As winter fades to spring...

… hangers-on will be forced to let go, 

making room 

for new growth 

fresh color, 

life.

A little corner created in the shade

It’s the middle of August and I feel Spring is in the air! The warmer weather has spawned an activity of going through my garden to check on what needs to be done and I was horrified to notice that the chickens had just about annihilated my whole garden – what the winter didn’t get, they did! I haven’t been totally oblivious of this, it’s just that it’s been too cold to do much about it.

The start of a new garden

First it was the major job of cutting down and/or removing dead stuff and then taking stock of what was left – lots of open space! Many of the plants I removed were those that needed sun and had totally deteriorated because of too much shade in my garden now that all my trees have matured to 10m beauties – it’s amazing how things creep up on you without you noticing…



So some new spaces were created in the sun with old favourites. Some crusher stone defines a pathway for easy access, now it’s just the waiting until the plants get big and fill the spot.



After removing Red Hot pokers from this shady patch and not having anything to replace them with, I thought it easier to create a feature for the time being, but will have to get to the nursery some time or another!



A temporary feature in a shady patch – It’s amazing what a bit of crusher stone and things found will do to help out when you’re stuck without any plants…


Joseph filling up an empty spot with some crusher stone and turning it into a new pathway.

 
And of course, no day in the garden is perfect without our feathery friends enjoying a snack!

::

The Dreamer

 

In time perhaps this feeling will fade
It wouldn’t be the first time or the last -
But somehow I think we could make this work
We just have to try not to move too fast.

Dreams can come true
If you let them, if you want them to -
The dreamer is you
But somehow you’ve become a part of me.

Let’s forget the pain that we’ve both known
Let’s try to make ourselves a new tomorrow.
I’m tired of fearing things I’ve never seen
I’m tired of feeling pity, hate, and sorrow.


Show me the way to your heart and make it clear
I want to be a part of your life -
Someday I know we’ll have a love to share
Whether it be as sister, friend, or wife.

:: 

Green Tip #9 : Honey & Lemon

Drink warm water mixed with honey and lemon juice. It will bring you in shape and clear your body and skin.

The medicinal value of the lemon is well-known: It is an antiseptic, or is an agent that prevents sepsis [the presence of pathogenic bacteria] or putrefaction [decomposition of tissue]. It is also anti-scorbutic, a term meaning a remedy which will prevent disease and assist in cleansing the system of impurities.

Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently thus controlling constipation and diarrhea.

Early-morning showers

What better way to start the day than with an early-morning rain shower?
.

In this early morning

When the dawn hasn't even been breaking

In my bed I'm lying half asleep

Listening to the sound of rain

Sound of droplets touching the street gently

Lulling me to sleep more tightly

- Little Red Apple

The blossom is spent

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature ― the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. And there’s something so absolutely pleasing about a bunch of carrots with tops on! Maybe it’s the thought of pulling them out of the ground. As I stood there looking down at the carrots, thunder rumbled its way into the distance, and then the rain came, dropping words to the ground all around me. The blossom is spent and the trees are now all clothed in fresh green. Nature is throbbing with the sound of summer, a loud bird chorus. I felt the warmth of the sun on my shoulders and I felt at peace. If I had a song that I could sing for you, I’d sing a song to make you feel this way.

African Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus)
Camera : Kodak EasyShare C195
Taken in my garden

Being a dragon is amazing!

Remember when you were a little kid and someone asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And you looked at that person with bewildered eyes because you realized the possibilities were limitless and you could really be anything you ever wanted. You said something dumb like “a dragon” and they laughed and patted you on the head and said, “Oh how cute, you little child person, you.”

African Skink — Taken on my patio
Camera : Canon EOS 550D

I walk with ... beauty

Beauty before me, I walk with.
Beauty behind me, I walk with.
Beauty above me, I walk with.
Beauty below me, I walk with.
Beauty all around me, I walk with.
—Navajo Night Chant

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden at my wildlife pond (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

Southern masked-weaver, male – Ploceus velatus – surveying his domain from a rock at my wildlife pond.