Sunday Sightings

10 year old Bonny says, "As long as I have a ball, I'm never bored!"

 

Whoever says they're bored, hasn't learnt to really open their eyes and see all the incredible beauty around them.  You don't need lots of money to make your life interesting. All you require is a good pair of eyes, spectacles or a magnifying glass and you need step no further, from your own threshold, than into your own garden, regardless of how small that may be. You see, size does not matter if your intention is to "See a world in a grain of sand, And a Heaven in a flower" (William Blake) There is so much infinite beauty all around us, yet we fail to see and appreciate it.

Come and step into my garden with me, while I show you the many beautiful things my husband and I discovered this afternoon (all photographs were taken by my husband). 

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Minute droplets reflecting the light amongst mosses and pebbles still wet from last night's rain.

The fairyfolk have been stringing tiny little H2O jewels again!

Moss growing amongst little river stones that line a drainage line in the garden.

If you tiptoe very quietly in my garden, you might be lucky enough to find a little mossy, forest creature. Do be carefu,l as they frighten easily!

Moss and lichen competing to decorate the bark of this tree.

There are so many types of moss.

Mosses and lichens vying for attention on the gnarled trunk of our white bottle brush tree.

Wonderful colouring defines this lichen.

Ripe berries on one of my Clivia plants.

Baby lichen beginning life on this log.

These lichens are like little shells.

Lichens are all so different in shape and texture.

These tiny mushrooms are no larger than a pinhead, only just visible above the carpet of rotting leaves.

Lichen growing happily on the trunk of the Crab Apple tree.

Here, it is establishing itself at the site of old scar tissue where, a while back, we'd sawn off a dead branch.

Lichen establishing itself on another piece of driftwood.

A baby plant that has germinated in one of my bits of old wood...this is one of the most magical aspects of gardening...the way little plants pop up in all sorts of unexpected places!

A few days ago, I saw little mushrooms/toadstools popping up everywhere, in enticingly different shapes and colours. I kept intending to photograph them, but foolishly did not make the time to do so.  Today, I was eager for my husband to capture them...but, sadly, they'd all disappeared! We've had a very cold snap and only a few teeny-tiny little ones could be found.

I have disks of sawn wood and bark chips scattered throughout my garden beds.  Along with each season's leaf litter, the perfect environment is created for the growth of mosses and lichens, ferns and mushrooms and all those vitally important little garden creatures that ingest and breakdown all this litter to create nutritious and friable soil particles. This is the heartbeat of my garden!

Peace-in-the-home, another of my favourite ground covers...this one is growing between the brickpaving and stepping stones at our 'back tap'

This is one of my favourite ground covers. It appeared as if my magic well over 20 years ago and has never left.  I think it is one of the Violas, but have never been able to identify it. It has the prettiest heart-shaped leaves (tiny) and these dainty tiny blue flowers.  It has a creeping habitat and grows anywhere and seemingly under all conditions. When it gets tatty or over-enamoured with itself, I just pull it out and it quickly grows back again from the many tiny seeds it drops.

It truly is one of my all-time favourite plants!

This is the flower of a white confetti bush, also a native of South Africa.

This is Westringia (wild Rosemary) a native of Australia. It is one of my favourite shrubs.

This is a hardy shrub that requires heavy pruning to keep it in check. I have forgotten its name, but I am under the impression that it is native to South Africa.

I love this shrub for its beautiful pink blossoms.

A little waterskimmer on the surface of the pond.

No garden should be without Rosemary.  Apart from the wonderful smell, I use this herb when cooking lamb and roast potatoes. The flowers attract bees and butterflies and being blue, take pride of place in my heart.

A seedhead on one of our miniature, variegated, papyrus plants.

The ballerinas of the garden...they never fail to bring pleasure and always remind me of my Mother. She was a whizz at growing them in her South African gardens, but says she has limited success with them in her Queensland garden.

Even in winter, my fuchias continue to put on a pretty show!

Plectranthus...another South African native. They do so well in my largely shaded garden...I have them in all shades (white, blues, pinks).

I have completely forgotten the name of this beautiful shrub...I bought it because of its stunning pink foliage!

Bright sunny face adding warmth to my winter garden.

Gaillardia dressed in yellow.

Gaillardia dressed in pink.

Lobelias are indigenous to South Africa. My garden is never without them!

Another piece of driftwood sporting a frilly lichen ruffle.

Mossy beginnings on one of the many hunks of driftwood I have in the garden.

One of our indigenous Lobelias.

An Iceberg bud...at this time of the year, they are tinged pink. In summer, they are pure white.

I do not know the name of this winter flowering bulb.  It was given to me 28 years ago by one of our neighbours, shortly after we moved into our newly built home and were establishing the beginnings of our garden.

One of the Viburnums currently in flower in the garden.

A tightly curled frond from one of my Australian tree ferns.

Camelias are Coco's favourite flowers!

I have not yet pruned my few rosebushes...this is a late Iceberg bloom.

Come on, little Ladybirds! Where are you? There are plenty of aphids to feast on!

"OK, can we PLEASE play another round of catch???"