21 sleeps to go

Have been busy gardening whenever I have the time. I've dug out about half the leaves and soil in front of the back fence so there's a trench to stop it rotting. That's because the garden's on a slope and I don't have anything so sophisticated and sensible as terracing. I've put the leaves in the side of the compost that's ready for the garden. When I've put the rest of the leaves there I'll spread the whole lot on the garden and then transfer the big pile to the other side so the top is on the bottom and the bottom is on top.

In other gardening tasks I think I am learning a bit of restraint, managing with some difficulty to avoid short back and sides haircuts.  I'm still liberating paths and cutting back overhanging branches. Yesterday I did move a couple of smallish plants but I'm basically finished the re-arranging - probably ...

The garden's filling out, appreciating the deluges of rain we've had lately. So the gaps are still there but not so stark and awful as they were a few weeks ago.

I have decided to try to put photos of as many plants as possible in the pages on the home page of the blog. It's quite time consuming, and trying to organize them neatly is a bit like sitting on a bucking bronco. Not that I've ever done that, or ever intend to do it.


Best news of all:  I didn't know if the nesting boxes were occupied. Then V. took this brilliant photo of  furry cosy sleeping bodies.


this photo got lost in cyberspace - will be re-inserted when re-photographed.


Just now a Red Wattlebird stopped by to eat nectar from the Gastrolobium celsianum that has climbed up into the tea trees. I managed to photograph it through the window. The red Gastrolobium flowers are the same colour and shape as the distinctive red wattles on the bird's neck.  According to Wikipedia, a wattle is a fleshy dewlap - a longitudinal flap of skin that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. A bit like a rooster.