this is a lousy shot of our hopping mice but -

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

please -. ID fungus and the purple brassica-like ornamental

oranges and citrus are ripe or ripening – fabtab soft lettuce is in abundance – more florence fennel has come up then in any previous year yum – the kohl rabbi have all germinated ??? now how do we eat those?

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

justin said:

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

…

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

can’t find them :(

bluegreen said:

justin said:

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

…

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

can’t find them :(

Ok – thanks for telling me
i’m uploading 12 or so now – but it’s slow – and the ‘hungry jack’ advert being repeated as they upload is annoying.

i thought everyone could see the whole album but apparently not.

lettuces – testing html

rather large photo of orb spider
- thank goodness they weren’t ALL eaten – this might be the only survivor from the thousands that hatched

the fungus that someone might want to ID for me.

the ornamental brassica-like plant i would like IDed.

these are all rather large – i will try to find the clickable thumbnails again.

justin said:

this is a lousy shot of our hopping mice but -

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

or just go here http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m590/twilight_vally1/may12/

roughbarked said:

justin said:

this is a lousy shot of our hopping mice but -

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

or just go here http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m590/twilight_vally1/may12/

good – they are a better size as well.

As to your fungi.. I think it is on this page.. though there are 295 photos to go through.
Local Fungi

^ um.. for that link you;‘ll have to right click, open in new page.

justin said:

the ornamental brassica-like plant i would like IDed.

these are all rather large – i will try to find the clickable thumbnails again.

Isn’t that just Kale?

justin said:

the fungus that someone might want to ID for me.

I don’t know it’s name but doesn’t it puff out yellow spore from the hole?

justin said:

this is a lousy shot of our hopping mice but -

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

please -. ID fungus and the purple brassica-like ornamental

oranges and citrus are ripe or ripening – fabtab soft lettuce is in abundance – more florence fennel has come up then in any previous year yum – the kohl rabbi have all germinated ??? now how do we eat those?

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

So is a hopping mouse a different breed or is it just one you have found at your place?

So is a hopping mouse a different breed or is it just one you have found at your place?

————————

my wife had them in her class room but the regulations were sooo strict that she had to bring them home.

they are desert dwellers but not from our location.

Isn’t that just Kale?

————————————

i have seen white and red ones being sold – without a label – so i don’t know but you could be right.

the fungus pops out of the earth overnight and just sits there like a rock untill it is eaten or eroded. if it does puff yellow smoke i never saw it.

justin said:

Isn’t that just Kale?

————————————

i have seen white and red ones being sold – without a label – so i don’t know but you could be right.

the fungus pops out of the earth overnight and just sits there like a rock untill it is eaten or eroded. if it does puff yellow smoke i never saw it.

I think you have to poke the fungus with your toe or similar and if the spore is ready it puffs out in a cloud. Something similar to how coral releases it’s spore I think.

justin said:

Isn’t that just Kale?

————————————

i have seen white and red ones being sold – without a label – so i don’t know but you could be right.

the fungus pops out of the earth overnight and just sits there like a rock untill it is eaten or eroded. if it does puff yellow smoke i never saw it.

AFAIK kale comes in lots of shapes and colours. I’ve never eaten it or grown it. It’s even use as a decorative plant in display gardens.

pomolo said:

justin said:

the fungus that someone might want to ID for me.

I don’t know it’s name but doesn’t it puff out yellow spore from the hole?

Always been “puffballs” in my family :)

pomolo said:

So is a hopping mouse a different breed or is it just one you have found at your place?

Also, do you need a special licence to have one as a pet? WHERE CAN I GET ONE? :)

justin said:

rather large photo of orb spider
- thank goodness they weren’t ALL eaten – this might be the only survivor from the thousands that hatched

I have what looks like baby jewel spiders on my verandah railing, but there are a lot less now than there were to start with.

justin said:

the fungus that someone might want to ID for me.

looks like some sort of puff ball to me. did it come up where you laid some straw? I had some large brown flat fungus grow where I had mulched around my fruit trees which when disturbed released clouds of spores.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

this is a lousy shot of our hopping mice but -

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

or just go here http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m590/twilight_vally1/may12/

there was only 1 picture there last time I looked, but maybe they were still being uploaded?

bon008 said:

pomolo said:

So is a hopping mouse a different breed or is it just one you have found at your place?

Also, do you need a special licence to have one as a pet? WHERE CAN I GET ONE? :)

they are cute – these were given to ms j – surplus stock from a govn breeding programme ???
i’ll ask her.

pomolo said:

justin said:

the ornamental brassica-like plant i would like IDed.

Isn’t that just Kale?

there are lots of different varieties of kale, some ornamental and some that are considered edible.

justin said:

bon008 said:

pomolo said:

So is a hopping mouse a different breed or is it just one you have found at your place?

Also, do you need a special licence to have one as a pet? WHERE CAN I GET ONE? :)

they are cute – these were given to ms j – surplus stock from a govn breeding programme ???
i’ll ask her.

Don’t go to any trouble – if I’m being sensible it’s not a good time to expand my menagerie :(

justin said:

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

please -. ID fungus and the purple brassica-like ornamental

oranges and citrus are ripe or ripening – fabtab soft lettuce is in abundance – more florence fennel has come up then in any previous year yum – the kohl rabbi have all germinated ??? now how do we eat those?

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

Wow, bad directions! ROFL! But I got there by right clicking, then ‘open link in new tab’, then go to album. Nothing like what you said, LOL!
My guess, puffball and kale.

hortfurball said:

justin said:

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

please -. ID fungus and the purple brassica-like ornamental

oranges and citrus are ripe or ripening – fabtab soft lettuce is in abundance – more florence fennel has come up then in any previous year yum – the kohl rabbi have all germinated ??? now how do we eat those?

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

Wow, bad directions! ROFL! But I got there by right clicking, then ‘open link in new tab’, then go to album. Nothing like what you said, LOL!
My guess, puffball and kale.

Seems everybody else agrees :)

roughbarked said:

As to your fungi.. I think it is on this page.. though there are 295 photos to go through.
Local Fungi

i’m still looking -
this thing is more megalithic – less spherical – than most puffballs and those fungi on scribbly seem to be like patty cakes.
any rate – that’s a terrific fungi foto resource thanks.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

rather large photo of orb spider
- thank goodness they weren’t ALL eaten – this might be the only survivor from the thousands that hatched

I have what looks like baby jewel spiders on my verandah railing, but there are a lot less now than there were to start with.

the spider was gone this morning – so here’s hoping it is tucked away safely somewhere.

hortfurball said:

hortfurball said:

justin said:

if you right click on the photo and
- left click on ‘go to my pictures’

- then scroll down to the 2012 – 05 -08 album
- left click on album and then left click on slideshow

please -. ID fungus and the purple brassica-like ornamental

oranges and citrus are ripe or ripening – fabtab soft lettuce is in abundance – more florence fennel has come up then in any previous year yum – the kohl rabbi have all germinated ??? now how do we eat those?

- there are 60 new shots taken today.

Wow, bad directions! ROFL! But I got there by right clicking, then ‘open link in new tab’, then go to album. Nothing like what you said, LOL!
My guess, puffball and kale.

