i love you, fig tree!

I came back from Texas to be greeted by a pleasant surprise.  I had a look at my fig tree and noticed not only that the main crop was beginning to ripe, but right there at eye level was a fat, black fig that hadn't been ravaged by the birds.  At first I thought I just got lucky, but this evening I went out and picked four more!  I've posted so many pictures of my figs that I restrained myself from taking yet another photo.  They're smaller than the early crop and richer in flavour from the lack of rain, it hasn't rained for like 40 days here.  And for some reason a lot of them are splitting.  I had to eat two of those four right away - one I dropped and another had a few pecks from the birds - but after two weeks in Texas I can sure use the fibre.

Now have you yet spotted the reason why I posted this picture of the top of my fig tree?  No, it's not because of the lovely view of the car repair shop next door.  Look closer.  There's on on the left and another (harder to see) on the right.  Spotted them yet?

Lorikeets!

I love lorikeets.  My friends and family know that when I was younger I worked at my local zoo in the lorikeet aviary and I've loved them ever since.  When I moved to Melbourne I was excited to see them flying around even in the cities.  And I've seen them just near our house, but never in our yard.  No, all I ever get in my yard are mynahs and obnoxious blackbirds and boring house sparrow.  But I am more than happy to share my figs with lorikeets!  There were 4 or 5 of them in the tree this morning hamming it up.

So I'm pretty happy with the fig tree right now.  I even love the smell.  Even months ago I started to notice it - a sweet, earthy smell that's hard to describe.  I've been told that fig trees stink late in the season but for now, I love the smell.

I love you, fig tree!