Trees, Eucalypts

This strange looking Eucalyptus sp is growing behind one of the local carparking buildings.

Strange because it’s so dimpled. Never seen a tree trunk like it. Don’t know whether it is natural or an attack by something like a virus.

It’s losing its bark rather early. In Sydney and environs that used to happen nearer to November.

The canopy, what there is of it, is rather statuesque.

Lol, Cat Litter

We definitely have not yet hit our goldilocks moment with cat litter!

Who knew there would be so many brands and types available. I started with my usual arrogant save-the-world attitude and bought a large 10kg bag of recycled newspaper pellets. This being possible because someone else was carrying it to the car and from the car to my apartment. Newspaper pellets go sludgy.

Second was hemp pellets, left overs from the process of producing hemp for rope, hemp-crete and other products, this was another product that was going to save the environment. Hemp pellets disintegrate into a fine dust difficult to clean up and very bad for my allergies.

Third was a gravelly product made of tofu and pea flour. It is meant to ‘clump’ and so be easier to keep the litter box clean. It does clump but is also easily transported into the rest of the house by sticking between the poor cat’s toes, and is nearly as bad as the proverbial Lego block to stand on when walking around on bare feet. And why wouldn’t I?

Fourth is a tiny vermicelli-like extruded pellet made of coconut fiber and charcoal. This was probably the worst purchase yet. Very sharp, and I soon picked up a piece in the sole of my foot. Have been wearing a big band aid for a week. Apart from that, the stuff ‘clumps’ only reluctantly. The one thing going for it, it does work wonders on odors.

Above, a mix of fresh litter containing all four of the recalcitrant litter types. As by then I’d been buying a new sort every time I went shopping, and since I can carry home only the stuff I can fit on my walker, the average bag of litter weighs 5 kg.

At the present we’re trying out the mix of sawdust and wood-splinters. And when I go shopping in a few minutes I will probably–out of sheer pernickety recalcitrance–buy yet another of the still untried possibilities.

Having to send untold bags of used cat litter to land-fill is also not ideal. Before, when I lived in freestanding houses, the used cat litter went into the compost bin, or was buried in the garden and helped to build up my low-lying yard. I’ll be asking Brisbane City Council why apartement blocks don’t get green bins. It’s not as if we don’t produce any organic waste!

There has got to be a better way!

Golden Trumpet Trees

The Golden Trumpet Trees along Bamchory Court are a glorious spectacle as I come out for my walk

I typed this on a parkbench, too difficult to get the Latin name , wikipedia will have if you are interested

There are a dozen and they have been flowering in batches.

They are a South American Tree and it seems like every country there has its own species. The leaves are like hands with five fingers … new growth

The noisy miners crazy about them and ensure, by pollinating them, that we get to see the seed pods too. I had to pick one to ‘see’ it properly instead of confusing the camera with a pencilthick object against the humungous blue sky. Furry as you can see …