A walk in the park

I'm going to take you on a journey.

You walk through the gate, and pick your way carefully over the railway lines. With dodgy knees the last thing you want to do is trip and fall over.

You walk up into the park, and stand stock still for a moment. You are enveloped with bird song - in the space of 2 or 3 minutes you realise you can identify at least 12 different birds, ranging from the raucous calls of the Red Wattlebird, to the sweet tiny sound of wrens. And there's an underlay of galahs, rainbow lorikeets, and all manner of other tiny unseen species.

You walk just two more steps, and look to the side of the track. There's an orchid - surely that's a midge orchid, and you sit down on the stony path to take a picture. You raise your eyes slightly, and you see a whole carpet of tiny yellow and purple orchids. You can't identify them - that can wait until you get back home. You click away furiously.

Then you hear a bird - and high above you spot the most ridiculously tiny creature - and you have to take a picture. Doesn't matter if it's not much good - you've got to capture that sight, so that it will remind you of the sound.

You sigh deeply - so satisfied, content and happy.

You walk on - you feel the sun on your back. Gosh but it's getting warm, and you remember the cold and rain, and you glory in the warmth.

You spot a dragonfly. No - really?? And a butterfly zooms past - so fast you can hardly see it. You are surrounded by the sights and sounds of the bush in early Spring. You line up carefully to get a shot of the dragon – wouldn't that be something? And it is disturbed. And so are you. A group of 5 or 6 people, and 5 or 6 dogs walk past you. It’s great that they are getting exercise, and socialising with their friends. But they are so loud. And if only they would shut the ** up they'd hear the bird song, and if they looked to one side of the path they'd see such an amazing sight of flowers - orchids, hibbertia, sundews, wattle, fan flowers, and so much more.

They go past and peace descends. And you realise you've only walked about 15 metres down the track.

You turn round slowly to go home - you have to pack for a long, long trip. And there are things that you simply must do.

You get home, and realise - dammit, you never did get that dragon shot.

So sorry but decided to change the image, because I simply could not ID the flower. I do know this one, and it's not common. It's a Donkey Orchid