Welcome to the third of our series Twelve Ways to Be in the Garden: an enthusiastic wintering, here in the Southern Hemisphere. See all twelve ways here.
What could be better than seeing a flight of birds in an open garden? Here on the mountain, we are fortunate to see black cockatoos screeching through the air. It’s a special event as these birds only appear in certain parts of Australia. The white sulphur crested cockatoos are quite common and can be quite destructive to cedarwood. They have chewed on our outdoor decking. But they are beautiful, and we love them.
White sulphur crested cockatoos on our old deckingyellow tailed black cockatoo (moonlitsanctuary.com.au)
Other times the garden is delighted by the visitation of king parrots – bright orange and green. They are quite cheeky, coming right up to the window or door in search of seed. The red and blue rosellas always join them for seed as well.
Then there are the ubiquitous magpies – also cheeky but quite lovely and very friendly. A family of magpies come each afternoon on the back ledge and sometimes right up to the kitchen window, again asking for food. They like the cat’s dry food – much to the cat’s annoyance.
magpie friendsrosellasking parrotking parrot
I’m one of those people who doesn’t always look up – at the trees, the sky, the clouds and the birds. Sometimes, the garden chores become so engrossing that I forget to look about, my head cast down to the earth.
Friendly king parrot
This is part of my self awareness process. When I’m in the garden I remind myself to look up, to observe things around me – not just in my garden but when I go for a walk, or visit another place. It’s a simple act to remind myself that there is more to life than chores, work and duty.
You guessed it! This year there were more food trucks but thankfully more begonias too.
Most were tuberous begonias – huge, colourful flowers which die back in late autumn. They must be kept in a dry place until spring so the corm does not rot.
I bought three new plants. Yellow, pink and orange. They were a little more expensive than last year – two for $25AU or $15AU each. Smaller ones were still $10AU. Definitely cheaper than at the garden centres.
The glasshouse is looking very happy at the moment.
February is our hottest month and my birthday month. So it’s hot every day, the garden is basked in sunshine and we go to the beach.
Here are my six February highlights. Join me, no matter the climate in reviewing last month.
(Read to the end as we take a moment to send peace to the world.)
Garden birds. Despite the heat at times, cockatoos, parrots, magpies and kookaburras have been coming to visit. They perch themselves high in the gum trees but also fly down to the back deck in search of treats.
Our resident magpie sometimes brings the whole family!
Kookaburras are nesting in this tree. Can you see her part way in the hollow of the tree trunk?Friendly king parrotBlack cockatoos are rare and when seen in groups, forecast rain.
2. Heatwave. It wouldn’t be February if we didn’t have a heat wave. Temperatures reached over 40°C (104°F) at times. Though January was extreme, it meant last month was drier than ever with the risk of bushfires still uppermost in our minds. See also Fire fighters and Heat is on.
Water sprinklers needed all summer.
3. Beach walks
Most of you know my daughter has moved to the beach. We have travelled to see her and spent time together at the beach. It’s not a beach for swimming. It’s a wild sea which faces Bass Strait which means one would be swept away to Tasmania! However, it’s alluring and mesmerising.
Crested ternsThe dogs love it too!We take our thongs off and go for a long walk
4. Summer fruits
February brings more summer stone fruit and colourful market displays.
5. Summer reading
I enjoyed reading a number of books over summer. Here are my two favourite reads:
Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. Set in 1962 near Bristol, England during the coldest winter on record. It revolves around two families, their connectedness and the impact of the extreme cold on their experiences and life choices. Remarkable writing.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
A series of amusing and captivating letters written to family members, friends and neighbours revealing memories, experiences and growing old. I kept wanting to read on. Delightful.
6. Birthday Workshop
I was treated to a three-hour Kokedama workshop. If you are curious, see my recent post on Kokedama workshop for the experience.
What are your memorable moments this year so far?
In an uncertain world, let us celebrate the precious everyday moments and experiences, as our hearts go out to those caught up in conflict.
Have you heard of kokedama? If you haven’t, chances are you’ve seen these moss balls in garden centres.
Koke means moss and dama means ball. It is a Japanese technique of binding plants in sphagnum moss and then decoratively winding twine around them to create a firm, self contained ball.
Today I attended a three hour workshop to learn how to make these interesting moss balls.
We started out by choosing one large and one small plant. We removed half of its soil and using a mixture of potting mix and sphagnum moss began to apply it to the root to form a larger ball.
This outer ball was then wound with twine and a further layer of sphagnum moss applied.
At this stage it looks quite rough but this is followed by an intricate pattern of tightly bound twine. This was the most difficult part.
It’s not perfect but I’m happy with the result and it was a lot of fun.
I’m enjoying these warm and sunny days. In the afternoons I head to the back deck, lie out and read. Sometimes it’s a novel and other times some House and Garden magazines.
Sometimes, I just gaze out at the tropical blue sky. I don’t live in the tropics anymore, so cloudless sky sends me back to my memories of Queensland.
Fragrant frangipani
It’s a completely different lifestyle in Brisbane where I grew up. There are only two seasons, well possibly only one and a half: hot and humid from September to May with cool nights and warm sunny days in winter – June to August.
The houses are mostly timber with verandah breeze-ways and built high on stilts to capture the afternoon sea breezes.
View from my childhood neighbourhoodMy old family home has now been transformed into a more modern structure.New changes to an old house
We used to sit under the huge mango tree scooping up the fallen fruit and gorging ourselves until we were sorely full.
The biggest event in Brisbane was World Expo ‘88. Now the city is preparing for its first Olympic Games in 2032.
Cities change and people leave or come back but our memories always remain.
Do you still live in the town you grew up and how has it changed?
What was the biggest event held there?
For now, I’m content savouring summer days. Happy Saturday to you all.
I’m visiting my daughter for a few days. As most of you know, I’ve missed her since she moved to the beach.
This is the first time I’ve undertaken the four hour drive on my own. Though not difficult, getting through the Melbourne traffic is always an ordeal. Once on the highway it’s time to put on an audio book and just keep driving.
It was great to see her, the dogs and cats and of course, the wild beach.
High tide and very choppy with seagulls circling!Her cat loves the sand!
We spent some quality time together, chatting and catching up and many walks along the beach.
Morning beach
My daughter loves it here and you can see why. It’s serene and spiritual but also constantly changing. I am so grateful to be able to come down to be with her.
We also visited a delightful fruit shop in the next town.
Vintage fruit crates welcome you in!
Cherries are still in season, so we bought some for our dessert along with strawberries. The vine tomatoes were looking pretty good too!
Follow your Garden Bliss 
