Back from Holidays

Taking a break from the homelife, my partner and I went camping and four-wheel driving around the central Australian outback. It proved a good break from work and civilisation in general. We saw plenty of wildlife, and even desert in bloom after unexpected rain. While away, we had asked our nice neighbour to look after our garden. She did her best, however...

DRIED UP GUAVA

A few plants have suffered, such as our guava tree, mangosteen and the cucumbers.

However, some of our hardier plants were still doing great.

RIPENING BANANAS

We replanted some plants again and did what we could to revive the rest.

Below is the passionfruit vine, covered in netting. A mystery bird had taken to eating fruit every day, stripping the vines of ripe AND unripened fruit. When it destroyed FIVE unformed fruit in one day, that's when I decided it would no longer get ANY. I don't mind sharing fruit with local wildlife, but when they destroyed unripened fruit in search of edible ones, that's when it got personal!

PASSIONFRUIT PROTECTION

Take only what you need guys! I now learn that even nature can be wasteful, and animals aren't necessarily good at keeping the balance.

Going Bananas!

Looking out from an upstairs window this morning, my boyfriend remarked "What the heck is that on my banana?" We were both in the bathroom at the time, so it could have led to all sorts of smart comments. However, we both ran excitedly downstairs to investigate the bigger of the two banana trees in the backyard.

Upon a closer look, we found that the banana tree was starting to form the beginnings of a BUNCH of bananas! Having never seen how these actually take shape, I was naturally intrigued. I have seen fully developed bunches, replete with pendulous purple hearts, but never one in its infancy. Here's a picture...

I'd also fertilised and mulched the banana trees the day before, so I thought it was a bit cheeky that my partner could call them his bananas! But fair enough, he had bought and planted them as young plants, so they could be seen as his banana trees.

On a side note, due to the cyclones which have devastated banana-growing regions of Australia, the prices of bananas have quadrupled. Usually around $3 p/kg, bananas can now cost as much as $12 p/kg in supermarkets.

So we're definitely looking forward to the day when these beauties ripen into yellow, golden goodness which we can munch on! Definitely worth their weight in gold at the moment.