Mandevilla – Edgar's Page

Out and about

09/03/2018 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

It’s now into Autumn (Fall) and the days are still warm to very warm ( 28 – 37C) but it’s not too bad and we can still get out and about – just have to make sure the ground is not too hot. Message last week suggested that I should be in Adelaide this weekend and I did try and comply – honestly. However, I did send a message and tendered an apology. I will not be going to Adelaide this weekend for several reasons 1) the Adelaide Fringe Festival – 2) Womadelaide – 3) the Adelaide Cup – 4) It’s a long weekend and 5) I really am not going to pay the inflated Adelaide accommodation prices this weekend. However, I am not alone in this in that the people from the South East ( Keith to Mount Gambier) will have a similar problem. Anyway, I can think of lots to do here rather than drive back and forth to Adelaide this long weekend.

It’s starting to get quite cold in the mornings and soon I will have to change from a middle weight jacket to a heavier jacket. In the summer the hot north wind comes off the desert and pushes the temperature up. In winter the wind blows in off the Spencer Gulf bringing cool to cold air from the Indian Ocean and right at the moment the wind is from the Gulf in the early morning and the late evenings. At the end of this month, the clocks go forward ( I think!) and that will make a change. We will still go out at the same time – that doesn’t change. I had intended to take a run through to the Arid Lands Gardens to get plants to replace the plants the sun kindly burned to death for me. Annabell does not go out into the garden – too many hazards there for her – fine for us but not for her, so when I am away, I try to make sure that the plants are watered before I leave – but 47C was just too much and I was away for four days. Anyway, it’s not a total loss and I still have one single Mandevilla remaining. Still, look on the bright side in that we have managed through the heat of summer without any major bushfire. Oh, we have had a few fires that were attended to, but nothing too major.

At the moment Annabell is hosting the Ladies Coffee evening and morning. She (we) were only to do it for this month but she suggested that she (we) do it for the next two months –

March and April. This would mean that she (we) would not have to host it again for the remainder of this year (barring emergencies/Illness) Why the (we) well, she cannot carry the things – extra chairs, sort out the tables and set out the chairs and put everything away on the Wednesday afternoon- so in essence, she gets the credit, but it’s a joint effort given that there things she cannot do. Actually, I’m not altogether sure that she knows where the garage is :o) Benji does well and he gets well petted by everyone, but I generally have him in the room with me. Barring emergencies or Special Purpose Meetings, I should not be leaving for Mount Gambier until mid May.

When the ladies were here this morning I took Benji for a wander round the wetlands. Still a bit on the sticky side, but not too bad. I think the temperature today was about 32C but the ground was cool, so he was ok. It being a week day I was able to talk to the workmen down

at the Wetlands and I was correct in my assumption that they are preparing the foundations for a Kiosk/Cafe at the entry to the Wetlands. This will be a good move and will certainly attract more people to the area and that in turn will lead to the upgrade and development of the Wetlands. Sadly though, Benji is not good with other dogs – other than those he already knows, like Yogi and Dougal, so this means that once the kiosk is up and running and it attracts more people to the area, it could restrict our visits to the Wetlands. But for all that, it’s a good development.

The WaWa – all change.

31/03/2017 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

In all of my life I have only ever bought one dog from a Pet Shop. I have to truthfully say that I have looked and liked what I saw – but then, I didn’t know any better. I bought this dog from the Pet Shop, because I knew the owner, she was also a dog groom and she also ran boarding kennels. We called the dog Chienne – I know some people in France use this as an insult but to me it just simply meant what she was a Female Dog. This was almost sixteen years ago. She died at just over fourteen years of age. She never had a day ill in her life and the only time she had to wear a “Collar of Shame” was when she had been to the vet for “The Operation”. She was a lovely dog, dearly loved by everyone who came into contact with her, particularly the Love of Her Life – my youngest son, Andrew. She also helped to fill an interesting matchmaking role, but that’s another story. My reason for reliving all this, is not to inflict sadness on myself, but to state a point – and the point is this – in my life I have only ever had one experience of a pet shop and that experience was very positive. I do not for one second doubt that many

Puppy Farms are dreadful places and should be closed down. My heart aches when I think of some of these poor animals. However my only experience was a positive one and it is very difficult to set that aside. Every dog, including Benji, was a rescue dog. Only Chienne was a Pet Shop Dog and she was one of the most lovable dogs I have ever lived with – and to be honest it took me a while to stop calling him and at times referring to Benji as Chienne. That’s how imprinted she was on me.

