Header Images

All the images I use for our blog's header, always come with a unique story. I tend to change the images periodically, so I thought I'd keep a log of all the ones which have come and gone - along with their stories...

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Pink Ornamental Kale

{ August 2018 }

So this colourful, ornamental kale, turned out to be nothing more than, eye-candy. It sucked in the taste department, and I won't be growing it again. Read more about it here. I thought I should get my money's worth though, and use it to brighten up my header picture. That's what eye-candy is best at doing, after all!

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Male King Parrot

{ May 2018 }

This guy was quite the character. An almost grown, male king parrot, who often loved to harass us for seed, with his girlfriends - swooping past, so we would notice him! They even took to raiding our sunflowers for seeds. I love that we have so many interesting birds and native animals, in our backyard. Especially when they have such endearing characters, as this chappy!

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Juvenile Kookaburra

{ June 2017 }

So winter is the time, for young fledgling kookaburra's, to leave the nest and start fending for themselves. The telltale signs of a juvenile kookaburra, are the shorter beak, and some downy feathers still present. This little fella was perched in a tree, waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting pray. I always look forward to seeing the fledglings every year. They're our resident snake control.

 ~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Calendula (Pot Marigold)

{ September 2016 }

I try to grow calendua every year in the garden. Although I never do anything remarkable with them (to date). I hear they have wonderful healing properties, when used in a salve! I just love them because they're like mini sunflowers. Bright, cheerful and will always make me smile when I see their blooms.

 ~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Honey Gem Grevillea

{ September 2015 }

This lone tree, is beloved of all the honey eaters in our area. This would have to be one of the hardiest trees we've planted, which flowers reliably, regardless of rainfall. I love to hear the Rainbow Lorikeets, in the morning and afternoon, delighting in its delicious nectar.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Banksia rose

{ December 2014 }

There's nothing more charming than a rambling rose, and the Banksia rose throws up long canes which bow beautifully. These ones are touching the skyline, mixed with grass seed heads and even some purple thistle. There aren't many moments I can claim romantic flowers are in my garden, but these ones are coming into their own.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

First flower bulb in Spring

{ September 2013 }

I love the addiction which is spring - all the delicious flowers come out. This year we had a dry spring and so I was delighted when my new bulb came into flower.

Being mostly Australian native bushland, our garden isn't much to look at. But there are always parts which emerge during seasonal changes, and it reminds me that we are trying to make a difference; even if it's just to connect to the landscape.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Towards the front yard

{ January 2013 }

This photo was taken from the western side of the house (a la clothes line) and is looking towards the front yard. It's impossible to see from this angle, but they're our tall trees at the front, which line the bitumen street, spanning the front of our property.

Taken September 2012, it's the beginning of spring, which accounts for the clear blue skies. I cut the tops of the trees with a large portion of blue sky for my most recent header image.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Looking from the vegetable garden

{ February 2012 }

I did have another header image (before this one) but it was an experiment I did with a day lily flower and a white background - so not much to write about. The above picture however, was taken from our overgrown vegetable garden, looking towards the house. The leaves in the picture (and the header) are from the pigeon pea tree. Quite a resourceful plant we've been using a lot to help improve the soil.  

A very worthy contender to become a header for our property blog.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Back to the beginning

{ August 2011 }

This is a picture taken of our property, before any ground was broken. Back in 2005 it hadn't rained in quite a while so the scrub was pretty sparse. A lot of growing has happened in 6 years, even though we've only been living here for 4 years.

The drought has well and truly broken in 2011, but it's nice to look back at the beginning of where it all began.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Volunteering after the flood
{ April 2011 }

It's amazing what will turn up, after a natural disaster! Living in the Lockyer Valley, we weren't spared the fury of the super cell that drenched most of Queensland in early January 2011. But nature showed us her wonderful side too! 

For example, this vibrantly coloured marigold, happened to volunteer in our garden retaining wall after water spilled from a neighbour's driveway and denuded most of our garden and it's mulch. Soon afterwards, mysterious plants sprouted up from nowhere. Two marigolds (different colours and varieties) followed by a basil plant thrown in for free too! 

This photo was taken early April, after our first trip for new mulch, to put our garden back together. These marigolds say to me, "I also came down with the last flood!" Truly, truly wonderful. Volunteers are welcome in my garden any time - especially after a natural disaster.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Pumpkin vines and chickenwire
{ June 2010 }

This picture was taken inside our "Middle Ridge" chicken coop. The pumpkin vine - which had sprung up from some of the compost we used - had gradually weaved it's way over the coop. One morning when I came to feed the troops, I noticed a pumpkin flower had opened on the other side of the wire (inside the coop).

It was another reminder how amazing nature can be, when adapting to it's surroundings.

 ~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Moth on a log

{ February 2010 }

For those who may be curious to know what kind of moth I've placed in my Header Image, it's a Grapevine Moth, or Phalaenoides glycinae, if you're into speaking Latin. :)

It's a native moth and I've only seen a few around here over the past few years. I suspect it was sussing out my Luffa vine nearby - which makes for a pretty convincing Grape Vine impersonation, if you ask me.

Given that it's a native insect, and happens to be a good host for wasp eggs who feed on them, I reckon it has a place in the food chain here. It happened to be sunning itself on a log stump, next to our rusty wheelbarrow, when it caught my eye. A really stunning sight!

If you want to know a little more about this moth, visit here.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Eucalyptus where the house was built

{ April 2009 }

The stumps which made this retaining wall around our septic unit possible, came from one of the felled trees where our house was built. There were only two which had to go during the building process. We paid a tree feller to cut the 20 metre giant into one metre logs, so we could move them around the garden.

While some have suffered a little termite invasion, for the most part they are still operational today. Why get rid of such resources from the property, when you can put them to good use instead. Many neighbours chose to burn their felled trees, when they cleared their blocks for building, but we were happy to reuse our's back into the natural order of things.

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Gourds in a row

{ June 2008 } 

The picture in this header is our first successful crop of bottle gourds, drying in the sun. We did get a second flush of growth on the same vines, but there weren't as many or as large.

This was a fun experiment and some of the gourds still decorate our garden today.