MartinB's Journal

Green

Green

Ha ! You thought it would be a plant, but it is a spooky halloweeny thing :-)

Snowball bush

Snowball bush

Do you remember how good this looked with the snowballs on it earlier in the year. I took this shot just now from the house; it is that kind of day. Will have to get on with my sewing

Storing cannas

Storing cannas

We put them into old tights and hung them up off the rafters putting sacking over the rafters for extra protection from frost. We lost them, so do not follow this method :-)

washing cannas

washing cannas

Here is Deb in 1997 washing cannas prior to storing them

Plane

Plane

Just as I was half thinking of finishing up for the evening this aero plane flew by very low under the clouds, I did not have time to fit my zoom lense though.

Grape

Grape

My grape is looking good with its autumn colours.

Kiwi

Kiwi

I normaly prume our kiwis in the early spring and they bleed for weeks, so this year I pruned them back today, while so doing I found fifteen fruits, which I proudly carried up to the house in my new trug. :-)

For my pal

For my pal

My pal is coming to see me and pick up a bamboo later this year, so I put this little white birch aside for him in case he wants it for his new area. It was one of the ones self sewn in our garden but is nicer than the rest and low and behold look at its autumn colour. It is a one off a varient. He might not accept it as he is having a huge problem with leaves at the moment. Can anyone guess who my pal is, a prize for the first when I next meet them, and no blooming googling this time!

Jupiter

Jupiter

Took a picture of Jupiter last night from the garden, I do not seem to have enough zoom

More of an aerial shot still

More of an aerial shot still

This was taken by J.P. McManus's helicopter pilot as he passed over to pick up J.P. Ours is the garden with the trees and stuff not the empty one beside it. This was taken about this time last year. You see I have friends in high places :-)

Aerial shot

Aerial shot

I took this picture of the pond from up the ladder while cutting the top twenty feet off the eucalyptus tree a few days ago. I have ordered my new chainsaw, with which I will be taking out the bottom ten feet. It will be with me on monday. I ordered a petrol one instead of electric. Will put up a pic when it arrives, it is costing 199 euro including travel expenses.

Quiz

Quiz

Hi guys, this is not a gardening question, but it does have a gardening prize.

2 ferns grown from spores going to whoever is the first to punctuate these words and so make sense of them.

That that is is that that is not is not that is it is it not

I am off to give a talk in Nenagh now, well Deb is giving the talk and I am carrying her stuff :-) 

Eucalyptus4

Eucalyptus4

This is what now remains, I will have to buy me an electric chain saw to remove the bottom as it is too thick for the bow saw, and I need to buy one anyway

Eucalptus 3

Eucalptus 3

Here it is with the upper ten feet or so removed. Deb grew this from seed and I planted it as a tiny twig 12 inches tall in 1997. It is amazing how trees can grow from carbon dioxide, water and a few minerals from the ground.

eucalyptus 2

eucalyptus 2

Here is me up a ladder extended to 20 feet in height armed with bow saw and a candle stick

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

This tree is over 30 feet tall and has died, I set about removing it today

Yellow chard

Yellow chard

Standing six feet tall. Just took this 3 minutes ago

Slightly closer

Slightly closer

Just cropped the last picture for this

Close up of Rowan

Close up of Rowan

I found this one that I took today Clara, will see if it good enough to blow up a bit more.

Darmera peltata

Darmera peltata

Looking over a pond full of promise, a hundred little fish with no competition and the Heron at last gone :-)

Private

Private

I love privet, if allowed to grown into a bush it will have many white flowers and at this time of year will drip with black berries. This is a golden form.

Rowan tree

Rowan tree

This rowan tree has also coloured up nicely

Stachyurus

Stachyurus

This red leaved bush is what I showed as a green leaved one early in the year with yellow flowers dangling down, what an all rounder it is

moon

moon

took this from the garden tonight, the clouds looked cool sweeping before the moon

Pup thinking

Pup thinking

Preparing himself for the winter ahead, he has a selection of gardening coats

Fire

Fire

I had to burn the Box that had blight. The lawn looks like it needs mowing too.

And what was that

And what was that

Oh its only Clara. Apols. this is the only one of the 4 that was not taken from the garden today

What was that

What was that

Oh its only a plane. Growing paranoid

Plan z

Plan z

I pulled netting over the pond today, but have lost hope now :-(

The war continues

The war continues

The heron has found our little pond where I put all the fish for safety. after days of checking out the bigger pond he has now started to perch overhead the little pond and dropping down into it when he thinks that no one is looking :-(

Shredding today

Shredding today

From now on this shredder will be busy. We won this as a prize in 2005. OOps I have just remembered that I owe someone a prize, I will have to keep a low profile again.

