TEA ROOM # 73

Time for a move again. We'll leave the lovely memorial to Annie on the other thread as a nice ending while we move on . It is raining here again. Nothing heavy, just misty but enough to make one wet. I am getting around much better now after the small mishap in the garden. I walk very carefully on the damp grass.
Here we are nearly through the first month of Spring. Still lots of bulbs coming out. My bluebells are late this year but stating to open. The buds on the epis are growing. The irises are all looking very healthy. I do love Spring when everything is starting to shrug off winter.
Better go over and put up the signpost so everyone can find us. One of my paintings from the local area but there is a lot more water in the river now.
Have a happy day.
Forgot to say we came from here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1126424/
Jean.

This message was edited Sep 15, 2010 9:03 AM

Jean, I was glad to read you are faring better this morning (and taking more care on the wet ground). A lovely painting there to open the new thread.
Have a lovely day.
Karen

Another fascination I have is with crystals. This is a lovely lemon quartz from my collection...

Jean...you clever girl....that is terrific...you have captured the Gums exactly as they are.....GoY.
This is my own shorthand....for Good on You.......not the goy meaning gentile.
Someone has to be the first for this stuff...so this is my contribution....Aussie stuff.
Glad to know that you are feeling better now....but be careful.

My first Iris didn't flower due to a very hungry snail eating right through the stem...
How do you cope with a couple of hundred to protect?
Very cold today here....
Off to the shops now.
Dianne
Beautiful crystal Karen....post some more please.

This message was edited Sep 15, 2010 9:40 AM

Dianne, no snails. True, there are no snails here . They live down in the town but apparently can't climb the hill. We do have slugs but they don't do a lot of noticeable damage. I do find holes and munches out of the odd flower or leaf but not enough to worry about.
The main target here is the brugs. The slugs love them so I have to use lots of snail pellets. Must be a lot of 'high' sluggies out there.
Just had to put up my orchid flower again. Not fully open yet but after ten years, so pretty. ( Carisan Firedance.)
Jean.

Jean, that cymbidium is beautiful. Did you have to wait 10 years until it flowered? That's patience. I would be photographing it every 5 minutes if that was the case.

I do have snail problems. My beautiful purple ginger has just about been demolished. I notice the snails are young ones, so they must have had a good breeding season (the beasts!).

Karen

Dianne, just for you......Labradorite

And these, Amethyst and Rose quartz.....

lovely crystals Karen.
My cymbids and I have a love/hate relationship. I treat them well, love them etc and they have never flowered in 10 years. Even those hubby bought in flower for me never flowered again. This was a great surprise. Maybe they will all start next year.
Ha ha. My dendrobiums always flower.
Jean.

Jean, I had one for a long time and it flowered beautifully. Then last year it didn't, and dropped dead. There seems to be only one spot in the yard where they will grow, but they don't flower there as it is too shady. I had to bring it out into sunlight to get it to flower, but the plant didn't like that. Gone, but not forgotten.

Karen

jean how do you find time to paint as well as everything else!!! it's a lovely painting by the way.
I am worn out at only 11 ish! and still have so much to do!
what is your secret? Vita Brits and Spinach?.Hope you don't trip any more I still have painful toes from my last fall. I hope you are feeling better.
Both you and elaine are the busiest people, oh and sue too , no wait I guess most of us are. ^_^

Love the crystals!!!! I have lots of crystal and crystals dawnsong, love the sunny prisms they shimmer into the rooms as the sun strikes them don't you? very invigorating and yet dreamy. About your snails ...helen suggested putting snail bait right into the top heart of the cordylines to stop the holes we get in them and I know it's naughty but it works! ...I have lost my blue ginger due to snails so I am no longer squeamish about a little pellet here or there. It worked on the cordylines and I bet it will work on the blue ginger.

Back to the garden while the sun is out and the rain has stopped.
Tired yes but time waits for no one and neither does mother nature.
waving to brian through the window!
And everyone else too.

Good morning to Every one no its close to afternoon beautiful painting Jean.
Chrissy Its just seems Iam all ways busy I move at a slower pace doing lots of things at the same time so when one thing is finished always a nother near to finish I am so slow this morning it took 4 hours to sew 6 cushin covers only made them like pillow slips thate is a slow worker.
Till later ---------elaine.

Chrissy, I probably should get the snail pellets. I've seen cockroaches eat those and die too, so they do double good. I need to find a hole in the ground to put the ginger in. I dug it out when the bulldozers went through and potted it, but it is way beyond pot bound now. The flowers are gorgeous.

