Maybe I should buy myself a lavish birthday present. Because lord knows, I deprive myself of so many shiny things all the year long... and wouldn't it go nicely with my new red shiny telly cabinet thing? And all the other orange shiny things I seem to have acquired, almost by accident, recently?

Actually I should be thinking about a more practical splash-out (ha) on a water tank. It's been on the cards since I moved into the house almost exactly a year ago. I want to water my vegies without guilt - we're on serious water restrictions now due to the drought, and while I don't give a shit about having brown and crispy grass (Squid loves it because it's good and scratchy for rolling on), I need to keep the drink up on the young fruit trees and the other garden edibles. I got some very lovely contributions to the tank fund for my birthday.   

Recent adventure of note: birthday visit to the Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. It's unlike any botanic garden I've ever seen. Very sculptural, and with astonishing bursts of colour. It reminded me of the visual boredom I felt about the European landscapes with unending emerald greens, and how I longed for the complexity of my native country. It's harsh and spiky and by no means lush, and I love it. The 400-year-old Xanthorrhoea grass trees are enormous and venerable. In the centre is a huge splash of red soil from the Top End... it's soo.. RED!

Did I mention it was my birthday?