News from around the property and our Balingup cottage accommodation news


Seasonal News - from around the property

All the fruit trees in our house orchards are covered in leaves and many still have fruit developing. The chestnut flowers are finishing and baby chestnuts are now forming.   Our apricot trees did not produce much fruit this year - apricot trees are so fickle. The plum and nut trees are looking good and we are hopeful they will produce good fruit.   Although the days are warming up, guests in the cottage are sometimes able to experience the beauty of the early morning mists covering the branches - and can watch the hills gradually appear as the sun comes out.

This year we were blessed with more rain than we have received for a number of years.  The garden around the cottage is looking most attractive after the rain and the roses are looking beautiful this year. The paddocks are drying out so we are spending less of our time and energy keeping the grass under control and more time ensuring the gardens do not dry out.

Sheep eating chestnut trees

The bird life around the property remains much the same as in autumn and winter and the birds have finished collecting bits and pieces from the hanging baskets, cut dry grass, spider webs and such for nest building. The New Holland Honey Eaters have reduced in numbers, Bronzewing Pigeons, Scarlet Robins and both blue and chestnut shouldered Fairy Wrens are in abundance.

flying

Our pacific black ducks have not returned in large groups but can be heard down on the brook and a couple of mothers have presented us with their ducklings to inspect. We still have one or two regulars around our house and one lone male mallard duck. The Wood Ducks have shown us their small brood of ducklings but generally duck babies are having a difficult time as an eagle has discovered this food source. There are the usual parrots and rosellas along with the wood ducks that come each day and the magpies are are with us all year. The magpies and parrots enjoy feeding from feeders (meant for the smaller birds) that are hung around the gardens.

 Take a little peep at our property, birds and animals here

Check out what is happening in Balingup this season on our Balingup News page.

Strolling through the local galleries, swimming in crystal clear water, viewing rolling hillsides, relaxing in shade in the cottage garden with a good book and a great bottle of wine, or snuggling up under the down doonas on a cool night - summer is always a beautiful time of year to visit our cottage in Balingup.

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