Sunday Selections #113

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.

Like River I generally run with a theme.  Today I am going back to another of my obsessions and posting pictures of some of the birds that have visited us this month.

This somewhat motheaten looking galah has recently fledged and doesn't have all its adult plumage yet.  It does have a healthy appetite though.

As does this eastern rosella.  Apple, particularly green apple is a prime favourite with it.

The corellas ALWAYS have healthy appetites - to the extent that they will challenge cockatoos who are much bigger for space on the feeder.  They mostly succeed too.

And another young bird.  This pied currawong will be be predominantly a lovely glossy black when it has all of its adult feathers.

Sunday Selections #91

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

The theme 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.

Like River I generally run with a theme. This week I am featuring the  Red WattleBird.  This is an aggressive little bird that punches well above its weight.  It swoops the cats, and considers swooping me.   Instead it settles for abusing me as I come in or go out of the front door.  They wake well before the first sparrow fart and are remarkably unmusical.  A shriek crossed with a cough perhaps.  Just the same, I like them.  This fellow was having a fine time in the camellias just outside the front door.

Sunday Selections #67

Sunday Selections, brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, is an ongoing theme where participants post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

Anyone can join in, just post your photos under the Sunday Selections title, link back to Kim, then add your name to her Linky list at Frogpondsrock.  

As usual I am running with a theme.  And I am reverting to one of my favourite obsessions - birds.  A little while ago we were visited by a pigeon.  Common or garden.  In a day or so he/she brought a friend to the dinner table.  And within a week we were getting up to twenty at a time, in a variety of colours.  I had assumed that they were an introduced species.

Wrong.  Or sort of right.  When I looked them up in our birds of Australia book (which I must update) I discovered that they are Rock Doves otherwise known as Feral Pigeons.

They are descended from the Rock Pigeon, found in Europe and Asia.  Many plumage variants have been developed over the years and the most common colours of feral birds (found in almost all Australian cities and large towns) are a mixture of grey, black, white and brown with purple and green sheens.  And indeed, they are very beautiful when you look at them more closely.

Insanity coming my way

I think for the next little while I will be largely absent from the blogosphere.  I also know that I will miss you all.  Blogging has been a safety valve for me, and is surprisingly addictive.

If the hospital does not reschedule again the Smaller Portion will have his colostomy reversed next Tuesday.  Hopefully.  His surgeon has flagged again that an ileostomy might be necessary as an interim measure.  I hope not.  I really hope not.  Not least because the Smaller Portion has assumed that it wont be.

We are told that it is a significant operation and will require an incision bigger than the first.  Regardless of the outcome, when he gets home he will be unable to drive and unable to lift anything which weighs more than one kilogram (which includes the cats).  These restrictions will be in place for about six weeks.  Fun times.

His sister said that she would like to come down.  I said that she would be of most help to us when he gets out of hospital - he does convalescence really, really badly.  So this afternoon the Smaller Portion told me that she will be arriving on Sunday, on a one-way ticket.

She is house proud.  The ambience of this house is cluttered and dusty.  We have been using the spare room as a depository for things which we don't have a home for.  Aaaaargh.  And Jazz, toad of a cat that he is, has taken to inappropriate piddling.  Cluttered, dusty and ponging of cat piss.  Joy and bliss.

I have Lifeline on Thursday (and am not prepared to give it up).  The Smaller Portion wants things to be pleasant for his sister, and does not want her to work while she is down here - 'She is coming down as a favour'.  So I have three days to work miracles.  Including shampooing the carpet.  When the three of us are in residence there will be three different diets to cater for.  More joy and bliss.

And now to add to the mixture.  We have had a lot of rain this summer.  Blessed rain.  Everything has grown and there is green all around.  The weeds have also grown very well.  Last week while starting the mammoth weed-a-thon I discovered that the wet season had caused some of the many bulbs we put in last year to rot.  Not a problem.  I love bulb catalogues (and refer to them as garden porn).  I happily went on line and ordered lots.  (Clicking on this image will enlarge it.)  I ordered 100 each of the marked collections.

Then the Smaller Portion got in on the act.   And ordered about another 400 bulbs - a lovely selection of tulips and iris and hyacinths.  The daffodils have arrived.  And need to go in the garden soon. Very soon for the ones that are sprouting.   The tulips and other bulbs should arrive next week.  I am still have signficant pain, difficulties in bending, and cannot get to the ground and back up again.  Woe, woe and thrice woe.  Sometimes I think I am loopy.  Other days I know it.

Garden Glory

A little while ago I said that this year we looked like having a bumper crop of liliums.  I was right.

Many of them are out now, and I think they are amazing.  Some of the roses are lovely too.

It was stinking hot here yesterday so I lurked inside until I took these last shots just on and just after sunset last night.  They almost glow in the dark. 

These last two shots I took early this morning.  And they still almost glow.

T

And the liliums in the bed by the drive are now over seven feet tall and are still tightly in bud.  Watch this space.

Not a bird post this time

Lately I seem to have been posting pictures of birds or whinging.  So I decided a change was in order.

This spring and early summer have been wetter than usual.  It is also warming up.  Both my garden and my MS thrive in warm and humid conditions.  I do not.  I do however love my garden and the beauty in it.  So a trade-off.

We have planted many, many liliums - mostly the heavily scented ones which cause River and others a lot of grief.  There are more coming into bloom each day.  And some of their stems are over six feet tall, with up to fifteen blooms to a stem.  I have never seen them grow to that size before.

So is the increased pain and fatigue and decreased mobility/flexibility worth it?  Hell yes.