explains the unawareness of how dangerous humans can be)or a fully grown male (could it be that's why he was so brave?).

It could be that the spider couldn't move after being totally mesmerized after being exposed to the shape of human body parts for the very first time in it's life...

Just a few of the movies I have been watching lately

2011-12-12T21:05:00.002+02:00

You gotta see this if you like modern dance! I'm in love with this choreography!

This one here is so worth watching I had a look at it for the third time. The third time is for comparison with the new "The thing " remake. I haven't seen it yet...

I'm glad I haven't wasted any of my time watching this. I have seen this one though. It was during the flight from Malaysia to UK. As I said, no time wasted...
Oh, I like Tom Hanks, but this one is awkward. Especially knowing he's directed it as well.

A bit of Australia at home

2011-12-12T12:58:00.000+02:00

The most recent plant - Dendrobium Berry Oda. It's a hybrid: a cross between a Dendrobium kingianum and a Dendrobium 'Mini Pearl' (=Dendrobium canaliculatum x Dendrobium bigibbum).
Dendrobium Kingianum is an orchid from Eastern Australia. It's flowers are small and the stem looks like a bamboo. Thus this orchid is sometimes called a bamboo orchid.
I have now 8 orchids. Very little.
There are still many many plants I would like to get my paws on. But I think I'll concentrate on some tiny ones now. Cause of the space shortage, but also because the small plants are so interesting to take care of. They are hiding there in the pot. And the next time you come closer to inspect it, there's something new going on. It's a bit like a surprise each time.
My succulents are doing almost OK. There's too little sun for them. And the winter has just started!
I have two things to dream of now-an aquarium and an orchidarium! The water from the first one can very successfully be used in the second one.
And here is a plant I'd like to see in my small collection-a tiny orchid Corybas Pictus. Scroll down for the pictures, see how small it is!

Talking about orchids

2011-12-11T22:04:00.000+02:00

Can I officially call myself an orchid fan/grower? Well, I participated in an orchid seminar today.
Two topics were covered: Jewel orchids and taking care of orchids in winter time.

Lots of interesting new stuff. Also plenty of new faces.
And there was a small market on the spot. One could purchase a plant that could possibly be never found in a regular shop. Relatively rare plant that is.

This was cheerfully called a "make it yourself" phalaenopsis farm. These here are 3 year old hybrids, bred in Lithuania.

Some of the jewel orchids. Grown rather for their beautiful foliage than flowers.

A jewel orchid on the left. And some other kinds of orchids in bloom.

There was snow outside. One of the first this year...

A fast bag remake

2011-12-10T16:37:00.000+02:00

I found this leather backpack in a secondhand shop. I'd like to have a backpack, but this one was made in such a peculiar way, it would have been useless to me. I couldn't leave this piece of strong leather alone, so I took it home with me.
Unfortunately I don't have a sewing machine that could bite into leather, so I had a shoe mender to fix it.
It turned out pretty OK. But just one note to myself regarding similar projects in future: next time I trust an older man to do work like that I'm gonna mark spots (with a marker or something) where stuff must be cut or sewn into place.
So, I had the handles removed and put in a different place, also a lining added.
What do you think?

The book !

2011-12-08T15:16:00.002+02:00

Remember, I told you about an open project that I took part in? Well the books, containing all 236 and chosen 77 pictures of Morran are here and here!
All the profit will go to WSPA - World Society for the Protection of Animals - Sweden (WSPA international).

It's even more precious as Morran is not here anymore...

I'll go and order myself one right now.

Foxes in june

2011-12-08T12:33:00.001+02:00

OK, I said I wouldn't post any more months. I want it to be a surprise afterall. But I can't. It's fun to share!
So, foxes. Why June? I don't know why, but it sounds like foxes could have their weddings in June. But I think they do it in winter.
Just like may parents! On a new years eve! It was very very cold that day. -25 degrees Celsius. I sometimes look at the wedding pictures. They are black and white. My mom is standing in the snow in her wedding dress. One wouldn't be able to see her if not for the jacket hanging on her shoulders. My dad's jacket.
All the tips of the noses are slightly darker than the rest of the face...

