There is so much happening here, I don't know where to start! But this afternoon contained a lovely surprise so I guess there is as good a place as any. So I've mentioned about my little garden that has attracted all manner of critters and makes me totally and ridiculously happy. I got home around lunch after a very long, very traumatic (okay, not that traumatic but still) visit to get fitted for contact lenses and to change my multifocals over to single vision lenses (yes, I failed!) and I have to admit I stood in awe for a bit because there were loads and loads of butterflies spinning and swooping around the basil in particular but often also around each other, along with the many regular Blue-Banded Bees.
I'd bought some lemon thyme and some lavender about a week or so ago to add into the mix (although next to nobody has been interested in the lavender - apart from myself when I find myself mindlessly running my fingers over the velvety leaves for that delicious smell). I've just left them in the pots that I bought them in waiting for the weather to do, well, god knows what I've been waiting for, but now they're looking very sad and sorry for themselves so this afternoon I gave them a bit of a spritz and dove in, pyjamas, slippers and all to get them into the ground and into some bigger pots. I wouldn't recommend wearing slippers whilst gardening though. The water seeps into them and they puff up, growing in size like one of those grow your own dinosaur or grow your own boyfriend (whatever floats your boat) that you throw into water and expand to absolutely nothing like life size. Anyway.
Between skidding on my now oversized, sopping slippers and giving the plants little pep talks about how they'll love it here and to please don't die, I looked up and noticed a lump in the tree overlooking the garden. Not a particularly big tree, more a shrubby thing, and the lump was stretching and preening! TONY!!! I had just been thinking about him this morning, wondering where he had moved on to, having not seen him outside the kitchen for weeks and it turns out he was around the other side of the house and could be seen from my son's bedroom (if he ever opened the blinds!)
I took a few quick photos and said hi to him and he glared at me and watched my every move, his eyes moving like one of those creepy paintings. So I made a big show about putting my lens back on my camera and saying loudly, "Right, I'm going inside now" and stood to the side out of his line of sight and watched as the wind blew the spiky branches against him and took a sneaky little video of Tony snapping at the leaves, doing a bit of gardening to make his new roost a tad more comfy. Hopefully he'll be there tomorrow, because I'm hoping to have a glass of wine out by the garden and what could be better than drinking wine, surrounded by bees and butterflies and having a pair of piercing orange eyes judging your every move!
Tawny Frogmouth
Northern Illawarra
