© irene waters 2015
See the possum on the paperbark. Not a good tree for him to try to climb.
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2015
I think this is a beautiful slab of timber. I received it in 1978 and have been carrying it around with me ever since. It was given to me by a friend whose husband, a builder, was employed at the Rocks in Sydney as parts were demolished and others saved of the buildings built in the early 1800s to make way for the Argyle Art Centre. This slab of wood was once a roof beam with bolt holes still visible. To look at and feel this wood you immediately get a sense of what patina means. This has it in bucketloads.
© irene waters 2015
A water lilly pad.
In response to Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Your possums are very different from our California cousins. The ones that live here are pale gray with long skinny rat-like tails and I think they’re much larger than yours. If I saw one of these dark brown possums, I wouldn’t know what it was.
Love the paperbark eucalyptus. There is a row of them edging a parking lot and I love to touch the clumps of spongy bark that fall off the tree, and to see sheets of the bark unfurling from the trunk before they drop to the ground. The trees have a huge diameter and are a species much more interesting than the eucalyptus that grow around our neighborhood.
As for the lily pad, what can I say – water and lily leaves, that’s enough.
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I think ours are a different species altogether as ours are marsupials. We have two types that I know of and the ones I know from Sydney are quite different to these. These are ring tail possums and the ones in Sydney are brush tails. Sydney has grey and here we have a rusty brown. They are quite lovely. They are also smaller.
I love the paperbarks also. I have to resist photographing every one I see (I have oodles of photos as they are plentiful here) and caressing it is an absolute must. If people think of you as a tree hugger who cares.
And the water and the lily I agree what more can you say.
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You have such fun photos for this week Irene. Thanks for playing.
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Glad you enjoyed our little critters and wood selection
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Your possums are definitely cuter! That’s a fabulous slab of wood, full of stories, too.
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I can see the convicts slaving over putting it up. Definitely full of stories.
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That little possum is so cute, and that bark really does look like paper! What a magnificent slab of wood, and a great close up of the lily pad. I love your posts Irene 🙂
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Thanks Sherri. So glad you do. 🙂
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