Deirdre
@dstraughan.bsky.social
Survived 40 years in tech, having opinions online even longer. Born in New Orleans, I've lived in Thailand, Bangladesh, India, 17 years in Italy. I now mostly post about living and gardening in Australia. She. Lots about me on my website beginningwithi.com
I was in the back garden and heard a characteristic peep-peep. My friend the king parrot was back. I can’t ignore that summons, went up to the deck to feed him. He was soon joined by his wife. #australianbirds #australia
November 15, 2025 at 12:17 AM
I was in the back garden and heard a characteristic peep-peep. My friend the king parrot was back. I can’t ignore that summons, went up to the deck to feed him. He was soon joined by his wife. #australianbirds #australia
I am thrilled to report that I’m now an Australian citizen!
November 13, 2025 at 10:55 AM
I am thrilled to report that I’m now an Australian citizen!
The mystery squash now growing luxuriantly in the backyard has now come out as butternut - which is great, because we got none last year! #ChaosGardening
November 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
The mystery squash now growing luxuriantly in the backyard has now come out as butternut - which is great, because we got none last year! #ChaosGardening
Studies say people "learn better" writing by hand rather than typing on a screen. I began typing at a young age. My keyboard skills increased my ability to communicate & eventually led to my career. Read about that: www.beginningwithi.com/2012/05/30/h...
November 12, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Studies say people "learn better" writing by hand rather than typing on a screen. I began typing at a young age. My keyboard skills increased my ability to communicate & eventually led to my career. Read about that: www.beginningwithi.com/2012/05/30/h...
Purple cerinthe originally grown from seed 3 years ago in the front yard has somehow reached a raised bed in the backyard (as well as other odd places). I don’t find it very interesting as a plant, but don’t mind it showing up. Have I mentioned that my garden is chaotic? #ChaosGardening #gardening
November 9, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Purple cerinthe originally grown from seed 3 years ago in the front yard has somehow reached a raised bed in the backyard (as well as other odd places). I don’t find it very interesting as a plant, but don’t mind it showing up. Have I mentioned that my garden is chaotic? #ChaosGardening #gardening
I’ll soon be able to pick my first elderflowers. This little tree (about 1.5m now) grew from a tiny plant bought last year. #gardening #bloomscrolling
November 9, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I’ll soon be able to pick my first elderflowers. This little tree (about 1.5m now) grew from a tiny plant bought last year. #gardening #bloomscrolling
Looks like the flowering gum will be spectacular this year - lots of buds getting ready to pop! #GardeningAustralia
November 9, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Looks like the flowering gum will be spectacular this year - lots of buds getting ready to pop! #GardeningAustralia
Our low exterior brick wall has a new inhabitant, one of the asplenium ferns apparently. It’s an epiphyte so it was stay where it is. The baby banyan tree I found growing out of this same wall two years ago now lives in a pot.
November 8, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Our low exterior brick wall has a new inhabitant, one of the asplenium ferns apparently. It’s an epiphyte so it was stay where it is. The baby banyan tree I found growing out of this same wall two years ago now lives in a pot.
Adolescent magpie visited my sun porch greenhouse,
Then pursued its parent, begging to be fed (more)
Then pursued its parent, begging to be fed (more)
November 7, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Adolescent magpie visited my sun porch greenhouse,
Then pursued its parent, begging to be fed (more)
Then pursued its parent, begging to be fed (more)
I was sitting peacefully on the deck watching a magpie I’d just fed a bit of bread. At an alarm call, it took off to join a mixed mob driving away channel billed cuckoos.
November 7, 2025 at 4:55 AM
I was sitting peacefully on the deck watching a magpie I’d just fed a bit of bread. At an alarm call, it took off to join a mixed mob driving away channel billed cuckoos.
After two or three bouts of intense winds, the bougainvillea is mostly back to plain old green. Sigh. Now time to prune the more intrusive branches.
November 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
After two or three bouts of intense winds, the bougainvillea is mostly back to plain old green. Sigh. Now time to prune the more intrusive branches.
A short, intense storm - rather like going through a car wash, but bigger
November 3, 2025 at 7:58 AM
A short, intense storm - rather like going through a car wash, but bigger
At age 45 in the US I was advised to start having colonoscopies to check for bowel cancer - an expensive procedure.
In Australia, I received a kit by mail to collect stool samples. Dropped those in the mail, results in a week.
Easy, sensible, available to all - this is good public #healthcare.
In Australia, I received a kit by mail to collect stool samples. Dropped those in the mail, results in a week.
Easy, sensible, available to all - this is good public #healthcare.
November 1, 2025 at 1:17 AM
At age 45 in the US I was advised to start having colonoscopies to check for bowel cancer - an expensive procedure.
In Australia, I received a kit by mail to collect stool samples. Dropped those in the mail, results in a week.
