Some March Updates

Unusually, it rained heavily on 2 days in the first week of March.

Rain lilies sprang up, but in many agricultural lands, there were huge crop losses.  

The moisture supplied by the rain was just what I needed [because scooping soil is easier and no dust flies] to embed a few left over odd pieces of stones on the pavement and at the entry point to the Yarden/Eden.   I was waiting for this modification till the rain barrel was in a better place.  I had moved the barrel which I mentioned in my last post.  

This is the passageway path, after the paving.  To the right is the entry to the Eden, slightly raised, but not evident in this picture. 

Now I'm inside the Eden.  Look at the stones laid beneath the rain barrel - entrance.

It was like this last month.  Observe the area beneath the barrel. 

Another view of the entrance from my sitting bench.  

Sitting bench faces the entrance. I have to climb 3 inches on that stone.  

My wild lawn - nothing but Cynodon dactylon - became greener after receiving rains.  One of my 3 tyre planters are seen in this picture [foreground].  I have kept Billbergia pyramidalis in this one. 

I am preparing materials for my Tomato ladder and other support frames while junk is converted that way.  The progress will be updated.

My birdhouse - a flop

Inspired by other gardeners on Dave's Garden site where members had shared their beautiful birdhouses and colourful birds, I wanted to try one for our smaller birds here.  So I looked for some easy projects to make one.  I found a simple model for which just four pieces of wood, a plastic bottle [in cylindrical shape] and a stiff wire were required. For the wood, I used the crude pieces of my old toy projector [an old story - click here] and the other materials were on hand. 

In all expectation, I hung my birdhouse on the fiddlewood tree.  Many weeks passed, but I found no visitors. I was wondering what was wrong with it.  So I changed the location and just removed it to a place, dejected.  Now it was hung low on a hibiscus plant. 

I was in the kitchen when I heard this little bird calling.  When I looked out of the window, I got the scene I yearned for - a bird in my birdhouse!!  After jumping a hop with joy, I ran to arm myself with the camera and carefully, partly opened the second door of the toilet that opened out to the yard side. The Great Tit was exploring possibility by surveying it!  In fact, it turned out to be the only time it or any other bird visited!  :( 

Its present fate....waiting to go into the boiler oven!  I never made another.