South Australian museum

2011-12-07T20:12:00.000+02:00

I visited the museum during my last days in Australia.
This lion greets everyone who enters. I couldn't quite get if it's real stuffed lion or just a big toy. It was written somebody gave it away. I think it has never been alive.

The Pacific collection blew my mind away!
See what people over there find beautiful: carving vertical lines in the forehead. Above.

Other people think it's nice to have a very long scull. Actually, I wish I had a head like that. There's never enough of the back of the head!
Mothers wrap tightly a cloth around their babies head, making it more and more elongated as the years pass. Even the facial features change...

All the masks were truly incredible! Scary of course...

I think this one here wins the award of the creepiest .

I need to know more!

These masks were made when a person died. Basically , it's a death mask.
This is what you get when there are no cameras around...

Rather recent aboriginal art. At least the materials are new. These here are made of iron plates.

Wooden shields.

There was a beehive inside one of the rooms. And it was all glass. I could see everything! And the best part is that the bees move in and out trough the museum window, right into the city center!

This is the highway.

Swan of February

2011-12-06T20:56:00.001+02:00

Another month, another bird. February this time. I don't remember when the swans come back, but one thing is for sure. February must be really hard for the birds who've decided to endure the Lithuanian winter. White bird on a white lake.
I would really much like not to post each time I make a new month, but I can't. I have created half of the year already!
But I want to post something!

An October goose

2011-12-05T20:16:00.001+02:00

Everybody's busy making their own calendar. Well, I also have caught this disease.
I'm not sure I can make it until Christmas, but it's fun creating something for myself anyway!
This is mister goose, wearing a knitted sweater. My dad's birthday is in October...

Oh, and to avoid any misunderstanding-I haven't painted the background, just the bird.

Read about Australia

2011-12-05T11:40:00.002+02:00

Hehe, funny. My friends, whom I have been visiting didn't have the energy to post on their blog when I was there. My presence probably made them less and less energetic each day. But now they do post! Luka even has been drawing adventures of the road on the road! You can also read about the trip from another person's point of view. Visit Luka's and Lauriu's blog!

I at home!

2011-12-01T19:19:00.004+02:00

OK, since people are still writing to me and asking to either bring coins or send them a postcard, I feel obliged to post especially for my coming home occasion!
Maybe it's my fault: I haven't specifically told, that I'm back in Lithuania. But I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it somewhere. Possibly in the post about my trip back through Malaysia. Oh, and if I remember right, one post is named "Honey, I'm home".
Or somebody is too lazy to read more than one post?
Anyway, I have been in Eurasia, Europe, the Baltic's, Lithuania, Vilnius, at home for about two weeks now.
I'm really glad to be back. I somewhat enjoy the weather (I'm more prepared than in Australia), and even the 2 hours long day is OK, but one thing bugs me anyway-people in supermarkets. Stop breathing on my neck, stop pushing me! RELAX!

That's about it...
I'm off to finish watching a film . " 50/50".

Australian soil

2011-11-30T12:45:00.000+02:00

I'm not claiming that my shoes or feet are objects worthy of your attention. They sometimes help to perceive the size or color of the ground and objects.
This is a scull of kangaroo. I had to put the lower jaw back in place.

We suspect these green spots are portions of poo of some kind of bird. Or they used to belong to any other animal with an extremely loose stomach.

Leaves of gum trees.

Footprints of a pelican.

Another odd, unknown object! It's very light, tightly rolled. Looks like seaweeds+hair+something else. There were a few more of these balls. Was it wind made? We were at a beach after all...

Where the bags live

2011-11-28T22:10:00.003+02:00

Remember, I visited my friends in London this spring? Well, they have moved since then. A new, 300 square meters place!
Alius has now so much space for his bag workshop, expect an avalanche of all possible colors!

