"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." – Mary Oliver

Category: Nature

  • In the Garden October 2023

    Now it’s Spring everything is taking off in the garden. When I planted it last year I chose a mainly purple, yellow and white flowering scheme. The long-purple flags went in after they would have flowered so this is the first time I’ve been able to enjoy their flowering. They tend to flower in one…

  • In the Garden September 2023

    I’ve had these photos sitting on my camera since I took them in September. The section of the garden near the water feature has really bushed up, filling in a lot of the gaps, although there are some spaces where Riley dug some big holes that we might need to look at. I planted several…

  • A common sight … but still beautiful

    It’s not hard to spot a Rainbow Lorikeet around our place. It wasn’t always this way though. They disappeared from Melbourne in the 1920’s but are now back in greater numbers than before settlement. Experts think this is due to the flowering gums from other parts of Australia that were planted by councils and gardeners…

  • In the Garden August 2023

    I pottered around the garden today and marvelled at how much more pleasant it is to garden in mild weather. Even though it is still officially winter here we are having a spring weather day so at least for today I didn’t come back into the house with freezing hands. I even had lunch outside…

  • In the Garden May

    I’m doing this early in May because we will be away on the 22nd. We leave this Friday, so I spent some time today tidying the garden and preparing it to look after itself for six weeks. I finished trimming my unruly herbs, mulched the broad beans, pulled a few weeds, and then swept the…

  • In the Garden April 2023

    The garden continues to grow well. Some of the lilly pillys are only about 30cm off the top of the fence. The pond area, which was partially dug up by our dog this month, looks to be surviving. The plants that I had to dig out of the pile of dirt survived, and it looks…

  • Friday Thoughts #11

    Last month I posted about the caterpillas living on my citrus trees. When we came home from Wilson’s Prom most of them had disappeared and I couldn’t find any chrysalis so I guess they were eaten by predators. There were two caterpillas left, one disappeared about a week later and then I was left with…

  • Seasons

    I’ve been dipping in and out of Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season and Spirit. Her reflections on nature, the changing of the seasons and the way these lead her into reflection on scripture are impressive. I’ve really enjoyed her writing and her approach but ultimately it’s been hard to connect because her place…

  • In the Garden March 2023

    Everything is growing well in the garden. I haven’t yet lost any plants, except the seeds that didn’t succeed in the veggie gardens. One disappointing aspect of the gardens planted by the landscapers were the lack of trailing plants in the the concrete planter boxes. They really needed some softening when we moved in. I’m…

  • Wilson’s Promontory: Day 4

    Just a few photos from an early morning walk along the river before packing up to head home. This weekend was a beautiful escape into nature, with wildlife, water and incredible views. A good escape not too far from the city, no wonder it is so popular. All the accommodations, including the campsites, were booked…