My back yard garden before it was drowned by the continuous rain we have had this year. All that sugar cane mulch has been washed away. The only shrubs thriving has been the Hibiscus.

We are on the side of a hill yet the back yard had inches of water sitting for week. It's been predicted we will have a wet winter. 

Two weeks ago I lent my neighbour from over the back fence my little Ryobi chainsaw to help prune some of his trees. We discussed thinning out the tree in my yard as he wanted to put in a vegetable garden on his side of the fence and my tree gave too much shade.

Last evening just before dark, my neighbour decided to prune the tree. Well, the first I heard was my dog Bailey having hysterics and barking his head off. Now, who in their right mind starts hacking at a tree in the dim light, I was absolutely flabbergasted, he couldn't wait till the weekend. There was no way I was going to let him anywhere near my Ryobi , so I had to pretend not to hear Bailey's yapping but after 15 minutes I had had enough and bellowed - "Shut up, Bailey". I don't know who got the bigger shock the neighbour(s), my dog or myself at the volume I was able to achieve. LOL.

I was thinking about this (out of character) reaction today, and realised it may have been the result of what had happen earlier in the day.

I had gone into a clients house and the first thing she showed me was the fencing guy repairing her back fence which her neighbour had back into and damaged, so she had a whinge about that and then mentioned her washing machine had been playing up and she would have to get her son to look at it.

Okay, so I head off to do some work in the house when I hear the machine running a little rough so I wander out to the laundry and find the client pulling some wet clothes out of the machine because it had stopped running.

Water is dripping on the floor and running under the machine and just as I arrive at the doorway the machine starts to spark, I try to get the client to come away from it but she is getting cranky with me because her machine is broken, wft. How I am to blame I have no idea.

Water is seeping towards the client so I check the floor and then reached over and grabbed the electricity cord and yanked it out of the wall socket. Honestly, you would think she would be thankful I stopped her from getting electrocuted but no, all I got was abuse. Later, after settling the client down I rang my supervisor and she is going to contact the client's sons and have the client tested for dementia. Personally, I think she is just stressed and grieving as her husband passed away earlier this year.

I am glad this work week is finish as on top of my own hours, I picked up an extra 10 hours work.

Broken branches in yard from strong winds.

I loaned a neighbour my little chain saw and he has hopped the fence and did the same for the branches in my yard plus a dead tree fern was cut down. Yay He then dragged the debris over to his front yard and it will be picked up by council.

We discussed a large tree which is hanging over our adjoining fence he has offered to come in and lop the branches that are pushing against the fence.

The back yard got done today. Along with general tidying up and getting rid of some rubbish. Tomorrow a trip to the local tip is on the cards after I de-clutter the garage.

Finally, got my lawn mower back from the repair shop. Yay.

The front yard was starting to get a little overgrown. Tomorrow, I'll tackle the back yard, the weeds and general tidying upl.

I've added a new link to my Favourite Links.

Don Burke's Backyard

Australia's Original Lifestyle Program

now has its own website.

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/index.php

The site has a message board and fact sheets .

I typed in "Chook" under Pet section

and it came up with 30 results.

Yay!

The jungle in the back yard has now been mowed and I can see the clothes-line. I knew it had been lurking out there somewhere and with my trusty mower was able to navigate a path (or twenty) so all was revealed.

Mowing Joggers at Rest.

I was hanging washing on the line when I looked over towards my garden shed where I keep my lawn mower and saw that a piece of roof panelling had caved in, dropping dirt, dead leaves and assorted debris onto the mower and floor of the shed.

Not happy.

Its  hot outside...

and I don't want to deal with this mess right now especially after a large brunch and maybe a slight touch of  hangover/heat...maybe :)

Its funny I was only thinking yesterday afternoon, whilst wandering around the garden assessing what garden jobs need to be done, that it would be nice to get a new shed to get some of the clutter out of the garage but then again maybe I should just de-clutter the garage. 

Oh Dear! I think I will need to at least move mower to the garage just in case in rains tonight. Today was supposed to be my quiet day.

Out in the garden on a lovely sunny winter's day

Darcy was joined by Kahlua and Bailey his roomies.

Darcy wasn't too sure about venturing outside
as the local birds take exception to his tree climbing


Kahlua and Bailey love nothing more than hanging out
in the garden enjoying the mild winter's day
as the day before was bitterly cold.

In My Garden just before Sunset.

After all the rain and humidity we have had recently my wooden steps leading down to the garden had some mildew on them, so I made up a concoction of water and bleach in a bucket and with a BBQ plate cleaning brush I spent some time getting them back to a slip-free condition.

During this time I could hear a Kookaburra 'chatting' away
( they make this sound which is not the full-throttle laugh
but a sort of 'clearing the throat' sound) lol.

Anyhoo, after I finished hosing off the steps I went for a
wander around the garden to see if I could find him/her.


Here Tis


Sneaking a little closer-


Oops! too close, he/she flew to another higher branch

The old cubby house also was affected by the rain and will need to go as the plywood walls are water-logged and spongy.

My youngest son has returned home for a while so it looks like another job for him on top of the front garden makeover he is currently doing.

Quintuplets

Five well fed Kookaburras sitting on a railing waiting
for their breakfast.

SYDNEY WATER MEDIA RELEASE


Green light for kids to play under the sprinkler
http://www.sydneywater.com.au/Savingwater/WaterRestrictions/
Friday 7 February 2009

Water Minister Phil Costa today announced the Government will amend Sydney’s water restrictions allowing kids to play under backyard sprinklers on hot days. Mr Costa said the common sense measure is being introduced ahead of an intense heat wave likely to hit Sydney this weekend.

“With the mercury headed well above 40 degrees there is room for flexibility and common sense,” said Mr Costa. “Nobody will get a fine for having a sprinkler in the yard to cool down the kids this weekend.”

Mr Costa said there has been an influx of people contacting Sydney Water seeking more information on current restrictions and swimming pools due to the hot weather.

“Level 3 water restrictions remain in place,” he said. “This means that a permit is required to fill a new or renovated swimming pool larger than 10,000 litres. Once you have the initial permit you can top-up as needed.

“Play pools for the kids or your animals are fine.”

Mr Costa also reminded people to slip-slop-slap before spending any time outdoors this weekend.

“Families enjoying the outdoors with a bit of water play have to remember the danger of the sun,” he added.

All other Level 3 restrictions remain in place and include:
• Hand-held hosing of lawns and gardens and drip irrigation is allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 am and after 4 pm
• Hosing of vehicles at residential premises is permitted only with a trigger nozzle or high-pressure water cleaning equipment (to a maximum of 10L/minute)
• Hosing residential building structures including windows, walls and gutters is allowed using a hose with a trigger nozzle or high-pressure water cleaning equipment (to a maximum of 10L/minute)
• No hosing of hard surfaces such as paths or driveways at any time
• No other watering systems or sprinklers are to be used at any time
• A permit from Sydney Water is required to fill new or renovated pools bigger than 10,000 litres
• No hoses or taps to be left running unattended, except when filling pools or containers.
For more information visit www.sydneywater.com.au

Jacaranda Tree

(stock photo)
This is such a beautiful tree.
My Mother-in-law had one in her front yard and when it was in flower
it spread over the entire yard.

Wow! Pink!
This new background is going to take a little getting use to but I must admit it is very summery.

This photo was taken in my garden.
The purple blossoms are from next door neighbour's Jacaranda tree.

My mum passed away on the 19th December 1998 and 10 years later on the 25th December 2008, the Hydrangeas she planted all those years ago are still going strong.