NO ABJECT APOLOGIES. NO EXCUSES.

I’ll not be like one of those politician chaps who manages to get himself elected, make a right porridge of things and then offer some apologetic Blarney.

No, I shall simply tell the truth. I’m a shiftless slacker.Lazy to my core. (And a bit busy on other fronts.)

So…what’s on the docket that keeps me busy? Well, we are still de-cluttering and trying to get used to the fact that a bed or chair is no longer where my backside remembered.Ouch!

And we’ve had a huge clear-out-the-overgrowth in the garden.Well, that, I must admit, was all down to The Man. Still feeling somewhat shingled, I wasn’t up to much heavy work. * And then we had some unseasonal rain. When you live in an area of seasonal shut-down unexpected rain surprises you. And it surprised some plants, too! Poor things thought they’d take it easy for a while, maybe pop out the odd flower here and there…

Moon cactus Gymnocalycium mihanovichii is a species of cactus from South America. The most popular cultivars are varied mutants which completely lack chlorophyll, exposing the red, orange, or yellow pigmentation. These mutant strains are often grafted onto the hylocereus cactus, and the combined plant is called a “Moon Cactus”. Wikipedia

Even things like the Tithonia, which flowers madly from about May to July has gone totally triffid.

A few months ago our back fence neighbour did his once-in-a-blue-moon weeding and pruning and ripped out yards/metres of my Tecomanthe hillii (Fraser Island Creeper). I’d have preferred it cut with sharp secateurs, but the fellow is not a gardener…

Yesterday, my Man said : “Look at the Fraser Island Creeper! It’s over Rick’s fence again!” And charging up a palm like Phar Lap on steroids…

A Grevillea (not named), apparently in a wager against the Tithonia. Somewhere beyond that jungle is a house…

 

 

Nephila pillipes.….looking much plumper now so I think her boyfriend got what he came for. (And with no sign of him, she probably did, too!)

*And I milked it shamelessly!

 

 

 

IN WHICH I FEEL LIKE A MODERN-DAY PEPYS…

Well, admittedly, I’m very much safer than Samuel P. was in London, in 1666, when fire tore across that city.
When the fire storms raced across Australia’s southern parts I was some 2,000 kms from the closest threats.
But we have friends who live in southern NSW, Canberra, Victoria and the Blue Mountains. And I have to say, for the first time ever, that my best link for news was via a Facebook friend. Yes, of course all the TV stations had film crews out there…with super-long lenses and fast getaway transport. And probably a couple of sarnies and a bottle of water!
But I got accurate and up to date information from a book-making buddy, http://rhondaayliffe.blogspot.com/ 

And when I say “accurate” I mean filming with a phone camera and wearing a P2 

 

In other news, I have shingles! But I now have some lovely drugs that take the edge off the pain.Yes, pain. Specifically, nerve pain, especially in upper midriff, lower abdomen and legs.
The lovely drugs also make me feel as if I’ve partied too hard and too long (I wish!) and need to sleep it off.

So I’ll leave you with this little gem, which surfaced when we had a MASSIVE, MONSTER, FAMILY SIZE de-cluttering. Still a lot to do, but we’ll put that on hold as last night’s rain has washed some more sand down to block the storm drain and overflow onto our place… have I mentioned that I hate developers who manage to get Council approval and then blatantly ignore regulations? 

Here is the gem. Who else think this toad looks rather like one of Tove Jansson’s Moomin

With luck and the lovely drugs…I may be back to speed soon.

MAYBE I’M CRAZY…

…or maybe I’m slack. Perhaps I’m just lazy.Or just looking back.

There was a very brief shower at 2am and silly me! I put the mockers on, well and truly, by getting out of bed to close the windows behind the hi-fi. So now I have to go and play with a hose.

I believe the lovely Ms Scarlet has some chocolate nibbles over at her place https://wonky-words.com/2019/12/24/happy-christmas/.

I’ll leave you with this reprise (hey! if the bloody ABC can foist endless repeats on its viewers and listeners, I can get away with it,too.)

Happy Christmas to all!

https://moreidlethoughts.wordpress.com/2006/12/25/the-twelve-days-of-christmas/

Soursop fruit with new bud.

Laziness gnawed at my conscience, so, to make amends, here is a picture of a soursop Annona muricata, with a new bud opening. There are also 2 or 3 more buds on the tree so we are hopeful of more fruits.