Good-Bye, 2011

2011 consigned to the recycling bin.

Filling Gaps

Took a trip to the nursery and found a few plants to fill patches of the garden that are bare at this time of year.

Now I have to dig out a few excess belladonna lily bulbs (anyone want some?), which are taking over parts of the front garden, before I can pop these in.

Life And Death

The rain we have had in the last year has left the block at Lal Lal green and lush and full of life.

Can you see all the butterflies? No, you can't, but they are everywhere. At every step, several fly up from just in front of your feet. I would need a movie to show you them fluttering everywhere; a photograph just doesn't work.

Occasionally they alight where their camouflage is ineffective - this one is on the car door.

Sadly not everything at Lal Lal is alive. As I was working my way around the block, pulling out hundreds of bluebell creeper plants, I found this poor thing:

A koala.

Butterfly Pair

A pair of butterflies in my garden today:

I think they are a line-blue butterflies, possibly the Double-Spotted Line-Blue (Nacaduba biocellata). But if anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment!

Later:  Many thanks to Dee for identifying them as Long-tailed Pea-blues (Lampides boeticus).

Family Get-Together

Some people have large family gatherings at Christmas time, but for us it's a smaller occasion.

My parents and my son.

Aftermath

Because we were still on the road during the worst part of yesterday's storm, I only know there must have been hail here because of the holes torn in the leaves of plants like the cannas:

Fortunately my home is undamaged. I've spoken to a couple of people whose cars were dented, and the local supermarket this morning was mopping up the water which had come through their roof.

Christmas Contrasts

Red and green at lunch time:

Black and white at dinner time: