A Pick-Me-Up ... The Year In Photographs ... June 12, 2013

I've been a little under-the-weather and off work over the last couple of days.  It's been lovely listening to the bird song around my place though, and that has cheered me up no end.

There has been a pair of little Sunbirds flitting around the courtyard, singing their hearts out ... but I only managed to get a shot of the beautiful little female.

The song of the Spangled Drongo has also been filling the air, and it's always a fantastic soundtrack to the day.

In The Clear Blue Sky ... The Year In Photographs ... June 2, 2013.

It's an absolutely stunning early Winter's day here in the tropics.  The skies are blue, the temp is just right and there's soft breeze blowing through the trees.

There was a pair of Whistling Kites enjoying the thermals up high this morning.

One of them obligingly came down and rested on a branch for a few moments, so I could get a closer shot.  They are magnificent birds and they do indeed have a loud whistling call.

Flower Flaunt on this last Autumn Friday.

We've been seeing some magnificent sunrises over the last week from our verandah.  These last few days of Autumn have been simply wonderful, with very pleasant daytime temps. and some cooler nights.  

We've also had a few showers of rain during the week, with most of the light rain falling overnight.  It seems that our long dry season is not quite ready to begin yet, and Mother Nature has decided to bless our gardens with some lovely liquid sunshine.  We're not used to getting rain at the end of May, and certainly not in the last official week of Autumn.

Fri Chance of Rain Low: 19° High: 27°

Sat Chance of Rain Low: 18° High: 27°

Sun Partly Cloudy Low: 19° High: 27°

Mon Partly Cloudy Low: 16° High: 26°

Tomorrow is officially the first day of our Winter, and the forecast is for a very pleasant start to our chilly season!  Just look at our fabulous tropical end-of-Autumn / beginning-of-Winter temps.  I simply love this time of year!

The first snow-white bracts and tiny flowers have appeared on my Euphorbia leucocephala or Snowflake Bush.  It's one of the few winter blooming shrubs in my garden. 

My two potted Sclumbergeras or Zygocactus our in my courtyard garden are starting to show some buds.  This plant is known as the Christmas Cactus in the northern hemisphere, but of course this winter-bloomer doesn't show its flowers during our Christmas.  Christmas for us is during our Summer, hence we refer to this plant as Zygocactus, and not Christmas Cactus.

There's actually already one bloom on the Zygocactus baby that's growing out in my shadehouse garden.  A piece of one of the courtyard Sclumbergeras broke off last year, and I stuck the little piece in a pot out in my shadehouse.  Now it's trying to upstage its parent by blooming first!

Elsewhere in my shadehouse garden ...

the Aeschynanthus lobbianus is hanging onto its last blooms of this blooming cycle,

there are always Impatiens walleriana blooms to be found somewhere,

and the Dorstenia bahiensis or Mattress Button Plant is still blooming.

Back in the courtyard garden there's a bit of colour on show from the annuals that have begun blooming.

I'm joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

Nix for Floral Friday Fotos

 

and Tina's Weekend Flowers

Swarming ... The Year In Photographs ... May 27, 2013

There are two huge wasps' nests in the side garden.  They've both been built on my Serissa foetida plants, so obviously these plants must have some attraction for the wasps.

I think the wasps are the Paper Wasp, Ropalidia revolutionalis.

The swarm of wasps have built a long thin paper nest hanging down from the Serissa branches.  An egg is laid in each cell, but I'm not game enough to try and take a look.  These wasps can give quite a painful sting if you disturb their nest. 

I've also found another next hanging from a branch of the Mussaenda glabra in one of the front garden beds.  These little fellows have been very busy!!