Open gardens in Canberra region

 https://opengardenscanberra.org.au/events/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUZkpxwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXZqUVo1R0g3SmJrSnRYT2dzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeZ8SaGH20L_e-eI2nI5VFaGjOi9pN8FTzkE3Ul-uNZ-6ap743UrRZRYYtIKU_aem_c6isKZPgQwvWlSns4pBAEQ

Springtime open gardens are on from this weekend to 22 November 2026. So if you love gardens these will be worth your while visiting. There is so much beauty to enjoy at this time of year so make the most of it before it is too hot. If I am lucky I might get the chance too, I have only done this once about 25 years ago roughly, every year I want to go but something always seems to stop me going. 

I am definitely going to Tulip Tops just outside Canberra this week, we take our beautiful doggie daughter miss Ruby every year. This year she has her pram to relax in as she is very old now and gets tired walking too far.   

https://www.tuliptopgardens.com.au/

Enjoy classical music through speakers in the trees as you meander through this beautiful family owned garden. Plants are usually on sale at the kiosk as you enter and leave the gardens, they do sell out quickly though. Make sure to bring a hat or a parasol and sun block, because the weather is hot and you don't want to get overheated or sunburned.

I am hanging out for their famous dutch pancakes and ice cream, and the happy vibes. It's a great day out and kids love the place too. 

Note: At the top of the website it says open 12 September to 11 October only.  20 Old Federal Highway, Sutton NSW.

Happy springtime vibes and warm and fuzzy hugs everyone!

Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain hides deep caves that can teach us about alien worlds

 https://theconversation.com/australias-vast-nullarbor-plain-hides-deep-caves-that-can-teach-us-about-alien-worlds-290637

Quite an informative article, not somewhere that I would like to go all the same. The summer daytime temperatures are over 40 degrees Celsius in the day and still warm at night. In winter the average temperature is around 19 degrees Celsius and as low as 7 degrees Celsius overnight. 

It’s definitely not a trip to do in the summer due to vehicle breakdowns and other mishaps. You can take the train across the Nullarbor though, even though people do drive or take the interstate buses from Sydney to Perth. The Australian outback is really something to behold with the colours, wildlife and the environment. It’s an artistic landscape that is as mysterious as it is spiritual. 

Can houseplants really purify the air in your home? What the science actually says

 https://theconversation.com/can-houseplants-really-purify-the-air-in-your-home-what-the-science-actually-says-279690

Fellow plant lovers, the cat is outta the bag. 😂🪴🎍 NASA experiments go some of the way in this theory but you need a hell of a lot of plants to do the deed in your house. Still the happy vibes more than compensate for the hype when you have oodles of plants to enjoy. 

I love the sunlight on my house plants early in the morning giving me a happy and content feeling. Green leaves give me such  a soothing and healing vibe. 

Rare discovery of ambergris on Denmark beach excites scientists and historians

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-30/rare-discovery-of-decades-old-whale-vomit/106617738

What a find, this is something that comes along once in a blue moon. It’s still legal in Europe to use ambergris in high end perfume manufacturing. Ambroxan is the synthetic equivalent used in most perfumes. You can make a fragrance last longer on your skin by  putting moisturiser on first and then that holds the fragrance in place. 

Lake George hides an earthquake fault zone, and scientists are using your road noise to see it

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-22/lake-george-earthquake-fault-zone-anu-research-map/106119740

Very interesting information on Canberra region’s Lake George, which is famous as a disappearing lake. 

And haunted too, many people have had scary experiences driving by Lake George. 

I remember an earthquake tremor back in the early 2000’s. I thought it was a truck in the street, as we had a truck driver living up the street from us. I was reading in bed one summer night and I suddenly felt the rumble and never thought anything of it, until my husband came through and asked did I feel the earth tremor. 

Possums in Australia show some of the world's highest PFAS levels among small mammals

 https://phys.org/news/2025-10-possums-australia-world-highest-pfas.html

This is so sad,  but perhaps they need to check domestic animals including farm animals also. 

Waterfalls appear on Uluru after Red Centre soaking

 https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/waterfalls-appear-on-uluru-after-red-centre-soaking/1890624

These wonderful photos don’t do this magnificent place justice, which is no fault of the photographer. Capturing the colours, the atmosphere and the essence has to be experienced in person, which the lucky photographer would have experienced. It must be wonderful to be a nature photographer and getting to travel to amazing locations. The memories of such moments must be truly unique and special.