The apartment is so huge, one shouldn't forget something if wandering off to another corner of the room.
I think I got a bit tired after a while.

A part of the workshop. Leather everywhere!

Visit Alius Makackas blog- www.madebyhandbags.blogspot.com and don't be shy to order a bag!

I think the whole place has a bit of Japanese touch to it...

A photo by Xiapin/Egle Navickaite.

And-the view through the window. We think a number of films , where the action takes place in Victorian London must have been filmed in these streets!

Warming up

2011-11-28T15:07:00.006+02:00

I had to warm up a bit before picking up some work again.
2012-is gonna be the year of The dragon. I wish I could make a calendar (like everybody else ;-)), but dragons ain't easy to make. Especially when you want them in 100 different styles. Give me any other animal and I'll make it fast (at least that's what I think), but dragons take some time. Maybe cause they live long?

Eight hours in Kuala Lumpur

2011-11-25T12:14:00.001+02:00

It's humid, hot, noisy, dirty, confusing and most of all very different from home or Australia. But I've enjoyed it!
I had 11 hours between my flights. So instead of sitting at the airport, I took a fast train and ended up in the middle of a hot pot.

All the streets are at 90 degrees to each other in Australia. Almost no chance of getting lost. So when I stepped out of the central train station in KL, I had no idea which way to head. Streets were above each other, twisting in all possible directions. I've planned to walk a great distance, but I understood soon enough it would be a difficult task. I didn't want to miss my plane! Though I regretted I haven't taken an extra week to stay in Malaysia. To rest and warm myself at the beach.

I traveled by the Rapid train (that sometimes runs above the ground-nice view!) around in the city.

An amount of time was spent in Chinatown and around it.

I have forgotten how Bangkok was. I always remember it as a big, noisy and smelly city. But I think it wasn't as dirty as KL.
I ended up in a part of a town where I could see 4 streets at the same time. It was very strange to notice that I was the only woman there!

The sunset was at 19 o'clock. But it felt as if the streets got even more jammed with people. Probably because of the food hawkers and stalls appearing. I myself had an interesting meal, surrounded by huge gecko lizards climbing on the walls.

The last hour was spent in the modern part of the city. I took the train to the city center, to gaze at the Petronas Twin Towers. You can see the top and the foot of the buildings.
Time to get to airport...

Last days in Australia

2011-11-24T15:33:00.001+02:00

The last days in Australia. A short visit to the botanic gardens, the Adelaide museum (would you like to see some interesting photos?) and the riverside.

Some more interesting blossoms.

I think the plants in these two pics are irises. Different than at home.

And since I was back in the botanic gardens I visited the Bicentennial Conservatory. Tall tropical plants, surrounded by tall walls.

Look at these things on the right! I think it's plants air roots-basically breathing organs.

The palm tree on the left had huge leaves! The largest I've aver seen!

It so beautiful in the gardens when the sun is close to horizon. Everybody knows it's a disaster to take pictures during the day if the sun isn't concealed by the clouds. It's right above your head here in Australia and everything just looks burned out.

Ehmm, I couldn't get enough of that light.

Ducks are there each time you turn your head.

On the right-a large tillandsia.

Look at those eyes on the left!

The tram goes all the way to the beach in Glenelg. The ocean is just behind that horizontal line.

The indigenous black swans.

A juvenile black swan. The difference is the brown aye. Grownups have red eyes. It makes them look a bit stupid ...

One day-two locations

2011-11-24T11:17:00.000+02:00

Warning! This post contains pictures of dead animals.

We went to the sea side another day. Or is it ocean side? It was pretty much deserted, except for birds, corpses of fish and a seal, a couple fishing and some cars on a tiny peninsula.

I swear, I didn't make this composition!

Footprints of a pelican. There's one thing I've missed in Australia-pelicans! I haven't seen any up close.

The only seal I've seen. We should have gone to Kangaroo island to see some live ones.

There was fire smoke on our way to a winery. Could be a bit worrying as it's fire ban right now.