Seems everybody else agrees :)

scleroderma paradoxum seems the closest so far. i do know puff balls but this one is more like a solid megalith that has emerged – alienlike from the ground.

kale seems right – i never thought of that ….the directions i gave opened up all 60 shots on my computer – obviously it is the ‘home’ computer, in this case, and p’bucket performs differently here to its performance on your ‘satelite’ puters -

citrus time here

oranges – 4 trees and approx 1,000 fruit – yipes – wine and melomel – what else?
limes – only 300 little ones because the cold summer tricked me into not watering enough

mandarins – japanese seedless – taste great and won’t last.
bluddy lemons – a bit small – but hundreds of them – what do you do?

justin said:

citrus time here

oranges – 4 trees and approx 1,000 fruit – yipes – wine and melomel – what else?
limes – only 300 little ones because the cold summer tricked me into not watering enough

mandarins – japanese seedless – taste great and won’t last.
bluddy lemons – a bit small – but hundreds of them – what do you do?

and the pictures?

a bucket of navel oranges

can you guess how many oranges in the bucket?

( psst HP – so far the 3 hour old juice is ok – particularly with vodka! – hic!)

shots of my citrus

P1 – lemon
P2 – right hand side – the tahitian lime in mid field – kaffir lime extreme right – navel left opposite tahitian
P3 – close up of tahitian limes
P4 – japanese mandarins

P1 – snow and sugar snap peas – just ready for foraging
P2 – from the front – ruby chard – kohl rabi – florence fennel with the ferny leaves and mixed lettuce
P3 – broccoli -
P4 – celery and more broc.

looks like you are going to be eating well this season :)

lastly but not leastly

P1 – chooks set free into summer garden today
P2 – huntington red salvia i do believe
P3 – ?
P4 – the kale that P IDed last time i was here

bluegreen said:

looks like you are going to be eating well this season :)

that mixed lettuce is heaven – all you need is something like breadcrumbed tofu or haloumi cheese with fresh picked lettuce – and dinner is served.

justin said:

a bucket of navel oranges

can you guess how many oranges in the bucket?

( psst HP – so far the 3 hour old juice is ok – particularly with vodka! – hic!)

Perfectly coloured bucket to show off your oranges. I bet you planned that.

justin said:

shots of my citrus

P1 – lemon
P2 – right hand side – the tahitian lime in mid field – kaffir lime extreme right – navel left opposite tahitian
P3 – close up of tahitian limes
P4 – japanese mandarins

Those Mandys look beaut.

justin said:

a bucket of navel oranges

can you guess how many oranges in the bucket?

( psst HP – so far the 3 hour old juice is ok – particularly with vodka! – hic!)

The best way to enjoy it!

There’s 78 oranges in the tub, lol.

I wouldn’t call those limes small, they look fine to me.

justin said:

lastly but not leastly

P1 – chooks set free into summer garden today
P2 – huntington red salvia i do believe
P3 – ?
P4 – the kale that P IDed last time i was here

Trumpet lillies, P3. Very pretty one too.

Happy Potter said:

justin said:

lastly but not leastly

P1 – chooks set free into summer garden today
P2 – huntington red salvia i do believe
P3 – ?
P4 – the kale that P IDed last time i was here

Trumpet lillies, P3. Very pretty one too.

Are we saying that those pink flowers are Liliums? The basal strappy leaves above the flowers didn’t look like Lilium leaves to me but I’m no authority. I actually had to look twice at the dandelion below the flower at first to make sure it wasn’t coming from there. I’ve never heard of Liliums referred to as trumpet flowers before. Can someone enlighten me please?

those flower in P3 are nerines.

pomolo said:

Are we saying that those pink flowers are Liliums? The basal strappy leaves above the flowers didn’t look like Lilium leaves to me but I’m no authority. I actually had to look twice at the dandelion below the flower at first to make sure it wasn’t coming from there. I’ve never heard of Liliums referred to as trumpet flowers before. Can someone enlighten me please?

I looked them both up and they look like nerines, not trumpet lilies. sorry HP, but I think you are wrong this time!

justin said:

those flower in P3 are nerines.

Well there you go.

bluegreen said:

pomolo said:

Are we saying that those pink flowers are Liliums? The basal strappy leaves above the flowers didn’t look like Lilium leaves to me but I’m no authority. I actually had to look twice at the dandelion below the flower at first to make sure it wasn’t coming from there. I’ve never heard of Liliums referred to as trumpet flowers before. Can someone enlighten me please?

I looked them both up and they look like nerines, not trumpet lilies. sorry HP, but I think you are wrong this time!

You’re right of course :) I’ve just always known them as trumpet lillies.

Happy Potter said:

justin said:

a bucket of navel oranges

can you guess how many oranges in the bucket?

( psst HP – so far the 3 hour old juice is ok – particularly with vodka! – hic!)

The best way to enjoy it!

There’s 78 oranges in the tub, lol.

there was 90 oranges in the colour contrasting tub.

HP is the winner – yeah – first on effort as always.

my first pecan and the demijohn with orange melomel

who gets to eat the pecan? lol!

bluegreen said:

who gets to eat the pecan? lol!

chuckle – my daughter has put in a request – but it has a firm hold still.

do i cut these asparagus shoots to the ground?

justin said:

do i cut these asparagus shoots to the ground?

they look ready to cut down to me.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

do i cut these asparagus shoots to the ground?

they look ready to cut down to me.

thanks BG – i guess its a good time to pile on the mulch as well.

Photo1 – can you ID this tree?
hint – it has a symbiotic relationship with the fungi-like creatures in photo2

P1 – this year’s harvest of sweet potatoes from 6 plants – not good – but this is not the climate
P2 – two bannanas transplanted into pots and doing ok despite the frosty mornings
P3 – spot the creature!
P4 – as pretty as flowers

justin said:

Photo1 – can you ID this tree?
hint – it has a symbiotic relationship with the fungi-like creatures in photo2

Haha :) I was always trying to convince my OH to get a bottle tree when he did homebrew.. drove me mad having wet bottles balanced upside down all over the kitchen bench! One little slip and over they all went..

bon008 said:

justin said:

Photo1 – can you ID this tree?
hint – it has a symbiotic relationship with the fungi-like creatures in photo2

Haha :) I was always trying to convince my OH to get a bottle tree when he did homebrew.. drove me mad having wet bottles balanced upside down all over the kitchen bench! One little slip and over they all went..

correct.
they are handy – sanitising bottles is the main task of the home brewer.

justin said:

Photo1 – can you ID this tree?
hint – it has a symbiotic relationship with the fungi-like creatures in photo2

Lager Tree?

justin said:

P1 – this year’s harvest of sweet potatoes from 6 plants – not good – but this is not the climate
P2 – two bannanas transplanted into pots and doing ok despite the frosty mornings
P3 – spot the creature!
P4 – as pretty as flowers

We’ve got our fair share of those critters too.

painmaster said:

justin said:

Photo1 – can you ID this tree?
hint – it has a symbiotic relationship with the fungi-like creatures in photo2

Lager Tree?

And that rhymes with lavatory where you end up if you drink too much. lol.

pomolo said:

justin said:

P1 – this year’s harvest of sweet potatoes from 6 plants – not good – but this is not the climate
P2 – two bannanas transplanted into pots and doing ok despite the frosty mornings
P3 – spot the creature!
P4 – as pretty as flowers

We’ve got our fair share of those critters too.

The cold has killed the rodents – at last.
Funny that grasshoppers have stayed? Where do they sleep in this cold weather?

justin said:

The cold has killed the rodents – at last.

not here, I catch a little grey furry critter ever couple of days and have spotted them in the hen house.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

The cold has killed the rodents – at last.

not here, I catch a little grey furry critter ever couple of days and have spotted them in the hen house.

