Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

This is our backyard and ‘our’ magpie. He’s wild of course, but he’s fed by us and is becoming increasingly comfortable around us. He’s the second generation we have fed, and that first generation were fed by the people who lived here before us. This new generation is now starting to follow us around the garden, which is something their parents never did. They are also a lot more talkative. We are pretty sure they’ve got a chick in a nest in the park across the road from us, as we didn’t see them for an entire day, and then the next day they were frantic about being fed. They are also visiting the neighbours now too.

The banksia rose was my idea, and it has taken 3 years for it to flower. But boy, is it now putting on a show. The great thing about Banksias is they are thornless, which is probably just as well, as they spread everywhere.