Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 14 September 2014

Sunday Selections #189

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Like River I usually run with a theme.  I overdid it yesterday, so instead of getting busy this morning I went for a walk around the block.  It was a grey day - but no rain fell.  A pleasant wander though.

Starting at the top of our garden.



Our next door neighbour's forsythia is much further advanced than ours, and I envy him his magnolias.  Cockatoos have destroyed three separate trees now, and I won't plant any more for them to kill.



Ambling further...






 










I don't know which grevillea this is - but I want it.  And will track it down.





And finishing up back in our front yard.



107 comments:

  1. The shot of the tulips by the rocks is lovely!!

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    1. fishducky: It was wasn't it? And that was all there was in their garden which made it even more dramatic.

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  2. Wild to see so much spring growth when we are about to head into autumn.
    That one closeup of the flower is cool.

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    1. Alex J. Cavanaugh: It is an exciting time of the year - but I love autumn too.

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  3. Lovely jubley, the flowers are superb, and the trees and shrubs are beautiful.

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    1. Bob Bushell: It was balm for my senses as I wandered around.

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  4. A wonderful Sunday morning stroll being embraced by shrubs, trees and blossoms. Everyone around your area seems very garden conscious, EC.

    I hope the week ahead treats you and The Skinny One, and your two bosses, kindly. :)

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    1. Lee: Not everyone in the street is garden obsessed - but a lot of us are. A visual (and nasal) treat.
      And a good week to you and your furry dictators.

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  5. My word, you have been busily snapping away!

    And I've got to say, the bloom that stands out, is the happy little daffodil. Gorgeous :)

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  6. Oh, wow.
    I have just started a rose on a trellis. I hope it becomes as lovely as yours.

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    1. Joanne Noragon: Our 'roses' are camellias. And very, very happy. Too early for roses yet. And I am looking forward to seeing your trellis rose.

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  7. Replies
    1. R. Mac Wheeler: And lots of trees. Which I appreciate.

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  8. Beautiful neighborhood. It is so colorful!

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    1. Teresa: It is a nice neighbourhood. Very suburban - but that is fine too.

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  9. Lots of pretty flowers and climbing plants, spring is pretty good.
    Merle.........

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    1. Merlesworld: Spring is a delight isn't it? And ours has a way to go yet.

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  10. I'm not sure how to quantify the refreshment your photos bring a drought-stricken Californian in a summer that won't give up but I am most appreciative!

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    1. Geo.: I so hope your drought (and summer) end soon. I find both of them very, very dispiriting. Later this week we hope to go to Floriade - and there will be a kazillion other spring flowers (and photos).

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  11. I love Paris (or anywhere!) in the Springtime........Lovely walk, thank you. I'd been stuck inside all day because here, it is just too hot and muggy to stick my nose out!

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    1. Molly Bon: Welcome and thank you. Hot? Muggy? Bleah. I hope you get some relief soon.

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  12. Beautiful! I love the trellises in the last picture with all the flowers overflowing from it. :) And photo #14...what are those gorgeous flowering bushes? trees? spilling out all over.

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    1. River Fairchild: The trellis in the last photo is our camelllia bushes/trees. Photo 14? Diosma. A hardy evergreen which blooms and blooms. And a set and forget plant which is also a bonus.

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  13. Lovely and lush spring shades! How do cockatoos kill the forsythia? I thought it was undestructible!

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    1. Bookie: It is the magnolias the cockatoos have destroyed. Over jealous pruning. And pruning. And pruning. Forsythia will turn up its toes under similar treatment too, but fortunately the cockies leave it alone.

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  14. What a lovely walk you took us on! The grevillea is gorgeous but I can do without the spurge, the stuff does nasty things to my skin.

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    1. Jacquelineand...: I had to look up spurge. I knew the name, but know the plant as euphorbia. Luckily it doesn't bother me, because it is thriving in parts of our garden too.

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  15. Such a lovely walk around your neighbourhood EC - thank you!
    That is a really pretty grevillea indeed. I hope you will let us know what it is; I have several, but no yellow ones.
    We have had non-stop rain for what seems like forever, and I am feeling very frustrated about not being able to tackle my garden. Heaven knows, it needs it. Badly.