….but the plague is over….?

there’s been the longest lasting plague i can remember – farmers conplaining that they killed their cats because they had to bait – and the cats ate the poisoned mice – that’s been ongoing for more than a year now…

justin said:

bluegreen said:

justin said:

The cold has killed the rodents – at last.

not here, I catch a little grey furry critter ever couple of days and have spotted them in the hen house.

….but the plague is over….?

there’s been the longest lasting plague i can remember – farmers conplaining that they killed their cats because they had to bait – and the cats ate the poisoned mice – that’s been ongoing for more than a year now…

I knew about the plague, yes. Not that it was over, although there is likely to be much less food this time of year once the crops have been harvested. I am sure there are still some around to start breeding again next season.

broccoli, celery, peas and spuds with savoy cabbage , parsley and garlic to the rear.
which reminds me – i should plant more garlic

red cabbage and ruby chard out in the front yard
kohl rabi and florence fennel forming in the backyard

the steamy old compost heap – the heavy footed chooks in the summer garden – kohl rabi, fennel and lettuce.

I am soooooo jealous of the productivity of your winter garden. I have tiny seedlings going nowhere and half eaten (by calves) leeks and garlic. having more than one bed is definitely a must so that I can get the winter veg going before the summer crop is finished.

bluegreen said:

I am soooooo jealous of the productivity of your winter garden. I have tiny seedlings going nowhere and half eaten (by calves) leeks and garlic. having more than one bed is definitely a must so that I can get the winter veg going before the summer crop is finished.

i’ve been here 7 years – so you’re forgiven in your first year. fences and good soil take time.

lots of fungi after rain
the first two shots are edible mushrooms – i think
the bottom photo is that orange tree eater

i think this is lichen – does anyone know for sure?
it’s growing on roadside gravel

Love the bottom photo.

I’m getting a new camera next month. My first digital SLR. The the elf and I can take some trip around our beautiful city and area and have some bonding sessions with our cameras.

Lucky1 said:

Love the bottom photo.

I’m getting a new camera next month. My first digital SLR. The the elf and I can take some trip around our beautiful city and area and have some bonding sessions with our cameras.

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

justin said:

i think this is lichen – does anyone know for sure?
it’s growing on roadside gravel

moss, I reckon.

Lichen is drier and flatter looking

justin said:

Lucky1 said:

Love the bottom photo.

I’m getting a new camera next month. My first digital SLR. The the elf and I can take some trip around our beautiful city and area and have some bonding sessions with our cameras.

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

Morning yourself:)

I’m getting a Nikon D3100 and it comes with 2 lenses. Very egg-cited about it too.

Lucky1 said:

justin said:

Lucky1 said:

Love the bottom photo.

I’m getting a new camera next month. My first digital SLR. The the elf and I can take some trip around our beautiful city and area and have some bonding sessions with our cameras.

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

Morning yourself:)

I’m getting a Nikon D3100 and it comes with 2 lenses. Very egg-cited about it too.

nothing like a new toy :)

bluegreen said:

justin said:

i think this is lichen – does anyone know for sure?
it’s growing on roadside gravel

moss, I reckon.

Lichen is drier and flatter looking

I agree with BG.

bluegreen said:

Lucky1 said:

justin said:

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

Morning yourself:)

I’m getting a Nikon D3100 and it comes with 2 lenses. Very egg-cited about it too.

nothing like a new toy :)

Yes and I don’t get them very often….lol. Next on the wish list is a macro lens.

yes it is moss in your picture, pepe.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

i think this is lichen – does anyone know for sure?
it’s growing on roadside gravel

moss, I reckon.

Lichen is drier and flatter looking

many thanks – moss it is

Lucky1 said:

justin said:

Lucky1 said:

Love the bottom photo.

I’m getting a new camera next month. My first digital SLR. The the elf and I can take some trip around our beautiful city and area and have some bonding sessions with our cameras.

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

Morning yourself:)

I’m getting a Nikon D3100 and it comes with 2 lenses. Very egg-cited about it too.

OK – you are pretty good at buying the right techno stuff – like that brilliant printer you had.

justin said:

Lucky1 said:

justin said:

morning lucky
the canon i bought in NZ dec.2010 is still pleasing me. it does what it can to correct my photographic slackness.
mind you – the new mobile phones have got good cameras nowadays.

Morning yourself:)

I’m getting a Nikon D3100 and it comes with 2 lenses. Very egg-cited about it too.

OK – you are pretty good at buying the right techno stuff – like that brilliant printer you had.

Thanks:)

g’day
i’m clearing some old garden beds next to the lemon verbena and i’m amazed at the number of new plants the clearing could generate. yucca gloriosa, lemon balm and creeping boobiala all throw innumerable root cuttings. i have potted up 12 of each but now i’m running short of 4 inch pots.
the peas i planted on the north side of the tank have been overrun by marshmellow and stinging nettle. i will weed the lot and transfer the trellis and salvagable peas to the l. verbena new patch.

all this is because i want about 100 good strawb plants this year – and the runners will go where the peas were. so that should be as clear as mud to you all lol.
i have finally composted the asparagus and planted three types of spud.

justin said:

g’day
i’m clearing some old garden beds next to the lemon verbena and i’m amazed at the number of new plants the clearing could generate. yucca gloriosa, lemon balm and creeping boobiala all throw innumerable root cuttings. i have potted up 12 of each but now i’m running short of 4 inch pots.
the peas i planted on the north side of the tank have been overrun by marshmellow and stinging nettle. i will weed the lot and transfer the trellis and salvagable peas to the l. verbena new patch.

all this is because i want about 100 good strawb plants this year – and the runners will go where the peas were. so that should be as clear as mud to you all lol.
i have finally composted the asparagus and planted three types of spud.

Strawberry wine next season ‘eh?

pomolo said:

justin said:

g’day
i’m clearing some old garden beds next to the lemon verbena and i’m amazed at the number of new plants the clearing could generate. yucca gloriosa, lemon balm and creeping boobiala all throw innumerable root cuttings. i have potted up 12 of each but now i’m running short of 4 inch pots.
the peas i planted on the north side of the tank have been overrun by marshmellow and stinging nettle. i will weed the lot and transfer the trellis and salvagable peas to the l. verbena new patch.

all this is because i want about 100 good strawb plants this year – and the runners will go where the peas were. so that should be as clear as mud to you all lol.
i have finally composted the asparagus and planted three types of spud.

Strawberry wine next season ‘eh?

strawbs get eagerly eaten from the first berry through to about november some time. after that i get left with all the picking.
so – yeah – if we get excess crop leading up to xmas – and we can quickly pick,clean, mash and get into a free demijohn – we will get some wine.
strawbs have virtually no shelf life so it’s always a panic to process them before they go mouldy.

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

g’day
i’m clearing some old garden beds next to the lemon verbena and i’m amazed at the number of new plants the clearing could generate. yucca gloriosa, lemon balm and creeping boobiala all throw innumerable root cuttings. i have potted up 12 of each but now i’m running short of 4 inch pots.
the peas i planted on the north side of the tank have been overrun by marshmellow and stinging nettle. i will weed the lot and transfer the trellis and salvagable peas to the l. verbena new patch.

all this is because i want about 100 good strawb plants this year – and the runners will go where the peas were. so that should be as clear as mud to you all lol.
i have finally composted the asparagus and planted three types of spud.

