Saturday, July 23, 2011

Big bold and blue

I took one of these photos thru the week, and it got me started thinking about the sky.

At the moment its winter here in Maleny and on the best of winter days, we get this magnificent big blue sky - crisp cold air but clear blue skies. You almost feel as if you can breathe in this expanse of blue, and it feels good!

Whenever I go far away, overseas, I know I am home when I see that big blue sky - the colour and clarity and brightness of the light at home is different to other places; and it signals 'home'. I know other places have big blue skies as well - but something deep inside me recognises this sky as belonging to my place - my home.

That blue sky and the Southern Cross. I love flying through the night and crossing into the southern hemisphere and seeing the Southern Cross - home, home, home.

Here are some images that remind me of our big bold blue sky. I don't have a camera nor the skills to photograph the Southern Cross, but to celebrate the vastness of the blue sky, I chose some extra large images.

©2011 Winter buds Maleny
©2010 Winter trees - Stanthorpe
©2010 Longreach Cemetery

9 comments:

  1. These photos certainly celebrate the big blue vastness of sky. Really beautiful! I'm told Australia and South Africa have many things in common.

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  2. is that little fruit tree already bursting into bud..... ahhh geez! its spring up there already!

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  3. Gorgeous! Reminds of the Washington, DC area where I grew up. Even in winter, the sky would be a clear, brilliant blue. Not so in CT where we now live. Plus, there are so many trees in CT, the sky can be somewhat elusive unless you tilt your head back to look straight up.

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  4. Australia is definitely 'big sky country'. Love that blue!

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  5. Fiona....that certainly is a deep, blue sky. A very interesting notion to have the sense of home by looking up and out, rather than at the landscape directly! Beautiful photos!

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  6. Beautiful photography and beautiful and so sincere expression of the sky signaling "home".
    I know exactly how you feel and how strong this sky "signal" is; I have experience it all my life! The Greek sky's blue, the most bluest of blues mirroring the Aegean and welcoming me to my homeland when I visit, and then the immensity of the the Texan sky, that huge vastness of blue sky, identifying my current "home", the one where I've lived the longest.

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  7. Hi Robyn - I think we do share a lot - big and empty and wild. and this southern sky - I'm happy to share it with you!

    Ronnie - No you're right, the nectarine is flowering even tho it's only half way thru winter and still quite chilly - 6 degrees here this morning.

    Jennifer - don't you love it when the light and colour say 'home'. Nice to have lots of trees around; but i do love this big vast open sky as well.

    Jo - so true - its a big sky up here.

    Hi Patti - it's true I look up to feel home. Perhaps this vast country with so few people needs all that upper space to capture a sense of itself? The sky does talk to me of home tho - I love looking up at night and in the day...that big sky...

    Anna - Yes, Greece and Texas would speak of big blue skies for sure - funny how you know you are home when you see it isn't it?

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  8. Fiona,
    I have never seen a sky this colour. It is so intense. Beautiful photographs do it justice and make me want to travel just for a glimpse of it. Lesley

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  9. Hi Lesley - you'd be very welcome for a visit! It is a different sky to the softer gentler European and often British skies I have seen. The colour here is quite harsh and bright in its own way; but we know it as our own...

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.