I had a friend who had a crystal on a window sill. The sun shone on it at a certain time of the year, and it shone through the crystal, onto the carpet, where it burned a hole.

I love cut crystal, to be sure, but I love them raw and untamed too.

Karen

So much to catch up on: snakes, yummy treats, succulents in spectacular mosaic'ed pots, snails, crystals...
Just a quick visit before dinner. My garden is doing ok with a few orchids flowering eg dendrobiums. One orchid that came from my Mum (& flowered beautifully last year despite her neglect of the garden) has tiny buds all along some fleshy pendulous stems, so that should be nice. I think it's a delicate purple & white. they seem to thrive on neglect!! Except my king orchid. it flowered wonderfully some years back, but never has since. It might be in the wrong spot now. I've seen a few in flower in the centre trunks of fairly open trees - that would be ideal except I only have palms ;-(
Anyway happy gardening all - keep well! I'll post some pics once I upload them.
Leisa.

snowing here,.it is so cold,.i may be snowed in by tomorrow,'yahoo'' snow baby snow,.,.,.my fire is burning and i have a big stack of wood next to it,..,,.keep snowing! plus theres enough food here for a month.,.,.maybe not that much snow!-anthony

Wow! Anthony! Snow! It's back to warm again up here..revving up for a warm summer, I think. At least the humidity hasn't hit yet. I walked the Cradle Mountain bit as it was then with no roads to it (in 1972) and although we were in shorts for walking through the slush and heather, we saw where a group of boy scouts had perished in a whiteout/ blizzard the same time the year before we were there...and they had set up their tents in the clearing outside the 'hut'..hadn't seen how close they were! That was December, around Christmas. Of course, being a Queenslander and wanting to be CLEAN after days of walking, I jumped into Dove Lake...the coldest, blackest (as in deep) water ...I was like an icypop when I got out...but I was clean!!!!!and I could dry my clothes and hair by the fire...and thaw out. No one else followed me but I couldn't stand being grimy!

Does it really snow in the lower lying areas of Tasmania? I thought it may have just been on the higher parts and mountains.

they have been threatening us with snow to low levels here...
like we need that on top of earth tremors!
Still having some good shakes, this morning is cold & wildly windy.
I do not like wind at the best of times but right now it is about as welcome as a rat on a wedding cake...
or a slug on a brug ;)
I'm glad I took pics of my daffs, with the rain & now this wind they are somewhat weather beaten now.
this is a pic of the earthquake damage behind the garage...
the block wall that is my boundary fence has split top to bottom.
and every time that blasted wind makes the windows rattle I jump.

Well, Brisbane is bouncing. But poor Tasmania, out in the freezing cold. I hope everyone there is well set up for this. Is it all of Tassie, or just the north, or the south?

Sorry to hear the earth is still shaking in New Zealand. I would find that so scary. I see the coast of Mexico has been having quite a few medium size quakes in the last 24 hours. The earth seems to be having a real shake up at the moment. Stay safe.

This message was edited Sep 15, 2010 1:23 PM

Good morning everyone. The sun is shining through a rain shower outside. It is cold but no wind. Hopefully it won't be too cold and wet being shopping day. As always, I will be on the lookout for orphans.
I had a lovely parcel arrive yesterday. I finally have a Coelogyne cristata orchid. I was lucky enough to get a lovely plant with a flower stem, very cheaply. Usually they are bid up very quickly on eBay.
Anthony, sounds like you are tucked up nicely for the cold snap. Lots of nice hot soup on the stove ?
Teresa, those shakes and shivers are lasting a while there aren't they ?
I hope your wall doesn't fall on anything. It does need to come down doesn't it ? I like that white hellebore. I have quite a few plants similar and a lovely double white. Pity I can't send you any plants.
Hello Kat, I would not have jumped in that water. I am like you in hating to be icky but I would have rinsed off on the edge. Sounds way too cold for me Brrr.
Hello Elaine, lovely mosaic work again.
Chrissy, I love to paint but don't do any in the cold weather. Its way too freezing in the back room I use. I often forget to get a meal when painting and hubby has to remind me of the time.
I would love to sell them but around here there is no market and on eBay there are a million chinese copies of everything for very low prices. I don't do art shows any more as their costs are ridiculous and their rules are restrictive.
I just paint because I love doing it.
I have lots of spare time here and often just sit in the garden watching the birds.
Hello Leisa, my King orchid has flower stems for the first time . I keep watching to see what they are like.
It has taken a while becaus eapparently it wanted to get a bit potbound before it flowered.
Karen, I think orchids are very odd plants. We love them but they certainly have definite likes and dislikes.
Better go and get ready for shopping or hubby will be looking at his watch.
Hello Louise, Colleen, Brian and everyone else.
Have a happy day and enjoy those gardens.
Heres a treat for you all. Chocolate Marble Bread.
Jean.

