Fayes' Botanic Obsession

Faye · **Posted:** Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:44 pm

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Arrived home today from work to find a dugite fighting for life after being trapped in the bird netting, I wonder if it was a case of he tried to catch the bird that was after the fig, or something like that. Well this one was around 1.6 metres in length according to Michael our in house snake lover. It was very dark compared to the one outside the bedroom last week. It was not as fat as I would have expected either.

Faye · **Posted:** Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:53 pm

The colours of Jandakot can be breathtaking (when the garden gets water. Here is a sample

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I just love the detail of the hydrangea, it is looking worse for wear after days without water. At least they recover quickly.

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Agapanthus are hardy perennials that survive our gutless soils freezing winters and harsh summers.

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This coral gum is a grafted Eucalyptus which was a birthday present from a friend. It reminds me of her when it flowers and it has a resident bag and case moth which likes to play hide and seek.

Simo · **Posted:** Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:38 pm

did the snake survive?

Faye · **Posted:** Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:05 pm

Aah, nuh! 'fraid not Simo.

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Just less than 2 weeks ago I took this picture, I was so pleased with the way the lawn had come on and how good it looked after I mowed it with the (Nocky tractor) John Deere ride on mower. Today its little leaf blades are curled up, my hydrangeas are drooping, the fish tank is low in water and there are snakes everywhere. A Willie Wagtail came in for a visit and chirped away.

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Faye · **Posted:** Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:43 pm

22 year old bore just been replaced and I hear the sound of water once again, music to my ears.

earthbound · **Posted:** Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:20 pm

At least for 12 hours or so perhaps........................ :lol:

Faye · **Posted:** Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:30 pm

Aaah! Just had to sack the latest contender for mowing my lawns. Geez. He did a great job, so I sent an email and said that I had more lawn that required mowing the next time he came which was meant to be 4 weeks from 17th December. The lawn needs mowing and after not receiving a reply I reluctantly rang to find out whats up, not expecting a land line to be answered in the middle of a working day. I told him who I was, (he remembered me) and then went on to tell me that he was feeling knackered, run down, his girlfriend had another job and he had to look after the boy till school went back and business was a little slow. I said I understood we had an agreement and would have expected him to have kept to it or at least contacted me, since I was the one who had to ring him "don't worry about coming back".
Another one bites the dust. Somedays I just can't understand how people run businesses???

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:57 pm

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A recent discovery in the garden is this Racing bark mantis. It cleverly disguises itself on the tee bark although I have seen babies on the shadecloth blinds of my aquaponic system. I have also found the egg sac of a praying mantis on a climbing rose, a long way off the ground, hence no photos yet.

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Today the Whistling kite was circling over head and whistling away, after it went quiet I noticed a rather large bird fly close to the house and quietly land in a tree. Of course I reached for the camera and added the telescopic lens, not a great photo but it was frightened away by a car arriving in the driveway. Grrrr :sad2:

Faye · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:14 am

Twas another very hot day in Perth again and with the expectation of rain I delivered 50kg of blood and bone to feed my plants, well 90% of them anyway. Sounds like a lot and it took ages, but am sure the garden will look better for it in a couple of weeks, it does stink right now though. Well Tia the Staffy had the right idea to keep cool, hope the tadpoles didn't mind too much.

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We have frogs everywhere at the moment and tadpoles in 2 ponds, this pond is getting a clear out and the water lillies should do better with the sunlight now being able to get in.

big worm · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:48 am

Faye wrote:

22 year old bore just been replaced and I hear the sound of water once again, music to my ears.

bore = a well?

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:57 am

big worm wrote:

Faye wrote:

22 year old bore just been replaced and I hear the sound of water once again, music to my ears.

bore = a well?

In ausie a well is about 4 ft diameter and about 20 ft deep a bore is about 8 in dia and can be 400 ft deep modern bores usually have a plastic [pipe] lining

big worm · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:27 pm

we call a shallow well a dug well, most are 24" about 30-40 foot here till you hit the rock...
a drilled well 4" to 6" some times as deep as 500-700 feet is called a punched or a punch well.
i had to have a new well punched here last spring. the well digger hit rock at 33 feet and water at 360' he dug to 400' the water comes into the well at ~25 gpm

Faye · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:44 am

Perth Garden Club are coming here for a meeting in 8 weeks. The garden is getting a make over and heaps of stuff is set to happen this year, hopefully lots in the next 8 weeks.
(1) The pool garden looks like a hangover from the 80's as it is a mix of paving, concrete, dead lawn and plants that don't cope with our extremes. The plan is to pave and make it less maintenance, more useful and beautiful.
(2) Rainwater tank to collect water from the roof- sounds easy just look at the topic rainwater harvesting, lots of research to do, which includes knowing the water use of washing machine, dishwasher, showers, toilets as well as replacing the rusted gutters and putting on the appropriate leaf guards.
(3) Build in a pizza oven.
(4) Chook pens- still on the list, including filling and planting the mega beds. Raised corrugated beds that looked like a good idea at the time.
Longer term includes decking and ensuite renovation, resurface bitumen driveway which is probably 100 metres long, no small task and install waste water treatment system.
Sound like a bit to do and I have to fit it in between my trip to New Zealand??? Melbourne flower show, the garden fair this weekend and Perth Garden week. Mmm
I'd show you the before photos of the garden but I'd be too embarrassed, so only when the afters are ready, all going to plan. Anyhow I'd best get on to it as I only have one day this week to get all those jobs done.
None of the above projects have been started yet :bash:

earthbound · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:00 pm

So what are you doing on here?

Faye · **Posted:** Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:55 pm

earthbound wrote:

So what are you doing on here?

Well it is too hot to work outside and so am researching stuff :thumb:

Then got bored, still too hot so thought I'd do something constructive- just decided it is time to start the bathroom reno or demo? The beginning- a hang over from the 80's :swing: