The Koels are Kalling

The male Koels are calling again from the treetops around our park and in our garden here in Discovery Bay.  That means spring is around the corner.  The males perch on the top of trees and call out "Ko-el, Ko-el...", about a dozen times in a row, in a rising tone, plaintive and slightly desperate.  One assumes he's calling for females, but if so he doesn't seem to have much success.  After a break of a few minutes he starts again, and this goes on all spring.  You never one calling "ok, ok, ok... I got her, dudes!" (Maybe they're not the boastful type).
The one in the picture above is an Eastern Koel, which is an "uncommon non-breeding migrant in the ACT" (Canberra Ornithologists Group).  I wonder, will he call in Spring in Canberra, if he's non-breeding? And what's a bird doing being non-breeding, anyway??  Has he given up, or what?
Listen out next spring in Canberra; he's there in your trees, you won't mistake the call.  The Ko-el Kall.

The mixed Hedge.. and a few other photos...

How exciting, a post on hedges!
This comes about because when I was in Canberra a few weeks ago, Anne and I got talking about her plans for a new hedge in the front garden of Baker Gardens.  She was thinking of a one-species hedge while I spruiked for a mixed-species hedge. I admitted that when we put our hedge in 10 years ago, I'd been in favour of a single-species one, but Jing had wanted -- and therefore got! -- a mixed species hedge.  Jing was right, as usual (well, she's right even when she isn't, if you get what I mean...).
Anyhoo, here's a few piccies.  Click on photo to enlarge it.

The mixed hedge: Duranta, Gold Dust, Powder Puff, Michaelia, Bougainvillea
Grevilia, Callistemon Viminalis (weeping bottle brush).  Border of Anthureums.

The grass is a bit dry you'll note.  Winter is our dry season.  Fish pond at end.

Another enthralling photo: bamboo scaffolding on the
building up the road, as we do the 7-year refurbishment
I love bamboo.... Mutti helped me build a bamboo
bench, which I'll photo in due course.

The other day on the MTR subway: I noticed that literally
everyone around me was on their smart phone

Snow, snow, everywhere, but N. E. Italy!

An ice-covered car sits on a frozen waterside in Versoix, Switzerland,
one of many European cities affected by a sub-zero cold spell.

Check out the car at left, from today's South China Morning Post...
"HK flights hit as snow blankets London."[ref]

It seems there's snow everywhere in Europe, even in Rome and along the Med Coast.

But... as Anne says: "everywhere but in N.E. Italy".

And that's where she's heading off tomorrow to join Pen in the resort of Campitello.

Why, there was almost snow here in Hong Kong last week!  It dropped to 5 degrees on the coast: would've been a few degrees cooler on the upper slopes, and it can snow at 2-3 degrees, as we know... (but it didn't, which may make Anne feel better: there's somewhere else it hasn't snowed....)

BTW (i): today is the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen.  Here she is: IN THE SNOW!... I must say, she looks great, doesn't she??

The Queen, et al, in West Newton, yesterday, where there is snow.  Article here.

BTW (ii): With many people saying -- or bound to say -- that with all these cold snaps and record colds, etc, "where's the global warming"? I know Bub will appreciate my posting this vid below, from a site I wander around from time to time, which he might like to as well, Cosmic Variance.  It was posted as "Noisy Systems and Wandering Canines":