We went to one winery just for their cakes and the view. Unfortunately, there was a wedding, so we couldn't sit in the pretty garden house. Also we got eaten by sand flies-much worse than mosquitoes!

We spooked some large predatory bird while walking in the surrounding park. It left a fresh kill behind. We are terribly sorry, bird!

The trail. I'm still a bit worried about snakes. But it's probably too cold for them anyway.

The alley of African plants.

Look at the photos below. I found the same kind of plants, but with blooms opening in different stagesVoi!

Almost there...

Voila!

In the hills

2011-11-23T11:41:00.000+02:00

Since Laurius has to work, we spend our evenings driving to spots of interest around Adelaide. This time-the hills. The city is virtually surrounded by them.
I can't tell how long the walk took us, but it was long. If I remember correctly, we took the red trail.

You can see the trail running down. Or up...

Adelaide in the background. The population is 1, 2 million, but it takes a really big area. It's because of all the suburbia. The town is wide spread, with the city center, marked by tall buildings, crammed up in the middle.

I can't get enough of these huge ants! Just look at these tweezers! And they are also very interactive. They would follow you around if you stay close enough.

A family of Chewbaccas.

Getting pretty high. The trail is narrow at times. So you experience that pulling towards abyss feeling.

I take a photo of a section of the trail I've walked at each curve. The indistinct darker line in the center (a bit higher than the middle of the picture) is the trail.

The waterfall. See the tiny blue spec at the lower left corner? It's a person...

OK, we've seen crickets swaying in the sunshine, we've seen the female crickets laying their eggs , but we weren't prepared for this! Well, at least we know now how they make their eggs.

I think it has a warning sigh on it's back.

One of the look outs.

Even scrubs and grasses are gorgeous here!

We accidentally turned off the path and ended up in some kind of thorny bushes. I think it was blackberries. Man we got scratched! But it was fun anyway!

See the low very green plant area? The thorny blackberry bushes we've just passed.

The trip started somewhere beyond the left corner of the photo.

Mister/miss lizard in pajamas...

Down at last!

Back in Adelaide

2011-11-22T14:27:00.002+02:00

I'm sorting photos of my journey to Australia and I can see the end of them. A couple of posts left.
And now-about the photos in this post. We've come home to Adelaide. But there's plenty to see around the city. So we head out for the wetlands and mangrove. A place worth calling a fairy tale.

The tide was low, but we still could see the water movement. The trail twisted and zigzagged first among low bushes, later-among higher trees.

Waders...

The ground was crawling with small crabs. They dig into the weed and mud as soon as we approach. Crabs react to movement.

There were lots of birds, of course. But it was difficult to spot them. The birds knew we were there. Only occasional egrets could be seen flying above the canopy.

Photo by Laurius.

The Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa).It had it's bath so fast we weren't sure if it was cold or afraid of the water!

Photo by Laurius.

Back in town. This is where I want to be-in the jungle! It's a wall of a school yard .

Luka's monstera and the fatty pigeon. He is coming to our yard very often now. Of course, he is- he gets sunflower seeds every single time he comes! I think he will decide to move in near future.

Check out this plant! It's a kangaroo paw! I've seen them in shops in Lithuania!

Some streets were covered in pink fallen blossoms (Jacaranda trees). And the scent was nice! I will always remember Australia as a country of smells. Nice smells: gum trees, ficus berries, jasmine, coffee, roses and many more.

Treasures from the Shell beach

2011-11-21T15:27:00.000+02:00

Honey, I'm home!

2011-11-21T13:57:00.000+02:00

I'm back in Lithuania. The trip went OK, it's just it took me longer than going to Australia. I had 9 hours of waiting in Kula Lumpur, so I took a train into the city. But later about that.
I'm experiencing a major jet lag. It feels like standing on a rocking ship. I can't do much. Except for unpacking, washing and posting this post.
I want to continue posting in the right order, so expect some more pics from Australia!

And now-plenty of photos from two days at the Innes National park (South Australia).

