I was finally able to visit the front garden. While Norm weeded and dead headed I took a few photos of the late winter flowering lavender, Azalias and Gazanias. Even the Bougainvillea climbing the wall is bursting with colour. A few extra cottage garden plants need to be planted when Spring arrives.

The tub of pansies and zinnia potted daisies needed to be relocated temporarily for the ramp.

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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.

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Another sunny afternoon enticed us outside to watch the birds.

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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.

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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.

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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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Click on photo to view complete.

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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.

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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.

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Click on photos to see total pictures.

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Click on photos to see the complete pictures.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Retirement finally. First week at home and the garden plots became a reality.

It’s an amazing transformation.

The broad beans were left in their boxes so as not to disturb the roots.

I’ll be having a serving of my favourite green vegetables soon.

Seedlings in the centre garden are starting well.

The transplanted spinach and lettuce have been sampled already this past week.

The brussel sprouts continue to thrive in their box and potatoes are growing well too.

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I’m in the Garden by Chrissy for Riverside Peace

The lawn is not getting any sun through winter but I can design the Spring project.

At least the temporarily pavers will save my feet getting lost in the mud.

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Feet up after a morning in the garden.

Enjoying the view…

Flowering hanging baskets. Small gardens can be just right.

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These photos were taken in our little front garden which was partly there, without any commonsense or plan, when we moved into our new home in December. With a bit of rearranging here and there, adding some cottage garden seedlings, using grey water and buckets throughout summer’s drought water restrictions, the garden is coming alive.

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With most garden stores closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, it’s taken some constant changes and imagination to get the main corner garden acceptable.

Windmill purchased via the internet. It was actually better than we thought it would be.

Some creative colour while waiting for the native seeds to grow.

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Probably not the right time of day to take a photo.

ProgressThe corner garden almost completed.
The Australian native garden in progress.

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When we moved in, the backyard was mostly green lawn but soggy.

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