IN RESIDENCE

 I've been busy gardening for the last few days. I've, again, cleared the rapidly growing fern and flax that grows along the side of the house.

This is always a massive job and takes many hours resulting in a full trailer load of leaves, branches, fern fronds and flax.

BEFORE

AFTER

Now the more observant reader would, of course, notice that these images come from a 2016 post I wrote about clearing the same spot. Since then some cabbage trees have grown up quite a bit and required me climbing up on the ladder to trim the fronds that were spreading out to the house.

It was while trimming one of these, with the ladder at full extension I noticed a beady eye observing me. It was not The Old Girl who was planting flowers and ground cover in the front garden.

A thrush has made its nest in one of the cabbage trees and it wasn't until I uncovered some of the fronds that I saw it.

 I stopped trimming and left it and hope that my intrusion won't lead to it abandoning the nest. This might have happened if there were just eggs in the nest but, looking from the dining room window I have seen at least three baby birds being fed by a parent.

Life goes on.