European Starlings. Thanks, Cecil John Rhodes

You asked me doubtfully - do you WANT starlings?

We have had 3 or 4 pairs together, nesting in our roof. Corrugated metal with bird-proofing. The bird-proofing came in a long strip to fit the profile at the open edge of the roof. Way back when, I see one of the labourers with a pair of scissors. Carefully cutting that strip into single-slice-of-bread-pieces. What is he DOING?! Ah well, sheepish look, we forgot to put it on, and now the roof sheets are screwed down. As the years pass, winter wind and delighted birds are ripping those bits out, one by one.

February figs

April showers bring us flowers 2010

8C last night, 48F in your money, freezing here - I can hear you giggling Alaskan Christine. Watching Spirulina (our Italian sparrow, likes mozzarella) at his morning bath while I eat my muesli. Dip a toe in. EW W W that’s COLD and he takes off in horror!! Try again later. Still Cold! Oh well, get on with it. And he has a jolly good bath, using his battered wings to shower water all over the veranda.

Left new yellow variety, right same old orange

Apple Creek and the Elephant’s Eye Light Railway

Once upon a time the Ungardener had a toy train. Somewhere along the way, as he grew up, his mother gave it away. As a child, I never had a teddy-bear. I inherited one from my sister. Grown up, I said to myself - stop whining - you want a teddy-bear - GET a teddy-bear. 

October 2008

Autumn roses in the Paradise Garden

Still containing my soul in patience. Waiting for the weather to be kind enough, that the prunings can be tucked into the 'didn't make it thru the summer' gaps. I call the rose garden - this way to Paradise. Paradise is a Persian (now Iranian?) word for garden. An oasis of cool shade, with water to be seen and heard. A high surrounding wall, somewhere to sit. Flowers (of course), bulbs and roses. With the four rivers of  Paradise, four paths, four beds.

Mousebirds

Back to mid-February, when the fig tree still had voluptuous leaves for Bathsheba to bath in/on. And luscious fruit. This tree is just outside our kitchen window and the Ungardener was playing with his new zoom lens. 


A MOUSEbird because it climbs around in the trees, hand over hand like a monkey (or a parrot?) not hopping sparrow-like along the branches as we expect All Birds To Do.

On Ungardening Pond 3

This is about Ungardening. The construction of the pond (1) started in November 2006.  Pani's Falls was one of the Ungardener's earliest projects, while the builders were still working on the house. NON-gardeners LOL at people who work on the garden, when the house is still not done - and we, we wonder what on earth they are laughing at? How can you NOT garden if you have 'Give me land, lots of land ...' Why Black Stork Island? We first filled the  pond (2) in January 2008.

Here the water level has already dropped somewhat