Security All Round

The gate on the eastern side of the garden was beginning to disappear. It was as if everyone who walked past helped themselves to a piece as a souvenir. That was easy to do because the wood was so rotten. It made me feel a bit insecure so I asked the estate office if they could nail a plank to it or something!
So today, when Michael turned up I asked if he was going to mend it.

He laughed and revved up the chain saw!

It appears that he had already made a new one and he fitted it this morning. It is mighty strong and easily bolted from the inside. And it is held firmly to the wall on BOTH hinges so it does not swing drunkenly when
open.





I'm impressed and happy with the result. Perhaps, now that my complaints list has been shortened, I can make another visit to the office to ask if they can put a bird shield on the chimney that the jackdaw came down!

The poor thing got down the chimney but couldn't get out again and took two days to tunnel out into the garden room accompanied by copious quantities of soot and rocks. All's well that ends well and it eventually flew out of the window I opened for it, the soot mostly landed on the end cut of loose carpet that was in front of the grate and Tigger the cat decided not to follow it out of the window. I think she was a bit surprised at how large jackdaws are close up.

Today she is at the vet being speyed, microchipped and injected against everything a cat can get. This means that she can stay in a cattery while I go away. I checked out the local one today near Gainford and it is a veritable "Cat's Hilton". She won't want to come home!



At last I have a garden with a lupin in flower. These plants are banned in most areas of Australia because they can carry diseases which may affect the agricultural lupin crop, which would be a financial disaster. Mine is not very showy yet but the others all seem to be catching up fast and soon there should be a bank of them against the wall.
I was also struck today by all the colours of the trees. Once again I've always wanted a "Golden Rain" laburnum and had just planted one in the side garden in Australia before I left. There is a giant here and beside it is my other real favourite...White Lilac. In fact I have a love of white flowers and often choose them before the colours. To the right of the lilac is the dark leaved prunus and below and to its left is the Silver Birch. The very tall tree is the "Gum" tree at the bottom of the garden but I will have to wait till it flowers before I can identify its type and whether it is a eucalypt or a corymbia.

A lovely sunny day here and the doors and windows are open for the first time this summer... mainly because Tigger is not here to make a dash for it over the wall!

Cheers to all
Gillian