Strawberry wine next season ‘eh?

strawbs get eagerly eaten from the first berry through to about november some time. after that i get left with all the picking.
so – yeah – if we get excess crop leading up to xmas – and we can quickly pick,clean, mash and get into a free demijohn – we will get some wine.
strawbs have virtually no shelf life so it’s always a panic to process them before they go mouldy.

I won’t grow strawberries anymore because you need such a big amount of plants to make it worthwhile.

Good luck with your grove/plantatation. What ever it’s called.

a couple more types of fungi.
the top one is in a pot and the bottom two shots are of a tiny white toadstool type in the driveway.

the strawberry beds being prepared. they will be inside the fencing this year because we have a rabbit problem. also we have a soursob problem – so there might be black plastic mulch.
broccoli – does anyone recognise the slight discolouring of the flowerhead? what is it?
my composted asparagus and perrenial basil.

pomolo said:

justin said:

pomolo said:

Strawberry wine next season ‘eh?

strawbs get eagerly eaten from the first berry through to about november some time. after that i get left with all the picking.
so – yeah – if we get excess crop leading up to xmas – and we can quickly pick,clean, mash and get into a free demijohn – we will get some wine.
strawbs have virtually no shelf life so it’s always a panic to process them before they go mouldy.

I won’t grow strawberries anymore because you need such a big amount of plants to make it worthwhile.

Good luck with your grove/plantatation. What ever it’s called.

a strawberry patch i think?
80 plants is less than last year’s 120.

i’m hoping better care/weeding/watering will yield about the same amount.

P1 – these fungii are growing at the base of a dead ‘golden ash’ stump
P2 – i have planted my 80 strawberry runners – drip line and pine needle mulch to come.
P3 – rule #1 – keep the crowns of the s’berries above the ground

justin said:

P1 – these fungii are growing at the base of a dead ‘golden ash’ stump
P2 – i have planted my 80 strawberry runners – drip line and pine needle mulch to come.
P3 – rule #1 – keep the crowns of the s’berries above the ground

You’re clever.

P1 – we picked 6 of these recently and the secondary heads look good. this one weighs about 400gms.
P2 – fennel is mainly being sliced thin in salads
P3 – peas – ‘fresh’ is redefined by foraging these peas. we have been picking a handful a day for over a month now
P4 – kohl rabi is used in soups and pasties as a turnip substitute and is also sliced thin in salads

lettuce, spuds, broad beans and kale.
notice how the leaves are untouched.??? good soil, good season?
its not normal to be so free of bugs – so i’m presuming the predators are on top of their game at present.

the imperial mandy – our first good crop
wine barrels for the truffle trees
i have proved we can’t grow good bananas here
the stevias are still growing – and the capers are too – just.

justin said:

P1 – we picked 6 of these recently and the secondary heads look good. this one weighs about 400gms.
P2 – fennel is mainly being sliced thin in salads
P3 – peas – ‘fresh’ is redefined by foraging these peas. we have been picking a handful a day for over a month now
P4 – kohl rabi is used in soups and pasties as a turnip substitute and is also sliced thin in salads

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

justin said:

lettuce, spuds, broad beans and kale.
notice how the leaves are untouched.??? good soil, good season?
its not normal to be so free of bugs – so i’m presuming the predators are on top of their game at present.

They look good. Our potatoes are about to go in and the broad beans will be setting pods soon. (I hope)

justin said:

the imperial mandy – our first good crop
wine barrels for the truffle trees
i have proved we can’t grow good bananas here
the stevias are still growing – and the capers are too – just.

What are truffle trees? Where did you get your Stevia plant please?

pomolo said:

justin said:

the imperial mandy – our first good crop
wine barrels for the truffle trees
i have proved we can’t grow good bananas here
the stevias are still growing – and the capers are too – just.

What are truffle trees? Where did you get your Stevia plant please?

you can buy oak or ash trees that have been injected with the truffle spores. they are spose to produce truffles throughout their life time. some commercial orchards are planted in australia. they are available online for a third of the price we paid in a nursery.
stevia were in little pots from the nursery. B have them as well. we failed three times to grow the stevia before these ones on a well drained north face succeeded.

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

—————————————————————————

that would indicate that your mountain hideaway is certainly a temperate clime.

we are having the broc, peas, celery and cabbage in a peanut sauce tonight. has to be good for one.

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

the imperial mandy – our first good crop
wine barrels for the truffle trees
i have proved we can’t grow good bananas here
the stevias are still growing – and the capers are too – just.

What are truffle trees? Where did you get your Stevia plant please?

you can buy oak or ash trees that have been injected with the truffle spores. they are spose to produce truffles throughout their life time. some commercial orchards are planted in australia. they are available online for a third of the price we paid in a nursery.
stevia were in little pots from the nursery. B have them as well. we failed three times to grow the stevia before these ones on a well drained north face succeeded.

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

justin said:

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

—————————————————————————

that would indicate that your mountain hideaway is certainly a temperate clime.

we are having the broc, peas, celery and cabbage in a peanut sauce tonight. has to be good for one.

No we’re not temperate here. Definately sub tropical although we get frosts in winter.

We had beetroot, brocollini and spinach with our dinner so Na na na na na.

Cool pics, thanks for sharing!

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

the imperial mandy – our first good crop
wine barrels for the truffle trees
i have proved we can’t grow good bananas here
the stevias are still growing – and the capers are too – just.

What are truffle trees? Where did you get your Stevia plant please?

you can buy oak or ash trees that have been injected with the truffle spores. they are spose to produce truffles throughout their life time. some commercial orchards are planted in australia. they are available online for a third of the price we paid in a nursery.
stevia were in little pots from the nursery. B have them as well. we failed three times to grow the stevia before these ones on a well drained north face succeeded.

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

Great pics Justin :D
I haven’t been online much the past few weeks, but I note your banana plant didn’t work out. Good luck with the truffle trees though, they sound a great idea.

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

———————————-

thinking back I bought some from a big hardware chain “Stra…” for $2 each. we tend to forget that Mten and Str..co. are very big hardware stores and B is johnny-come-lately.

pomolo said:

justin said:

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

—————————————————————————

that would indicate that your mountain hideaway is certainly a temperate clime.

we are having the broc, peas, celery and cabbage in a peanut sauce tonight. has to be good for one.

No we’re not temperate here. Definately sub tropical although we get frosts in winter.

We had beetroot, brocollini and spinach with our dinner so Na na na na na.

i don’t get the planting regimes for tropical and subtropical. i have tried but i just don’t compute.
(mumble, mumble – looks like temperate to me…lol)

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

Happy Potter said:

Great pics Justin :D
I haven’t been online much the past few weeks, but I note your banana plant didn’t work out. Good luck with the truffle trees though, they sound a great idea.

we had an almost frost this morning. the banananans tend to shrink on these mornings.

justin said:

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

———————————-

thinking back I bought some from a big hardware chain “Stra…” for $2 each. we tend to forget that Mten and Str..co. are very big hardware stores and B is johnny-come-lately.

I know B and Mten but you got me with Stra. I will just keep my eyes open for one as I do over any plant sales etc.

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

—————————————————————————

that would indicate that your mountain hideaway is certainly a temperate clime.

we are having the broc, peas, celery and cabbage in a peanut sauce tonight. has to be good for one.

