While you stitch - who's watching the Olympics

Until ten or so years ago both plants were called Datura. Since plants are classed by their flower parts and since Datura face up and Brugs hang down with slightly different flower parts (sex organs) they renamed them, but both are in the family Solanacea.

Try to save the link.

Yeah, big blimps of things! They are so wonderful and so LOUD. In captivity they need a minimum of four to six hours a day of direct contact, nuzzling, cuddling, grooming, cooing, shmoozing and love. They are very needy of a mates. I believe they mate for life and are monogamous. I have a chart to stitch several different kinds of Cockatoo's. I was going to buy one until I was afraid I wouldn't be able to provide the care, but as it turns out I spend at least that much time with Mika. She is an emotionally healthy girl, thankfully. It can go wonky and parrots will pull their feathers out and do horrible mutilation to themselves if they are not properly treated in captivity.

I'll try to update my blog with photo's of the hummingbirds at our feeders.

I tried, but I didn't give it enough time. I am not sure it is warm enough to support orchids in the winter even in the greenhouse. I keep it cool at night...around 40F which may be 5 degrees C. I'm terrible at conversion. I love the small ones and the cattleyas. I murdered some paphs! Too much water.

I have several canna's. 'Pretoria' 'Tropicana' 'Striped Beauty' and others. The 'Striped Beauty' is in the pond. They grow very well here in TX also. Reliably perennial without digging in our USDA Zone

One good thing about a summer like this; it teaches me that watering when we have normal rainfall is not necessary. Some plants out there are growing and flowering beautifully. One such plant is Caesalpina Pulcherrima L. common name, Pride of Barbados. It needs NO water. Also the Cassia, mesquite, bay laurel tree (20 feet tall) and so many others. So, this summer what dies, goodbye's! I do not plan on replacing anything with anything other than a nice layer of mulch. If some natives pop in, fine. Out back needs a good thinning anyway.

We have Anole lizards, fence lizards and gecko's. You can only imagine my face when our Geico gecko turned out his voice and he was an Aussie! Now he's a smart a$$. Still very cute. Our gecko's are Mediterranean imports. We rescued two out of the house a few nights ago. They could not have been more than half an inch long. Must have just hatched somewhere in the attic. I don't mind them up there. No bugs, that's for sure.

Last time I got a speeding ticket, I went to court to contest it. Cop who wrote the ticket didn't show up, so I'm off the hook. I'm told that's what often happens around here and if you can afford to take the day to go to court, it's worth it. It might have been worth it even if he had shown up, as he had written the wrong license plate number on the ticket.

Elizabeth

If I contest it, I'd be lying. I was speeding. So even if he doesn't show up, am I really getting away with anything? I prefer to just pay or do what is the right thing to do. I was speeding and I should not do that, it's breaking the law. I could have hit someone. That's just how I look at it as I watch swimming.

(Cringe) thanks for changing the header. I got carried away and didn't think to!

Ah yes! I've looked them up in my plant books. Your Brugs are lovely and I had no idea they actually came in named varieties. D'you mind letting me in on the differences between floral parts? Like you, I've done the taxonomy thing and am interested to know.

'kay.

ROTFLMAO!!! Oh I wish I could get a decent recording of the flock of two hundred or so that flies over our place every arvo. They are *deafening* in full cry!!! They do mate for life and are wonderful companion animals so long as you're willing to spend the time with them. Tragically, most are kept in disgustingly tiny cages without the room even to extend their wings.

My Dad was given one years ago. We hadn't realised this bird had been caught from the wild and, of course, was never going to be tamed. Over time Ignatius (the cocky) actually chewed off one of his feet from distress. I finally convinced Dad to let him go and it was not long before a friend who was greenkeeper over at the university playing fields remarked on seeing a one-legged cockatoo among the flock that lived there. Thank goodness Ignatius survived! Many don't.

Oh, and another story, since you're interested in cockies. My DH's uncle is a real animal-person. Aside from breeding and showing Bull Terriers, he has the biggest flight aviary I've ever seen. It takes up the whole of his backyard, probably a third of an acre in size, and is filled with all kinds of native shrubs. In it, he keeps his collection of native parrots, mostly cockatoos. He has the lovely grey and scarlet Gang-gangs, the coconut-ice-coloured Major Mitchells (endangered these days), White-Tailed Blacks from the far west *and* the pièce de résistance is a pair of Palm Cockatoos from far northern Queensland.

Palm Cockies are the biggest of all. They're nearly a metre long and glossy black with an *enormous* black bill. They have a patch of scarlet skin on their faces and this glows brightly when they're excited or 'talking' to each other. They make a hilarious sound which is exactly like an adenoidal person saying 'Hellowwwwwwww'. Like all Cockies, they're really funny to watch in their antics as they climb about the treetops and munch up everything they can get their beaks on.

Of course, that's the downside of cockatoos. They rather enjoy destroying things. There's a Silky Oak tree at the back of our place that's virtually been stripped bare and nearly ringbarked by the cockies. Not only that, but they'll perch in a great white cloud on people's TV antennas and shred the cables that hold them in position. They also like ripping shreds off the telegraph poles. If you've got a big flock, it can do pretty major damage.

But I don't care! They're amazing! I'd love for you to see our flock wheeling across a clear blue sky with the sun shining through the pure white feathers and revealing the sulphur tinge in their armpits! They're so big and so wild and yet so trusting when they come down to eat. They turn their heads sideways and eye you with a comical knowing look. They chatter among themselves like a swag of old ladies at a stitch-in. And then, the lookout will squark a warning and they'll all be off in an instant with a great flurry of wings and cries. It's sad when they go.

