In the Garden...

I’m not sure where they came from, but these tiny mantis babies were all over the salt bush yesterday. 

Tiny they might be, but they were all ‘praying’, and will devour anything small enough to catch and overcome, including each other. They are also quick enough to successfully hunt mosquitoes and flies, so should have no trouble finding meals in our garden.

These little guys may well have hatched out of the nest or ootheca, on the fence. I’ve kept my eye on it, well, as best I could through the cobwebs and vines, but apparently the hatchlings emerge through the bottom of the ootheca, and quickly disperse amongst the vegetation, leaving little trace of anything having happened. 

At this size they make a good meal for spiders and lizards, and of course each other, but hopefully one or two will make it to adulthood.

A flower or four...

Last year, a friend gave me a cactus for my birthday. He called by when no-one was home, so left it next to the front verandah, and there it has remained. This is not because I don’t like it, but because I'm just not sure where to position a pot containing such a spiky character.

 

It would seem however, the cactus is very happy where it is, as since May, it has flowered three times.

I originally thought it was a San Pedro cactus, a native from Peru, from which mescaline is derived. 

However, the flowers of the San Pedro cacti are white, and these are pink, so I now think it is a variety of Echinopsis. Aren't they beautiful?

    

The blooms only last a day or two but remain open at night. Many species of cactus are pollinated by both daylight pollinators; bees, birds and butterflies, and night pollinators such as bats and moths. Flowering takes a lot of energy, so I guess if your a desert plant, you need to make it count.

As well as putting a whole lot of energy into the flowering, the cactus is sending roots out through the bottom of it's terracotta pot, and has developed a pronounced lean. Time to find it a new and larger home, oh, and buy some new, extra thick gloves.

If only it would stop flowering... 

Through the window...

Through the window February 1^st, 2016. 

More finishing off

Spurred on by our ‘commitment’ to finishing house stuff, I have also finished a couple of projects of my own.

The first is a cardigan I began after the 'fail' of the pink one (its languishing in a cupboard somewhere waiting further inspiration). I actually finished knitting and stitching this one together some months ago, but it has taken until now, to find buttons that suited it’s plain, no-nonsense style. 

The pattern is vintage, a freebie from here, and was first published in 1954. The button holes aren’t the best (first time knitting them), or the sewing on of the buttons (same deal), but on the whole I’m happy with how it turned out. As SP and I say regarding our assorted projects, "It's almost good enough to seen outside”, meaning it’s good enough to be worn or seen somewhere other than around the house, which is often the the only place many of my ‘projects’ in particular, are seen. Thing is though, this cardigan is knitted in 10 ply wool so given our mild winters, I’ll only be able to wear it once or twice a year anyway.

The second project is a quilted cushion. The pattern is from a book I bought many years ago called, Gardening for Quilters by Linda Brannock. I love all the quilts and assorted projects in this book, but the instructions assume you have clue, which I haven't, so this Angel pattern is the first and only thing I’ve ever made from it. 

Actually, the pattern in the book is for a wall hanging, but as wall hangings are not really my thing, I only made the centre piece, and decided it would make a nice cushion. Because of the unusual size and shape, I also had to make an insert using calico and hobby fill which turned out rather well. Not sure what will become of her, maybe she'll be gifted to a friend, but for now she’s gracing our bed and I'm enjoying seeing her there.