Galleries

Life of a Hedge 2018

I first posted this in November last year although I have posted a photo of the hedge every spring since it was put in. It is starting to get a lot of new growth now that spring is supposedly here so the other day I took a few new photos to add to the timeline.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Photinia hedge was planted in October 2014 to enhance the front of the house. This was long before painting, paths or any other work was done. I chose these plants because I see a lot of them growing around here so I knew they would suit the conditions and also because I like the red colour of the new growth. I have tried to take a photo of the hedge each year . It’s been slow but now it is finally looking like a real hedge even though every bush seems to be growing at a different rate. The ones at either end are smaller. I think they get too much carbon monoxide from vehicles stopping at the letter box and in my neighbours driveway. A couple got nibbled by possums or possibly wallabies who visit the garden although I have never seen them. One was taken out completely either by the postie or the neighbour and just died but the rest are going strong.

Snapshot Sunday: Location, Location, Location

The lone Photinia
Photinia Hedge 2018

Four years ago we decided to grow a hedge to screen the house from the road. I chose Photinia as it is a commonly used hedging plant locally so I knew it would have a good chance of growing and I like the colours as the new growth is red. Jason and Brodie, the “garden guys” got the plants for me and Jason suggested buying an extra one and planting it in an out of the way part of the garden in case we needed a replacement.

Over time we did lose a couple of the plants but the hedge was dense enough that the gap did not matter too much so the odd one was left in peace at the bottom of the garden. Some people do grow Photinia as a tree it is not only used as hedging.

Well today it has well and truly overtaken its hedge based brothers and sisters and is now taller than I am while they have not quite reached five  feet.

I was chatting to Jason about this recently and he suggested that it is all about location. It rains a lot here as you know and in summer I water the hedge in dry spells but the soil is relatively dry there compared to the bottom of the garden which in winter is so damp that I nearly got my foot stuck in the mud when I went to the compost bin one day recently. I water the other garden trees but never that one. It has thrived on neglect.

The hedge has been trimmed a few times but only to tidy it up as some plants have grown faster than others and it has not been trimmed for a couple of months. The back yard tree has never been trimmed in any way. It looks untidy because Cindy broke a branch when she was jumping and barking at the neighbour dog who had chewed a hole in the fence.

Snapshot Sunday: Cartela

Cartela in Hobart 2009
The interior of the MV Cartela September 2011
Front page of the local paper.
MV Cartela-Port Huon Wharf- July 2014
Cartela in Franklin 2018

I was wondering what to do for today’s photo when I read an article about the restoration of the MV Cartela. She is about to go into a specially made dry dock for further restoration before being reunited with her original steam engine.

I looked amongst my photos and discovered one I had forgotten about from 2009 when she was still based in Hobart. This was taken during the Wooden Boat Festival of that year. The interior photo two years later when we were fortunate enough to cruise on the Derwent with her.

Then she came down to Franklin via Port Huon in 2014. That is one of my favourite photos.

Recently while on our “Yukon” trip I was able to photograph Cartela from the other side.

I hope that I’ll be able to photograph her fully restored one day and enjoy a trip from Hobart to New Norfolk.

Links:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/bold-plans-to-restore-the-cartela-to-river-derwent/9898216

 

Snapshot Sunday: Down in the Garden Shed

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After three wet days the sun finally came out for a while today so I unpacked the box of bulbs I got in the mail the other day and planted them in pots ready for spring. A handful went under the apple tree as a gift to the garden. While I was out there I decided that it was high time that I cleaned up the garden shed so I did. I was proud of myself for completing this chore so I took some photos to celebrate.

Snapshot Sunday: Fruits of My Labour

Apples on my tree
After getting no apples last year it looks as if I will have lots this year.
Apple crumble from the oven.

The apples on my tree are just beginning to ripen and it looks like there will be a good crop so I’ve been hunting up recipes for apples. Today’s effort was an old favourite, apple crumble.

Polly Five Years On

A Facebook memory reminder today was a photo of Polly from five years ago. We found Polly on the 6th of January 2013 when she was probably about 8 weeks old. It’s been fascinating to see how she’s grown in confidence over five years although she still does not like strangers and hides if anyone comes to the house only making an exception for Naomi who she has decided to be friends with. I started to blog the same year that Polly arrived so her life with me has been well documented. Here is a look back.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.