WINTER IN TORQUAY

Thank you to Margaret Hall and Gwen Delves for identifying last weeks photo of a Nankeen Kestrel * . It is good to know there are some serious birdwatchers among our ikebanists!

I am not intending to turn this blog into a regular report of our local fauna. However, I was really surprised to see a pelican wading in Spring Creek at Torquay on Thursday last. A unique sighting in this location. 

Apologies about the poor quality of the photos. They were taken on a mobile phone. 

Four weeks ago I posted the photo below of our apricot losing its autumn foliage.

               

Now the transition is complete and the tree is completely bare. However, there are a few flowers to be found in the garden. Unfortunately most of the Pincushion Hakea * ( H. Laurina) has been damaged by the rain. 

    

I found this one sheltered under a thick thatch of leaves.

         

Along the garden path the rosemary is flowering well and in a few weeks will provide a colour contrast to the Cootamundra Wattle (acacia baileyana) further up the path.

And one of my seasonal favourites, the red flowering, Japanese Quince (chaenomeles) has its first flowers for this winter. 

I am looking forward being able to arrange some stems in a few weeks when more flowers have come out.

This week's ikebana is a second re-working of the tortuous willow I used in the Sogetsu Exhibition in May. The willow is in a dimly-lit, unheated part of the house and has not grown any more leaves yet. I have added three very cool looking arum lilies for my winter arrangement.

Greetings from Christopher

3rd July 2016