Embankment

Springtime display in morning shadows.

Leucospermum Watch

On 7 August this year I showed you this leucospermum shrub (left) in a nearby street, and decided to go and visit regularly to record its progress. I've been making posts on Sydney Daily Photo Extra showing changes each time I visit.

It's developed much more colour now, and thought it was time to bring it back here. Still haven't seen anyone outside the house to talk to about it.

Wattle

One of the native harbingers of spring is the wattle. This is golden wattle (acacia pycnantha), Australia's floral emblem. It was introduced to the northern hemisphere in the 1800s.

Wattle is sometimes called "Mimosa", and in fact my house name is "Mimosa" (it had that name from when it was built about 100 years ago)

September 1 is officially designated National Wattle Day (I'm a bit late this year!). Australia's sporting colours are green and gold, apparently derived from the wattle.

Wattle, though not specifically the Golden Wattle, is also depicted on the Australian Coat of Arms.

Afternoon sun

This bougainvillea blooms throughout a sunny winter, though the blossoms will become more abundant as we move towards spring and summer.

Azaleas and threatening sky

Mid winter azaleas at Centennial Plaza in Surry Hills

Shrub

I saw this gorgeous shrub on one of my walks. I imagine it is a variety of grevillea, but can't remember seeing it before.

Cleveland House

A heritage-listed colonial Georgian house built about 1824 by Captain Cleveland of the 73rd Regiment of the NSW Corps. It is in Bedford St, just off Chalmers St in Surry Hills. In the early 19th century Surry Hills was on the outskirts of the city and the ideal place to build a mansion. There were farms and market gardens. In the past century, Surry Hills has seens a mix of light industry and warehousing, most notably associated with textiles and clothing - 'the rag trade'. Now it is a rapidly gentrifying suburb right on the fringe of the city, with many warehouse conversions.

I'm not sure or what the house is currently used for. The land surrounding it has been developed with apartments, some sympathetic, some not. The pretty park in front contains a jacaranda tree (the blossoms have now finished and the leaves are developing), and plantings of agapanthus and plumbago.

Jacarandas

Two days ago, in the aerial shots of southern Sydney I pointed out the abundance of jacarandas. The second shot here is cropped from one of those aerial shots, and shows the line of jacarandas along Fry Reserve in Warialda St, Kogarah.

This morning I went down there just before dawn and took some shots in the early morning light.

These Brazilian natives have found a very happy home in Sydney.

Spring is here

Last year I noted the arrival of spring by posting about Wattle Day (1 September).

In Australia (and New Zealand?) the conventional Northern Hemisphere seasonal names begin on the first of each month: 1 September - Spring; 1 December - Summer; 1 March - Autumn; 1 June - Winter. The reason for doing it that way reather than by equinox and solstice is a bit hazy. There is one story about colonial soldiers changing from wionter to summer uniforms on 1 Sep and vice versa on 1 March.

Anyway, in much of Australia, it's all entirely meaningless anyway, because the seasons don't necessarily resemble the conventional European ones much. Traditional Aboriginal people had a very sophisticated understanding and depending where they lived identified numerous seasonal variations. Up in tropical Darwin/Kakadu and surrounds, there are 6 named seasons, for example.

Whatever, I always know spring is coming by mid August when I get my first waft of jasmine scent. The jasmine growing over my side fence is well and truly in bloom now, though the Japanese maple will take a while longer to come fully into leaf (it's still got a few of last year's clinging on too!).

Campbelltown

Campbelltown, now a suburb/district captured as part of greater Sydney, is 50 kms southwest of the city centre. The Tharawal Aboriginal people lived here for 40 000 people. In On 1 December 1820 Campbelltown was named and founded by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. His wife, Elizabeth's family name was Campbell.

In the decades following World War II Campbelltown gradually change from a town, surrounded by rural land to a suburb of Sydney, with the development of new suburbs along the rail line towards Campbelltown.

This sculpture in Mawson park is of Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie. It was unveiled on 5 August 2006. The sculptor is renowned artist Tom Bass.

Bass’s statue depicts Elizabeth Macquarie with a sunbonnet, apron and watering can, and surrounded by a bed of irises. Bass gained inspiration for the statue from local historical reports, which said Mrs Macquarie was known to have given bunches of irises to local settlers when accompanying her husband on his official visits. I'm glad I was there today in Iris blooming season!

The Anglican church in the background, St Peters, dates from 1823.