Flower and fruit of Monstera Deliciosa

Posted on by merrylbethelhouse

Watching and waiting patiently…..

The developing fruit takes many months to mature.
Beginning to ripen.
The fruit is picked and ripens gradually beginning at the stalk to reveal the edible part inside.
The fruit tastes a little like fruit salad.
Captivated by Monstera Deliciosa
A link to a previous post on Monstera, 2019
Flag Counter 26/03/2024

Night Raiders among the passionfruit

Posted on by merrylbethelhouse
Australian native Bush rat…. Unfortunately rather fond of our passionfruit, apples, plums and strawberries!
Looking forward to passionfruit and icecream, but then found someone got to the ripening passionfruit first! Arrangements were made for alternative accommodation for the suspected Night Raiders!
Relocation with the help of safe traps. (The Australian bush rat is, we understand, a protected species.)
The good news…. passionfruit for dessert…
…and freedom for our little friend/s.

The bush rat or Australian bush rat[3] (Rattus fuscipes) is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is an omnivore and one of the most common indigenous species of rat on the continent, found in many heathland areas of Victoria and New South Wales. While there are not many characteristics that readily distinguish the bush rat from other Rattus species, it is characterised by having small tympanic bullae and a straight incisive foramen. Adult bush rats are smaller than the Australian swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus) and in addition, the bush rat’s foot pads are a pink colour, whereas the swamp rat’s foot pads are dark brown.[5] The hair at the foot is short and pale in colour, subspecies Rattus fuscipes coracius is notably darker.[4] The feet are pentadactyl and all digits are clawed.[5] The tail is a pink shade of brown, almost free of hair, with scales that overlap and give an obvious ringed appearance.[4] The bush rat exhibits sexual dimorphism: the males are larger than the females in the species.[5] Their prominent eyes are large, and this distinguishes them from the narrower snouted Cape York species Rattus leucopus where their range overlaps. Reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_rat

Flag Counter 12/03/2024

The Other Garden Shed- Woodturning, ‘The Chalice in the Palace’ in Blackwood

Posted on by merrylbethelhouse
The Chalice
The Blackwood is put on the lathe. A tenon was made to hold the wood in the chuck.
Measured marks were made for the different sections.
Shaping the lid.
Shaping the body.
Detail of the lid, still attached.
Sprayed with clear gloss varnish, highlighting the beautiful grain of the Blackwood.
The finished Chalice after the lid was separated and the Chalice body hollowed.
Finished lid and Chalice after three coats of varnish.
The ‘Chalice in the Palace’.
“The Chalice in the palace and the brew that is true”… a bit of humour from a favourite movie.
Flag Counter 20/02/2024