The WaWa and I have become quite close to the point where I can go to her, lift her up and she snuggles into my neck. In my wild erratic fancy, I had visions of her searching where would be the

best point to sink her teeth into, but that’s being unkind :o) I can also sit down on the floor and when Benji is not around I can sit and play with her, scratch her ears and her belly and pet her back and head. Tippysmom was spot on when she said that it will be an incredible wrench if /when the owner comes back and I have to give her up. I never meant to get attached to her but I have – and that’s a concern.

I have been working outside – even in the high temperatures we have had this week – because I want to get as much of the garden finished as I can. At the moment I have completed about half of what needs to be done and I would like to get most of it finished this week. For the gravel I am using Granite Chips – not cheap but they look good and they hold their colour for a long time. Other stone chip seems to fade after a while whereas Granite does not. The Frangipani are coming along well as are the four Mandevilla / white /pink and two red. All very nice and should last until about mid-May, which is when I head off to Mount Gambier for four days. I water and feed the flowers and plants before I go and hope that will be enough to last them until I get back. And before you ask, the answer is NO.

A post ago I used a photographs of snow in Neilson. The photographs was taken in the morning, and by mid-afternoon the snow was all gone. It didn’t last long apparently.

Still no word about what is happening with Arrium. As far as we know there are two buyers interested – One British and one South Korean. The uncertainty is such that there are so many houses

for sale around the town; a number of houses foreclosed by the bank and I know of at least one house – a big house – where the owners just packed up and walked away, leaving everything to the bank. As I said before our major shopping Mall, once advertised as the largest outside of Adelaide, has 18 empty shops. However on a positive note we believe that a large retailer will be moving into the larger of the empty shops ( 3 in 1) soon. Good in that it is a large area and will take away the empty look from that section and also that it will provide jobs.

Adelaide, Bunnings and a Strange Experience..

22/09/201622/09/2016 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I did a little bit of work in the garden yesterday, and also did a lot of sitting down but I am starting to get moving . Just take it in easy stages. It was nice yesterday morning but by 2 pm it was dull, overcast and chucking it down again. It’s not the best start to spring that I can remember. Not much in the way of rain for Adelaide for a day or so – then the next front rolls in. However, not so great looking for Victoria and parts of NSW. Took Benji out for a walk the other evening – after it got dark – not a long walk nor a quick one, just a slow walk to the end of the road and back. How very odd – for some reason I must have pressed the publish button and published the first paragraph of this post – I must be cracking up. I think it must be all this rain that has waterlogged my brain :o)

As I said, I managed to do a little bit of work in the garden before the rain started – not a lot and I did sit down a fair bit, but I did something – which is good. I am also heading off to Adelaide this week. My son has three days off work so he wants to go to Adelaide and has asked me to come down with him. Bit of a break and he will do most of the

driving. This comes at a good time because I wanted to go to Bunnings Garden Center and look for Mandevilla Climbers. I saw them in a booklet and liked the colours so I thought I might try them here. I think our local garden center has some but only in the one colour and I would like an assortment of different colours. Depends if we have time or not. A week or so ago, on another site I follow there was a small discussion on doctor’s handwriting and the difficulty at times of reading it. Not very long afterwards I came across this cartoon whilst I was looking for something else. It appealed to my warped sense of humour. I hope she ( the doctor) is not offended.

It has been bucketing down off and on here for most of the day and according to the news we had about 13mm of rain. Fortunately it looks as if it will be dry for the drive to Adelaide.

It was mainly dry. We did run into a rain band not too far from Port Pirie. That lasted for a bit then it was clear all the way to Marlston in Adelaide. John did most of the driving down and after changing over at Bolivar, I did the driving in town. John attended to his business and I went to Bunnings at a place called Mile End. I got the garden lights that I wanted. I was told that it is too early for Mandevilla – next month is better. I really don’t know what happened after that but I felt a that very strange pulling sensation and next thing I knew I was in the Pet Barn and these Dinosaurs were calling to me. There were three and I felt that it would be so wrong to take two and leave one poor dinosaur all on his own with no one to love. Next thing I knew I was back in the car with a bag with three dinosaurs in it and only a vague recollection of how they got there. I know, you probably don’t believe me – – interestingly enough, neither did Annabell. Well….. I don’t think I dog can have too many toys..

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