Sorted a bunk

Mum gave me a single mattress which had been in one of the spare rooms - bed frames since collapsed.

I took it for the top bunk, and got around today to putting it together. Shame about the rest of the room, but...baby steps. I'm now a wee bit closer to getting the room sorted. It just takes so much time - the time I am usually required at work, actually!!

How nice it will be to have all this done. I've yet to re-arrange the pics on the wall properly. They look a bit haphazard here.

Duranta flowers

Am trimming up the back utility walk, cutting the overhanging trees from next door. It's a huge messy job in the heat. I wish they would cut them down.

Plenty of mess from the duranta trees, but the cute tiny purple flowers are pretty.

Spring clean for the chookie house

Big job. Messy. I've put the used straw and sawdust on the garden beds, and around the trees as mulch.

I've removed the covers which keep them warm at night, and am giving it a good air-out. I sprayed it with insect killer too. Hopefully that will kill some of the mites. I'm hoping the dry air might obliterate the rest.

Will put clean sawdust on later this afternoon, and close it up for them. Poor girls - they really need a new house, and I'm looking for a good one online and at Bunnings. Would prefer a plastic one which can be cleaned and disinfected but most of them are of fir-wood - which apparently is cheap and nasty. Also, Bernie put a good corrugated-iron top on this one and I am reluctant to let it go to waste. Maybe when I get new chooks?

My three lazy girls

It's been so hot lately that the girls have just stretched out during the hottest parts of the day, and taken it easy! So far, we are 3 months without a scrap of rain. The garden is suffering.

Crimson red frangi

The first hints at the colours of the frangis in the front - this one I think was given me from the folks who lived at the back, Tracey and Andrew, just as I moved in. They moved to Harvey Bay.

I love this unusual colour.

First little grapes!

From Dirk's grapevine - the first little clump of tiny grapes. So exciting to see!

Hard to get a good focus as they are still so small! But I was surprised to see them, and very pleased.

I also trimmed (29 Sept) the back walk of overhanging branches of hibiscus and duranta, as they make so much mess when they drop leaves and berries.

It gives the grape vine a chance to get a lot of sun. Wheelbarrow full of clippings! I've yet to add some extra support between the rafters for the new growth on the grapevine.

I later put the clippings in the bin, to go out with the rubbish collection next week. I wish I had a chipper, so I could make mulch out of it all.

Red geranium from Sonia Jones

I managed to get a cutting growing from Mum's geraniums which she got from Sonia Jones, Desmond's third wife. They live in Childers.

This is such a pretty, rich red flower. I have it shoved in a pot just now with old petunias, and some struggling portulacca.