rover all over: RIP camera

I know I have harshly criticised the family Canon camera on occasions, but I do miss it since it gave up the ghost. Or more accurately, got its lens stuck out in a terminally extended position and started giving a "lens error" message which no online user forum has yet been able to help David fix. So I am reduced to using my old Olympus point-and-shoot. It's OK. Just. These are all Olympus photos.

Momentous occasion today, the (ahem) Inaugural Planting. Boroughs have given us a fine specimen of corymbia maculata, our favourite tree, the spotted gum. Today saw the turning of the first sod and the planting of the first plant of the future prizewinning garden of our new home.

Here it is in the vehicle. Of course, Rover's boot area has a perfectly sized plant-pot carrying compartment. We expect nothing less...

Turning the first sod, with supervision.

Unlike the Fadden garden, where the unimproved soil resembled ground up concrete, this soil is alive and rich, with worms even. It bodes well.

Now that the garden has begun, Dude the horse has been uninvited to live on our land. His owners were really nice about it.

Yesterday I spent all day on chores, cleaning, washing, ironing and making marmalade. So today I sloped off for a walk around the golf course, snapping spring flowers. The photo above shows the terrace outside the restaurant, full of azaleas, magnolias and so on. But elsewhere, most of the plantings are spectacular natives.

This is a spear lily

It is a relative of the better-known gymea lily. The trusses are HUGE.

This area seems to favour big showy grevilleas.

I've been noticing a white climber strung all over the euc forests around this area, and here it is in close up. The native clematis, it will most definitely be on the plant list for our new garden.