Just thought I’d share a picture of these two guys.
We rarely see Goldfinches in our garden, just maybe once or twice a year, and this is the first time I have managed to get a photo. The focus is a bit soft due to the effect of shooting through double glazing and being at full zoom.
Well, not really the view from the conservatory. More about what’s been happening in the garden, supported by a couple of photo’s.
We have had a couple of really nice days, blue skies and sunshine that have spurred us on to set about tidying up the garden. Not of course without having a spot of breakfast out on the deck. Whilst we were having our breakfast the fellow below was obtaining his.
This Great Tit was helping himself to the peanuts. Access had been made very easy due to the large hole the squirrels had made in our “squirrel proof” feeder. Of course I don’t begrudge him the peanuts, I don’t mind that the squirrels managed to break into feeder. My only objection is that I paid good money and that the manufacturer claimed that it was squirrel proof. I guess their product testing didn’t take into account that juvenile squirrels are small and that their head and shoulders could get through the same gaps that birds use. Oh, and that squirrel teeth must be diamond tipped as they can quite happily gnaw through steel mesh.
So back to work. Having finished our breakfast I set about a serious pruning of our apple tree. The level of my attack is such that, for the tree, it is a case of sink or swim. I’m pretty sure there won’t be any apples this year. But I am sure, assuming the tree survives, that we will be in full production for future years. The label on the tree when we planted it said the variety was Egremont Russet and that the harvest period would be late September / October. Once the tree got into its stride, it always produced hundreds of fruit. Not that we ever managed to harvest many. The local wildlife always got there first.
First would come the squirrels. Did I mention we have squirrels ? They don’t wait for fruit or nuts to ripen. As soon as they can they are there, chomping on the green apples. Again I wouldn’t mind but I noticed they were a bit free and easy with my crop. They would grab an apple, eat half, toss the uneaten half and go get another.
Later, as the year progressed and the fruit ripened, along come the Blackbirds. They like to peck their way around the tree. They don’t eat whole apples either, just peck their way into the core then leave the apple to rot on the tree.
Finally, there are the wasps. Now these crafty blighter’s start on the really ripe apples. They seem to deliberately choose the side nearest the main trunk of the tree. Which means I couldn’t see what they were up to. I have lost count of how many apples I went to pick only to find an empty skin, still retaining the original shape. Hanging like a chinese lantern.
So this year they are all in for a shock. No apples.
Mr Robin, picture below, was very vocal during my pruning actions.
I haven’t seen any Robins eating apples but I am pretty sure they enjoy the various bugs on the tree so he was probably berating me for cutting back on his food supply.
So having decimated the apple tree, I turned my attention to cutting back the Jasmine. This was something we planted a few years back. It steadfastly refused to grow where I wanted it to go, ignored the trellis installed especially for it. That is until high winds broke said trellis causing it to hang down. The Jasmine immediately climbed aboard and smothered the trellis. The most amazing thing is that, somehow, a new clump of Jasmine self set about seventy-five feet away from the original plant and set about clambering over everything in sight. Rose bushes, Lavatera, Sweet Pea sticks and the back fence have all been fair game.
The trouble with trimming this stuff back is the way in which it twines itself around other plants. You can’t just set to, hacking and slashing, but have to unravel all of the vines, which can be a bit painful around the rose bushes which are well endowed with large thorns. We also found some sneaky brambles lurking in amongst the Jasmine vines. The spines on brambles are, I find, infinitely worse than rose thorns. Needless to say, I have several scratches and puncture wounds to show for my troubles.
All of my efforts have been overseen by Masher from his vantage point in the bird bath.
He’s called Masher as that was his previous function. He is a spud basher extraordinaire. However he was damaging our saucepans, so he was evicted from the kitchen and now spends his time trying to intimidate the pigeons who come for a drink. They don’t seem to care about his evil eye so he has become redundant as a bird scarer.
As I said, we’ve had a couple of really nice days. On the second day I took advantage of the fine weather to start another project, the laying of a base for the BBQ.
I am cheating somewhat, having purchased a few square metres of interlocking plastic shed base. The idea is that having roughly levelled the ground, I will position the plastic interlocking tiles on the prepared ground. Then a cement mix will be poured over the whole, filling the spaces in the tiles and providing a level base for the positioning of patio slabs. That’s the theory anyway. At this point I have levelled the ground and positioned the interlocking plastic tiles.
Also keeping a watchful eye on my activities was Arry the Ant. I think he could tell I was getting a little overheated and offered a refreshing drink of water.
The BBQ base has not been completed, unfortunately, it has rained all day today so the final stage, the cement and laying of the patio slabs has been deferred.
Perhaps tomorrow, for now I have aches in places I didn’t know existed. But I do have a sense of having achieved something. The garden is looking tidier.