We stayed on Shell beach. Very true, as You can see!

It was a nice warm day. I wish I got into the water right away, cause it got colder the next day.

A bench - a real luxury! This is the place where we got most mosquito and sand fly bites. Also a couple of tics hitch hiked home with us. It appears I'm a good tic remover!
I also saw my first larger spider here. A huntsman.
And Luka and me almost tripped over a kangaroo here! They were sneaking up behind us in the dark. Each time you wash your hands at the rainwater collector, there's a kangaroo sitting in the bushes (like one meter away!) to get some drops of that precious water.

A bad quality pic, but at least you can see how close was a kangaroo piece-fully grazing. With a joey by it's side!

A caterpillar pretending to be a snail! I touched it's "antennae" and it mimicked the snail going into it's shell! Really cool!

Sun burned succulents.

The shell beach...

Laurius has spotted something!

This has been the longest sneak so far.

The object! The Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus.

The sunset. Our last one as it got too cold the rest of the trip.

We drove around the Innes national park for sightseeing. Flies were our constant companions. Thanks god they weren't the biting kind.

See the flies on my back? Only a few, because it was really windy up there!

A small plant. Probably some kind of succulent. What else would survive in these harsh conditions!

A bigger one.

Nature's own horizontal bonsai!

Small trees and large aloes!

This is emu's poo. It was everwhere! Not ugly at all cause of all the seeds. Sorry for this one :-)

How on Earth did these snails got up there? I mean a top of a hill, where the wind blows like crazy. Have they been blown up here?

Emu babies. We decided they look a bit like gorillas!

And now-more of bugs and birds.

The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae).

The incredibly big Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus).

Angry Silver gull. Mine mine mine!

This one was so cold it couldn't move anymore. I didn't touch it wings, it was enough to put a hand under it's feet and voila!

Innes National park trading post and a petrol station.

We had some veggie burgers here. I hate falafel since then...

In a phone booth in the middle of nowhere...

Some emu portraits.

A small jelly fish.

And a large one. Luka doesn't like swimming in the ocean. There are waves, sharks, and most important of all-jelly fish. And there is the box jelly fish-the extremely deadly creature!

Can you believe these kangaroo balls??? How is it to jump for him?

It's perfect for your honey moon, said the add next to this building here! But there were no windows...

Dolphin beach, Innes national park.

The water had that beautiful turquoise color. And it was a perfect place to snorkel, but ahh, it was too cold.

Pfff, girls on a beach!

Some other bays and beaches of Innes national park. It was sooo windy here it required a sign like this. We didn't climbed down to check out a shipwreck. It scared us off.

On the West Cape (near the lighthouse). It felt as if you could be blown away any second.

Amazing bugs and lizards in Flinders Ranges

2011-11-16T16:30:00.004+02:00

Flinders Ranges. At last! We hit only the most southern part of it. The place is huge and the further you go the more desert you get.
It was the first REALLY hot day on our trip. We thought we would drive more northward the next day, but we ( or at least me) got this strange claustrophobic feeling. The one that has something to do with being in very hot places, very far away from any kind of water. And you can only bring a limited amount of it with you. We decided to go for the ocean the next morning.

A female cricket laying eggs in the grown. I know they have this special tool to lay eggs, but how on earth did she make that hole?

Red ground-the signature of Australian desert!

We got up high to look down on the valley we've come from. And we've been surrounded by kangaroos!

We were camping like old people-making only one day trips and returning back to the camp for the night. I've learned it's not cool at all. What cool is is to have your heavy back pack on your shoulders and walk like 20 km up to Mount Remarkable and sleep over at the camp up there. That's what's cool -to be fit and not to have any fear of dying of thirst. I'm totally OK with "uncooliness" ...

A cricket pretending to be a piece of wood. It was turning it's head back and forth. Swaying twig?
I wonder if he has met the green cricket lady.

The beautiful gum leaves. Should I bring some with me?

And now-some odd seed-cases! The ones above usually need fire to germinate.

There is a spider living there somewhere! I must confess-I was constantly checking for spiders. As one of the most deadliest spiders live here. The Redback spider. And we know, one of them lives somewhere in my friend's yard.
The only big one I've seen was the Hunstman spider. Under a toilet seat while camping. Not fun, not fun at all. OK, a little bit fun, but just a little bit.

Ah, all these interesting things in the bush...

Looking for something-can't remember-what. A small lizard perhaps. Oh, if I only knew what to expect in close future!

Puzzled animal expressions-the best! Is he thinking-to pretend he's not there or to run to his mummy?

Wheee-a lizard. We sat on a top of a hill (the trip almost gave us all a heart attack), eating our apples when this brave fella came along.

I wasn't feeling so great the next day (I drank too little water and probably got dehydrated ) so I stayed alone at the camp. I was laying in the car when I suddenly heard a rustle. There was a huge lizard, trying to get into our tent! I just sat there and watched him through our opened trunk. Then I got worried it would tear the net of the tent. I had to get out and nicely ask mister lizard to go away. I think it was the Lace Monitor, or Lace Goanna (Varanus varius) which can grow up to 2,1 metres long!

I gathered my courage and got out. The animal got spooked and walked (!) for the nearest bush. I got closer, so it started climbing up a tree.

This is how I got a chance to look at it as much as I want. I really wanted my friends to come back and look at this beauty!

There was a group of (I think) White-browed Babbler (Scientific name: Pomatostomus superciliosus) in the same tree as the lizard!

These birds really babble! One of the funniest calls I've heard in Australia. It's The Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps).
I left the lizard alone and went to take photos of some birds.

Galah parrots were abundant! Noisy mornings as it was chick feeding time all the time.

Unknown creature in a sink. I hope it knows which end is the butt.

Luka got startled when she came across this exhibit at night. She thought it was a huge moth or something at first. Then we thought the poor bird got lost-we found it in the camp ground shower. But the next night it was there again! May be not such a bad place to sleep anyway. One can always have a glass of water.

The night was very stormy-thunder and everything. Later we found out there was a huge storm in Adelaide the same night. We considered ourselves lucky we didn't go the ocean that day.
A wet bug the next morning (above).

The next day is hot again and we drive back south to Yorke peninsula.
Watch out for The Malleefowl crossing !

A short stop at a small town to try out some traditional pastries.

Mister skink of Yorke peninsula of Innes national park.

To be continued...

Days, full of rocks

2011-11-15T17:19:00.000+02:00

Hello, guys!
I hope you aren't tired of this many pictures every day! No drawings, no style :-)
This post contains trips from two different days. Locations -around Adelaide.

Stuff you can see when the tide is low.

The black dots-tiny tiny shells, stacked together.

The rocks are brownish pink. And they erode in nice small rectangular pieces.

Tiny chains of mountains!

And this place here looks totally man made. But it isn't. It's all sun, wind and rain.

These grow in somebodies yard. Almost on a street. Ahhh...

And the next day we head for Granite island. To watch the worlds smallest penguins come ashore after a whole day at the ocean.

The brown quail. Scientific name: Coturnix ypsilophora. They weren't shy at all!

One of the funniest birds. Reminds of a mouse when it scurries in the grass.

Find a bird in this pic!

The sun is setting and we hurry around the island, to meet the penguins.

Some really cool colours...

Little Pied Cormorant. Scientific name: Phalacrocorax melanoleucos. Drying it's wings.

There's more of me than Australia in these last posts. I start to get a bit ashamed. But sometimes one needs a humane figure to express the magnitude or miniature size of objects. In this case..I'm not sure... The light?

Getting darker and darker. We hurry up. But I have to stop to take a photo of some succulents, of course.

The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor).
Finally we got a chance to see some penguins, cautiously returning to their borrows. One was situated exactly under stairs of a wooden path that runs around the island. It was really amazing to see how small the penguins are. But witnessing how high they can jump and what steep walls they can climb was even more jaw dropping!

