Love, bubs and life on our little farm

I was trimming back some bushes in the garden this morning, my mind not really on the job as I was listening out for Elka who was inside watching tv and Bronte who was asleep. When all of a sudden, I came face to face with this fellow!



He is quite a good length for such a small head (his body goes up and then down the branch if you can't quiet get your eye in) but nothing to be concerned about - just a brown tree snake. He is the second I have spotted in a couple of weeks. The other was bright green with gorgeous aqua spots down his sides, just stunning (I can admire their beauty even though they make my hair stand on end!)

The best part is - when we bought this place, there wasn't a single garden, not even a shrub! And we picked the large lawn across the driveway from the house for our "rainforest garden". A hard task when we were starting with bare earth and a 10 year drought. We planted palms, birds nests, bromeliads, frangipanis, monsterosas, figs and so on... and we lost a lot and re planted and we added more in and as the bigger plants grew and created shade, we could add in ferns, orchids, ginger plants, aloe vera, gardenias and anything else tropical and lush that we could find. Four years later and with a lot of hard work we have thick green gardens with paths through them, a seat and the beginnings of a water feature, which will be finished when the girls are older and less likely to fall in it..

And that little snake is a good indication that the lush plants have become a haven for tropical animals. And a good reminder to me to be more attentive to what I am trying to chop with secateurs!