    I hope you all have a good Sunday.

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    1. Alexia: We have several grevilleas too, and no yellow ones. Yet. When I find out what it is I will let you know. Or if anyone who visits tells me...
      Rain? Promised again, but I will believe it when I see it.

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  16. Absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had the land to grow stuff like this, but currently I just have all my hanging planters.

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    1. Kristy Plotkin: Welcome and thank you. My garden is a refuge - and I love other people's as well. And hanging planters. What do you grow in yours?

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  17. The view from the top of the street over the hills makes that walk worth it I think. I love the pink and yellow in the grevillea. Very unusual. Thank you for sharing Sue.

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    1. Carol in Cairns: We have nearly that same view over the hills from our front yard. It is the view included in many of my sunset photos - and I love it.

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  18. What a wonderful walk! I am thrilled to realize that spring is full on in your part of the world, EC. Makes me glad to know I can go for a walk over here with you in the springtime whenever I want. :-)

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    1. DJan: It is hardly even a stroll by your standards - about a kilometre the round trip. I am very happy to know that when I am in melt down mode in summer I can be refreshed with your (and those of other people too) photos of blissful snow.

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  19. I bet your neighbors envy your garden. It's luscious. How wonderful that you take such care of it. Your neighborhood looks so nice. You live in a beautiful place. Enjoy Spring.

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    1. Myrna R.: I don't know whether other people do envy the garden. They see just how much work goes into it. Some of them tell me they appreciate it though - which is nice to hear. And one of them asked her gardener to create a garden like it - which was very flattering.

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  20. Your gardens and your neighbourhood are beautiful, EC. What a lot of work, but so lovely.

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    1. jenny_o: Thank you. It is a lot of work - but often a labour of love.

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  21. I would love to know the name of that yellow grevillea, please share when you find out, it might not grow here, but you never know. Looks like there are some lovely gardens around your place, yours included. People around here are lucky to even have a green lawn. there are no green thumbs that's for sure. We try though and our back yard is lovely. Thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Kakka: River has just popped in with a possible name for the grevillea. Fingers crossed.
      Our lawn gets very little attention - and no water so it often looks very sad in deed.

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  22. : ) oh...springtime, lovely. Autumn here...yahoo.

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    1. Karen: The two very best seasons. And autumn must be SUCH a relief.

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  23. The seventh photo down, I love that garden look. I planted one similar years ago, then we had to sell that house...
    The grevillea you love, is it a small bush about 40cm high by 60cm wide? It could be the same as mine. The label reads Grevillea rosmarinifolia x alpina
    "Tucker Time Peach Blush.
    The third photo down from the grevillea, what plant is that, do you know? Can you find out? I think I'd like a couple of those in amongst my kangaroo paws. Is that a euphorbia in one of your photos? The greeny-yellow flowers.
    Thank you for this wonderful walk.

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    1. River: It is a lovely garden isn't it? And a lot less labour intensive than ours.
      The grevillea I love is only tiny. Two sprigs only at the moment and valiantly flowering. I will check out Tucker Time Peach Blush though - thank you.
      The other plant you liked is a leucadendron. Not certain which one, but they are hardy and grow well here, and probably where you are too. And I have never seen one which wasn't pretty. South African natives, and I think they would do well next to the kangaroo paws.
      And yes, that is a euphorbia - or a spurge as I now learn (thanks Jacqueline) it is also balled.

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  24. What a delightful neighbourhood you have in which to go for a wander. I think because of our very strict water restrictions here most people have given up growing flowers and the like. In our suburb you have to go down well over one hundred feet to put down a bore so, of course, people can't afford to do so. Last summer many gardens fared very badly with about 5 months without a drop of rain.
    I too would love to know the name of that grevillea. It is one of the prettiest I've seen and if it's not very large I'd be in the market to buy one if available here. I will check out the name River gave you and see if she is right. I am looking forward to seeing her garden soon when the plants are more mature.
    Hope you and the SP have had a pleasant weekend and I worry when I hear you've overdone it. You must take care of yourself as well as others as you are very precious to all of us.