There are striking purple lines on Uluṟu when it rains, along with magnificent sunrises and sunsets that need to be experienced in person. Uluṟu is the spiritual heart of Australia and is like no other place on earth. 

I went to Uluṟu around 2009 with my husband and people from his office at the time, and it is such an incredible place to visit. I was amazed by the red earth and the strong blue sky contrast and the crowning jewel of Uluṟu. If ever you get the chance to visit this magical place please do, you will not regret it. I was there in the winter to avoid the heat and the weather was just perfect. 

Collapsing glacier buries mountain village in rock, mud

 https://www.9news.com.au/world/swiss-glacier-collapses-destroying-mountain-village/4c0ae694-5346-4aad-9096-432d1e949dbb

What a terrifying thing to happen, on never knows when a natural disaster can strike. My heart goes out to all those involved and having to rebuild their lives after such a devastating event.

UK's oldest polar bear euthanised as health fails

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr588d843e7o

How sad, poor bear, I hope she had a good life, she was safer in the zoo than in the wild really and survived longer than she would in the wild, not to mention safe from hunters. What a magnificent animal and very cute too. It's sad that animals face so much danger in our world, they deserve so much better. Thank goodness for the amazing people that look after the animals in our world looking after their health, wellbeing and safety. 

WILDLIFE: Incredible reason behind Aussie council's move to install 'tiny cardboard teepees' on roadside

 https://au.news.yahoo.com/incredible-reason-behind-aussie-councils-move-to-install-tiny-cardboard-teepees-on-roadside-222724883.html

What a terrific idea, vulnerable wildlife gets a chance to survive ❤️😀 

WILDLIFE: Fear for joeys as Australia guns down hundreds of koalas from helicopters

 https://au.news.yahoo.com/fear-for-joeys-as-australia-guns-down-hundreds-of-koalas-from-helicopters-080625776.html

This is extremely distressing reading for me and knowing that the Koala population in Australia is in decline as it is. I understand that seriously injured koalas have to be euthanised humanely but, if rescuers can get into the area safely then they should be allowed in to rescue the joeys and any adult koalas deemed to be able to survive. It was bad enough during the bushfires of 2019 with the massive loss of lives of our wildlife. Bushfires and culling of habitat by developers are the biggest threats to our Koalas. Proper back burning at the appropriate times of the year and the removal of debris that fuels bushfires is vital to prevent future disasters. This is something that all government agencies in Australia are well aware of but often ignored. 

Attention all plant lovers: Tradescantia, Purple Haze

 https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/purple-heart-tradescantia-pallida/

Yesterday I was out looking in garden nurseries and I came across this stunner at the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla. I love purple,  and this plant was just amazing to see. I was so impressed with its beauty that I bought it. Thankfully it’s an easy care plant too. I love plants and being surrounded with nature, Australia is fantastic for growing all kinds of plants from around the world. This particular species of succulent comes from Mexico and doesn’t need much maintenance. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves unusual plants with stunning beauty. To Canberra locals, the sister shop is out in Pialigo and they may also have this plant in stock. I know there was at least one in the Yarralumla shop, in the indoor area. And also the shop is cashless shop and doesn’t accept cash payments. But the shop at Yarralumla is definitely a must visit for gifts as well as beautiful plants. 

Happy gardening peeps ❤️🤗🤗

Curious koala survives close call at Sydney train station

 https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/08/casula-train-koala-sydney-police-escort

Never mind the shaggy dog stories, we have Koala stories in Australia 🤣❤️❤️🐨🐨

I used to live near Casual which is part of the city of Liverpool in south western Sydney. However I have never seen a single koala in the area back in the day. Canberra though we have native wildlife around us and we love them very much. 

Napping Aussie wakes up to surprise 'friend' in her bed

 https://au.news.yahoo.com/napping-aussie-wakes-up-to-surprise-friend-possum-bed-062257122.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADhBm9GbxoqnPX2JISrByjrQyi70VBOkuJb7ngj_4rVkTaCTe65p7cAbhZfnWkxJ4pq4AeOkqhBt6Rr_oF7RY9a8UqfXl12n2941mhiS4eZCbQN5p1pGK6e3uYb8md8SGpi-Nto6-MRGFQamCZPGilpYdawvCmeQ9rGyVPmtx8r0

 

                         That’s possum magic for you. Close encounters of the furry kind.

