Thread: What's in your garden?

Originally Posted by Shutree

Interesting. I think I'll continue to be cautious around these keelbacks. I don't expect to see many, I don't have a pond myself although there are ponds and rice paddies close by where they might be living.

I'm cautious around all snakes. And as you said, if it's not afraid then it probably has good reason.

This is an interesting channel for those who have an interest in snakes and/or get occasional slithering visitors to their gardens.

A rare sighting in the forest of the lesser spotted Mini Minx...

The Mini Minx had not been seen at these southerly latitudes since early 2021

Could this unseasonal sighting be due to man-made climate change?

Whatever, keen observers are hoping that this marks a sustained return of an old forest favourite.

She has added some cute lady bumps to her X5 since last year

She set about harvesting cactus cuttings for her balcony

For her friend's new house she gathered some agave pups and her favourite: Singapore Daisy (illegal invasive species - propagation prohibited)

She came bearing gifts of toasted chocolate almonds

And date wrapped walnuts

I told her the citrus trees were in fruit but she brought her own anyway

Now slumbered in the land of unicorn rainbows

When was the last time you got a test, not a PH test.

Had two encounters with snakes today, the first confrontation was when I was removing wooden skirting boards from one of the rental house bathrooms and the second just now with a snake in the pool at home.
Later today I have to clear some reeds and weeds from the klong at the rear of the rental house and although snakes are a concern the water monitor lizards are a bigger worry as they are huge.
Best get the wellies on with rubber gloves.

post some pick Loy, even for you they'd paint 20 words

Originally Posted by malmomike77

When was the last time you got a test, not a PH test.

January 2021 - last full service - due again in the next 6 months

And like a ninja in the night she was gone before dawn

...and she forgot her cactus cuttings

With a full tank and no doubt she'll be back for the cuttings, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but someday....

Is that a child seat in the back of the X5?

^She is very proudly showed me her Childcare authorisation card which allows her to do private child care work. The main achievement being the passing of the English test. No idea how she passed as she cannot string 6 words together. I would love hear some dash-cam audio of her conversing with her young charges.

The sun rose to reveal an X5 shaped parking rain shadow with a suspicious wet patch where the rear differential would be.

Looks like she left with fluid dripping from her rear end

And just in time too. I awoke late with a plan for drinks and a movie but an incoming alert from Senorita Surabaya meant I was back on rostered duty with only 8 hours sleep

I don't drink on duty despite the temptress dress

A few mossies on the balcony on this mild winter night so we repaired indoors for dinner.

No Colonel Sanders tonight so 2 plates of Tandoori were whipped up

Followed by chocolate mousse in a puddle of cream

Congratulations Looper. You don't get many visitors do you ?

Originally Posted by Looper

Looks like she left with fluid dripping from her rear end

Sounds like she needs a good service.

Originally Posted by Mendip

Sounds like she needs a good service.

Sounds like she's already had a good service!

Details Looper. Ten pictures but very few details. Which toy did you use. "Open wide baby here cums the B52"

I do enjoy Loopers posts

Another of M'Sahib's cacti in flower, extraordinary what these spikey things can produce.

Attack of the 50ft Caterpillar

Oleander Hawkmoth caterpillars eating their way through the garden

Originally Posted by tunk

Details Looper. Ten pictures but very few details.

The only dirty details I can divulge are bathroom related.

Senorita Surabaya kindly cleaned the mess for me while I was sleeping.

I did not know that I had 6 identical deodorants. It was too messy for a deodorant audit before.

My bathroom looks like a 7/11 now

It was not only cactus cuttings that had been abandoned in the hasty early Saturday morning departure of the Minx but also English lesson books.

This fortunate (for me) forgetfulness forced an early and welcome return, wrapped in her pink woollen winter warmers this time.

I got my opportunity to make her into another captive Tandoori addict.

That is a clean plate by any standards.

I found these nice hose holders made of SST online through Lazada for a good price. I had some plastic hose holders on the wall that crack in a short period of time. The other hoses around the compound are on the ground. This holder you can direct wall mount or make a remote stand as I did. I have numerous hoses around the property and wanted to clean it up and make it easier to hold. I bought some rectangle mild steel tubing and welded up a few simple stands, painted them black and placed in the ground and cemented to secure them.



