Spot the skink!

I found a skink in my watering can today. It wouldn't come out even when I tipped the can over. But it let me scoop it out before it scurried for cover. 

I was less pleased to find this nest of paper wasps on the rabbit hutch but it was still interesting to watch them laying their eggs. 

On the bright side

The hens might not be laying but this monarch butterfly was busy on the swan plant. 

The grass is growing and so are the cicadas. 

The raised beds have dried up but there was a crop of potatoes still in the ground from before it stopped raining. 

It's still a bit warm but Henry had found a cool spot. 

The weeds are head high but I found this cape gooseberry bush in amongst them. 

And the possum has taken every last apple but the lemon tree is still producing. 

A family stroll

We found these California Quails out for a walk this afternoon with eleven chicks. 

I'd guess that the chicks were only a few days old and they struggled to get up the last few steps. 

Eventually I scooped up the last four chicks, one by one, and popped them onto the grass at the top. 

Canna Lily

The long hot, dry summer may have left most of the garden looking parched but it obviously suited this canna lily. It was my Christmas gift from the swap & trade at our gardening club. I only planted it in December but by the start of February it was flowering beautifully. The magic of sheep pellets?

Rearranging the deck-chairs

The final piece of our renovations puzzle was the decking. We were finally let loose on the deck about six weeks ago and then got all our furniture in place a few weeks later.

It looks a lot more inviting with some chairs and a table - before that it was like the deck of a ship, albeit a ship that was sailing through a forest.

I wish that I could say that we're all finished now and ready to sit back and enjoy the view. But sadly the digger that helped build the deck broke the septic tank so there's just one more thing to do...

Dew

Misty Morning 5

Misty Morning 4

Misty Morning 3

Misty Morning 2

Misty Morning 1

Summer Nights 2

Sunshine in the pine by the chicken coops

Summer Nights 1

Looking up from the chicken coops...

Hibiscus

Cicada

Every wondered what a cicada looks like? Here's one...