TEA ROOM # 89

Good morning everyone. Jean it is verrry cold here. 1C right now. I think "Jack" might be out there. This is better than yesterday though. Very cold wind yesterday. I do not like wind of any sort, especially freezing cold southerly winds and hot northerly winds. I haven't seen nor heard any frogs out there but when the boys were putting some yabbies in the pond in the SH they both said that they saw a little brown frog. John reckons they will be there somewhere but i haven't seen any. John has ordered 2 giant cockroaches for the boys. Don't know how they will go down here though. They are coming through the post so should arrive any day now. The boys have a glass aquarium with a light in it but no heater. They will be kept in the lounge so might be okay. Marlene are you trying to tempt me with those Staghorn seeds? I think that I have enough on my plate here at the moment so will sadly decline your generous offer, but, then if anyone has Treefern spores, I might give them a go. lol. Glutton for punishment. Well must go and get the boys clothes ready for school. be back later. Colleen

BRRRRR.......Snow in the Dandenongs......It's cold here too Jean.....though the older I get the more I whinge....a couple of years ago
I wouldn't have noticed it.

I have gone crazy knitting things with that Snowball wool that I bought a couple of weeks ago, a scarf, a knee rug, now a patchwork rug....it's so quick to knit with......too cold to garden so this is great.
I have just ordered some Bletillas from GardenExpress.....Wayne and the Geelong Bot gardens, both had a lovely display last year....so I needed more to make an impact..

Off to Geelong today, to do some shopping.
Back later.

Oh, Charley doesn't like the waterhose. He runs from it. He likes doing a dustbath tho. He loves to roll in that old sandy red dirt. the dust just afloating in the air. All those longears like to Dust bathe. If I hit them with water, they'd have mudballs running off. We got 95 today.

Charleen, Charley would be no good here then. No dust. I saw a little donkey the other day. Poor thing was all alone in the paddock.
I think animals should have friends in with them. We have one old sheep here . Its not ours. We let a local farmer keep usually 3 of his old sheep in the front paddock to keep the grass eaten. One died quite a while ago then another died a few weeks ago. Old Cecil, as we call him, now stands alone . He does have a few sheep over in the neighbors paddock to talk to but I'm afraid he's so old he mostly stands around. I am surprised each winter when he survives .
We will probably get a new trio in the spring . Little lambs out in the neighbors paddock. Lucky they have woolly coats on.
Dianne, I see mountains of knitted things piling up around you as winter progresses. We may have to send out a search party to find you.
I used to knit everything for the kids and grandkids but arthritis makes it too hard now. Besides, the knitted things are not so popular with the younger ones especially as they live in warmer areas. I dont think my son in Darwin even owns a jumper.
I tried wearing scarves when shopping, but they annoy me so much , hanging around, that I usually take them off and throw in the car . I'm the same with hats. Cant stand wearing any sort.
Hubby used to be the same until his hair got really thin . Now hes nearly bald he wears his beanies, which he used to hate.
The sun is trying very hard to come out and the wind has gone.
I may even venture out soon. Get all the little jobs done before the rain returns.
colleen, I didnt see many little frogs in my broms last summer but now they are in the greenhouse, the froggies may return.
Heres my latest zygo out. This is a noid , but a large, upright,quick growing plant. The flowers are large too and such a pretty pastel pink.
Jean.

I have a window here where I can see out in the pasture. Just went out and cut down some brush out of the way. Now I can see my babies... when they are at their feed troughs...

Good morning everyone.

Dianne I to see on the news this morning it is snowing in the Dandenongs.

Had Fred's sister from Leopold here for a hoilday last week and she said we complain about 22 degrees... she thinks we have nothing to complain about!.
But is is cloudy this morning and looks like we are in for some cooler weather.

Jean I have a zygo just like that one...maybe I received the cutting from you. It has quite a large flower.

Still not completely over this cough but I intend doing some gardening today so best get going.

Marlene

This message was edited Jun 7, 2011 7:51 PM

BBBBRRRRRRR!!!!!!! It's brisk!!!!!!

My poor brother has to be showered at 6.30 in the morning to be ready for the nurse, talk about cruel when he has Ankylosing, spondylitis, as well as other problems.

Well it sounds like we all have our winter.
I have been looking at the most glorious pics of Italy taken by my grand daughter on her trip. I am so thrilled.She is sending them from Germany where she is again now after Italy, isn't modern tech., fabulous ...love FB for that.

Jean mine are standing too , some more than others but we have had frosts already and like all of you the cold cold wind.
So many are naked , some are still holding their leaves but not for long I don't think.

Charleen mud balls lol ...trying to imagine it, my horses love rolling in the grass. I think it may rub bugs off or perhaps they are just being joyful.

Marlene hope your cough improves soon, it's very distressing for you.

Jean I forgot to say ...poor old sheep.:( still he got to live a good life, no knackery for him.

