Catching Butterflies...

Sigh!

Fungi ID help please!

We've been out taking photos of the lovely fungi which has popped up after the rains. Elder Munchkin found a beauty but we can't identify it. It looks similar to a Russule, but the underneath is spongelike, not striped like the Russules are.
If anyone can identify it we'd be grateful!

Sunshine through the rain!

There was sunshine at our home today despite the rains... but this golden orb was fluffy!

Zeus, Medusa and Persephone are pleased to announce the arrival of Nysa.



She was born early this morning. Nysa, means 'goal, ambition' - fitting since she was so keen to break out of her egg first.

Another gosling has since arrived this afternoon, but being a little damp still, it was hard to tell the sex...so naming will wait until tomorrow though I think it was another little girl. Since these goslings have arrived during a day of spring rain, I'm giving them both Rain Nymph names.

There are still a few eggs to hatch so tomorrow will bring more joy. The Munchkins are delighted. *Sigh* Isn't spring wonderful?!

A new look and some photos

Since this is a new start to the year of blog for me I thought a new look was in order. And here are the photos as promised.

The first is of the 'Potager' or herb circle. You can see the tiles I used. It has grown HEAPS since this photo was taken, but I still have to fill in some soil at the back - ran out of steam on this project...but will get there.




The next photo is of the front view (the lavender in the bottom left of the top photo is the lavender hedge you can see middle left in the 2nd shot). You can jus see my little blue shed in the background. This view is the view from our dining room.






And below, my cold frame. Mini - but is sufficient for now.









It's all looking so 'full' and green - the sort of garden I've always wanted. Have to admit I'm feeling very pleased that all that hard work is starting to pay off. If you click on the photos you'll get a better look.

And we have big plans for the place. And this time when I say 'we' I actually mean it! Hubby has agreed to get on board with the big projects namely to enclose our north side verandah (our house is solar passive so this will mean trapped heat from the bricks and no wind which will reduce the cold air on those windows) with bistro blinds so that we can roll them up in summer when we don't want the glass house effect.

In addition we are planning to build a shadehouse across the front of the house (south side) as this is the side that gets terribly hot in the afternoon in summer when the west setting sun hits the walls and windows. The shade house will be covered in a deciduos vine (grape or kiwi I'm thinking) so it will still let light in during the cooler months but provide cool breezes through the house in summer.



I think the plan will be to start on the shadehouse in Spring so we get the benefits of it this summer.

Things are in swing!

New babies at Cwm Goch!

We have had some new additions to our family this week.
Firstly we bought 6 new chicks (since 60% of our flock was lost in the last month or so).

Then today we brought home a very special little bundle. Her name is Bindi.














She is a Dobermann Pinscher and 10 weeks old and utterly adorable. We've learnt a thing or two over the years with dogs and breeders, and were really impressed with her family. We met the mother, grandmother and half sister and all of them had the most wonderful temperaments and very obviously genuinely loved by their owner.

We are very pleased - all of us! The boys are thrilled to bits and dying to play with her, though it will have to wait until she's settled in a little. She is curious, confident and very gentle - what better mix could there be.

No doubt more photos will follow as she grows.

There's nothing like animals about to make a house a home. :)

Home Sweet Home

There's nothing like a holiday...to remind you how much you LOVE home!
We just came back from a few days down south. It was lovely. No flies, cooler weather and the munchkins and Zach had great fun at the beach.
But coming home, as we pulled into the driveway, we had to pause at the gate as a family of Silver Eyes flitted across in front of us, and drive very slowly avoid the Bronze Wings (who seem to forget they have wings once they get in front of a car!) and then we gazed at the crows and 28s (Port Lincoln Ringneck - for non locals) who were sitting on the chook fence...and wondered if any other chooks had been taken by the Wedge Tailed Eagle, who we suspect was the culprit responsible for the injured and subsequently dead chook we found the morning we left, and which plants had survived the few days without watering, and how many more tomatoes were ripe now.....

And I sighed with contentment, glad as glad to be home.

@*&!ing March Flies!

I am strongly debating the right of this post to be placed under a 'Beauty of Cwm Goch' label.
We have been inundated with March flies (Family Tabanidae) this year - more than ever before.

Here is a picture.














You may notice the photo of the March fly and my knee is slightly blurry - that's because it is DARNED hard to keep still when these things are biting you - even through pants!

The females have a nasty bite and this year have swarmed on us in groups of up to 10 at a time the minute we step outside. The info on them says they are attracted to dark blue (which we haven't been wearing). They just seem attracted to any bare skin they can find. No amount of insect repellant or Eucalyptus oil, which we use around the decking to ward off the usual house flies, seems to work.

Cat suggested fly traps - we're looking into those. Any other suggestions gratefully accepted. We are wearing long sleeves and jeans in 40degree heat just to be able to venture outside.

Help!

Early morning walk

With 4 little boys in the house we decided the best way to keep us all happy would be to keep them all very busy. The day started with a quick brekky then off to the Bridle track for a walk before the weather got too hot.
Great opportunity to take some shots too!

Here are some Mulla-Mullas.


















Gravel!


















And beautiful acacia seeds about to drop from their pods.


















What a lovely way to start the day!

In memory of our chicks

Today is a sad day. When I went to the chook pen this morning to let the chooks out, I noticed the chicks weren't there. Being hen raised (not incubator) the chicks were the only ones of our flock to roost in trees occasionally, which they'd been known to do during the day, so we supposed they hadn't gone in that night with the others but roosted (which means they should have been safe.) The picture above is an old one. They have grown a fair bit - proper wings and feathers. Young poulets really though we still call them the chicks.