Little desert national park

2011-11-14T16:00:00.001+02:00

On the road again. Towards home, towards South Australia.

We made our camp in Little desert national park camp ground. It's just us and an old couple in a caravan. They were gone the next morning. It feels as if people leave when it's still dark.

The trail is very easy and nice. But this is our first warm evening during our trip! And together with warmth flies emerge.

See a trail of flies behind me? A funny thing-they weren't so keen to get under the shade of the hat.

Preparing for a dinner. It's also our first table and bench!

There were so many different animals moving around the tent we got a bit scared at the beginning. We could recognize a passing emu. Possums were a puzzle at first. Then we got out of the tent to gaze at the stars and met a bunch of possums.

It was the warmest evening, but also the coldest night! We suspect it was around 5 degrees Celsius towards the sunrise. We thought the morning would never come. It was rather horrible. But the horror dissolved with the new day and we had our strawberries...

Zinc!

We located footprints of an emu the previous day. They led to a puddle.

Laurius got very close to the mother emu and her chicks. Brave, I must say. The bird made sure Laurius didn't get any closer by walking towards him a bit.

Australia is a home to giant blossoms, spiders and ants. If you get too close, it abandons it's pray and starts to follow you. I'm not sure if either wants to take you home as a bigger prey or to scare you off .

There are giant koalas in Australia as well.

Very small and empty Kiata.

All fruit and vegetables must be left behind in Victoria state. SA doesn't want any additional fruit flies.

Royal botanic gardens in Melbourne

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We visited another haven for birds-Royal botanic gardens in Melbourne.
Above: Little Wattlebird. Scientific name: Anthochaera chrysoptera.

This is a Willie Wagtail. Scientific name: Rhipidura leucophrys. I could watch this little fella all day long. You should see the way it wags it's tail-hence the name.

Signs are everywhere: in parks and on camping grounds. European bees have been introduced to Australia. Sometimes they get extra bully when thirsty. Who wouldn't? I'm not sure what kind of bees were these ones.

The object of caution itself! I couldn't believe the size of it. When I've finally located it. I could barely see the beehive-it blended so well with the tree.

A king fisher. One second there, another-gone.

Love/hate carvings on plants again!

Purple Swamphen. Scientific name: Porphyrio porphyrio.
Runs like crazy. Not such a good flyer though.

Dusky Moorhen. Scientific name: Gallinula tenebrosa.
Another good runner/leaf walker.

Some giant plants.

A couple of close ups. Above - a bird flower (Strelitzia).
And a bark of a tree. Some of hard to climb trees are called monkey puzzle trees!

More giant blossoms and leaves.

The succulents were mostly growing outside the park walls.

Angry looking bird. Adelaide has it's noisy miner. And Melbourne- it's common miner. Scientific name: Acridotheres tristis.

There were bell miners as well. (Scientific name: Manorina melanophrys). I can assure You it deserves it's name.

Hunting for succulents.

Melbourne in the evening

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Melbourne. Part 1.

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Melbourne cup took place when we reached the city. Streets were full of dressed up women. The most significant and recognizable accessory was a hat! Take a look at the Melbourne cup fashion 2011!

A street crossing in front of the central train station.

Like everywhere else in Australia, there was free public transport. We took a nice old tram (no. 35). The line ran conveniently around the centre.

I've packed a nice long skirt, a dress and a couple of blouses especially for Melbourne. Guess if I had a chance to wear them. Cold cold cold... One evening I wanted to cry quietly a bit because of the disappointment and bitterness. Not cause I didn't get a chance to wear a fancy skirt! I just wanted to get out of the jumper for a change! And I just wanted it to be warm and sunny.

Houses get older and smaller as we leave the down town of the city and enter the old suburbia. Window shopping as a word doesn't quite fit here...

Sun - rain - sun - rain... C'mon, decide now!

A very smart doggy-it's enough just to leave it there. No knots needed! By the way, all the poodles or labradodles have funny haircuts.
is it a labrador shop sign behind the dog?

