Tuesday 27 June 2017

Noisy visitors

I was sitting on the sunny back verandah having breakfast today when I heard the squawking of cockatoos and looked up to find at least ten of them flying around in the back yard. I quickly ran to get my camera with the terrific zoom and managed to take a photo of one of them sitting up high at the very top of the huge pine tree next door.




 

Then I noticed that they had been in the mandarin tree and had picked some fruit for their breakfast. They are so cheeky! 
 


 Yesterday they were nowhere to be seen when I got up to take a photo of the sunrise. Well, seeing as the sun didn't rise until 6.45am I didn't really get up all that early :-) Since I have been retired though it is easy to just lie in the warm bed on a chilly morning.




This afternoon it was warm and sunny once again and I didn't feel like working on one of the patches of nettle which needs to be removed as it is taking over the garden, so picked a few of the winter flowers not that there are many at the moment.



There aren't many snowflakes flowering as yet and the few we have were hard to find as there are hundreds of bulbs planted in the front garden and the snowflakes tend to get a bit lost under the bigger plants.






The jonquils always look pretty and pop up everywhere without any TLC. 





I was pleased to see that some of the nasturtiums had survived the frosts (and the CEO) so far....




...as I had been thinking about making some more Nasturtium Vinegar with Rosemary and Peppercorns like I made a couple of years ago after seeing it on Food and Beverage. It is very tasty with salads.




I am still baking two loaves of sourdough each week using my starter, Gertrude, in one loaf and Chris' Griffin in another. It is sad but I actually talk to them and ask them which is going to make the biggest loaf. LOL! Considering I make one with Bakers flour and spelt flour and the other with Bakers flour and rye flour, they never look identical when they come out of the oven. I always bake at night so the photos are always dodgy but as long as the bread isn't I am happy. 

We are having quite a mild winter and, as we head off to the beach in a fortnight, hope that that trend continues. I quite like the cold nights which are great for sleeping and the warm sunny days when you just want to get outside and work in the garden. I do hope though that the above average temperatures aren't an indication of another dreadful summer like the last one as I don't cope with the heatwaves very well. Still... summer is still a few months away so for now I will enjoy the cooler weather and think of my friends in the Northern Hemisphere sweating it out during their summer :-) 


















16 comments:

  1. Oh what gorgeous flowers!!! I wish I had them. I would love to experience those birds. I love birds. What a beautiful area!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chrissy, you can take them in small doses as they are so noisy.

      Delete
  2. Love your photos Chel. Especially the single snowflake flower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nil they are very pretty and delicate looking but there aren't many so far this year.

      Delete
  3. I love how you talk to your bread. I don't feel so alone now :).
    Our winter is quite the opposite to you. Very cold and getting colder next week. Chilblains not happy.
    Lovely photos of your winter flowers and gorgeous sunrise.
    Have a great day.
    Kylie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's no good about it being so cold, Kylie. Chilblains are not nice from what I have heard.

      Delete
  4. Lovely flowers. It is raining here today so a tad warmer than it has been for the last week. Cockatoos were flying over our place in bunches yesterday so I thought it may rain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Queensland must be getting all the warm weather, Robyn. We are due for a little rain tomorrow so perhaps that is why the cockys were around.

      Delete
  5. Fabulous photos Chel. I especially love the birds, and we always love having them visit us, but I know lots of people see them as a pest. When I hear them I'm reminded that we're living in Australia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally a lot of our farmers don't like them at all...particularly the macadamia and pecan nut growers :-)

      Delete
  6. And it is getting warm, but not deathly hot so far this year, summer was a little late getting here. I have to give hubby your nasturtium vinegar recipe as he has grown them this year for the first time. Hope your trip is the perfect warm/cool combo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy I am pleased it isn't too hot for you as yet. I hope your hubby likes the nasturtium vinegar. I really enjoy it.

      Delete
  7. Chel I amwriting this whilst at my brothers place in Toowoomba. It has been very mild the last few days. Today is a bit cooler. I finally got to the gourd shop and the cuckoo clock shop. Your flowers are looking lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jane, let me know if you want to catch up. Danish Flower Art is a wonderful place to visit. I just love all the beads.

      Delete
  8. beautiful photos chel!

    Its been a very dry winter here too, after a much milder wetter summer then we are used too. I hope it doesnt mean we are in for a hot dry summer also!! eugh. The crops are looking terrible for this time of year.

    The corellas are cheeky things - they love our almond trees.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love nasturtiums, Chel, but I have never grown them here. I really should give them a try as they are such happy flowers. The leaves are edible too...I once had a quiche made with the leaves and it was lovely. Meg:)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for leaving your comments as I love to hear from my readers. As soon as I check them they will be published. If for some reason you have trouble leaving a comment feel free to email me directly by filling out the 'Contact Me' form on the sidebar at the right.

Printfriendly

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...