All good things must come to an end. Or a better way to look at it, is that they are being placed on hold until the right time comes round again. After watching the spikes come up from the large green leaves that you would not usually associate with an orchid, for a month or two now, on Monday I finally saw the flowers starting to open. The Slipper Orchids (Cryptostylis ovata) are in town, and like the Leopard Orchids this year they seem to be here in good numbers. While these grow in colonies normally only a couple may flower in any one year:
But not in this year, and most leaves had spikes and looked like they would put on a display. This plant is named after its basal leaf that is said to look like an egg, which is the meaning of the Latin word ovata. And like their basal leaves, the flowers look nothing like the other orchids I have shared with you. My last orchidy fact of the season is that this particular species, like so many others, tricks an insect into assisting with pollination. The insect this time being aptly called the Orchid Dupe Wasp (Lissopimpla excelsa):
As we leave spring behind and look forward, we are now in summer. This can mean for us months upon months of no rain, and that combined with the wet spring we have just had has resulted in big tinder-dry fuel loads, ready to explode into flames. Controlled burns are underway to reduce these fuel loads, as much as practically possible. One of these was being managed on Tuesday, and resulted in the entire area being blanketed in smoke. The blanket covered over 150km, as the crow flies, of land along the coast:
It made for an eerie afternoon and evening, and was just one day after I had been walking about in Manea Park admiring the orchids, under a blazing sun. These smoky conditions are not great for those with breathing problems, and these are the days to keep the windows shut. That is despite the slightly stinky temperatures and desire to allow the sea breeze to blow cool air through the house. Fortunately, these conditions are relatively short lived and the following day the blue sky was back with the sun being way too bright to look at:
Wednesday came with its clear sky and bright sun, and I snuck home a bit early. Recouping a bit of my flexi time, but also purposely with a view of hitting the ocean. On the weekend I had several reports of people getting back in the water and finding the conditions were pretty good, and today I got the chance to check for myself. Sadly being a bit late in the day the winds had started to turn, which resulted in the surface being a bit choppy. However, seeing I’d walked down and was wet-suited up I went for it and was pleasantly surprised. I had expected to be hit hard by the cold, but I wasn’t:
Then I expected the visibility to be a bit meh, but it wasn’t and I could see clearly. Bobbing about in the water felt awesome, it was so refreshing and such a great way to let the mind relax and be free of all thoughts. There was a little bit of disappointment when I realised just how bad I was at holding my breath, was I that bad last season; and then as the water continued to chop up more, I even felt a tad queasy so eventually came out. Those however are all part of the adjustment I’ll have to deal with, as I transition from my land to water based adventures. All up I was very happy to be back in the water:
Sandbagged 