It's central jungle...

Window-shopping continues as we have started our day too early. We're hungry and I crave for coffee. Most places open at 11-12 a.m.

It was a very rainyPday.

Plant and flower shops. It's so expensive to buy flowers in Australia! Probably because of the fresh water shortage.

Apollo bay. Another day.

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On the road again...

A surfers home.

We reach small towns, situated along the coastline. This is Apollo bay. A town visited by masses of tourists. But it was pleasant to have some coffee and smoothies, roll our eyes at the sight of the prices of so desired hoodies and surf boards.

They never seize to closely follow the movements of your hands. And they also miraculously appear out of nowhere as soon as you open any kind of small bag. Let it be a plastic bag with home made sandwiches or just a bag of chips.

A tourist among tourists.

The main side walk. We had our coffee and smoothies here. Or more accurate, we bought it here and drank it on our way through the town. We had little time-Melbourne awaits.

One sip, just for the photo shoot.

The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae.

The same one, but in some kind of display.It can be it just got some goose bumps.

Now it's me sneaking up on some birds. See above below what I've managed to capture with my old, non professional camera.

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles). Many Australian birds have skin things hanging on their faces. What can these gorgeous yellow wattles can be useful for?

They are also equipped with a thorny spur that projects from the wrist on each wing. It was believed it can inject venom...

The Galah , Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Galah Cockatoo, Roseate Cockatoo or Pink and Grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.

The end of day 3. The koalas!

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Dusk falls on us as we enter a road, leading to the Aire river East camping ground. We are extra careful: all kinds of animals stir in the bush exactly at this time of the day.
Suddenly-a wild koala, sitting almost in the middle of the road. It looked somewhat puzzled. A very comical expression!
It takes us some time to break and get out of the car. Meanwhile the animal hops towards near by trees and gets up one of them. A koala can move rather fast when it wants to.

Up it goes!

It's eyes looked wider then the ones of koalas we've seen from far away, in the safety of high trees. It was a bit scared, I think.

We didn't stay under the tree for long. Just took some pictures as souvenirs. Thank You!

But a big surprise awaits minutes later. A wild koala so close, one could reach it. A few children were feeding it some eucalyptus leaves! It looked sleepy and didn't mind us at all.

Our camp. See the plastic sheets wrapped around the tree trunks? We think it's anti possum/koala thing.

We spent the night at the banks of Aire river.

A typical view the next morning.

Laurius's photo hunting again...

Day 3...probably...

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Looks like a place my boyfriend would appreciate ! James Dean has a forehead problem. I think, Marilyn as well...
We had a nice pack of road tripping music. Each time we've reached some small, in the middle of nowhere town, the track on the stereo would suddenly turn out to be the perfect drive trough background music. I've never been to USA, but it looks (and feels, because of the music)just like it.

One needs to sneak up on things constantly. This is what I was aiming at.

Pay attention to the ring on the base of the tail. It means the lizard has lost it's tail some time ago and a new one has grown back.

Seagulls follow us everywhere...

At last The Great Ocean Road lives up to it's name...

A cuttlefish bone. My finches nibble at these for minerals and other useful stuff. Should I bring these home?

This doesn't look amazing at the moment. But all the stuff, washed up by the ocean seemed new and different at that time.

Different formations start to appear.

Some brave (grown ups, by the way) men climbed over the stone wall and headed for the knife sharp rocks. We left soon enough-in case something happens and they need help or something.

It was a bit warmer that day. I have been in Australia for 3 weeks and I must say I have been freezing more than enjoying hot breeze.

At last-The Twelve Apostles (minus two of them). And with that we mark our journey through another state of Australia-Victoria.

And again, we were too cold to get down all the way to the ocean for a walk. Remember, I packed very lightly?

Very useful signs everywhere. They are so accurately illustrated and described that it makes you walk all the designated paths with uneasy heart anyway.

And more birds.
Red Wattlebird. Scientific name: Anthochaera carunculata.