I'm moving to Prahran

Who would live in the bush???

After a few days without going into the garden(beautiful grandchild to entertain) I was really annoyed to find nearly all the quinces on the  one tree I've planted (there are about 30 altogether) have been gnawed or pecked or something- not sure if it's a bird, a possom or a rat to blame but it is really frustrating after tending the tree and even picking off the pear slugs by hand so no spray was on the leaves or fruit. It is now netted but only attached with clothes pegs and the birds can pull those apart. Also I only have ugly white netting which looks revolting, but better than nothing I guess. You can just see the tree to the right...

Here's a better photo. Doesn't it look ugly netted with white netting? The neighbour's shed doesn't help either... I don't want the trees to get big so I keep cutting the tops. Can anyone advise about pruning quinces?

The pomegranates are better cos I don't think they appeal to birds. Then again, I thought that about quinces... Today was a public holiday in Victoria, and we spent it in the garden.

I took the lavender cuttings and spread them around the apple trees. First I weeded well, then I spread a couple of buckets of compost with lots of worms in it. Then I watered well, and added the lavender mulch and watered again. Experience has taught that you don't leave any bare earth or you end up with weeds galore.







And here is my Mum. She was born in Preston, Melbourne, in 1931. She has 4 children, three of them in Australia. She has a son Ken in Belfast, and he and his wife have 4 children.The eldest of them, Debbie has 2 girls - Emma and Alice, so Mum has 2 Irish great grand daughters, but she has never seen them. 

Will, her only great grandson, loves the attention she lavishes on him. This was taken a few weeks ago when he visted her at TheTerraces, the home in Mount Eliza that she lives in.