Those of you who have met the chicks know that they were allowed to free range, because they weren't causing damage like the others (who were limited to the pen and orchard). We often find them joining us out in the garden later in the morning after their morning forage. By mid morning I got anxious enough to do a thorough search of the property because I couldn't see them or hear them. Sure enough, beneath the grevillea hedge are the scattered feathers, some in clumps which we all know to mean 'fox attack'.

I have to admit I had a good bawl. Me, who was intent on not becoming attached to them because we knew a few were roosters and destined for the pot. But as I found the feathers of 'Blacky' (silently named, as we never 'gave' them names intentionally), and found the down from the one I thought of as the 'mafia chick' because of it's moustache shaped combs, I realised I had done the unthinkable and had thought of them as pets as much as stock.

It is just so disappointing. All that work by Stormy, the mother hen. And all the hours we spent watching them, and laughing at their antics in the mulch and garden. Few domestic birds are allowed to roam as ours did. What a shame.

What have we learned? Clip chicks wings (they were able to get in and out by flying) and keep them in the orchard with the others. It may not be as fun but it's safe.

Our only consolation (as if there is one really) is that for the brief time they lived, they were the happiest chicks we've ever met.

For now, just feeling very very sad. :(

Mystery of the Levitating Leaf

Saw this leaf from a distance and just had to go investigate.

Turns out it was being used by an Orb Weaver Spider. It looks like she has gone down to the ground, picked up the leaf and attached it to a thread of web in order to use the leaf as an anchor for her main web which was a couple of metres up above. I tried to take some shots of the spider, but it's 8pm and the light isn't any good for macro shots. Isn't she clever though?

Walking through the garden at this time of night is magical. The busy hum of the insects have died down, but all the spiders are out (including the Jewel/Christmas spiders) everywhere quietly but busily making their webs for the night. As I walked I spotted a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on our Buddleia. We get a lot of Wanderer butterflies but this is the first time I've seen a Monarch. The lighting was poor, hence the blurriness, but here is the shot I managed to get.

Will try for some shots of the Jewel Spiders tomorrow.

Cwm What?!

My sister has been visiting tonight and said she really thinks I should make a mention of what 'Cwm Goch' means. It is Welsh and means 'Red Valley' (Cwm is Valley, Goch is Red).
We named our property Cwm Goch because Hywel's Grandfather was born and raised in Wales on a property of this name. It was named for the red poplars which grew there - Valley of the Red Trees.
Since we live in a Valley with Red Gum (Marri - see recent post) thought it was appropriate and a nice way to keep some family history alive too.
So there you have it. Cwm Goch explained!

Bloodshed at Cwm Goch - isn't it wonderful!

Relax! No human or animal was harmed in the making of this week's post! The 'blood' is from the Marri trees!. For those of you unfamiliar with Australian flora I thought I'd share some knowledge of the plants around Cwm Goch. As you can see from the photos this stuff looks like blood. In fact it's the sap from a tree called Eucalyptus Callophylla. It's also commonly known as Red Gum and Marri. The word Marri means 'blood' in the Nyoongah (Indigenous Australians from this area) language - and you can see why.
The sap has a number of medicinal uses including use as an antiseptic and remedy for stomach upsets. (Personally I think that's because it tastes so bitter that any child offered it quickly says "No thanks, I'm fine now Mum!"). At this time of year you often see the trees 'bleeding'. The Cockatoos come, listen for grubs under the tree bark and tear them out, leaving a 'wound' if you like. See photo.

In any case it's a beautiful tree and the one people know for it's 'Honkey Nuts'. These nuts are an important food source for a variety of our native birds, who eat the seeds found inside. If you look at the photo of the nuts you can see evidence of two sorts of birds. The nut which is damaged with a large chunk out of it has probably been fed on by a Port lincoln Ringneck Parrot (also known as a 'Twenty Eight'). White Tailed Black Cockatoos also eat them. If you look really closely at the other one, on the right, you can see tiny little 'C' shaped markings on it. This nut's seeds were taken by a Red-capped parrot. These beautiful birds have evolved with a longer top beak. They hold the nut with one foot, insert the lower part of their beak into the nut (that makes the mark) and use the top part as a lever to prise/slide the seeds out without damaging the nut.

You can tell a lot about what lives in an area from looking at the food sources. Sadly a lot of people in the Hills take down these trees because the Honkey nuts are annoying (might drop on your car, or make a mess in the driveway). We need to share with people the importance of these trees as a food source for our declining bird populations and hopefully inspire more people to keep them and plant more. Perhaps if this post was new info to you, you'll do just that.

Wonderful Webs

These beautiful webs glistening with dew were everywhere this morning. A gentle reminder that while we sleep the night creatures are awake and busy doing their thing.

I could have filled this page with pictures - but here are 2 that I'll share. It's funny though, a camera can never seem to capture the beauty as it is right before you in things like spider webs.

There was also a wonderful mist through our little bit of forest (which doesn't look so heavy in the photo). I love winter mornings when this happens. Our forest feels truly magical.

















What a lovely way to start the day!



Later the weather got really warm. Elder Munchkin and I walked to the bottom paddock to collect some tagasaste for our planned compost and by the time we got back the sun was beaming. That's when we noticed someone else had decided to enjoy the nice weather. And here he is.....
He is one of the longest Bobtails we've seen so we called him 'Delonghi' (yes very droll!). No doubt the next one we see will be called 'Deshorthi' by simple comparison. He wasn't worried about us at all, even when Elder Munchkin nearly leaned on him trying to see a skink who was watching us from the same brick, so we got a good long watch. Elder Munchkin disappeared for a bit and I figured he'd got bored, until he returned a few moments later with an egg for his 'pet'. They sure love egg. We didn't wait to take photos of him eating it though - he was quite content lying in the sun just dozing.