joybells2's Blog

The sky is clear blue without a cloud to be seen. No smoke either. There hasn't been any plane or chopper sounds for 2 or 3 days. Fantastic. School started back today & many of the tourists have gone. This signals the return of the "grey nomads", the name given to retirees who travel around the country in caravans & motorhomes, spending the kids' inheritance.

Many of my plants are sprouting furiously, great to see. The Wollemi Pine continues to send out new shoots. The dracaena surculosa punctulata "Sierra Leone" (magnificent name) has new leaves on spindly branches popping out everywhere (it is similar to but not the same as Gold Dust &/or Spotted dracaenas). This was another of my potted plants that was woefully neglected (to my shame), for many years. Amazing how a little TLC pays dividends. Have found out since that it is a fairly rare plant & to think we were actually going to throw it away. Just goes to show, you never know what gems may be hiding in your collections of plants!!! The maidenhair fern, which was self-sown & made itself very much at home in a zygo (holiday, etc) cactus's pot, is flourishing madly. Loves its new spot out on the front patio, great place for it. Since we moved to our new home several mths ago, our older plants have certainly gained a new vitality. Must like it here. Oh yes, the zygo still inhabits its pot & occasionally pokes out from under this mass of maidenhair fern fronds. Need a wide-angled lens to photograph the fern!!! It's hummungous!!!!