Our first real garden
The colours are as bright as the sun at the front of the house. There’s been some sunny days but the temperatures go down when the sun goes down. I really hope the weather warms us up soon.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
We knew about this before we bought our home back in December 2019. It’s finally happening. The noise can be annoying but at least there’s no workers or machinery on the weekends and before 7.30am and after 5pm in the evenings during the week… and when it’s raining.
The photos above were taken while standing on a step ladder on the verandah. Below are the scenes we see at floor level and at the bottom of the steps that descend into the garden. Hopefully the new houses won’t appear above the fence. We’ll just have to wait.
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It’s been a lot easier to sneak up on these adorable birds. They don’t seem to mind the camera either. This pair is one of four pairs that come in for a feed throughout the day. They all have their own colour tones and preferred times to eat. An interesting lot.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Retirement can be challenging but there’s always something to learn and do, especially when it comes to the garden.
Well done, Norm. You’re never too old to learn new skills. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what other species of birds will visit the garden.
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Another sunny afternoon enticed us outside to watch the birds.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
In addition to yesterday’s post, Midday Shadows our front garden, home to our friendly gnomes, is soaked in sunshine every day in winter – except on cloudy and rainy days of course.
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According to Google, June 21st 2022 is the shortest day of the year for Australia.
Over the next two weeks, we may just spy the shadows beginning to creep back the other way back to greet the Spring.
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Two of our parlour palms brought with us on our move in December 2019 and at less than two foot high, have grown ridiculously on our back verandah where I had created a little tropical atmosphere of sorts. Here’s the photo of one. Both are about same size.
If you have been following my I’m in the Garden category on Riverside Peace you will know that the garden space is minimal. But we did it. Or, at least I pointed and directed and Norm did it. 🙂
With the two big potted palms relocated we then reorganised the verandah plants before enjoying a bottle of 2017 Sangiovese. Two neighbours also joined us with their wine glasses filled with their favourite whites.
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It’s a much wetter May this year making the garden soggy and keeping us out of the garden.
Photos by Norm.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
All this fuss over one apple.
Well, I can’t complain that we don’t have birds come to our garden. Two years ago I would never have thought it was possible.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
There wasn’t much room to land but they kept coming.
Focusing got more difficult no matter how many photos were taken.
Norm almost missed the confusion of take-offs.
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My dear neighbour and friend across the road kindly let me have her fairies, toadstools and gnomes that have been out grown by the grandchildren. “The Pond” has been overwhelmed by more fairies, little gnomes and fairy houses. One fairy has now become the centre piece of the birdbath which has inspired me to set aside a quiet day to sit and imagine before placing everything in different places. We have a young blue tongue lizard that roams my garden, and the neighbours, that bumps the poor little fairies into the pond. Some might say I’m a little crazy with my gnomes garden out the front, and now The Fairy Pond, but no one has yet disliked it. I think if I ever do get dementia, I’ll be happy in my garden. 🙂
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Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photo to view complete.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Seriously though, we have not witnessed so many birds in our garden since we began creating it in January 2020. We were so engrossed in the birds flocking to the top of the water tank that we didn’t notice the usual three or four on and in the blue bird feeder on the back fence until they flew off leaving the the bird feeder bouncing and shaking. There is one photo that was way to blurred for here that showed at least six birds in on and around the owl bird feeder. Like it was stacks on.
Click on each photo to view entire photo.
These photos were just the ones Norm manage to take on my mobile phone. I’ll check the photos on the Canon EOS 650D while we are on a week’s holiday, starting tomorrow, up the coast. I was busy trying to keep the tablet focused, and without falling off the back steps, so our 9 year-old granddaughter could see them via messenger video call we had been on for ten minutes when the birds came down. She was calling from a very wet and soggy Sydney where her family, like thousands of other families, are still cut off by flooding rivers. Bridges have been under water now for ten days. She’ll be back at school on Monday. Not sure about anyone getting to work on the other side of the river though.