I've gotten a photo of the ones on our roof, but I can't post it till I sort out my computer woes. I'll let you know so you can have a look at them.

Oh yes please! I think I'm as partial to your hummingbirds as you are to our cockies. I can't imagine what a teenyweeny hummingbird must be like and it's one of my dearest wishes to see one in the flesh!

Eurgh! We've all done that and learned a hard lesson! Why not have another go when you're feeling more confident? I'm going to!

Very wise. Since my garden's just being started from scratch, I'm hoping to put all the water-loss things in place from square one. Shade trees are important over here and something to resist the hot westerly winds as well. That's where my casuarinas come in - they're not so dense that they'll block out the sun or rain, but will break up the wind a bit and provide the dappled shade I want. Fingers crossed!

LOL! Same! The only thing is, while Oz natives are great at doing without water, they do tend to be kinda grey-green and all the same. There is nothing on earth that holds a candle to a beautiful rose or camellia, I find. I can keep the roses hopping along with careful watering and lots of mulch, but the camellias just shrivel in the hot summer. They live on the shady side of the house and DH is talking about putting up some shadecloth to try and break the wind down a bit. Hope it works.

Our street is a very old one and all the houses are very small and very close together. We have about six feet of clearance between our house and the ones on either side. I put the camellias on the Dark Side so there'd be something a bit more interesting to look at through the side windows. The neighbour's wall wasn't terribly inspiring! LOL!

Yeah, I don't mind sharing the house with the wildlife. DH sometimes struggles with it a bit and he did draw the line when a rat got in and gnawed our network cable! (NB. I'm not all that partial to rats meself, really) Our snake has long gone and we really do miss him. He must've died of indigestion, I think, since we *never* had mice while he was with us. Do you feed your geckoes? Apparently, they can become quite tame if you're patient.

That's one way to look at it.

Around here, if one tried to maintain a speed of 55 on the highway, one would quickly cause an accident by going too slowly. I've paid tickets before, but my issue the day I was given this particular ticket was that I was trapped in the left-hand lane with people passing me on the right. It made no sense that he pulled me over and I was perturbed about it.

Elizabeth

Too bad I didn't know you when we had our Darth Vader. Black cat hiding among the dark green foliage, perfectly camouflaged, and then she'd bring a hummingbird into the house to show Mom what she caught.

With the first one, we were sure it had to be injured but when we coaxed her to open her mouth so dad could play bird-doctor, there was nothing wrong with that bird. Just that our Darthie had faster reflexes than the hummer! We had a heckuva time getting the bird back out of the house, because it moved faster than the humans.

After that, we understood that this was just a game for her. She'd take the bird softly in her mouth like a hunting dog, present it to whoever was around, and once she'd been praised for her speed, take the bird back outside and let it fly away.

I'm sure we could have persuaded her to drop a few hummers into Auntie Trish's waiting hands for a close-up inspection.

Same here however being prissy, I was speeding, so took my medicine.

My issue was the cop who flagged me down - rude, rude, rude. I rolled the window down and he said "Gimme your licence, MVI and insurance" - the tone was very aggressive. So I wrote a letter when I paid the ticket complaining about him. I pointed out I was speeding, I wasn't trying to evade the penalty but since I was not a criminal I didn't expect to be spoken to so rudely. Never heard anything.

Yeah, this guy wasn't that rude, but he hit me for doing 80 and for tailgating and I was doing neither. I'd gotten stuck behind someone doing 60 in the left hand land and every once in a while I'd slide up and suggest she move over (which she refused to do), but I didn't stay there and if I'd been doing 80, I wouldn't have been asking her to move over! In addition, I couldn't pass her on the right because I couldn't get out from behind her for all the cars passing me on my right. I was fit to be tied even before he pulled me over. AND it would have cost me about $2000 in insurance penalties over the next 2 years if I'd just accepted it.

Elizabeth

I almost did a spew on the first sentence. I've be doing 65 in the middle lane had people speeding past on the right and left.

Cheryl

Just a side note to Brat's post. MA has some of the most convoluted regulations involving moving violations and your mandatory insurance coverage.

Brat's car is fairly ordinary looking but maybe he was hoping for a sweet young thing driving Mom's wagon.

Cheryl

With that penalty I would have taken it to court, our insurance allows for two tickets before it kicks in with penalties. Personally I have fought against that, the insurance companies can see the records that show you received a ticket. Why ? Why should a private company be allowed to peruse records ? Shouldn't they at least have to pay for that privilege but I guess the answer is no (in other words they have their claws in) and the officials concerned clearly thought I was quite mad that I even thought to object to same! Many years ago I would have started a campaign but nowadays I am a sadder, wiser (more cynical) individual, haven't campaigned since the late 90s.

Oooh, youm gonna get it girl !

Nah - I've got a friend who's son is an MA statie - hear it happens more than you think it might....

And it is the prefect "Mom" car.

Cheryl Who will be waiting a year or so for a new conveyance; with the other bills (not just hockey Ellice), I need to wait.

Why? She's right, my car is fairly ordinary, except for the crate and the ribbons visible out the back window. It was a K9 officer, so maybe he was jealous of Harry's success?

Elizabeth

Snicker! Cheryl

A couple years ago a hummer got into our garage and, even with the big door and both little doors open, it couldn't seem to find its way out, silly thing! It flew around there for about and hour. I figured the poor thing *had* to be getting tired so I finally cut an orange in half and put it up high so it could get a drink. Eventually I was able to get close to it and finally catch it. It was cool having it sit in my hand!

Joan

I wasn't thinking so much about the car comment, but rather that you were not a 'sweet young thing' lol

Fortunately, it is outright over polite down here in TX. It took me a very long time to get used to people being helpful.