Underwater mountains three times taller than world's largest structure discovered

 https://www.9news.com.au/world/scientists-discover-four-underwater-mountains/9ef7a3d4-b679-4e84-ad32-e2cca41ccb9

It’s expensive researching underwater and obviously it will take many years to complete mapping the entire world’s oceans and we haven’t physically explored much under our world’s oceans because it’s so expensive. 

Six-legged spaniel undergoes surgery to remove extra limbs

 https://www.9news.com.au/world/six-legged-dog-surgery-remove-extra-limbs/700b2521-cfee-42e0-b03b-2222406dc4b9

Omg, Poor little soul. I am so glad that these good Samaritans helped the poor pup. What a terrible thing she has suffered and to be abandoned by some cruel humans. Obviously there was to be an extra puppy but nature can get it wrong sometimes. 

I just hope that this little girl will be able to walk normally once she has healed. Such a sweet but sad little face. Hopefully someone with a loving heart will adopt her soon. 

Wildlife carers overwhelmed as grey-headed flying foxes experience mass starvation down Australia's east coast

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-07/grey-headed-flying-foxes-mass-starvation-wildlife-carer-shortage/103284832

This is heartbreaking, lovely flying teddy bears ❤️🥰🥰 After the terrible 2019 bushfires and flooding, tragedy and death just never seem to stop. A shortage of vets and not enough helpers makes things extremely difficult not to mention stressful. 

I can barely bring myself to read these news articles of suffering animals. It’s bad enough when it’s human suffering but poor helpless animals takes it to a higher level. 

                                                        Adorable flying teddy ❤️

Add This Flavorful Herb To Your Garden To Keep Flies At Bay Read More: https://www.housedigest.com/1399872/plant-rosemary-herb-garden-repel-flies-pests-naturally/

 https://www.housedigest.com/1053994/how-to-repel-bugs-naturally/

I have a wooden box of essential oils and they get a good workout. 

Scroll down the articles as there are other tips for getting rid of spiders, cockroaches and other critters.

I have rosemary in my backyard and have propagated some new plants. I intend to have them in pots at my back door. Mint should always be growing in a pot, if you plant it in the ground it will grow like wildfire and is a nightmare to control, just like ivy. I am still trying to get rid of my ivy that has gotten out of control. I hope that this year I will finally be able to eradicate the ivy. I  just want to grow it  in hanging baskets. 

Baby birds expeced on my veranda again

 Yesterday afternoon I was delighted to see a mother bird, a Silvereye to be precise, making a nest in one of the plants on my back veranda. This is the second time my veranda has been sought after by a mother bird. I absolutley adore little Silvereyes. They are so tiny and chirpy little dears. Yesterday afternoon this little bird was fluttering around preparing her nest with feathers and what looked like dried twigs or dried grass. I have had a sneeky peak in the plant to see what she has brought in to her temporary nest. But I know to keep right away while she is prearing for her babies arrival. 

The problem is trying to water the plants without frightening her away. Especially once the eggs hatch as she might abandon the nest. I also need to keep an eye on miss Ruby just in case she discovers the bird as her barking  may frighten the mother bird away. 

I really enjoyed the last birds on the veranda, however it was quite hot and I was worried about the chicks not surviving the heat due to the lazerlite holding in heat and it was a very hot summer. However they all survived and flew off shortly before Christmas 2018. 

https://psychictarotreadingwithalexfulford.blogspot.com/2021/03/baby-thrushes-at-alexs-house.html

The last photo was on 23 December 2018. For some reason I kept thinking it was Blackbirds, D'oh! they were Thrushes.

I will try to get some photos from afar and zoom in as the mother bird sits on her eggs and then see if I can get a phot of the chicks, being careful not to upset the mummy bird.

 Below is the blurb and photo from Wikipedia. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvereye

 

UPDATE: The little bird has relocated she must have felt the nest is not in a safe place because of people constantly passing by and checking the plant. Good luck little mother to be ❤️

 

California surfers terrorized by board-stealing sea otter

 https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/california-surfers-terrorized-by-boardstealing-sea-otter/news-story/14468b124a2707d1b001742cfaf66921

Aww, how can these cute water teddy bears be mean and nasty and still look so cute?