Path to nowhere and everywhere (Golden-Tailed Spiny Ants)

We did this walk on Sunday. How on earth is it Thursday (afternoon) already??? Oh I know, I’ve spent a good deal of that time in the new shower And because life is never dull, we noticed a chip in said new shower screen so that was removed today, will get polished and reinstalled tomorrow so yes, we’re back to showering outside again! At least the neighbours will get a couple more free shows But Sunday was all about getting our feet back on a path, being surrounded by changing landscape and filling our lungs with all that delicious fresh clean air. When we’re out walking in the bush, I love to take what I call ‘path photos’, which are just pictures of the path stretching out in front of me. I like the metaphor of it all, as well as seeing how the path changes as it winds in and out of the bush, as the trees change and then clear all together and the grass trees take their place and then bracken and then the gnarled trunks and branches of old man banksia.

The path to nowhere and everywhere and ummm, eventually death?

But for the perfect path picture I always make sure that Matt is out of the way. I mean, it’s my metaphorical path that I’m documenting after all.Matt yelled back to me, “I suppose you want me to move for your photo.” Imagine his surprise when I replied, “Not today, this is your path we’re on too.” Now that got him pretty excited and so he asked, “Awesome! Where does my path lead?” “Ummm, death.” I’m nothing if not honest!

We tend to keep our eyes down when we do these walks so that we don’t trip over the roots that reach up and out of the ground and as a result we tend to see a lot of ants in our travels and I was pretty stoked to come across a nest of Golden-Tailed Spiny Ants!!! They are so well named with a shiny gold butt and spikes on their abdomen. Such impressive looking ants and were about 5-7 mm long, making their way over the rocks, stopping and exchanging information with each other on the way. Apologies to the dude who was on a solo hike through the bush as I was head down, bum up, literally, trying to get some shots. I assumed he was my husband so stayed that way and only realised that he wasn’t when I heard him scurrying very quickly past. I would have introduced myself only it was bad timing and most definitely a bad angle! Oh well, kind of fitting, taking photos of golden butts with my ahem, less than golden rear in the air.