Cut up the steel and welded.



All painted and the hose holder screwed on, set in ground and cemented



Hose installed. Pretty easy DIY project.

This year I have yardlong beans growing in my garden. I have noticed lots of different insects like flies, yellow jacks, wasp, ants being attracted to the stem where the beans start to grow out of. I of course don't mind the insects because they appear to be doing no harm, and even if they did I would let them be. More the a 25% are endangered!
Anyway, does anyone know what attracts these little insects?

^^Not bodgy enough 5/10

Farewell to the Minx

She has got me correcting her English homework.

Not sure of this is the best way for her to improve her barely coherent language skills.

And hello to whats new in my garden... my utility toy truck

I make broom broom noises when I am piloting it round the yard and the Action Nazis get a ride if they have been well behaved and are not too hung over

I was very dusty and mucky when Senorita Surabaya swooped in this evening with 20 minutes notice

I gentlemanlyly gave up the last plate of Tandoori and made do with cold corn salad

Who says the age of chivalry is dead

SS gave me a full 1 hour oil massage in return. It was easily in the top 25 percentile of top rubdowns I have had from massage shops. She is a dark horse. I have known her for 2 years next month and this a completely new trick.

It is her birthday this week so I got her the queen of special price sparkles Yellow Tail Rose and some Lindts to scoff

Apple pie dripping with cream for pudding

My garden has been invaded by Nazis and Ingrid has been taken to a remote quarry for interrogation.

Under suspicion of fraternising with the enemy she faces brutal and degrading forms of probing for information and confession.

But you have overlooked one little thing my Nazi friends....

Yes you have overlooked our hero's 'gripping hands' (TM (c) Palitoy 1973)

Our hero saved the day and when I went to look in on them later Ingrid was showing only token resistance to our hero's 'groping hands'

Uncle Gunter was trying to get in on the act but his young Sturmbannfuhrer seems to have developed blue-balls-driven deranged desires after his frenzied probing of Ingrid's vital secrets.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

Nice welds.
I had done a bunch of welding in Lab, at univocity (Aviation Technology Majors) and I was very good at it.
I had even done some aluminum welding which was the most difficult welding because it does not puddle it starts sweating and when it does you better move your bead or or will collapse on you
So I bought an Arc Welding machine feeling pretty confident.
It turns out I cant weld for shit!! I am either doing cold welds or burning trough, I have tried everything and have finally produced some viable welds, but they are ugly , cant get a proper bead to save my life.
I would apreciate any advice
I am in the market for a gasless Mig welder.

Well let me tell ya BB, I have been trying to get the hang of this arc welding process. Honestly I am not good at all. In the US I had an awesome Miller TIG welder but didn't bring it with me when I moved. My buddy bought it off me. After I hung up drag racing and car mod stuff I wasn't welding much anymore and didn't think I would be here. As time has gone on though I have found the need to weld more and more. Little projects and things around the compound. I bought an arc welder here and had not used it much, primarily as I was busy with work. I have tried different Rod models and made up a bunch of Mild Steel coupons to try with different power settings. It is definitely something you have to take time out of your day and practice. One thing for sure, You really need to have a good work bench so you can spread out and weld your projects. I was doing it on the ground and on this brick thing I set up and it was making it harder than it probably needs to be. I am looking for a nice shop bench currently. Few things I have learned FWIW,

I found the RB26 weld rods work the best and can do a respectful weld around 85amps ( this is using the standard old rectangle mild steel stuff here)

I find that the hardest part is getting the arc initiated and then holding the arc at the right distance and then moving at the right speed (Again, just more seat time). For me, I weld much better when the rod is about half the length. When its new the thing is just too damn long. Unfortunately you can't cut them as the flux surrounding the electrode cracks and falls apart rendering the rod worthless.

Make sure you clean all the metal really well, Most of it here is heavily covered in an oil which is common. I have a grinder/wire wheel set up and wire wheel all the parts.

Buy some good clamps and a welding magnet. It secures the parts well and insures good contact between both parts to be welded

Other than that, Its been trial and error and not as easy as one would think. I might invest in a TIG Welder here. That makes life easy. Only thing though, TIG welders are usually stationary in the shop as mine was in the states. What's nice about the Arc welder is you can plug it in anywhere and weld.

Cheers