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    1. Mimsie: We have strict water restrictions too, though they have been relaxed a little. And I hope we get rain again soon. Predicted - but they have lied to us before.

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  25. I checked out Grevillea Tucker Time on Google and there is a great write up about it.
    "If the climate experts are to be believed this plant will be in high demand. Not only is it drought hardy but also frost hardy and can handle second line coastal sites readily. Can be grown in a container, as a hedge or blended with other fine foliaged shrubs. Also has a longer flowering period which makes it an easier life for the birds."
    I condensed this down and now have to find if it is available here in Perth.

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    1. Mimsie: The experts make everything appear appealing - and possible.

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  26. Sorry to take up so much room but I just checked with Dawsons, a very reliable nursery here in Perth, and their Tucker Time is quite different to the one you show here but there is one called Lemon Days or Lemon Daze (whoops, short term memory on the blink right now) that looked very much lie the one you saw. Would somehow need to compare the two side by side.

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    1. Mimsie: I will head to a nursery sometime in the next week or so. I need to look at plants rather than their photos. Thank you for all the investigation you have done. It gives me a great starting point.

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  27. As our plants, flowers and trees die off here I will now have to come to your blog and rest in the fact that it is spring somewhere in the world.

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    1. ditchingthedog: I am more than happy to share - so long as you share your winter.

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  28. Dear EC
    A lovely wander round your neighbourhood with beautiful spring flowers to enjoy. Thank you for sharing.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  29. I wish I had "often walked on this street before" :-)

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    1. Grannie Annie: I don't walk it often enough either. I tend to walk to get places rather than walk for walking's sake. A mistake.

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  30. Beautiful photos - I just love spring. Somehow, even though I know they are native, the Eucalyptus trees with the daffodils doesn't quite compute for me. Question: is the Grevillea the yellow flowers with pink streaks? Your captions seem to be above what you are referring to in most of the blog, but the yellow flowers on the small shrubby plant look like Euphorbia to me.

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    1. Jesusan: You are right. For some reason I put the caption under the grevillea, instead of being consistent. Sorry about that. The daffodils and the magnolias and the tulips are indeed exotic - but sit fairly comfortably beside the eucalypts and the grevilleas. Or I think so - but accept that it is a bit incongruous.

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  31. I like the magnolia shot (I grew up in the southern US - Georgia, so magnolias remind me of my birthplace). I've been called a 'magnolia' by another female, because I don't like the intense heat. . .one of the reasons I moved north.

    Lovely spring flowers always make me feel hopeful and peaceful. Thanks for the photo study.

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    1. D.G. Hudson: By that definition I am a magnolia as well. Which is a more attractive description that the one I tend to use. In the heat of summer I turn into a troll and only come out at night.

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  32. Wonderful photos, such beautiful colors. That would be a lovely path to take walks along.

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    1. Mason Canyon: Welcome and thank you. It is a pleasant walk - at all times of the day and the year.

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  33. You look like you are surrounded by great gardeners! Everything looks amazing. If I went around my area with a camera all you'd see are weeds and dead trees. :D

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    1. LL Cool Joe: There are weeds in plenty here too. And, sadly, dead trees too. Perspective is everything some days.

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  34. I was missing your photos so much. Thanks for that colourful post! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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    1. A Cuban in London: What a lovely thing to say - thank you. With luck there will be a couple of very colourful posts in the next week or so.

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  35. How lovely to see your spring flowers - when my garden just suffered a light snow and a heavy frost!

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    1. Susan F.: Snow? Already? That sounds early and I hope it isn't a sign of another horror winter to come.

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  36. A lovely walk you took us on. I did not know that cockatoos could be so devastating to magnolias/trees. Your garden looks very pretty with its blooming spring flowers. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. DeniseinVA: Cockatoos are cheeky charmers and can be very, very destructive. Here it is the magnolias. At one of my brother's house they shredded his shade sail. Houses suffer, crops suffer, and I have a very big weakness and fondness for them anyway.