No we’re not temperate here. Definately sub tropical although we get frosts in winter.

We had beetroot, brocollini and spinach with our dinner so Na na na na na.

i don’t get the planting regimes for tropical and subtropical. i have tried but i just don’t compute.
(mumble, mumble – looks like temperate to me…lol)

We’re not too up with it either. The weather at the time indicates a lot of when we plant. The spuds were starting to shoot so that’s why they went in.

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

We are eating fennel, peas and broccolini as well.

—————————————————————————

that would indicate that your mountain hideaway is certainly a temperate clime.

we are having the broc, peas, celery and cabbage in a peanut sauce tonight. has to be good for one.

No we’re not temperate here. Definately sub tropical although we get frosts in winter.

We had beetroot, brocollini and spinach with our dinner so Na na na na na.

i don’t get the planting regimes for tropical and subtropical. i have tried but i just don’t compute.
(mumble, mumble – looks like temperate to me…lol)

Don’t ask for my opinion… when I lived in Luckyland, friends from Newcastle called themselves sub-tropics because their summers were getting wetter. I always considered Luckyland to be Temperate Mediterranean climate. Now I live in Towntown, I consider myself in Dry-tropics, but I really call it Temperate Winter and Useless Summer. I would call Tully, Innisfail, Cairns, Darwin and Broome the only true Tropical regions in Australia.

justin said:

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

pomolo said:

justin said:

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

———————————-

thinking back I bought some from a big hardware chain “Stra…” for $2 each. we tend to forget that Mten and Str..co. are very big hardware stores and B is johnny-come-lately.

I know B and Mten but you got me with Stra. I will just keep my eyes open for one as I do over any plant sales etc.

I don’t think we have Stratco up here in Qbilly country.

pain master said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

———————————-

thinking back I bought some from a big hardware chain “Stra…” for $2 each. we tend to forget that Mten and Str..co. are very big hardware stores and B is johnny-come-lately.

I know B and Mten but you got me with Stra. I will just keep my eyes open for one as I do over any plant sales etc.

I don’t think we have Stratco up here in Qbilly country.

never heard of it myself

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

pomolo said:

I know B and Mten but you got me with Stra. I will just keep my eyes open for one as I do over any plant sales etc.

I don’t think we have Stratco up here in Qbilly country.

never heard of it myself

I think it is a Sozzie thing.

pain master said:

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

I don’t think we have Stratco up here in Qbilly country.

never heard of it myself

I think it is a Sozzie thing.

although the Queensland Reds are sponsored by Stratco.

pain master said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

I might try to get a Stevia. Could be interesting. Could only find them available on Diggers site. Not much on the web for up here though.

———————————-

thinking back I bought some from a big hardware chain “Stra…” for $2 each. we tend to forget that Mten and Str..co. are very big hardware stores and B is johnny-come-lately.

I know B and Mten but you got me with Stra. I will just keep my eyes open for one as I do over any plant sales etc.

I don’t think we have Stratco up here in Qbilly country.

Do too.

but I really call it Temperate Winter and Useless Summer

———————————————

chuckle – still confused ? yep LOL.

do you remember clare? the town not the blonde!
..anyrate the township of clare has the most unexpected climate – colder than the desert of late and then with north winds that both cook and freeze. i haven’t studied it, but when i do look at its temperatures, they are further from adelaides then any other town in the state – there’s a very strong microclimate in the clare valley.
i think of towntown as tropical but hey – you live there.

pain master said:

justin said:

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

justin said:

but I really call it Temperate Winter and Useless Summer

———————————————

chuckle – still confused ? yep LOL.

do you remember clare? the town not the blonde!
..anyrate the township of clare has the most unexpected climate – colder than the desert of late and then with north winds that both cook and freeze. i haven’t studied it, but when i do look at its temperatures, they are further from adelaides then any other town in the state – there’s a very strong microclimate in the clare valley.
i think of towntown as tropical but hey – you live there.

I’ve travelled through the Clare Valley and I agree..

justin said:

pain master said:

justin said:

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

pain master said:

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

ok – so that’s the cold coastal south of new south wales.
never been there – it’s on my lists of must see before i go.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

ok – so that’s the cold coastal south of new south wales.
never been there – it’s on my lists of must see before i go.

Nothing coastal about the upper reaches of the Tuross.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

ok – so that’s the cold coastal south of new south wales.
never been there – it’s on my lists of must see before i go.

Nothing coastal about the upper reaches of the Tuross.

well, it is on the coastal side ..

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

ok – so that’s the cold coastal south of new south wales.
never been there – it’s on my lists of must see before i go.

Nothing coastal about the upper reaches of the Tuross.

i googled earthed it – must see it – quite a big and beautiful area with mountains and not far from canberra – so cold. truffle hunting is a winter or summer sport?

justin said:

pain master said:

justin said:

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

We have a few commercial operations in south-west WA, too.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

ok – so that’s the cold coastal south of new south wales.
never been there – it’s on my lists of must see before i go.

Nothing coastal about the upper reaches of the Tuross.

i googled earthed it – must see it – quite a big and beautiful area with mountains and not far from canberra – so cold. truffle hunting is a winter or summer sport?

Just happened to read an article about truffle harvesting this morning!

http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-news/Bounty-of-black-gold/7627485/

June to August is harvesting time over here..

justin said:

but I really call it Temperate Winter and Useless Summer

———————————————

chuckle – still confused ? yep LOL.

do you remember clare? the town not the blonde!
..anyrate the township of clare has the most unexpected climate – colder than the desert of late and then with north winds that both cook and freeze. i haven’t studied it, but when i do look at its temperatures, they are further from adelaides then any other town in the state – there’s a very strong microclimate in the clare valley.
i think of towntown as tropical but hey – you live there.

I do recall Clare and the beautiful wines made by Pikes and a man named Jim Barry, spectacular Rieslings. Clare’s microclimate is what makes their wines so unique to South Australia and it is well worth keeping an eye on in order just to see what vintages are going to be crackers and which will end up being average.

justin said:

pain master said:

justin said:

Good luck with the Truffle trees… you sure those barrels will be big enough?

————————————————————————————-

2-5 years. these came as a bit of a shock to me but the daughter just had to have one. now she’s buying us one each for xmas.
we have no idea where they will end up because – she has no land and – we are wondering where they will grow – being sub-temperate trees.

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

They do come from Tassie. I do believe that some Victorians in the High Country are venturing into truffles. I had a Black Truffle Risotto at Jamie Oliver’s Restaurant in Sydney, back in March. I enjoyed it immensely.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

pain master said:

she needs to move up to Stirling. Weather there or in Ashton would be ideal Truffle climates.

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

He’s up the what?

pain master said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

i’ve never eaten a truffle but those on sale come from tassie.

A friend of mine has a truffle farm. He’s up the Tuross.

He’s up the what?

Tuross River

bon008 said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Nothing coastal about the upper reaches of the Tuross.

i googled earthed it – must see it – quite a big and beautiful area with mountains and not far from canberra – so cold. truffle hunting is a winter or summer sport?

Just happened to read an article about truffle harvesting this morning!

http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-news/Bounty-of-black-gold/7627485/

June to August is harvesting time over here..

ok thanks bon. not sure that thats a good time for justin – he’s more of a fair weather sort of traveller – we’ll see.

I do recall Clare and the beautiful wines made by Pikes and a man named Jim Barry, spectacular Rieslings. Clare’s microclimate is what makes their wines so unique to South Australia and it is well worth keeping an eye on in order just to see what vintages are going to be crackers and which will end up being average.

