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Now it definitely feels like I’m on the downhill slide with this alphabetical adventure. I’m sure there will still be some challenges ahead (Q, V and X come to mind, causing me to scratch my head in thought as if they were lined up along a Scrabble rack). But in the meantime, here’s what I’ve spotted beginning with N.

Newspaper at Newtown

I spotted this recently whilst at Newtown, exploring second-hand bookshops. I’m not quite sure why the banner of a Sydney Morning Herald newspaper is emblazoned on the top of a commercial premises in King Street, just that it is. The headline was ‘Australia hits the wall’ and the content is also aged by the price of 60 cents. It is now nearly $3 for the daily paper, more for the Saturday edition.

Nest

This nest came into view on one of my favourite walks.It was tucked up into a tree that is usually a thick cluster of leaves, but winter and winds had stripped it bare, revealing a little nest tucked away.

Norfolk Island Pines

I wrote about Norfolk Island earlier this week, and couldn’t resist the urge to include this photo. Norfolk Island pines, as spotted growing behind these beautiful horses, are prolific upon the island and are also grown on mainland Australia for Christmas trees. They are popular for avenues as well, growing up to 65 metres tall when left to their own devices. These trees were first recorded by Captain Cook, and he thought they would be useful for shipping masts and sails, but unfortunately they were not fit for this purpose.

Nasturtiums

These are one of my favourite flowers. I’ve managed to grow them in hot climates and cold, although in the mountains they shrivel back into their seed pods when the frosts or snow hits. It is a delight to see them reemerge in late spring or early summer, their bright jewel petals a treat to behold.

Noddy Birds on Heron Island (Queensland)

There is a misnomer in the above heading. Noddy birds, as pictured above, are more accurately known as south-western black noddy. And the herons for which this island at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef were named are not herons at all, but eastern reef egrets. Never mind. These birds are in huge numbers on the small island. When you arrive on the island, there is an informal talk given about the island and accommodation, peppered with some do’s and don’ts. One of the don’ts is to try to save any of these birds if they become trapped in the external roots of their tree of choice, the pisonia grandis. The birds make their nests from the leaves of the tree as spotted above but some get caught in the tree’s sticky seed pod and perish. En masse, they are a noisy bunch.

Nip along and have a look at what Autumn has spied beginning with N, as well as keeping an eye on atman.art.studio on Instagram.

Have you spotted anything neat starting with ‘N’ this week?