Bounty

This time of year is so bountiful in the garden and it never fails to amaze me.  Plants grow so quickly that I have to keep a diary of when I planted them so I can stagger my crops.  I planted 6 tomato plants on the 1st of September, they are almost in full fruit now and I expect them to crop for at least another 2 months. I planted another 4 plants on the 16th of November but because the weather was a lot warmer in November the younger tomatoes are just about to fruit.  Even though I have a 6 week gap I think they are all going to be in sync.
I'll be harvesting the garlic and eschallots this weekend (heat permitting) I have been saving nylon net bags for just such an occasion.. I intend to hang them up in our garage to dry. I'll try my hand at braiding the leaves like they do in Europe but I think I failed braiding at school so we'll have to see how they turn out before I keep them like that.
I have a giant rhubarb plant that is producing enough rhubarb to keep the suburb in rhubarb and apple pies. I'll have to start taking it to work.

We have so many birds nesting around the garden I am surprised there is room for them all.  I'm really proud of the diversity of my garden and the proof that it is working is in the different species of bird that call it home.  We have 2 pairs of doves nesting in our lemon tree and an obelia bush in the front garden.  3 families of Wattle birds have nests out the front in bottlebrush trees and (surprisingly) a cecile brunner rose bush.
Currawongs nesting in the box gum, blackbirds are nesting in a conifer 2 yards over, sparrows in next door's roof, thornbills in the privett (my nemisis) blue wrens also in the privett. Willy wag tails have a nest close but not in sight and magpie larks also have a nest in a mysterious local.  There is such a mix of nectar, insect and seed eaters its a wonder the garden isnt stripped. Our neighbours have also planted a lot of native flowering plants and I also attribute the closness of the river as being an attraction for the birds.  Lots of different parrots fly overhead and often stop by in the trees to make a racket and do a raid on an unguarded fruit tree.
White cockatoos seem to be very partial to tangelos as I found one morning when I spotted this on our clothesline.

What was really cheeky was that he/she (its hard to tell) was peeling the tangelo and spitting the peel onto the lawn then devouring the flesh without spilling a drop of juice and all while I was watching.

 and look how clever they are at biting out a hole in the fruit.  This is how many I lost in one early morning session. 1 hour, 4 cockatoos, 12 tangelos.

I should be mad but cocky's are so beautiful.  I just picked most of the fruit and juiced it up. Absolutely delicious too. Now all they can do is sit in the box gum and screech at me.