Tag Archives: garden

auspicious autumn

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Autumn is a busy time in the garden, with two truckloads of mulch to spread

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and firewood to get in for the winter. We don’t cut down trees in our forest but sometimes nature helps out.

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It’s hard work – he cuts,

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I stack

then Betsy helps us take it up the hill.

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I find some fascinating features in the forest

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trees that appear to have died have not.

We split

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and stack the wood ready for our winter warmth.

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The garden still has some colour

and the bees love the callistemon.

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Five years ago I made a bench from the branches of our pruned fruit trees.

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Sadly, it has succumbed to the elements.

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Maybe another project…..

Isle of Wight

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The Isle of Wight was a lovely surprise, so much to see and so much beauty in just 380 sq.km. We started early with a walk along Bembridge seafront

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through peaceful countryside.

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A short drive westward, we stopped at Adgestone Vineyard, the oldest vineyard in Britain. Unfortunately, there was no tasting but the views were breathtaking.

5.Adgestone Vineyard View6.Adgestone Vineyard View7.Adgestone Vineyard View

On to Arreton Barns, a traditional working craft village

with the 12th century Church of St George.

11.Arreton Barns

Donkeys are one of my favourite animals. I’ve always wanted a couple but Michael says they’re too noisy. The Donkey Sanctuary was heaven, a deserving retirement for these beautiful creatures who have patiently walked the seashores with all shapes and sizes on their backs.

We were hoping for a raptor experience at the Owl & Falconry centre but it was closed. All we got was more stunning scenery.

18.Owl &Falconry Centre

After a delicious pub lunch at The White Lion in Niton

19.White Lion, Niton

we ventured on to Mottistone Manor. Dating from early 16th century, the house is not open to the public

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but the gardens are wondrous to stroll around.

We continued driving to the most western point on the island. A short walk along the cliff top

28.The Needles

rewarded with magnificent views across the Solent to Hurst Castle, built by Henry VIII in 1544.

29.Hurst Castle

At the tip of the headland are The Needles, three distinctive stacks of chalk rising out of the sea.

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The Old Battery is a fort built in 1862 following the threat of French invasion.

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These two gun barrels are original from 1873.

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An underground tunnel

36.The Needles

leads to an observation post housing a searchlight dating from 1899.

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Further up the headland is the New Battery where British space rockets were secretly tested in the 1950s & 60s. After testing, they were taken to Woomera in South Australia for launching.

38.The Needles

We made our way back to Bembridge for a well earned beverage and dinner. Next morning, we visited Bembridge Windmill. Built around 1700, it is the only remaining windmill on the Isle of Wight.

39.Bembridge Windmill

Last operated in 1913, most of the original machinery is intact.

Our final destination on the island was Yarmouth for the ferry journey back to the big island.

We appreciated a different perspective of Hurst Castle

49.Hurst Castle

and Lymington marina welcomed us back.

50.Lymington Marina

awesome aves

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Being surrounded by forest means we are visited by a multitude of creatures, some of the most fascinating are the birds. The yellow-tailed black cockatoos usually stop by for a drink at the stock trough.

I don’t know how she was hanging on but this one found the bark of a tea tree very tasty.

I love their mournful call, unlike the hair raising screech of their sulphur-crested cousins.

One of my favourites is the kookaburra, they have so many different sounds.

Returning from the forest with Poppy one afternoon, she found this young fella in a predicament.

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He must have dived for a tasty morsel and ended up with his head stuck in the fence. It was a rare occasion when Michael wasn’t around. I ran home and grabbed the wire cutters (and my camera) and cut him free. He was unable to fly so I made him comfortable in the possum trap

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and called a friend experienced in wildlife rescue. She took him home for a couple of days while he recovered from exhaustion and dehydration, then, because kookaburras are territorial, he came home to be released.

The superb blue wrens continually bob around the garden

and are handsome even in their eclipse phase.

The New Holland honeyeaters,

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eastern spinebills

and black-headed honeyeaters

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enjoy feasting on the flowers. These three were deep in conversation.

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Bath time is always a delight to watch.

The scarlet robins are gorgeous. It’s always nice to see them and to know winter is on the way.

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This pair moved in last year, I hope they return.

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The green rosella is a regular guest

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but herons are rarely seen. This pair may have been staking out the fish pond.

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Masked lapwings are a common sight. Often mistakenly referred to as plovers, they are much prettier. Notorious for nesting in the open and being very protective parents, I was privileged to approach this nest in our paddock without being attacked.

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Here is my reward.

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This cheeky chap joined me in the sunroom the other day.

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The starlings are a bit of a nuisance but they look good in silhouette.

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It’s not easy photographing birds, but I shall keep trying.

discovering Darwin

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Our last day in Darwin before heading south, we arrived early for a lunch date with a friend and took the opportunity to explore the Botanic Gardens. Named after George Brown, under whose guiding hand they were restored after Cyclone Tracy, the gardens exude a lovely serenity.

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Some of the trees are works of art,

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others serving as nature’s plant pots.

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The tropical flowers are so delicate, I would love to have these in my garden.

There is colour everywhere.

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The orange-footed scrub fowls are lucky to call the gardens home.

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Lunch was calling and we were introduced to the Darwin Waterfront. Stokes Hill Wharf was there when we were last in Darwin in 2005,

25.Stokes Hill Wharf

but now the precinct is an impressive collection of eateries, accommodation and activity.

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We dined at Il Lido with views over the lagoon

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and Convention Centre.

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There were some interesting beverages on tap

and the quarter pounder & fries were delicious.

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We managed to ward off the heat with a few cold beers.

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Cheers! Thanks for a great afternoon, Nigel, it was lovely to see you again.

sizzling Summer

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After the warmest, driest Spring on record, we are having a Summer to match. The dry, crisp grass is the colour of freshly baked shortbread and the trees are shedding their leaves, bark & limbs in order to survive. A few stalwarts are putting on a brave show. The grevilleas and callistemons don’t let the seasons affect them.

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The miniature gladioli are elegant

and the canna lilies are a brilliant shade of orange.

The strelitzia was a surprise guest last year and has appeared again in some unusual places.

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The fuchsias seem to enjoy a hard pruning in Winter, rewarding with their diverse blooms.

The hydrangeas are a gorgeous deep blue this season.

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The burgundy willow myrtle is stunning with its cascading white flowers contrasting against the dark foliage.

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The succulents are thriving in our desert conditions

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and the redcurrants love the sunshine.

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We only have one rose in the garden and it has to be protected in the veggie patch so the possums & wallabies don’t make a meal of it. “Mothers Love” is a pale shell pink rose with the most wonderful perfume, a perfect tribute to mum.

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