Oh and something else, people keep asking me how I am enjoying retirement. Well over the last couple of days I have come to realise that I am liking it just fine. Being able to do stuff when you want to, being able to sit out in the sunshine having breakfast or lunch on a weekday seems to good to be true. But after all, that’s what I worked 38 years for.
The skies of steel and fields white with frost
Are memories of yesterday
And white scarecrow children search the hedgerows … and splash
Through muddy pools for secrets … the spirit of the spring,
With the sunbeams on her hair … shakes the sleeping earth …
And with the pilgrim by her side … she murmurs in the trees …
And in the ears of all who listen … “Now … time to wake … for winter has gone”.
Credit to Chris Simpson of Magna Carta from their fabulous album “Seasons” and quoted here because I was reminded of the album, as I was preparing to post some photos from my back garden, and it seemed rather appropriate.
Spring is well and truly here and there are fresh shoots and flowers appearing all over the place.
One of the first flowers to put in an appearance has been this white Camellia, a gift from our granddaughters a couple of years ago. This is one of three, unfortunately only two survived the first winter.
Always quick off the mark are the roses. Sometimes I find the fresh leaves bursting forth much more attractive than the flowers. I have no idea of the species name for this example but it always produces wonderfully blousey pink flowers with a beautiful scent.
A couple of years ago we planted half a dozen Primula in a small raised bed. They refused to obey the rules of boundary and are steadily spreading throughout what we laughingly call our lawn. The flowers are so pretty that I have to avoid them, when I eventually get round to mowing the grass, leaving ragged tufts of long grass scattered around the garden. At least until the flowers are gone. Then it’s a Primula massacre.
Of course it’s not only the plants that burst forth, full of the joys of spring. The birds are at it too. Over the last few days we have noticed many species visiting our garden including Jays, Woodpeckers, Wrens, Blackbirds, Robins and Tits. Of course the tits are with us all year round as are the Robins and not forgetting the vultures, sorry, Wood Pigeon’s.
As the Jays, Woodpeckers, Blackbirds and Robins have been arriving in pairs I have been half expecting Noah to pull up alongside our deck aboard his Ark. Of course the Tis always arrive en masse, especially the Long-Tailed variety. Hustling through the trees, chattering away. Raiding our garden and feeders before moving on to the next.
We have had a Hazel tree ever since we moved into this house some thirty years ago. Every year it gives us a grand display of red leaves and later carries large numbers of nuts. Of course we never get to harvest them. The squirrels always seem to discover them before they get a chance to ripen. The ground below the tree is strewn with the discarded shells with tops cut off. Just like a decapitated hard-boiled egg.
Our Grape Hyacinths grow in number every year. Unfortunately, due to our garden being churned up during the conservatory rebuild, this year the numbers are down. We are looking forward to them reclaiming the garden over future years as things settle down.
We are now looking forward to getting out there and making the most of the garden as the warmer weather comes along.
Feeling chuffed with myself due to some recognition that I have received over the last few days for photos that I posted on the Photography Cafe website.
I thought I would post the photos here for your perusal ….
I just saw my first ever Firecrest, I think !
Until today I didn’t even know they existed. Such a tiny bird, flying into the garden with a bunch of tits. I guess it was trying to lose itself in the crowds, if it hadn’t been for that bright head cap I wouldn’t have noticed that there was an interloper.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture as the visit was so fleeting.
Has anyone else seen one of these in the Waterlooville area?
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And so to my final post inspired by our trip south of Perth. Our route has taken us from Perth, through Margaret River, Pemberton, Walpole and Denmark to our final destination, Albany.
Albany is the oldest permanently settled town in WA. It was founded on 26 December 1826, predating Perth and Fremantle by over two years. Its creation was part of a plan to thwart French ambitions in the area.
As it was too early for us to check in we headed down to the town centre to stretch our legs and grab a bite for lunch. It was a lovely day, albeit very windy.
Found ourselves on York Street and dropped in to Cosi’s Cafe for a spot of lunch and a coffee. York Street is very busy but at the same time has the feel of an Australian country town.
While in York Street, we ventured into the visitor centre and booked ourselves onto a four-hour river boat cruise for the following day. We also decided that we would take a run out to The Historic Whaling Station after we had checked in at our hotel.
This was our second visit to Albany, Gerry and I having been here some eighteen years ago. It only seemed fitting that we should stay in the same hotel, The Dog Rock Motel …..
…. named after the large rock shaped like a dog’s head.
Having checked in and unloaded the car we set off to be educated about the whaling industry. The following is from Wikipedia …..
The Whaling Station, which closed operations in 1978, has been converted to a museum of whaling, and features one of the ‘Cheynes’ whale chasers that were used for whaling in Albany. The station was the last operating whaling station in the southern hemisphere and the English-speaking world at the time of closure.
