grevillea

  • Seed Of An Idea

    With the onset of spring, I finally took action and planted seeds in the hope of bringing more, longer-lasting flowers into the Aussie garden we call Kangaeroo Corner. I planted some banksia, grevillea and eucalypts, using a variety of different methods. I put seeds into growth pods in three types of planter box. Two of these were to be lit 24 hours, and the other left to get light when it could. Two were also soaked in water, and the third wettened, but essentially to remain dry. The seeds are supposed to sprout anywhere from one to three weeks from now, so I will keep my eyes on them and…

  • Slanging Garden With Birdies On

    Wasn’t going to write anything today, but a delightfully sunny winter morning got me fawning over Kangaeroo Corner and feeling absolutely thrilled to have this little garden, especially when it’s attracting the local birds to our Fountain of Strewth. With a later than usual start to riding planned, I got to spend the early morning chatting with our dinosaur, devising more ideas to interfere with the garden’s process and gas-bagging with my sister. Our discussion was a deep one, and I appreciate her care and concern over so many decades. Today, though, we focused on my difficulties in dealing with happiness and coping with a supportive, encouraging environment. I’m now…

  • Whirlwind Week And Winter Wonderland

    It’s been a whirlwind week, not because of the speed that it has passed, but the tumultuous time it has been. That’s not to suggest it was a torrid affair. In fact, it was anything but. Work was a generally great time. Monday I had been expecting to receive notice that my trial period was over. It didn’t happen. But I was informed on Tuesday! I’d forgotten that Monday was a holiday in Australia for Australia Day. My boss is based in Melbourne. Moreover, my employer bent the employment rules. Instead of giving me a contract to the end of the current fiscal year, which will finish on March 31,…

  • Propagation Station

    Even though it’s the middle of winter, I’ve turned my attention to trying to conjure up some pretty plants by propagating cuttings from the star of Kangaeroo Corner, our grevillea. I set up a propagation station using cuttings from our tree. I’ve dipped the cuttings in growing hormone and hope they will sprout roots after a few monnths in the solution stored on the station. We started the garden in 2022, at which time I had no idea or interest in gardening. I didn’t know what a grevillea was. But ours has me smitten. This winter, it has remained in constant bloom, unabated since April of last year, and with…

  • Croc Of Spite

    January is the coldest time of the year in Japan, and the Fountain of Strewth has turned to ice and the Croc of SHITE* is more a Croc of Spite as ice drives it to the bottom of the fountain until the morning sun thaws it, almost as a reminder of the harshness of the winter. With the still short days, the lengthy dark periods make the cold seem colder. But this year seems to have been a return to the past. The two most recent winters have been comparatively warm, but cloudy. Cold, wet, dark winters are common in Melbourne, where I grew up. But Tokyo winters are brilliantly…

  • Charmed And Cheered

    Thanks to a minor quirk of fate, my life has turned completely around and I’ve gone from cursed to content, all within the space of a couple of months. For the first time in years I’ve got a great job in a prime location. My company values me and goes out of its way to make sure that I can produce the best I can to bring it the results its looking for. I’m incredibly blessed by colleagues, who go out of their way to help me bring out my best. But I have to admit that my entire career has been pretty much enchanted in terms of the people…

  • Strewth, The Whole Strewth And Nothing But The Strewth

    An amphibious reptile has taken over the Fountain of Strewth, and that’s no crock. Well, it is, but more croc that crock. A large crocodile is occupying the rim of the Fountain of Strewth. Mrs. Kangaeroo bought it and placed it there, using it to replace a tiny replica crocodile she had initially attached to the new lettering on the fountain. We’ve always had lettering on the fountain, but it got a new, metallic upgrade over the summer, in addition to a Beware of Crocodiles replica road sign. Ironically, the solar-power fountain that worked so tremendously well and gave the water attraction its name has been rendered almost obselete by…

  • Moving Mountains

    This weekend was probably the last until the very end of the year where I would be able to do a decent amount of cycling, and timing presented the opportunity to return to mountain riding for the first time in over three years. I got to ride through Takao first and see my physician for a regular check up. This allowed me to grab some time in Takao Komagino Teien, the gorgeous Japanese garden adjacent to my hospital. I enjoyed a leisurely ride over Otarumi Pass, a popular ride for many cyclists in Tokyo, and was pleasantly surprised that the journey up the hill wasn’t as demanding as I had…