Cloudy here at Buderim today and a bit cooler too.

Yesterday was a perfect day for gardening so I spent the time fertilizing most of the plants.

I am looking for some Love Lies Bleeding plants or seeds but when I asked at Bunnings they had never heard of them. I see Ebay have seeds.

Sister visiting today from Crows Nest (Qld) so had better go do some work.

Morning everyone, i am off to poison the jasmine ...it's eating everything in sight! sigh.
Back later.

snow in the south only +the central highlands,.,.not enough this morning to'not go to work'.,.,.it was down to about 250 metres.,.,too much continuous rain,,..,in 1986 it settled to sea level- its a bit of a novelty really!

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday here was cold and showery but bearable as the sun is starting to be a bit warmer when its out. Looks like the same for the next 3-4 days.
Anthony, I just loved your mini daffs on the other thread. I must get more of my lovelies into pots too.
You can keep the snow. It looks very pretty from a distance but not close to me.
Hello Marlene. I have never seen that plant you mentioned. Have heard of it though. Marvellous what you can find on eBay.
Chrissy, I know how you feel about the jasmine. I adore the perfume but not the wandering habits. Mine tries to sneak around on the ground under the other plants thinking I wont find it. I usually gather up the long trailers and tie them in a bundle to the fence where they can wander.
I found an orphan while shopping yesterday. Something I have not seen before. A white echium. I have plenty of the common blue ( Pride of Madeira ) and have tried to grow the pink unsuccessfully many times. The label on this poor thing says white so I hope it grows. The leaves that are still on the plant are slightly shiny compared to the usual ones.
Now to find a place for it.
I am off out to spray a few missed weeds from last time before the rain gets here again.
Hello to everyone . Louise, how are things with you and the darling girls ?
Have a great weekend, Yes , its FRIDAY again.
Brian, I'm sure you will enjoy these. Colleen, make sure he leaves a few.
Have some of these Bourbon Balls with your cuppa.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. It's overcast but warm here this morning. Anthony lovely daffs and are they hyathinths that I can see in the background. Love them. Hope all are well. I pulled out 3 boxes of grasses the other day.The chooks love it and the galahs. Still some more to go. The rains have been good but the weeds love it. We have a plague of large mosquito type bugs here at the moment. You ought to hear them. They don't bite but they get in everything. I think it must have something to do with the lake being so low and then filling up again. Well must go. A pic of the boys having their cuppas. Colleen

Good morning everyone ...I have to go out but , just wanted to say Marleneanne that you will find your Amaranth seeds on the Eden seeds site.
Jean you do know this plant, it used to be everywhere once
https://cars2.ebay.com.au/AMARANTH-Love-Lies-Bleeding-200-Flower-Seeds_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ310187805240

The Eden seeds are very cheap and great service. I don't have time to chase it down but I know that you can get them there.
Back Later ^_^

Oops sorry that link did not work ...
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JzV1g_O_mkE/TGsoRZRK7EI/AAAAAAAAAlM/mDJy68OlMKw/s1600/amaranth.png&imgrefurl=http://bigmyrtle.blogspot.com/&usg=__A8FTrB3r95cLjpNr9K8y7qamD3A=&h=450&w=336&sz=361&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=kXGsTKJa5095KM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAmaranth%2BEden%2Bseeds%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D573%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=491&vpy=220&dur=6276&hovh=260&hovw=194&tx=68&ty=282&ei=OJ-STJ6LOZOxcbjP5YQH&oei=OJ-STJ6LOZOxcbjP5YQH&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0

Aha, now I remember what that plant is Chrissy. I tried growing it here, but after a year, I never saw it again.
Yes, it grew like a weed when I was young. Everyone had some.
I may give it a try again..
Trouble is, I throw all sorts of seeds around but nothing is ever seen. I think the ants or something must like them better and take them away for their gardens.
Went out to spray but the wind came up , so thats a job for another day.
I just planted my new orphan white echium along with a couple of the seedling blue ones.
Jean.

Jean I hope your orphan grows, The blue and the white will look stunning together. Colleen

Went to see the " Sorcerer's Apprentice" today...a good fun film....for those old enough to remember the famous scene in the original with Mickey Mouse and the mops and brooms, it is recreated in this film.....I think that the kids will love it.

Cod, cold, cold....the coldest September for 20 odd years...and it feels like it.
We are off to the Mt Macedon rare plants sale tomorrow...it will probably snow up there.....but they do have some great plants.