On the way out to the whaling station we stopped off at the Vancouver Lookout to absorb the scenery …..
….. seems like every turn of the road offers us a new perspective.
Tearing ourselves away from the fabulous views we soon arrived at the Historic Whaling Station (previously known as Whale World). There is lots to see here, and whatever you think you know about whaling, this place will show you how little you know. For me, the overriding factor is the sheer brutality of the whaling process. There are some pretty graphic pictures around the site and, for the people who worked here or on the ships, it was a tough life. No health and safety regulations, no protective clothing, no sick pay and no pension.
We spent an enlightening couple of hours at the Whaling Station. No matter what you think of the morality of whaling, you have to remind yourself that was a different era. The world has moved on.
And so did we, heading back into Albany and the Dog Rock Motel to rest up prior to dinner.
We had dinner at Lime 303 where I was talked into having a cocktail, a “Blue Lagoon”. Needless to say I was soon back to drinking beer. The cocktail was like an alcoholic Gatorade…. Yuuuk !!! Regardless, the food was very, very good.
The next day we were up early and down to Emu Point ready for our river cruise aboard the Kalgan Queen …
Once we were all aboard we were treated to a display of pelicans and their party tricks. Our skipper would feed them but only after they had “danced”, twirled around on the water. He did this while explaining about the pelicans and there abilities and traits. As the Kalgan Queen is a glass bottomed boat we were also treated to the view of a large sting ray cruising under the boat.
After the regulation safety notices we were off on our journey, across the sheltered waters of Oyster Harbour and then up the Kalgan River.
As we crossed Oyster Harbour our skipper pulled out a whistle and tried to attract the attention of White Breasted Sea Eagles. Unfortunately, they did not put in appearance. However, later as we were running up the river we were treated to the spectacle of several Osprey plunging down to collect the fish thrown out onto the river.
Part of the cruise package is a wine tasting at Montgomery Hill Vineyard. To be quite honest, it was a waste of time. We all agreed that we would rather have stayed on the boat and perhaps travelled further upstream.
The folks in the tasting rooms made no attempt to tell us about the wines, didn’t even ask about individual likes or dislikes to try and match their products to our tastes. Most unlike any tasting I have ever been to before.
The only positive was the view from the tasting rooms and terrace …..
After thirty minutes or so we were bussed back down to the river and back on board the boat. Here we were treated to hot Billy Tea and Damper as we headed back down the river and on to Emu Point.
En-route we encountered other river users / inhabitants …
Back on shore we bade farewell to the Kalgan Queen and to “Perch” …
The cruise had been around four hours duration and was well worth the money.
After a spot of lunch the afternoon was spent fishing off the shore at Emu Point. On my first cast I caught a blowie and although I had many bites I didn’t manage to land another fish. Steve, on the other hand, despite also be plagued by blowies, managed to land a Port Jackson Shark.
While we were fishing there were rays constantly cruising along the water’s edge. Fascinating to watch.
All too soon it was time to pack up and head back to the motel to wash up and head out for dinner, this being our last night down south.
The lucky establishment to be blessed with our custom was the Mean Fiddler Restaurant. It was very busy and when I enquired, about a table for four, was informed that they had more tables upstairs but that there would be about a thirty minute wait.
Upstairs was much quieter and also cooler. Our waitress seemed to be a bit eccentric, a bit like Julie Walters as the elderly waitress in the Two Soups sketch from Victoria Wood As Seen On TV.
Quite early on, the waitress had handed out some crayons and informed us that we could use them to draw on the table-cloth, if we wanted to.
Despite the eccentricities of the staff, the food was good. By the time we had our main meal, the other upstairs customers had gone. We had the room and the balcony to ourselves and were able to wander around perusing the artwork and other curiosities.
From the balcony there was a view, both, up and down York Street.
After our meal we once again headed back to the motel. Sad with the knowledge that we had to head back to Perth the following day.
And so it was that the following morning we headed out on the Albany Highway for the journey home.
Yesterday, we traveled up along the Great North Highway to visit New Norcia, located approximately 140 kilometers from Perth.
New Norcia, Australia’s only Monastic Town, was founded as a Benedictine Mission to local native aboriginals on 1st March, 1846. The settlement was led by the two Spanish Benedictines, Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra. The name New Norcia, is taken from Norcia, Italy which is the birthplace of St Benedict. For some reason New Norcia is pronounced “new nor-sia” as opposed to it’s original Italian namesake, which is pronounced “nor-chee-a”.
A visit to New Norcia is highly recommended. It is architecturally so unlike any other Australian town.
The museum contains exhibits focussed on the monastery and key individuals as well as “rooms” specific to advances in medicine, technology and agriculture. Outside of the main museum building there is a separate, dusty, machinery shed which contains several curiosities.
The second floor of the museum building houses the art gallery which house both modern and classical pieces.
