I’ve been in Japan for the past two weeks!
It’s been a dream to come here for quite literally decades and I’m not disappointed.
Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island so far. There’s too much to write about in one blog post so far but I will try to do more later.
I will write more about the Japanese connection to nature ❤️
If I make the time away from just experiencing this magic place.
TIL next time!
Winter has started here. It’s dark by 6pm and the temperature has dropped (a bit).
There is talk that this winter won’t be very cold which is good this year because the ‘day before winter started’ our heater cracked the shits. Typical 😂
There’s still colour in our gardens and public spaces, Eucalypts flower, Camellias Flower, the Crabapple tree has its bright red fruit dangling about to tempt the birdlife.
I’ve got some early (very early!) Jonquils flowering now too. They usually don’t start flowering until much later in the season, mid to late winter. The seasons have definitely changed and this has been evident for quite a few years now.
It remains to be seen if we get some decent rainfall, there’s been a bit so far, but as usual we need a lot more.
Winter can be used as a time to snuggle down and dream of your springtime garden and make plans when it’s too cold or wet to go outside.
Til next time!
Autumn here in Victoria is a special time. On the volcanic plains of Western Victoria, the big skies and beautiful light can be truly spectacular.
Sunrises and sunsets can inspire awe and always make me feel lucky to be able to experience such beauty.
Winter is on its way though, so we have been experiencing misty, foggy mornings.
Seasons changing remind us of the passage of time.
Til next time!
We’re in for another hot day today. A top of 44c here, up to 49c or 50c inland.
I don’t deal with hot well, so I will be staying inside with the air cooler on, I’m just hoping the power stays on.
To fill in time I’m going to start planning my ‘future proof’ garden space.
Exciting! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
TIL next time!
Summer was a bit late starting but it’s here with a vengeance now.
The grass dried off very quickly so was an easy starter for several large fires across Victoria. We were extremely lucky here, the fires that started were put out very quickly.
The grass is brown, the sky is usually blue, unless it’s got a hint of smoke haze. This is still a beautiful place to live ❤️
It will be very hot over this weekend, preparing my fire plan and waiting it out.
TIL next time!
Bird nests are fascinating things. The little feathered creatures that build their own homes have an internal blueprint for how they need to build them.
This nest is a Blackbird nest. Notice the blue piece of nylon entwined into the structure, this is off the twine that holds bales of hay together.
This nest has been sitting empty since last spring, I didn’t know this one was there until the tree was pruned.
I have a few species of birds living in my garden. Blackbirds (introduced), Superb Fairy Wrens, New Holland Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, Silvereyes, and the ubiquitous Common Sparrow (introduced).
The smaller birds have tiny, tiny little nests which I hardly ever find. Finding a bird nest is a delightful peek at the complexity of bird life, a reminder of their industriousness and the importance of protecting our native species.
Til next time!
How do you work out how high your work benches need to be? That depends on a few things.
The first consideration is what you want to do at the bench, are you able to stand? Or do you need to sit down? Are you a wheelchair user?
When you are standing at a workbench you will need to work at a level where your elbows allow your arms to be at 90deg and parallel with the bench surface.
If you are sitting down, or a wheelchair user, your work benches needs to allow your feet to be flat on the floor with your knees at, or below, waist height.
I guess the ideal workspace would have a combination of different height work benches, but that may be out of reach for many.
When designing your workspace list the different types of jobs you will need to do then decide if you need more than one work bench. The best workspaces will make it easy for you to get your jobs done without straining yourself in any way. Gardening is fun!
TIL next time!
*images are AI generated
Australia has many plants which delight us with late winter flowers.
We’ve turned the corner and now we’re heading towards Springtime, the soil will start to warm up and the length of day will become longer.
Both of these things are catalysts for the awakening of the plant world, seeds will have their own requirements for germination and plants will have their own requirements for the production of flowers to begin their reproductive cycle.
Here in SW VIC we’ve had a bit of rain, but we do need more. With any luck Spring will bring with it the Spring rains. Fingers crossed.
Til next time!
Everywhere around us there are trees. Big, impressive trees and not so big, not so impressive trees that sit there quietly doing their thing.
Trees are homes, trees help our world breathe, trees are sometimes good to sit under quietly or, for some of the smaller humans, to climb up noisily shrieking with delight to get so high.
I stopped at a small town called Inverleigh on a drive home, this magnificent tree catches my eye every time. I’m not entirely sure what it is as I haven’t got close to it, but from its domed shape I think it could be a Stone Pine. I’m happy to be corrected.
This tree has been there a long time, I wonder what has happened around it in that time, lots of humans living their relatively short lives I guess.
This beautiful specimen of a Date Palm also catches my eye when I pass by it sitting in its home in a private garden.
The birds love it and there are a variety of them popping in and out of the fronds to their nests almost constantly.
Trees are all around us, take the time to pick out a few that catch your eye, try to find a bit out about them.
TIL next time!
It’s been a while! Life goes on, the seasons turn. It’s winter now after a very dry summer.
A bit of rain has freshened things up, but there’s still a way to go. Here are some pics from yesterday , as is so often the case here in SW VIC, the skies were beautiful.
Til next time 🙂
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