————————————————-

the canterbury area of the south island nz has somewhat swamped the white wine market here at present.

the reislings of clare are superb but so are the kiwis – for half the price – Beaut $5 whites – i wonder how long that will last?
i tasted jim barry – v’good.

justin said:

I do recall Clare and the beautiful wines made by Pikes and a man named Jim Barry, spectacular Rieslings. Clare’s microclimate is what makes their wines so unique to South Australia and it is well worth keeping an eye on in order just to see what vintages are going to be crackers and which will end up being average.

————————————————-

the canterbury area of the south island nz has somewhat swamped the white wine market here at present.

the reislings of clare are superb but so are the kiwis – for half the price – Beaut $5 whites – i wonder how long that will last?
i tasted jim barry – v’good.

NZ’s glut of white (especially Sauvignon Blanc) reeks of the great Shiraz glut of the Barossa of my youth, when Viogniers were paid to destroy their vineyards. Only to discover later that the world’s oldest Syrah vines were left standing at Jacob’s Crack and now have been exported around the world so that Californians, the Argentines, the Portugese and even the French could have some true Shiraz.

spring has started to sprung
the third one is almond blossum – the rest you’ll know – sing out if you need ID

more spring action

and a fair bit of action in the native world as well – river red gum recovering from near death – old man’s beard (clematis) – and a casuarina raining red seed pods

justin said:

spring has started to sprung
the third one is almond blossum – the rest you’ll know – sing out if you need ID

Lovely photos. The almond trees just down the road from us are in flower:)

P1 – an eremophila (sp?) i caught a fly in this shot – in another shot i caught a helicopter
P2 – lettuce
P3 – celery

i have asparagus sprouting as well – is that early ?

Early for asparagus here. I have about three spears up, the first went up about a month ago and I decided not to pick it. The earliest I’ve had previously was last week of July. But I wouldn’t really expect to be seriously picking until late August.

buffy said:

Early for asparagus here. I have about three spears up, the first went up about a month ago and I decided not to pick it. The earliest I’ve had previously was last week of July. But I wouldn’t really expect to be seriously picking until late August.

I’ve only got two up. But ok you’ve got twenty plants and I’ve got ten.
Beaut news thanks buffy. Whooo hooo asparagus recipes dusted off.

justin said:

buffy said:

Early for asparagus here. I have about three spears up, the first went up about a month ago and I decided not to pick it. The earliest I’ve had previously was last week of July. But I wouldn’t really expect to be seriously picking until late August.

I’ve only got two up. But ok you’ve got twenty plants and I’ve got ten.
Beaut news thanks buffy. Whooo hooo asparagus recipes dusted off.

Love asparagus:)

I just picked 4 spears and chopped down the one that I’d let run. Because I want them to make me spears, not leaves at the moment.

buffy said:

I just picked 4 spears and chopped down the one that I’d let run. Because I want them to make me spears, not leaves at the moment.

congrats – none of mine are pickable yet. we are definitely hotter than hamilton – so the age of the plants must be more important for fruiting than the climate is?

your dragon collection looks great btw. put bowls of water around the garden with a dragon guarding each.

Yes, they are usually guarding water dishes. I must get up into the ferns and do a tidy-up so they can do their normal duty again.

Hello gardeners. I have spent the morning weeding. There seems to be endless weeds. I have tidied up the bluebell patch under the Big Redgum. This gardening malarky certainly needs patience….it’s about 10 years since I planted that patch and this year I think it should look really, really good.

I’ve also planted out some very juvenile broccoli plants (Romanesco and Chinese sprouting) as the ones I planted a month or so back are very slow. But a bit of sunshine and they should all spurt along again. And I popped a stack of garlic cloves in the ground….I suspect they were beyond redemption, but you never know.

Now for a bit of a read.

P1 – a bird
P2 – jamaican grass with alysum
P3 – a little pelagonium

the citrus orchard showing some trees pruned and others bearing fruit.
we will be brewing non-alcoholic lemonade soon. we have over 200 stubbies of lime cider maturing in the cellar.

peas, broc and asparagus

freshly turned compost (that greyish tone is steam rising)
artichokes powering on
second grade spuds for vodka experiment – they survived a recent frost because of the watering can and me.

Looks like a white naped honeyeater

roughbarked said:

Looks like a white naped honeyeater

thanks RB
i was hoping it was a warbler.
my wife says she saw a warbler in this native corner.

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

beetroot and ‘old man’s beard (clematis summin).
the clematis is local and is growing very well over an old tree stump.

Yours are more sensibly spaced than mine……I have to pull one or two every week or two to make space. I did plant them out as seedlings, but I must have been thinking in miniature that day!

justin said:

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

Had one in my garden this morning too. Very versatile bird.

painmaster said:

justin said:

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

Had one in my garden this morning too. Very versatile bird.

plenty around here…

buffy said:

Yours are more sensibly spaced than mine……I have to pull one or two every week or two to make space. I did plant them out as seedlings, but I must have been thinking in miniature that day!

i planted those as seed in late april.
normally i plant too close and thin out. so my nearby carrots need thinning.

Had one in my garden this morning too. Very versatile bird.

——————————————————————

They are seasonal here and are just beginning to show up. By mid-summer there will be flocks of hundreds.

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

justin said:

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

Had one in my garden this morning too. Very versatile bird.

plenty around here…

mmm?
a pest possibly?

justin said:

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

Had one in my garden this morning too. Very versatile bird.

plenty around here…

mmm?
a pest possibly?

I am sure some farmers would see them as such. I think they are beautiful, except when they want to sample what is in my vege patch…

bluegreen said:

justin said:

bluegreen said:

plenty around here…

mmm?
a pest possibly?

I am sure some farmers would see them as such. I think they are beautiful, except when they want to sample what is in my vege patch…

they destroy trees down on the river and many locals hate them here – especially the bowling club greens manager.
but i love them – like flying dinosaurs with their unearthly screeching.

justin said:

bluegreen said:

justin said:

mmm?
a pest possibly?

I am sure some farmers would see them as such. I think they are beautiful, except when they want to sample what is in my vege patch…

they destroy trees down on the river and many locals hate them here – especially the bowling club greens manager.
but i love them – like flying dinosaurs with their unearthly screeching.

Then you would love the Red Tailed Cockatoos up this way… they make such a cool call!

painmaster said:

justin said:

bluegreen said:

I am sure some farmers would see them as such. I think they are beautiful, except when they want to sample what is in my vege patch…

they destroy trees down on the river and many locals hate them here – especially the bowling club greens manager.
but i love them – like flying dinosaurs with their unearthly screeching.

Then you would love the Red Tailed Cockatoos up this way… they make such a cool call!

cool – my daughter converted me to a goth when she was only 14 y.o. – gotto love screeches and screams LOL.

Yellow tail blacks have a lovely call. Red-tail blacks are endangered in Victoria and their call is not as pleasing.

justin said:

beetroot and ‘old man’s beard (clematis summin).
the clematis is local and is growing very well over an old tree stump.

it is Clematis microphylla.

buffy said:

Yellow tail blacks have a lovely call. Red-tail blacks are endangered in Victoria and their call is not as pleasing.

To me they are both pleasing, the red tailed blacks are a happy laugh… the Sulphur crested though is a nightmare for my ears.

My favourite is the major mitchell. Their chucklings are really like cuddly sounds.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

beetroot and ‘old man’s beard (clematis summin).
the clematis is local and is growing very well over an old tree stump.

it is Clematis microphylla.

and a great specimen too

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

beetroot and ‘old man’s beard (clematis summin).
the clematis is local and is growing very well over an old tree stump.

it is Clematis microphylla.

and a great specimen too

The last couple of seasons have been good.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

it is Clematis microphylla.

and a great specimen too

The last couple of seasons have been good.

the seasons have been good since the drought.
this plant has become two plants and both sections are very solid.

justin said:

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

He’s so clean and white. Often the ones I see up this way look like they need a bath.

painmaster said:

justin said:

bluegreen said:

I am sure some farmers would see them as such. I think they are beautiful, except when they want to sample what is in my vege patch…

they destroy trees down on the river and many locals hate them here – especially the bowling club greens manager.
but i love them – like flying dinosaurs with their unearthly screeching.

Then you would love the Red Tailed Cockatoos up this way… they make such a cool call!

We get the yellow tailed ones here and their call isn’t exactly tuneful no matter how you hear it.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Yellow tail blacks have a lovely call. Red-tail blacks are endangered in Victoria and their call is not as pleasing.

To me they are both pleasing, the red tailed blacks are a happy laugh… the Sulphur crested though is a nightmare for my ears.

My favourite is the major mitchell. Their chucklings are really like cuddly sounds.

I can’t remember what the Major Mitchell call is like. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve heard it.

pomolo said:

justin said:

these sulphur crested cockies are gathering now and since the neighbours tall tree has disappeared they are forced to sit wherever they can. this one landed on my front fence.
they are big birds and have a way of keeping their yellow feathers well groomed.

He’s so clean and white. Often the ones I see up this way look like they need a bath.

we’re all very clean down here in mexico – heaven knows what goes on in the tropics ! – sorry – sub- tropics.

pomolo said:

painmaster said:

justin said:

they destroy trees down on the river and many locals hate them here – especially the bowling club greens manager.
but i love them – like flying dinosaurs with their unearthly screeching.

Then you would love the Red Tailed Cockatoos up this way… they make such a cool call!

We get the yellow tailed ones here and their call isn’t exactly tuneful no matter how you hear it.

interesting that some of them have tuneful squawks – the sulphur crested’s voice is described ‘loud, raucous screech’. (slater field guide)

The call of the yellowtails around here is melodious. Very melodious. Now, if you want raucous, you need corellas. Hundreds of them…..

No, we don’t suffer that any more, but there was a time when we were living in Hawkesdale that you could not make a phonecall at dusk because you simply could not hear.

buffy said:

The call of the yellowtails around here is melodious. Very melodious. Now, if you want raucous, you need corellas. Hundreds of them…..

No, we don’t suffer that any more, but there was a time when we were living in Hawkesdale that you could not make a phonecall at dusk because you simply could not hear.

Thankfully I have to drive about 50 miles to find corellas but the bloody galahs are noisy enough. I get hundreds of them in my front yard every evening in summer. They roost in my trees.

buffy said:

The call of the yellowtails around here is melodious. Very melodious. Now, if you want raucous, you need corellas. Hundreds of them…..

No, we don’t suffer that any more, but there was a time when we were living in Hawkesdale that you could not make a phonecall at dusk because you simply could not hear.

corellas do know the importance of volume. they fly in big mobs overhead here and you can hear every word of their inflight conversation.

justin said:

buffy said:

The call of the yellowtails around here is melodious. Very melodious. Now, if you want raucous, you need corellas. Hundreds of them…..

No, we don’t suffer that any more, but there was a time when we were living in Hawkesdale that you could not make a phonecall at dusk because you simply could not hear.

corellas do know the importance of volume. they fly in big mobs overhead here and you can hear every word of their inflight conversation.

All of these birds can be a pain in the rear when in large numbers but boy they are fun to watch. They make me giggle with their antics. Life just seems to be a great big ball to them.

pomolo said:

justin said:

buffy said:

The call of the yellowtails around here is melodious. Very melodious. Now, if you want raucous, you need corellas. Hundreds of them…..

No, we don’t suffer that any more, but there was a time when we were living in Hawkesdale that you could not make a phonecall at dusk because you simply could not hear.

corellas do know the importance of volume. they fly in big mobs overhead here and you can hear every word of their inflight conversation.

All of these birds can be a pain in the rear when in large numbers but boy they are fun to watch. They make me giggle with their antics. Life just seems to be a great big ball to them.

Galahs are the funniest.. the clowns of the skies. it is fun watching them do trapeze work on the powerlines swinging upside down off the wires. ROTFL-ing. Yes they literally do that too.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

corellas do know the importance of volume. they fly in big mobs overhead here and you can hear every word of their inflight conversation.

All of these birds can be a pain in the rear when in large numbers but boy they are fun to watch. They make me giggle with their antics. Life just seems to be a great big ball to them.

Galahs are the funniest.. the clowns of the skies. it is fun watching them do trapeze work on the powerlines swinging upside down off the wires. ROTFL-ing. Yes they literally do that too.

a mob of corellas is like a flying circus too – sometimes an individual bird will just tuck in the wings and freefall for no apparent reason.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

All of these birds can be a pain in the rear when in large numbers but boy they are fun to watch. They make me giggle with their antics. Life just seems to be a great big ball to them.

Galahs are the funniest.. the clowns of the skies. it is fun watching them do trapeze work on the powerlines swinging upside down off the wires. ROTFL-ing. Yes they literally do that too.

a mob of corellas is like a flying circus too – sometimes an individual bird will just tuck in the wings and freefall for no apparent reason.

Well, bees get drunk on flowers.. maybe sometimes parrots get drunk on fermenting seed.
I know they get too heavy to take off and tha speeding vehicles smack them down.

roughbarked said:

Well, bees get drunk on flowers.. maybe sometimes parrots get drunk on fermenting seed.
I know they get too heavy to take off and tha speeding vehicles smack them down.

In summer here, the fruit eating birds (think blue mountain parrots) get drunk on the fallen, over-ripe mangoes…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Well, bees get drunk on flowers.. maybe sometimes parrots get drunk on fermenting seed.
I know they get too heavy to take off and tha speeding vehicles smack them down.

In summer here, the fruit eating birds (think blue mountain parrots) get drunk on the fallen, over-ripe mangoes…

It is really wild, handpicking wine grapes with millions of half pissed bees always sitting just where you want to put your hand.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Well, bees get drunk on flowers.. maybe sometimes parrots get drunk on fermenting seed.
I know they get too heavy to take off and tha speeding vehicles smack them down.

In summer here, the fruit eating birds (think blue mountain parrots) get drunk on the fallen, over-ripe mangoes…

It is really wild, handpicking wine grapes with millions of half pissed bees always sitting just where you want to put your hand.

pissed, or pissed off? lol! you are stealing their food supply after all!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

In summer here, the fruit eating birds (think blue mountain parrots) get drunk on the fallen, over-ripe mangoes…

It is really wild, handpicking wine grapes with millions of half pissed bees always sitting just where you want to put your hand.

pissed, or pissed off? lol! you are stealing their food supply after all!

They certainly got pissed off if you tried to pick up the bucket and load it.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Galahs are the funniest.. the clowns of the skies. it is fun watching them do trapeze work on the powerlines swinging upside down off the wires. ROTFL-ing. Yes they literally do that too.

a mob of corellas is like a flying circus too – sometimes an individual bird will just tuck in the wings and freefall for no apparent reason.

