Stop!

A few weeks ago I was wishing I had weeds in my garden as it would indicate that the soil was damp enough to grow them. Okay, I got my wish, and now they can STOP! Actually, they are not so much weeds as rampant forget-me-nots, with chickweed in the dampest places. Last year I spread forest litter mulch over most of the gardens and there is scarcely a weed of any sort in those areas. Definitely worth the effort.

With one month of winter to go (officially) it's astonishing to see the amount of activity in the garden. New shoots and buds on trees, perennials pushing through the soil and bulbs and prunus in flower. Whilst most of the annuals have not produced much top growth, they will be establishing their roots ready to leap away as soon as the ground warms up a bit. We've had a few frosts but nothing like a normal Canberra winter. Another sign of the dreaded Global Warming, I guess.

Most of my house has windows and glass doors onto the north-east facing deck. With the sun so low during the winter I get sunshine into most rooms for the whole morning - lovely.

The Claret Ash in flower. I wish you could hear the bees.  


The Calendula just keep on flowering regardless of the weather.  


Orange Arctotis with Silver Pyrethrum.  


These silver leaved Arctotis will have thousands of deep burgundy flowers in a few weeks.  


A Perennial Wallflower just coming into bloom, and continue for at least 5 months.  


Yellow daisies surrounded by last year's non-stop flowering stocks.  

A very old dog!

These are photos of the very first Christmas present that my husband gave me, forty years ago. This little dog is actually a pyjama case but he is still stuffed with newspaper dated September 1964. There are Real Estate ads. for 3-bedroom solid brick homes in Sydney for less than 6000 pounds (about $14000). This little fellow did have a name but I've forgotten what it was. Gosh, I hope I don't forget my children's names when they turn 40! He sat on our bed for many years but has spent the last few years sitting on a cupboard. Today I mended the gaping hole in his head where his ear fell off, and he is quite bald from me picking him up by the head all the time.

Does anyone else have a very old gift, frivolous though it may be, with sentimental value?

 


 

Leaves, leaves, and still more leaves

Yesterday R. and I drove to an inner suburb where there are plenty of oak trees and raked up 6 huge bags of leaves. In the afternoon I fed them all through the mulcher and tipped them into the compost heap, mixed with blood and bone. Whilst raking leaves I unearthed a set of keys with name tag attached. Last night I was able to track down the owner (their house had been burgled some weeks ago and the keys stolen) and delivered them today on our way out to buy son a birthday present. On the way back we decided that we'd had so much 'fun' yesterday that we might as well do it all again. So we stopped at the same place and raked up another six bags (we had come prepared with bags, rakes, etc.) They have now been shredded, together with the prunings from the apple and cherry trees, and joined those in the compost heap. I think that will be enough for a while. The problem with turning leaves into compost is that it's difficult to get the water through them. However, perserverance pays and they make lovely compost.

We've had some quite decent frosts lately (minus 4) with warm sunny days to follow. It's amazing how plants can have their leaves frozen night after night and still survive.

Whose Winter is it Anyway?

It certainly feels like winter now, but definitely not a Canberra winter. Since the rain began five weeks ago practically every day has been cloudy, with a few spots of rain, if not a lot more. Our normal winter consists of frosty mornings followed by clear sunny (almost warm) days. So whose winter are we having?

It doesn't matter because we have been so grateful for the rain. We can now see green grass, full dams and water lying in any depression. The lowering clouds signal time to go inside where it's warm. It's just the sort of weather that requires a blazing open fire, a comfy chair, a good book and relaxing music. A continual supply of steaming cups of tea and coffee and the occasional hot scone would complete the picture. Well, one can dream, I suppose?

Many plants are still flowering, including my 'pretend' Cosmos which are only about 15cm high. Flower colour seems to be intensified in very deep purple Penstemons and the normally pink Centranthus now bearing beautiful dark cherry-red flowers.

I saw a number of Prunus in flower today so, is that Spring I see peeping around the corner? Not yet, 'coz I'm enjoying winter, even if it's not mine!

More tranquil times

It's amazing how quickly the waves subside and scenes become very much more tranquil. The first two are the views from the balcony of the unit where we stayed for the week.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Wild, wild waves

A few photos of the wonderful wild water around Moruya after a very windy wet weekend. Unfortunately, quite a lot of beach erosion was caused by the very high seas.
 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Mid afternoon walk

After a wet morning the afternoon sunshine beckoned us to walk around the hill behind our house, resulting in this series of photos, albeit with unavoidable power lines.  


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


... and home again.