Brush With Death

I got to have a brush with death this morning. Nothing serious, of course, as I’m referring to a log-awaited photo opportunity with our bottlebrush in full bloom and the Death Machine as we refer to the rickety old recumbent bike which seems to offer the opportunity of terminating life every time it is mounted.

As a pun lover, I’ve been waiting for the chance to use this headline for a while, but preparing the Death Machine for a ride takes time as I have to uncover it, set up the lights and flagpole to make sure drivers can see me and not just run me down, and then invariably put air in the tires as it is usually a long time between rides.

A delight of the bottlebrush is that I’ve noticed it has started to attract bees, which is always a good thing for a garden.

There are a few bottlebrush in the neighborhood, so I hope they give the bees somewhere lovely to go.

I remember being struck by how many bees were hanging around the plants the last time I was in Oz, and glad to see that something like that is also happening here.

I’ve got lots to get through over the next couple of days ahead of a grueling time at a job I am grateful to have but keep praying that I will be able to just walk away from on a whim.

The Aussie plants are starting to come into their own as it heats up with the aforementioned bottlebrush bringing immense pleasure and the grevillea starting to put on a wonderful display. The kangaroo paw are not too far away.

During this morning’s ride, I stopped by my local Latte Graphic, a Melbourne-themed coffee shop, explained how I grow Aussie plants and offered them some kangaroo paw. They refused!

I’ve still got loads if anybody wants one. And I will deliver if in the Tokyo area.

Grevillea Gallery