Whistlers Rest

There is something special about webby barbed wire fence.

On the trunk of the gum tree that has wonderful dark fibrous bark,

Webs all over the ground as well.

Here is the beginning of the promised series of dewy webs, starting with the artwork of the leaf curling spider.

It was a very damp misty morning.  Our mountain which is a little right of this photo was invisible, cloaked in white.

Last night was Earth Hour night.  Without electricity it was like every other night out at the Rest. I woke this morning to a dewy wonderland of webs which I will show you over the next couple of days.

This shrub is flowering at the moment.  There are just two of them. I don't know what they are but I notice there are some of them flowering along the roadside too. I've been busy trying to eradicate all the "bad" weeds before the council visits again in April.  The pesky Blackberries keep popping up but we are winning the battle.  I've been horrified to see Bridal creeper seedlings popping up in various parts of the garden so have been zapping whenever I spot them.  I think we've won against the Sweet Briar.  As for the Cineria, they flower at this time of year so it has been a rush to rip them up a fast as they flower, I could control them just by mowing as they are mostly in mowed areas but it  strikes me that if I pull the plant out of the ground it won't be there to bother me another year. That strategy is working against the St John's Wort but there are still zillions of them, just many fewer than there used to be.

We are nesting at the Rest.  We have put down carpet in half of the garage, installed one of our old sofa beds, put in a few cupboards, have gas BBQ to cook on, a wood heater ready to install to keep us warm, have a gas hot water heater for a shower, a chemical toilet and a generator for backup power -- a comfortable off-grid existence.  We will be spending more time out there now, especially in the delightful autumn season.