Easy, sensible, available to all - this is good public #healthcare.
In Australia, I received a kit by mail to collect stool samples. Dropped those in the mail, results in a week.
Easy, sensible, available to all - this is good public #healthcare.
Purslane has been growing in our yard since we got here, but we only started eating it a year or two later. Great in salads and full of stuff that’s good for you! #gardening
October 31, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Purslane has been growing in our yard since we got here, but we only started eating it a year or two later. Great in salads and full of stuff that’s good for you! #gardening
Bougainvillea : the organic alternative to barbed wire
October 29, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Bougainvillea : the organic alternative to barbed wire
A large branch of the bougainvillea partially broke, perhaps because of wind or simply under its own weight. It’s so thick it will have to be sawed off. Damn.
October 29, 2025 at 9:54 PM
A large branch of the bougainvillea partially broke, perhaps because of wind or simply under its own weight. It’s so thick it will have to be sawed off. Damn.
Where we live in the southern end of Sydney, the cockatoos have developed and shared a cultural practice: opening bins to get at food scraps. (This is why we don’t put ours out til after dusk.) Yet not all of them do it - the second picture was taken at the same time.
October 29, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Where we live in the southern end of Sydney, the cockatoos have developed and shared a cultural practice: opening bins to get at food scraps. (This is why we don’t put ours out til after dusk.) Yet not all of them do it - the second picture was taken at the same time.
The bougainvillea is shedding its beautiful bright bracts but is still glorious #BloomScrolling #Gardening #GardeningAustralia
October 27, 2025 at 9:34 PM
The bougainvillea is shedding its beautiful bright bracts but is still glorious #BloomScrolling #Gardening #GardeningAustralia
At some point I’ll have to trim this big branch of bougainvillea that nearly blocks the gate and the shed. But it’s so pretty while covered in pink that I can’t bear to cut it. #bloomscrolling #GardeningAustralia
October 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
At some point I’ll have to trim this big branch of bougainvillea that nearly blocks the gate and the shed. But it’s so pretty while covered in pink that I can’t bear to cut it. #bloomscrolling #GardeningAustralia
High winds blew many pink petals off the bougainvillea, looks like we had a party in the garden
October 24, 2025 at 4:51 AM
High winds blew many pink petals off the bougainvillea, looks like we had a party in the garden
This is the time of year when the channel-billed cuckoos come through wanting to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. The local mynahs and currawongs are not having it. Shortly after I took this video of the cuckoos were driven away at least for now. #australianbirds
October 20, 2025 at 1:35 AM
This is the time of year when the channel-billed cuckoos come through wanting to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. The local mynahs and currawongs are not having it. Shortly after I took this video of the cuckoos were driven away at least for now. #australianbirds
Today’s #garden #wildlife “Eulamprus quoyii, (AKA) the eastern water skink, eastern water-skink, or golden water skink” (Wikipedia). This may be the matriarch of all the little lizards we see skittering around. At ~ 10cm body length, she’s about as big as these get, and to my eye she looks pregnant.
October 18, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Today’s #garden #wildlife “Eulamprus quoyii, (AKA) the eastern water skink, eastern water-skink, or golden water skink” (Wikipedia). This may be the matriarch of all the little lizards we see skittering around. At ~ 10cm body length, she’s about as big as these get, and to my eye she looks pregnant.
If you work in tech (even if you don't), you might share some experiences in common with me and perhaps find yourself among my photos of various tech events! Start here: www.beginningwithi.com/my-life-in-t...
October 17, 2025 at 4:48 AM
If you work in tech (even if you don't), you might share some experiences in common with me and perhaps find yourself among my photos of various tech events! Start here: www.beginningwithi.com/my-life-in-t...
I hear the Internet is filling up with AI slop so you can't find anything human-created anymore.Cchallenge accepted: I've had a website for 25 years, with >2000 posts about my life in multiple countries, opinions from 40 years in tech, & popular stuff like Italian swear words www.beginningwithi.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:36 AM
I hear the Internet is filling up with AI slop so you can't find anything human-created anymore.Cchallenge accepted: I've had a website for 25 years, with >2000 posts about my life in multiple countries, opinions from 40 years in tech, & popular stuff like Italian swear words www.beginningwithi.com
I bought one dragonfruit plant. It grew, multiplied via side sprouts & breakage. I built a trellis out of heavy, weatherproof timber. The plants will grow up & over & droop down before they fruit. They are now starting grow but it will be years before I see any fruit. #Gardening.
October 16, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I bought one dragonfruit plant. It grew, multiplied via side sprouts & breakage. I built a trellis out of heavy, weatherproof timber. The plants will grow up & over & droop down before they fruit. They are now starting grow but it will be years before I see any fruit. #Gardening.