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  37. It's a beauty to see Spring in her glory breaking into blossom
    in another part of the world; helps me realize a bit more profoundly
    how huge this spinning orb really is:)
    thanks for the share,
    Jennifer

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    1. Jennifer Richardson: How huge - and how small this orb is. Concepts which often rattle my brains.

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  38. what a colorful neighborhood you live in! beautiful!

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    1. Cindi: It is a colourful time of year here. And beautiful.

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  39. Turning autumnal here. If I were a migratory bird I think I would follow springtime round and round again, at least for a while.

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    1. Andrew Maclaren-Scott: I would be sorry to pass up autumn. Love the vibrancy, and the elegance of trees as they shed their leaves and stand stark against the sky. Summer is the only season I would happily skip over.

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    2. That would be Summer in Australia you mean... which I doubt bears any resemblance to Summer in Scotland. I think you'd like Summer in Scotland (even if you may sometimes be tempted to call it Winter).

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    3. Andrew Maclaren-Scott: You are probably right. Summer here turns me into a sad, soggy (and grumpy) mess.

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  40. Just a glorious walk, EC, and makes me realise how lucky we are in this country. In spite of drought, fire, floods, we still persevere with our gardens and have amazing success much of the time. I'm looking forward to your Floriade photos.

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    1. Carol: Floriade and Tulip Tops are treats in store for us this week or next. And yes, it is amazing how forgiving (and generous) the earth is.

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  41. Wow, things are blooming there like it's spring. Maybe it IS spring where you are? I always assume people are in America!

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    1. Stephanie Faris: It is most definitely Spring here. And I live in Oz.

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  42. Oh if I were to visit your beautiful country it would be in spring....gorgeous!

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    1. Donna@LivingFromHappiness: Spring is lovely the world over isn't it?

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  43. Glad you live among such beautiies!



    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

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    1. Cloudia: I am always happy to see the beauty you share. Rainbows, oceans and glorious, colourful plants for starters...

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  44. Wonderful flora there! I loved going on this walk with you.

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  45. Wow! Your view of those mountains looks just like the Appalachians!! That view took me back to my old North Carolina home. Thank you for sharing so much.

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    1. Raquel Somatra: The hills in my photo are a very small cousin of the Appalachians. But puff themselves up to look big - and to decorate the sky line.

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  46. Such an incredible variety of flowers and colors. Thank you for sharing. Have a beautiful day (or night there by now haha).

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    1. Optimistic Existentialist: When your comment landed a couple of hours ago it was decidedly night. Two in the morning. Dawn has broken now and it does look like a beautiful day.

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  47. That looks like such a lovely place. Cockatoos destroy trees? One more thing for me not to like about birds!

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    1. Riot Kitty: Cockatoos are vandals. Houses, trees, plants... And they also rip the seals from street lights and hang on them, shrieking in triumph. And I still love them.

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  48. I feel as if I've just taken a lovely walk through your neighborhood. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Carol Kilgore: You have often taken me walking with you, to both real and imaginary places, so it seems right and proper that I should take you on one of my walks.

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  49. It’s spring, new beginnings and renewed hope.
    I will have to remember that somewhere in the world there are daffodils when I am next sitting in the black hole.

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    1. Friko: Daffodils are often a remedy for the black hole for me. Often. And your garden, and your surroundings, are a haven of beauty.

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  50. You do your neighbourhood proud with such a delicious garden, EC.
    I hope you find the name of that grevillea, it's lovely.

    You are fortunate to live where it seems most people tend to their gardens well. It's not the same here, where most are either renters, and others don't seem to care, sadly.

    And oh, The Brindabellas. Lovely to see here. Lucky you!

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    1. Vicki: There was a stall at Floriade yesterday, and I think that yellow grevillea is Lemon Daze (Mimsie was right).
      We have a mixture in the street. Renters/home owners/gardeners, but there are very few eyesore properties about. Which is good. In fact at the moment one of the biggest eyesores is here - a pile of prunings I need to get a skip for.

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  51. Gorgeous spring flowers - that magnolia is stunning.

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