Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .................. continued

Well, yesterday on the news they told us that it had been the coldest June morning for 27 years, and this morning has been even colder. Old Jack Frost has even been visiting my back balcony again. I wonder how my strawberries will cope with a second dose? Mid July is usually our coldest time, which is when the snow hits the mountains about an hours drive away. Hibernation time has come I think.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Winter has arrived!

Clear nights, cold changes, lower temperatures & no wind mean frost! Frost is something we rarely get in our little part of the world. Being at the top of the hill is one reason, as is all the houses around with all the warmth. Then there are the gum trees in the neighbour's yard which also give us a little shelter. It's not that Sydney doesn't get frost, it certainly does, every year. Our little suburb does too, but they usually appear down the hill closer to the river, or in the open parks.

This morning though was different. The temperatures plummeted below zero & Old Jack Frost decided he was going to visit. These were my strawberries, at 8am this morning, up high on my back balcony where the frost has not reached for a number of years. I wonder how long it will be before we see it up here again.

There's A Mouse In The House!

Well, not really, but the little creature came pretty close.

It all started when I heard the cat crying. Thinking that she was shut outside, I went to let her in, but when I went to the door she was not there. Investigating out the back a little further, I found her on the balcony with a mouse dangling from her mouth. As soon as she saw me, she took off downstairs, where she continued to play "cat & mouse" with the tiny creature for about an hour on the grass. Later, she wanted inside again, so with no mouse in sight, I let her in.

All was quiet for about 30 minutes until I heard her clawing at the door downstairs, bounding upstairs, then back downstairs again. When she heard me comming, she bounded up stairs again knowing I would open the door for her. The next thing I hear is her crying again. She was back by the back door with the mouse again, this time the mouse was on the ground with her watching it. As soon as she saw me, she wanted inside yet again. OK, as long as the mouse was outside .

So with the cat inside, the mouse decided he would make a run for it, right into the corner of the bricks & the screen door, with the cat sitting & watching just inside the screen. Now, if I opened the door, there would surely be trouble, and I did not want this creature inside. So, going out another door, complete with my trusty dustpan & brush, I collected the mouse & transported him right down the the back corner of the yard where he promptly disappeared into the garden shed. Good move by the mouse.

OK, so the mouse was safely gone, or so I thought. So when the cat asked to go outside again some time later, I let her out. All was quiet for a while & then the whole game started all over again. So, for a second time, I rescued the mouse with the dustpan & this time the cat was inside for the night. This morning the mouse was back on my balcony for the third time, though this time he definatley wasn't so lively. The cat had obviously collected him again in her early morning wander & wanted to show me her trophy yet again. I am assuming it is the same mouse, though why he came out of the garden shed where he was safe I'll never know. It is possible it was all differnt mice, though I shudder to even think on that line. The neighbours have birds & I figure the mice are comming for the seed. As long as the stay where the seed is I will be happy, it means that they are not in my house. Yippee!

Orchids

Look what I found yesterday. My first orchid buds of the year! I am really happy, as this is one that I bought from the local orchid society about three years back. It has only flowered for me once, then nothing last year. A few weeks back I did notice this new green shoot & wondered, then yesterday I noticed not just one, but two flower spikes! The second one is around the other side. So now I am feeding, watching & waiting.

An Orange Bug's Playground

Look what I found crawling on my clothes line the other day. Not quite sure what he/she is, obviously a beetle of some kind. Quite pretty though, & I love the sparkly green spots.

Visitor In Pink

Look who was sitting up high watching me below. I first saw him from my back door, then went to get the camera, expecting him to be gone by the time I got back. Lucky me, he was still there, but watched me warilly. I got my pics, went away to do something else, came back to check & he was still there, so I got still more pics, even closer than before. Something is up, he is either cold, tired, wet, sick or old, otherwise he would have flown. We quite often see these galahs around, but they rarely stay sill long enough for the camera. I sure do hope he is OK.

Perfection V's Imperfection

Perfection can sometimes be dabbed with imperfections. My beautiful Jennifer Rose, sunburnt slightly even though it is not quite open.

Pretty In Crimson

Occasionally we visits from the crimson rosellas, but usually by the time I get the camera out, they fly. Last week I was lucky enough to get a shot (or two) of one sitting in the power lines out the front. He watched carefully as I took his pic but once again flew before I go too close. I'll have to see what I can do to get him closer more often.

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Mr Cool

Today we had a very unexpected visitor. I was working in my sewing room when I heard a noise downstairs. It sounded like something clawing on the screen door, mostly my cat when she wants to go outside. But when I looked, the cat was sitting on the mat ( as cats do), very alert & with her ears pricked, so I knew I just had to look. To my surprise I found a blue tongued lizard sitting by the door. Shocked, surprised, how did he get inside? By the time I grabbed the cat & put her out of harms way, then raced for the camera, Mr Cool had decided to hide. I found him under the stairs, hiding behind all the junk.


OK, so how to get him outside? I did think of sweeping him out with a broom, but instantly dismissed that idea as harmful, and I did not want to hurt or scare him any more than he already was . So I rang WIRES instead, the Australian Wildlife Rescue Organization, who suggested that I make a trail of sliced banana, grapes, dog food or cat food, from under the stairs to the door.

Banana was good, I had plenty, and it worked, except that I disturbed him (wanting more pics) & he ran for cover under the stairs again. So that meant another trail of banana & to leave him alone for a while longer.Eventually I came out to check on him again, just in time to see him slip over the doorstep to the path outside, where he tried to hide under the trailer.

Eventually he found shelter between some pot plants, and I've been to check on him again but he is long gone.

After The Rain

Well, it's been a while, so I thought I would show you my garden after the rain. We have had rain on 11 days out of a possible 15 so far this month, with a total of 190mm, that's nearly 8 inches in the old school. Some of it has been from electrical storms, some just rain. I don't really care how it comes just as long as it fills the dams & gives everything a drink, including my garden which is currently singing, as you can see by the sea of pink below.

Then there is the frangipanni, the pink one that was given to me a few years back. It's been in a pot for a few years, and only flowered once in all that time. Then last year we planted it out into the garden and look what it is doing now. I just love the colour.
Then on the weekend I noticed a few of these fungi comming up in amongst my Rock Orchid. Not sure where they have emerged from, all I can think is the new orchid mix that I used for re-potting this orchid last year.
Rain, the giver of life. I will take it any way it comes, as long as there is some sunny days as well.