Tidying up

Tidying up

Deb and I busy all day starting to cut back and and tidy up for the winter. A lot of shredding done.

Box hedge trimmed

Box hedge trimmed

I hope that she doesn't think me heavy handed 

Box hedge

Box hedge

Deb was trimming the standard holly trees and asked me to trim the box hedge around the naked lady, I shall put up the result of my trimming in the next journal :-)

pup

pup

Pup helping in the garden yesterday. Deb gave him a haircut the day before

Pond

Pond

Today I borrowed my brother's pond vac, in order to suck out all the sludge at the bottom of the pond, but it kept getting jambed when a little stone would go up, so it was not a success.

Rosa Summer song

Rosa Summer song

If I was the boss I would hack all roses to the ground now. They left us high and dry after their first flush in early summer and now are all in full bloom in the autumn. All I want to do now is to tidy the garden up.

Ricinus 8 foot tall

Ricinus 8 foot tall

Pup is overshadowed by the tall annual

OK friends, even closer

OK friends, even closer

Yes even closer.

Close up

Close up

Ok don't all shout at once, here is the close up

Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel

Autumn colour on witch hazel leaves, anyone for a close up?

Heron being chased away

Heron being chased away

It is a little difficult to take a picture of the heron that one is chasing, but here it is for what it is worth. Hope that he gets the message that there are no fish to be ate.

Garden shot

Garden shot

Just a garden shot. Yes the Heron had to be chased away a few times today.

Pup checking the outlet

Pup checking the outlet

I was pumping the water to a spot behind the pond where it all drained away; pup was checking that all was well.

Fish

Fish

I drained the pond today, and caught 50 large fish hiding beneath the plants at the side of the pond and I put them in the pond in the side garden, where the heron has never visited, with them went 20 little ones, this still left a hundred little ones in the large pond. They are so small that I hope the heron will not be bothered with them.  I estimate that we have lost about 50 large fish to the heron. I noticed that the bottom of the pond had a foot of sludge so I borrowed a machine off my brother which is supposed to suck all this out. I will attempt  this next weekend.

I do like the colour of the clouds

I do like the colour of the clouds

Took this about 7.30 this morning, while pup and I were heading out for a walk

Better days

Better days

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3fIqi_yb2lw&h=c3825 

This picture was taken in august and showed a happy pond. The big fellow is gone and I have not seen the others for weeks now. The heron ignored my bubble wrap again today and was seen standing in the middle of the pond. I have me a plan and on sunday I am going to drain the pond and haul out any fish that are still alive and put them in the smaller pond in the side garden. The above link if it works will show you how demented I am getting about the heron. :-(((

Flowering plant

Flowering plant

Saw this in the garden today, will have to ask Deb what it is

The fruit of my vine

The fruit of my vine

I have never picked or tasted them yet, though I have this plant for 15 years. the look on the faces of those that try is enough for me to desist

The leaves of my vine

The leaves of my vine

Starting to show their autumn colours

Water plants

Water plants

I've spent the morning setting up a tropical aquarium on a pair of filing cabinets. Dodgy work, but it seems ok. I planted about a dozen real plants into it, and have soil for them under the gravel and two different fluorescent bulbs to give then the proper light. All being well I can buy the fish next weekend. Safe from the Heron and if all is still alright in 7 days then it should surely be alright for them.

Nicandra close up

Nicandra close up

Not sure how this will turn out as the system crops my pics. Note all the previous flowers the long line of them. What a wonderful annual and free as it gives you so many seeds :-)

Spider

Spider

Look at this naughty fellow, and how quickly he pounced. Thank God we don't have giant ones about.

Nicandra

Nicandra

Look at the size of this white flowering shoe fly plant, and see how many flowers are still there. It is one of the stars of the garden at the moment, and wait a while friend and take a close look at 'splash of cream, how small it is beside it.My next journal is to do with flies as well, but if you are squeemish then don,t look.

Today on their 60th wedding anniversary

Today on their 60th wedding anniversary

We just off to the bash

On their wedding day

On their wedding day

This was the uncle that got Deb interested in gardening when she was a young slip of a girl, well 18 .

Tilia henryana closer still

Tilia henryana closer still

I think this gives an indication of the leaf shape

Tilia henryana closer

Tilia henryana closer

I shall have to zoom in  BIT  more