Tuesday 24 August 2010

Suburban dreams of young lasses


The rutted track meandered along the rear of expensive suburban villas and opened onto a cleared plateau in the midst of Sydney bush. The north shore of Sydney is riddled with landscape like this. Along the track snuck gas-guzzling 4WDs like visions from a consumerist past, each towing a horse-float fit for two!


A Sunday post-election gymkhana for the 'haves'. Walking the course, obtaining the judging rules, sipping over-roasted coffee, wisps of steam gleaming in the early morning sun. Mummies and daddies and teenage girls busy themselves with grooming and braiding, tufts of hay and huddled tactics.

Familiarity breeds contempt of the natural beauty around them - the bush turkeys scratching their way out of the gullies, the magnolia unfolding in the pre-spring warmth.


A member of the My World Tuesday community.

25 comments:

biebkriebels said...

Beautiful picture, the light is really great!

Samson said...

I agree with the above statement, love the first shot

Peter said...

Very poetic post - almost smell the horses

Jayne said...

Love the fiery brightness of the sun through the tail :)

Anonymous said...

Great post. Is this how the northern suburbs look like nowadays? The north shore has certainly changed since we left decades ago. Those days the bush was only bush and very scary to me.
Jossie

Indrani said...

The lighting is great, it took me sometime to realize what it actually was. Great series of shots! :)

magiceye said...

brilliant captures! superbly composed!

Sylvia K said...

Marvelous captures as always, Julie! And your lighting is perfect! Love the first shot, but they're all superb! Hope you have a great week!

Sylvia

Randy said...

That first photo is beautiful! I love horse photos.

Ann said...

top shot is brilliant.

Lianne said...

love how the light adds so much drama to your photos especially to the first shot! gorgeous! :)

leethroughthelens.blogspot.com

Ebie said...

Very interesting set of photographs! Love the first shot. The sun added more colors to the red mane.

Hilda said...

Definitely only for the "haves." I wonder if the horse owners noticed how beautiful their surroundings were?

Gattina said...

Beautiful pictures, the horses are all beauties !
Btw if you have cats, and you want to show them to us once a week I have a group called Cats on Tuesday where people write about their cats once a week. It's here

Anonymous said...

Wow - that first shot just takes my breath away. Love the way you noticed the smaller details of beauty too.

Francisca said...

Your world is lovely, Julie. I was going to give you flak for writing "my old eyes" on someone's blog, but now I must say so myself... had to stare at the first photo a few seconds before making out what it was... and it's a beauty! Also had to look up the word "gymkhana"... so now I learned something too. Great post, Julie.

Caroline said...

It all looks frightfully British in a rather lovley setting. I love the bush turkey!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful pictures -- but I think you're right that just because people take part in an outdoor sport it does not necessarily mean that they appreciate nature.

Joan Elizabeth said...

You mention post election -- I was immediately taken by the red hair in the top shot.

The magnolias are beginning to flower in the neighbour's garden.

Jo said...

Oh this takes me back to my youth, Julie! Beautiful shots, especially the first and the last (all those leg are hard to distinguish!) I've also read back on your posts and love that your dad made it so good as a taveling fruit and veg man (another thing I grew up with) and that he knows his pumpkins! Good to know you are a cat person, too. Love that your Sellie has a lookout like our Shadow, Thanks for visiting my blog. It was good to see you. Jo

Julie said...

Hah! You may not credit this, but I had not linked the two before your comment. Now I just think that I must have been inspired!! *grin*

Anonymous said...

Lovely neighborhood. Beautiful horses too. And that first photo is definitely a winner.

allhorsestuff said...

Lovedlovedloved your day at the event!
:->
KK I WOULD!

TheChieftess said...

Never thought the hind end of a horse could look so beautiful and artistic!!!

Julie said...

*gromn* thank you. Chieftess.