Happy New Year

One of our resident Tawny Frogmouths

Well let's just forget that last year happened at all shall we? Plenty of lock-down. No new birds for the first year ever. It's been a shocker and, along with everybody else I'm sure, I'm just glad it's all over. Let's hope that 2022 brings a return to some sort of normality. 

A small Diamond Python at my in-laws' place

A larger individual at Bobbin Head

It's already getting off to a better start as we're hopefully driving up to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland on Friday to visit my brother-in-law and family. I say 'hopefully' as we've all got to provide negative covid tests before we go and that virus is everywhere at the moment including my office and pretty much any shop that you dare to set foot in. As long as I get my holiday in before it inevitably gets me...

Arthur - Our back-yard Blue-tongue

Jack - Our juvenile 'pet' Magpie

No particular target ticks to be had up in Queensland but I may be lucky enough to run into something new. It'll just be great to get out of town for a bit.

Back garden

The lack of doing anything has meant that we've spent a solid year working in the new garden though. It's coming along very nicely with new hedges planted, a native rockery built, and my frangipani cutting suddenly bursting into life with the recent warm weather. The La Nina weather pattern this year means lots of rain and so things are growing rapidly which is great when you're trying to establish new plants but awful when you're out with the lawnmower and the hedging shears every other week. Hot work.

About the only house picture I have

I've been looking through the few photos I have from the past year and discovered that I still have hardly any pictures of the actual house and garden. I'll have to add some in the future. Just over a year in the place now and still not a single spider. I'm actually starting to relax for the first time in years.

Broad-tailed Geckos are still filling the spider niche

We only managed one single night away from Sydney last year when we popped down to Canberra at Easter. Enticed there by the impressive-sounding 'Sky Whales' we turned up pre-dawn in front of the old parliament house to find a huge crowd watching the inflation of two hot air balloons with associated chanting and 'atmospheric' music. The Sky Whales were hideous creatures with many over-sized breasts depicting the increasing patriarchal role of mothers in the modern family unit. Art apparently.

Sky Whale

Yes Mr Frogmouth, I agree!