Saturday 18 January 2014

Happy New Year!

We had a very Happy New Year in the Wicker household. I hope you did in yours too. I was too excited to about Paris and Pamplemousse the last few weeks, but this time we're back in Australia for Saturday Snapshot.

We still have some Christmas beetles around but not as many as there were a few weeks ago. After learning more about Christmas beetles when I wrote that post I watched them a bit more closely, and pretty soon noticed that we had at least four common beetles flying at the light in the back yard.



A few days into the new year the christmas beetles attacked! Sitting comfortably in my favourite chair one evening I suddenly became aware of a very strong smell of burning. We looked out the door but didn't see anything. The smell briefly went away, then came back even stronger. I realised that smoke was coming out of the outside light. So I turned it off, then went out with a torch to have a look at it.

I found a smoking christmas beetle carapace!


It seems you can get too close to the light! Step away from the light. 

We had a family trip to the Blue Mountains one day just before new year. Meeting up at the Conservation Hut, a new place for me at Wentworth Falls. After a lunch at the cafe we headed off for a little walk. 

No, not to National Pass

Boys always find something fascinating to explore


All those steps down of course means
all those steps up on the way out. 

Queen Victoria Lookout provided a typical spectacular
Blue Mountains view

The lovely sandstone cliffs of the Sydney Basin



Saturday Snapshot is a wonderful weekly meme now hosted by WestMetroMommy

12 comments:

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Oh, Louise, the views of the mountains and the forest are beautiful and look like lovely shades of watercolor paint,

Bises,
Genie

Esme said...

I love the Blue Mountains. Even though it has been 20 years since I was there-they are just as lush.

Christine Harding said...

The Blue Mountains look amazing. My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/KlsQMX

Paulita said...

Not crazy about the beetles, but love your hike in the Blue Mountains. Here's Mine

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

LOL... step away from the light!

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Gorgeous hiking adventure! And I had to smile about the burning beetles...it reminds me of all the "roasted moths" we used to smell as kids, when they "got too close to the light."

Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

westmetromommy said...

Love those hiking views...but those beetles kind of freak me out!

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

We call those beetles June Bugs. I'm sure that's not really their name but more likely their arrival date. They hang on the door and window screens and peer in at us!

The Blue Mountains are beautiful. I got to fly over them but didn't get to visit.

Ginx Craft said...

Fantastic shots of your hike.

Brona said...

One of my colleagues had a beetle infestation over Christmas too - their entire back wall & garden was covered for about 2 weeks. We're only half a suburb away and had handful of pesky night time visitors and that was it! Curious.

I also a Blue Mountains photo today :-)
We did the National Pass Undercliff walk a few years ago - it was tiring but worth it.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Oh my! Yes, beetles, step away!

Love the mountain hike shots, too. Thanks for these.

Lady In Read said...

beautiful views - the walk down and up those stairs definitely worth it.