Well, bees get drunk on flowers.. maybe sometimes parrots get drunk on fermenting seed.
I know they get too heavy to take off and tha speeding vehicles smack them down.

i don’t think they are drunk – just a bit ‘heady’ from too much flight, sunlight, squawking and probably sick of the crowds of their ownkind.
when they freefall they will level out again below the main flock and join in again at the lower level.

these photos are from march this year when a mighty flock of corellas paid my garden a visit
as buffy said – everyone goes outside to look because conversation is virtually impossible.

justin said:

these photos are from march this year when a mighty flock of corellas paid my garden a visit
as buffy said – everyone goes outside to look because conversation is virtually impossible.

Saw similar sized Corella flocks at the Grampians one time.

Although GF once went to Alice Springs without me and at a place called “Emily’s Gap” she witnessed a flock of Budgerigars that local wildlife officers had surveyed and estimated the flock to be around 1.3million individuals.

And Dinetta is right, the Rainbow Lorikeets do get drunk on the Mangoes up here. Poor things can hardly stand far less fly sometimes.

The rainbow lorries don’t get half smashed, they fall out fo the tree blind drunk.

painmaster said:

Although GF once went to Alice Springs without me and at a place called “Emily’s Gap” she witnessed a flock of Budgerigars that local wildlife officers had surveyed and estimated the flock to be around 1.3million individuals.

now that I would love to see :)

roughbarked said:

The rainbow lorries don’t get half smashed, they fall out fo the tree blind drunk.

i’ve not seen that. i have seen a compost mound smoking.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

The rainbow lorries don’t get half smashed, they fall out fo the tree blind drunk.

i’ve not seen that. i have seen a compost mound smoking.

I’ve seen a lorikeet tail smoking, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!

painmaster said:

justin said:

these photos are from march this year when a mighty flock of corellas paid my garden a visit
as buffy said – everyone goes outside to look because conversation is virtually impossible.

Saw similar sized Corella flocks at the Grampians one time.

Although GF once went to Alice Springs without me and at a place called “Emily’s Gap” she witnessed a flock of Budgerigars that local wildlife officers had surveyed and estimated the flock to be around 1.3million individuals.

And Dinetta is right, the Rainbow Lorikeets do get drunk on the Mangoes up here. Poor things can hardly stand far less fly sometimes.

I bet that many budgies would be pretty noisy too.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

The rainbow lorries don’t get half smashed, they fall out fo the tree blind drunk.

i’ve not seen that. i have seen a compost mound smoking.

Hope it knows about lung cancer!

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

Although GF once went to Alice Springs without me and at a place called “Emily’s Gap” she witnessed a flock of Budgerigars that local wildlife officers had surveyed and estimated the flock to be around 1.3million individuals.

now that I would love to see :)

I was super jelly.

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

Although GF once went to Alice Springs without me and at a place called “Emily’s Gap” she witnessed a flock of Budgerigars that local wildlife officers had surveyed and estimated the flock to be around 1.3million individuals.

now that I would love to see :)

I was super jelly.

Oooooh I would have been as well…there used to commonly be flocks of budgerigars on the Charlies Trowsers road from here but I haven’t seen such a flock for 30 years…never in those numbers, tho’…

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

now that I would love to see :)

I was super jelly.

Oooooh I would have been as well…there used to commonly be flocks of budgerigars on the Charlies Trowsers road from here but I haven’t seen such a flock for 30 years…never in those numbers, tho’…

I saw a small flock of wild Cockatiels one day out by the Dam, but never seen a Budgie in the wild… :(

painmaster said:

I saw a small flock of wild Cockatiels one day out by the Dam, but never seen a Budgie in the wild… :(

OMG, I’m sure they’re still there, but beside the highway (we call it the Charters Towers road but I’m sure it’s got a highway name) they’ve pulled so much country…the budgies would be further in, on the cattle blocks…stupendously beautiful country inside those blocks and the owners protect it, too…like not telling anybody about it…however it could still be possible to see some budgies on the creeks on the highway that have permanent water…not sure of the seasons for budgerigars…

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

I saw a small flock of wild Cockatiels one day out by the Dam, but never seen a Budgie in the wild… :(

OMG, I’m sure they’re still there, but beside the highway (we call it the Charters Towers road but I’m sure it’s got a highway name) they’ve pulled so much country…the budgies would be further in, on the cattle blocks…stupendously beautiful country inside those blocks and the owners protect it, too…like not telling anybody about it…however it could still be possible to see some budgies on the creeks on the highway that have permanent water…not sure of the seasons for budgerigars…

That’s the Balyando Road eh?

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

I saw a small flock of wild Cockatiels one day out by the Dam, but never seen a Budgie in the wild… :(

OMG, I’m sure they’re still there, but beside the highway (we call it the Charters Towers road but I’m sure it’s got a highway name) they’ve pulled so much country…the budgies would be further in, on the cattle blocks…stupendously beautiful country inside those blocks and the owners protect it, too…like not telling anybody about it…however it could still be possible to see some budgies on the creeks on the highway that have permanent water…not sure of the seasons for budgerigars…

That’s the Balyando Road eh?

Between Emerald and Clermont it is called the Gregory Highway, between Clermont and Charlie’s Trousers it is known as the Gregory Developmental Road.

Budgies nest in Black Box depressions in my country. Breeding season should be well under way.

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

I saw a small flock of wild Cockatiels one day out by the Dam, but never seen a Budgie in the wild… :(

OMG, I’m sure they’re still there, but beside the highway (we call it the Charters Towers road but I’m sure it’s got a highway name) they’ve pulled so much country…the budgies would be further in, on the cattle blocks…stupendously beautiful country inside those blocks and the owners protect it, too…like not telling anybody about it…however it could still be possible to see some budgies on the creeks on the highway that have permanent water…not sure of the seasons for budgerigars…

That’s the Balyando Road eh?

Never called it that, but yes that’s the one…

painmaster said:

Between Emerald and Clermont it is called the Gregory Highway, between Clermont and Charlie’s Trousers it is known as the Gregory Developmental Road.

Yes, you are right…

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

OMG, I’m sure they’re still there, but beside the highway (we call it the Charters Towers road but I’m sure it’s got a highway name) they’ve pulled so much country…the budgies would be further in, on the cattle blocks…stupendously beautiful country inside those blocks and the owners protect it, too…like not telling anybody about it…however it could still be possible to see some budgies on the creeks on the highway that have permanent water…not sure of the seasons for budgerigars…

That’s the Balyando Road eh?

Never called it that, but yes that’s the one…

Balyando Road is a good name – i’ll use that for my next thread heading LOL.

justin said:

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

That’s the Balyando Road eh?

Never called it that, but yes that’s the one…

Balyando Road is a good name – i’ll use that for my next thread heading LOL.

The Balyando Road goes through Balyando Crossing. Good spot for a piss and a burger.

justin said:

Balyando Road is a good name – i’ll use that for my next thread heading LOL.

The correct aboriginal pronunciation is “Bel-yando” and not “belly-yando” as many call it…

Dinetta said:

justin said:

Balyando Road is a good name – i’ll use that for my next thread heading LOL.

The correct aboriginal pronunciation is “Bel-yando” and not “belly-yando” as many call it…

I learnt something new today.