In 1986, the gallery was the scene of WA’s biggest ever art theft, when twenty-six paintings were stolen by two robbers. Although described as a robbery it was more an act of vandalism as the paintings were cut from their frames, then rolled up, further damaging them in the process. Several weeks later, all but one of the stolen paintings were returned. The remaining painting, too big to fit in the robbers car, was cut into pieces and thrown away. The recovered paintings have been the subject of a long restoration at the cost of over 100, 000 dollars.
On the top floor of the museum can be found St Joseph’s Aboriginal Girls’ Exhibition which reflects the experiences of Aboriginal girls resident at the orphanage at New Norcia.
Also on this floor is the Gardner Botanical Exhibition, featuring artworks on paper of Western Australian plants, by WA’s first Government botanist, Charles A Gardner.
A couple of monastery residents, not sure if they are Benedictines.
While visiting New Norcia we also had lunch, sat on the terrace of the New Norcia Hotel.
While sitting on the terrace drinking Abbey Ale was very pleasant, my meal didn’t live up to expectations. Although Gerry’s Pork Cutlet, with Chat Potatoes, veggies and gravy, was fine my Ribs were under cooked for the most part and totally raw in the center of the thickest portion. I don’t mind rare beef and lamb but like my pork to be fully cooked. Unfortunately I didn’t notice the rawness until I had cleared my plate of the rest of my meal. However, I returned the plate to the bar and complained. The staff were very apologetic and offered me a refund. I suggested that wasn’t necessary and that they give me a piece of the New Norcia Nut Cake instead. They insisted on giving me the refund as well as the Nut Cake. Smiles all round.
I know this is out of sequence time wise. This post is the continuation of our trip down south. The previous post is here
The next stop on our itinerary was Denmark or perhaps I should clarify, our next overnight stop. Our next stop was actually Walpole and The Valley of the Giants.
Departing from Pemberton we headed down the road to Walpole, a quiet, one horse, maybe two-horse town. Here we were to have a belated breakfast as none of us wanted to chance the Pemberton Hotel. So, arriving in Walpole our first port of call was to the Top Deck Cafe
The Top Deck is a very pleasant place to eat. Lots of plants dotted around the eating areas split over two decks. The staff were very friendly and the food was good if a little expensive. Breakfast finished we browsed the shops and managed to obtain some cash from the ATM in the small shopping centre.
Walpole itself is spread along just one side of the South Coast Highway, the towns main road. The town is very small and we were soon back at the car and once again on our way, searching out our first true destination, The Valley of the Giants.
Just twenty kilometers down the road and we were at the Valley of the Giants and the Treetop Walk. Gerry and I did this walk eighteen years ago during my first visit to Australia and I was curious to see if it had changed in that time.
There are two main features of this attraction …
After doing both the tree-top walk and the boardwalk, slurped an ice cream and raided the souvenir shop, we headed on to Denmark. Approaching Denmark we decided to detour down to Peaceful Bay …
It was very windy but the views were worth the short sojourn. After few more kilometers we arrived at our accommodation, the Windrose B & B.
Although our host was not home, there was a letter indicating our rooms and the facilities. We were soon unpacked and installed in our respective rooms.
The B&B was very nice, the rooms having en-suite shower rooms. The decor was clean and modern but also quirky with bits of memorabilia on the walls. Each room had under floor art, that is there was some kind of illuminated box built into the floor with a reinforced glass top. The box was illuminated when the main room lights were turned on. A nice touch.
Our hostess arrived, welcomed us to Denmark, enquired what time we would like our breakfast and gave us some good advice regarding local eateries. We headed back out to explore the local area.
We spent some time wandering the shops in Denmark centre although it was getting near closing time. We also ventured down to Ocean Beach ….
By now our tummies were rumbling so we went in search of food. The first eatery that had been recommended was the Denmark Tavern. We took a look but the place was heaving. Normally we would have taken that as a good sign but it also meant that there were no tables available. Certainly the menu looked very inviting with reasonable prices and it was obviously a popular venue. Sadly this time, not for us.
So then we took ourselves off to the second recommendation, which was a couple of kilometers outside of Denmark, the other side of town. And so we found ourselves at the Boston Brewery. We would definitely eat here again. The staff were friendly, the food was good and the atmosphere warm and friendly. The brews were really good too, just a shame I was driving.
And then it was back to the B&B for a good nights rest. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that good. The rooms don’t have aircon and, despite our hostess assuring us that once the sun went down we would be cool enough, we were hot and sticky all night. This is my only criticism of this charming B&B.
The breakfast was filling and tasty, although the German sausage wasn’t appreciated by all of our party.
Car packed, we bid our farewells and headed back into Denmark to browse the stores again and partake of a coffee before getting underway for Albany.
WrAnTz 