Worked on the outside of the house. Took off the guava nets. Made some homemade snickers but they did not turn out tasty. We have the fire going almost all day now! Some light rain today. The net bits in the patches seem to work. One pumpkin had fallen even though its stalk had not turned brown and dried. One more cucumber on the way.

The Satin Bowerbirds are flocking wintertime and settle where there is food. So we have put nets a bit haphazard all over the veggies. It seems to work. They come but leave right away.

The melon plant is dead, The sweet potatoes are ready but the leaves are wilting. The Bird of Paradise got the second flower. The Mulberries have lost their leaves. All citruses are coming along well. Winter is truly here .

Must gather Guava leaves for tea before they also turn brown and dry.

The two garbage cans we bought at Bunnings, One for recycling and one for trash worked out well.

All needed now is a good raking of the garden and some weeding.

Cucumber

Harvested first cucumber! And it is winter! But it was soooo gooood and smelled lovely!

Harvested first white sweet potato and it was store-big size! Have not tasted it yet.

The vegs are both wilting and growing. Staple for winter will be pumpkin.

Saw droppings from a deer down by the creek. We are sure it is deer. We don’t like deers on our property.

Winter attacks

Went down to the patches and took some pictures.

The problem with the mouse that left droppings on the table was actually a microbat. The tiny Australian bat. It came in through the wall slabs on the gable. We were watching a film one evening and in it flew and then out again so there. We covered he entry hole with some fly netting. That problem solved. Now we can finally have a table cloth on the table again.

Jojo det var minifladdermöss som flög in under tacknocken och ner i vardagsrummet, bajsade på bordet i flykten och letade insekter sen ut igen. Nu är det hålen täppta med flugnät.

Next problem started just two weeks ago. We know Dale said animals and insects out here are voracious feeders but who and which ones are they? The cabbage moth has laid all their eggs and their larvae are all gone. It is rainy and chilly. So all of a sudden the bean leaves are eaten. At first just some bites, then all of them and some just bitten off!. A bit of digging around finds no snails so what then? The netting on no. 1 has started to break up and is hanging in rags but the bad insects have not flown so high up so they get in so we have not cared. Now all of a sudden the bean leaves in no 1 are also eaten and the leaves of the beets. Very odd. In no. 2 we put some bubble plastic over some and they went untouched but forgetting the plastic and leaves are eaten. Finally we figure birds, early birds. So we put new netting on no 1 and covered all bean rows in both 1 and 2 plus the rocket and squash seedlings which was next in line to be eaten. Did not make it out today to see if all was well are if it was for nothing. No one suspect are the Satin Bowerbirds. We need to redo the nets on no 1 but also wer are working on a 4:th patch while the ground is wet and easy to work. We are also working on two flat parts to put the table on during summer months. The grass from the 4:th patch will end up on these parts.

Nästa problem var vad är det som äter bönbladen och sen squashbladen och sedermera rukolabladen. Stort frågetecken. Måste vara katydider, larver, sniglar men icke. Kanske possumen? Men icke det heller. Näten på ettan har varit lite trasiga länge men så pass högt upp att inga kålfjärilar har tagit sig in där så vad kan det vara då. Kålisarna har slutat fladdra omkring nu i kylan ändå. Alltså fåglar. Dit med nytt nät runt ettan lite slarvigt tillfälligt, måste fixas bättre sedan, och gamla nät runt och överallt på alla ätna plantor. Hoppas de tar sig. Få se imorgon om det fungerar. De misstänkta är nu Satin BowerfåglarPtilonorhynchus violaceus. Eller på svenska då Satänglövsalsfågel.

Just nu jobbar vi på den fjärde plätten och gräset som vi tar bort lägger vi på två platta ställen som vi har arrangerat som vi sen kan ställa bordet på i sommar.

 

 

 

Some winter harvesting: 2 pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, a small cauliflower sort of head, lots of nice daikon and some kale.

Vinterskörd till några måltider är pumpor purjo kruskål daikon spenat och sallat som trivs just i vädret vi har nu.

Also Davidsons plum, some bird pecked orange and water melon seeds for spring.

Davidsons plum börjat bli mogna och ramla ner, också apelsinerna och övriga citrus kommer nu, sista melonens kärnor som blir sådd i vår.

 

Our third attack was again from mice who had found a hole behind the tv shelf. They have been coming in 1 – 3 per evening for a while now and made Fatso very very satisfied. Mostly Mick feeds him but one day Jen did and he flew to the table, did not pick the mouse but looked at her, checked the mouse and checked her. She said some encouraging words and he took the mouse and flew away. This was very odd but nice.

Ett gäng möss började komma in. Vi hittade ett hål i väggen som går ner under huset där de kommer in. Kookaburran Fatso har fått från 1 till 3 möss om dagen ett tag nu. Vi har täppt hålet och ser fram emot att kunna sova med öppen dörr från sovrummet nu. Vi får se. Fatso får svälta stackaren.