#&*%^*! possums

Over the past couple of weeks, some industrious possums (I am assuming it's more than one) have eaten their way through our little orchard. All the leaves off the trees and all the fruit gone. Including two trees full of almost-ripe plums and two heavy with unripe pears. But then I spotted this in the middle of our yard and felt truly devastated.

My one-and-only apricot tree, which bore only one apricot this year. Luckily I ate it before the possum got there. However, Mr. Possum has eaten almost all of its leaves and broken almost all of the

small branches, leaving what was a nicely shaped small tree completely lopsided and bare. I felt so sad when I saw it I was ready throw in the towel and give up gardening for good. Chatting to a neighbour today, we were wondering if the possums have been pushed out of the forest behind us by the bushfires. Certainly we have noticed a lot more pademelons and some large Bennetts wallabies since we returned home.

In happier garden news, we've had a few kilos of blueberries from our two small bushes. And there is silverbeet. Beetroot. And carrots. These are all growing inside a fully enclosed chicken wire veggie patch so safe from naughty possums, even if the odd bunny or bandicoot breaks in.