What about the locust plague that we are supposed to be getting.....We had one in the 70s when they reached the outskirts of Melbourne..
They only ate the lawns in our area....the kids thought that it was fun driving through them, until we had to stop because they blocked the radiator.....squished locusts everywhere....yukky.
We have Corio bay in between us now...but that's not very wide.

Have a good weekend everyone...Charleen and Louise, hope that you are both well...
Dianne

I have not had time to stop in the last few days started my christmas shopping bad idea most great things I see I end up buying for my yard also in spare time working on a new circle and recovered a few yard chairs .
Every one have a great week end -----------elaine.

forget the daffs,i spent 3 hrs in the garden today,this place is loaded with lilies-even the ones i forgot i had.i accidently pulled out 3[small price to pay],,.what a show i am going to have this year,,,.,.,.mollys 1st tomorrow[bbq]

This message was edited Sep 17, 2010 4:33 PM

Happy birthday to Molly.--------elaine.

Good morning all. Another beautiful day for all you northerners I suppose. We are getting more cold showery weather.
I mustn't moan as once the warm weather eventually does arrive, it will probably be very hot. It seems to be the thing for us all to complain about the weather but there are so many much worse off than us with our little bit of cold.
I hope the floods are drying up for all those that had them and Teresa with the shivers and shakes.
I have been watching a series of documentaries on the progression of the evolving of the Earth. I am sure glad we live now and not way back.
Talk about the greenhouse effect. The greenies today would have really had something to talk about back then.
I am always amazed when I see the plant life that was around. It was , like everything else, huge.
Hubby says I would have had a hard time keeping the animals out of a garden then, but what a garden it would have been.
Mostly green, No flowers in the early days. Haven't we come a long way with all the beauties these days ?
Hello Anthony. What fun for you now, watching the liliums grow. Mine are going well. Happy day for Molly.
Hello Elaine. Christmas shopping ? You are energetic. Don't overdo things.
Dianne, don't mention the locusts. I really don't want to know about where they are. I have no bay between me and them. Hubby says , he can just see me out there stamping on any that try to eat my plants.
I was in a plague once in WA. The darn things even ate my daughters green towel on the clothesline. Terrible mess to drive through them too. Ugh.
Colleen, the boys are growing fast. I hope your bugs stay outside. It seems that we all get the odd plague of insects of one sort or another. I saw a huge number of funny little bugs on our gum trees. They look like little moths at first but are more of a small grasshopper type thingy. Black with white spots and about 1/2 inch long. Don't seem to do any harm though. I have often seen the odd one but this time there are lots under the bark.
Chrissy, I hope your brother is managing okay now. I am watching my angels daily, looking for all those new shoots.
I see all the talk of Elfin Pink on the brug thread. Isn't she lovely ? Mine seemed a bit poorly in the heat but has come through the cold quite well.
Hello Louise, I know you are starting to thing Florida now. The girls will look forward to getting down there too.
Hello to everyone else.
Heres a treat for you all to try with your cuppa. Chocolate Almond Torte.
Happy gardening.
Jean.

Jean look!!! its your baby Bergfeuer x Aurea seedling's *first bloom*
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
It 's a beautiful day here if somewhat brisk, the sun is out ...the sky is blue and the garden is waking up Whoo hoo!

I hope everyone everywhere is going to have a wonderful Spring /Autumn (for our dear American Friends) weekend.
May this gentle sun shine lift the spirits of those who are unwell and give them healing ...and may it shine down and bless our little gardens that fill our lives with joy.

She's gorgeous Chrissy. A good friend for GHA.
Jean.

Oh, Jean - how talented you are! I had no idea you were a painter! Very lovely painting! Please show some of your others. GoY, as Dianne would say! (I must be turning part Aussie, don't your think?) LOL And yes, Jean, it is just dreadful when our fur babies are so ill. We could have lost her very easily. We had guests that day who had driven for hours to visit us, and we had to run out on them at 2:00 to rush her to the vet's - at least it was after lunch! They were quite lovely about it all.

Thanks for the nice comments on the painting Louise. I love my painting but its mainly for me as selling is way to difficult around here. I love the US scenery and often do landscapes with a mix of any US scenery that takes my eye. You may like this one of a bluebell woods.
Jean

A couple of our Kookaburras.

Gang Gang Cockatoos

Forgot the pic. Look further down .

This message was edited Sep 18, 2010 3:55 PM

A view down a valley not far from here.

A bit if the vivid outback color. Up near Alice Springs in central Australia

This time, the Gang Gangs.