New Life

Well, it is nice to know that not all my blogging friends have given up on me - thanks for your perseverance Pennie.

We have been swamped by birds this Spring - not always in a positive way - see my last post about the rosellas!!  Now the Lorikeets have arrived in the district and are wreaking havoc in the orchards, despite the very expensive and extensive netting program. We hardly saw a loquat this year - and the tree was loaded. Now they have started on the quinces, despite them being hard and green.


This is probably one of the reasons why the Rosellas have been hanging around this year.

On the other hand we have babies everywhere. The front garden wrens have hatched out a brood of four and they visit the lawn each day. They provide hours of laughter with their antics. The poor little mother - quite thin and scrawny after weeks on the nest' is driven mad as she is chased by four fat babies all wanting to be fed. Not easy to get good shots as they are constantly on the move

We have discovered at least four Red-browed finch nests in the trees around the front  lawn and we are waiting with anticipation for those babies. In addition the pair of resident crested pigeons appear to be nesting, but we haven't gone looking for their nest as they are very shy.

The finches make such a big messy nest for a tiny bird.

Liz Needle - linking with Our World Tuesday and Wild Bird Wednesday.

Where has the time gone????

Oh Dear!!!

I look at my last post and it was July!!  Where have all the weeks gone? What has been keeping me so busy that I can't spare the time for my blog? I really don't know - I seem to have frittered it away. 

When I was teaching full time I seemed able to achieve so much more - was so much better organised. I got all the housework done on the weekends, I found time to keep the garden neat and tidy, I quilted, I crocheted, I got projects finished, I took photos, I read,  I went out with friends.  Now I don't seem to even have the time to keep up with my blog!! Is it age catching up with me??

I do have to admit to becoming somewhat obsessed with Lawn Bowls and my garden is looking so much better and I sleep in a lot more and I waste time on my iPad!!

Christmas is almost here. Today my daughter Jo and I spent a day in the city and actually got most of the Christmas shopping done - mind you we usually have it done by the end of November!! Christmas will be here this year - the Sydney contingent is staying in Sydney this year so it will only be nine of us for lunch. Mark is cooking (he is a talented chef) so the food is out of my hands, though I dread cleaning up the kitchen after him.

I have been busy in the garden - between games of Bowls - getting it ready for Christmas visitors. We have had a mild, wet Spring, so everything is growing madly - especially the weeds!! My only hassle has been that the Rosellas have devastated the roses to such an extent that a lot of the older bushes still are without any Spring growth.  As soon as the new shoots appear, the naughty birds nip them off . I am not sure whether some of them ( the rosellas and the roses) are going to survive. 

Everything else is growing well as you can see from the pictures below.

The irises were stunning this year!!

 This old rose is a beauty and although it only flowers once in Spring, it is a delight for the eyes while it is in flower.

One of the few roses that the birds did not touch - a Persian rose - one of my favourites.

 Exhaustion has set in. I am off to bed with my iPad and my games.  More soon.

Liz Needle