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Spinach seedlings replanted to replace the spinach I planted 2 years ago – originally in polystyrene banana boxes. It’s seems a life time ago now. I’m hoping these will also yield multiple times throughout the next year or two. The seedlings I grew from seed. You may be able to see more seedlings sprouting in the 3rd photo below in a 2nd grey rectangular pot.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Kangaroo Lane has made progress. Plants are thriving and the grass is green.
Finally the high temperatures of the past two weeks of 35 plus (Celcius) have dropped to a much more pleasant mid 20s. This evening, a gentle rain cools hot surfaces.
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Click on Photos to see complete pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photos to see total pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photos to see the complete pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
As suggested by one one my favourite bloggers, we set about looking for an outdoor mirror for the shed door. Norm finished fitting it today between heavy showers we have been experiencing on and of for two days.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
We bought him when he wasn’t much more than a stick. After his growth in Spring and Summer 2020 he grew to big for his pot. We had to re-pot him to his forever home during last winter. We have read on various websites that poincianas flower some time between 5 and 10 years after it’s first Spring.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
If you regularly follow my “I’m in the Garden” posts you would have seen that whatever we put in our front garden it’s usually unsuccessful which is why we resorted to growing gnomes. Since Nemo graduated to the Hilton, Nemo Moves into the Hilton we decided not to waste the pot in which he’s been thriving in for over 12 months.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
We were so busy watching a beautiful sunset that we almost missed the golden reflections in the garden.
New house rule: Unless we take the camera with us out of the house, it stays in readiness near the back door.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
These two Rosellas have visited the past four evenings. I think they just might be regulars now. I’ve been so looking forward to photographing birds in the garden.
Photos by Norm & Chrissy Siggee.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Too much rain lately but the heat is still causing growth in all areas of the garden. Pumpkin vines are weaving their long arms around and between the vegetable plots. Yesterday afternoon the air was steamy creating a haze throughout the garden. The new arch is beginning to blend into the back and foregrounds of a lot of the photos.
The Poinciana has finally come out of it’s winter’s rest. It’s branches are thickening up after it’s 2nd year in our garden pots. We won’t be re-potting again. I think this one will be big enough. 🙂
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
After two years of creating our garden, we finally found the perfect arch.
While taking a photos of the arch something caught my attention.
I have been waiting for a year and a half for birds to come in to the garden. We sometimes had minor birds that we would shoo away but at long last the bird feeder is finally being visited. 🙂 I’m so happy.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
We returned after almost a week of traveling and catching up with family after the long Covid-19 lock-downs to find the rain, sunshine and the heat had created giant blooms in the back garden. The vegetables, well I forgot to photograph those beauties. We had enough greens for us and most of the neighbours.
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Archived in: I’m in the Garden
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With the Alfresco going in I won’t be able to make muddy messes under the awning. I needed a workable area that didn’t leave so much mess after re-potting and a place closer to the garden too.
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To follow on from the post a few days ago, we spent this morning fertilizing the lawn and painting items for the garden and Alfresco area.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
We found these 2 black concrete pots on Gumtree, a local online market place similar to eBay. They were just $10AUS each. While waiting for the tiling to be completed we spent our time stripping the layers of old paint, sealed and painted them white. When the alfresco kitchen/dining is completed I’ll post update photos. Update: We have gone back into a snap lock-down. Our tiler can only do emergencies. Again we wait.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden, Retirement
Archived in: I’m in the Garden & Retirement
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
These next photos were taken in August 2020.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
I’m thinking of putting in a Wisteria vine on the right side of the shed too where the love seat is.
This isn’t the iris that bloomed last year so I’m hoping that at least two out of the three bulbs I planted will flower this year.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Most things are back to fairly normal. Regional N.S.W. residents are still on alert and wearing masks away from home. I have returned to the Koala Hospital which makes a big difference to my routine again.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Best news is that we have had two Covid tests to date and both of us have received Negative results. One more week and one more negative test result before leaving lock-down.
Some hidden gems I found in the garden while occupying the hours.
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We are finally home. Over the next two weeks of lock-down and at least 2 more negative Covid tests we’ll have plenty to keep us busy in the back garden and indoors. The fish pond was my first project.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Finally the clouds have blown away and although still only 17C, the sun is a very welcome visitor to the garden at this time of the year.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
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