Colleen I imagine you won't have room for much at all, your garden must be packed by now, it will be a big job looking after everything come summer.

Elaine are you handling this cold? if you can get out of the wind and shade and sit in the sun it's not too bad.

Pam,Dianne, Loise, Anthony of the lilies :) Karen and all our happy Tea Room Friends, enjoy your afternoon.

Must get on with things, way behind everything today.

Afternoon to all I have been playing nothing much put a few tiles on the studio clock . dryed because of the heater on the bench so managed to grout and polish .
Also started a clean up in the garage now the wind seems to be blowing harder so back inside till tomorrow . Only feel the cold if I stay still -----elaine.

we had news on our chimney yesterday, turns out it may be worse than I thought...
next door just had theirs deconstructed & the same builder is doing ours, he says we will need the same thing done, it means they take all the bricks down to the level of the crack & then use plywood to make it weather tight...
but that means we won't be able to use our pellet fire.
The builder has been on to the EQC for us & they have to provide another means of heating the house, apparently they have been installing heat pumps (reverse cycle air con)
However with the number of chimneys taken out by the earthquakes we may be waiting a while for installation - it may be a chilly winter for us!
Baz is thinking about getting a larger oil column heater with a timer so we don't freeze.
to look at the chimney you can barely see the crack, I never dreamed it would cause so much trouble.
The builder is also going to take down the pillar that snapped & put in bracing for that corner of the eaves.

Teresa why can't they use some fire proof material instead of PLYWOOD? I'm sure that that wouldn't make it weatherproof for long. Sounds a bit strange to me. I'd be asking some questions, it's your home and you're the one that will be cold while they fix it. Just me thinking. Colleen

Plywood? Does the builder know what he's doing? Or is the idea to simply demolish it so that it can't fall and then totally replace it? My goodness, Teresa, you can't go without heating at this time of the year. And what will happen to the elderly who are in the same situation? Is there someone who will make sure they don't freeze to death over Winter?

Pam

Plywood doesn't sound like something Mike Holmes would use. (grin) Why can't they use Duroc concrete board? Then you could still use your pellet fire and it would be weather tight. As you know, California has had its share of earthquakes also. Here is some info for you that may be of use in making your decision. I realize that codes and laws may differ, but safety and usability do not.

http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/fixit/chimneys.html

http://www.jandlmasonry.com/tips/earthquake-damaged-chimneys-can-be-deadly/

https://www.permitla.org/building/chimney_repair_detail.html

http://www.chimneysafetyexperts.com/services.htm

http://builderscrack.co.nz/jobs/6999

well it looks like plywood on next doors chimney, it has to be weather tight - they would be in for more claims if rain got in & ruined the place...
I will ask about alternative materials, I'm curious now as to why it seems to be the standard treatment for this kind of chimney.
They do have to take the bricks down so they don't fall in if we have another significant shake.
and they are predicting a 23% chance we will have another over 6 in the next 12 months.
If we get through that without the 6 hitting then the odds change to the same as anywhere in NZ.
trouble with living in a narrow couple of islands smack bang on a fault line is that earthquakes will happen, where & when are the questions they all wish they could answer.
we still have the Alpine fault 'due' to shift, when it goes it could be upwards of an 8...
it would level most of ChCh & many of the other South Is cities & towns would be affected.
http://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Earthquakes/New-Zealand-s-Fault-Lines/Major-Faults-in-New-Zealand/Alpine-Fault
so - anyone want to move to ChCh?
and no - I haven't got any plans to shift away in the near future, I love it here despite the wobbles & the potential threat of the biggest quake since European settlement hanging over us.

Going by that picture, Teresa, it almost looks as though the Alpine Fault is the entire reason for the South Island's existence?

By the sounds of it, some of the stores would be doing a roaring trade in electric heaters this Winter?!

Teresa, it's probably short notice, but what are your plant import restrictions like there in NZ? Our (6 month old) Joshy's other Nan will be coming from ChCh (to Brisbane) to visit him for a few days on his way back home from a trip to Melbourne (with Mum of course.) I'm more than happy to drop a few broms in for her to bring back If you're allowed to have them?

Well we haven't needed the heater here for the past couple of nights, and most days have been absolutely glorious. The galahs and lorikeets seem to be looking for nesting hollows already, a little early I'm thinking, but I guess they know what they're doing.

Have a great day all, and stay warm.

Pam

Good morning everyone. My goodness Teresa, I got even colder thinking of you trying to keep warm in the winter.
I agree with the comments made. Plywood !!! I just asked hubby and he laughed. Not at you of course, but at anyone silly enough to use plywood on a chimney.
What if someone forgot and had a fire. ?
Of course the chimney must be repaired but there are so many materials that are fireproof around.
I saw a chimney being repaired on a renovation show on TV. They simply repaired the chimney properly and inserted an inner liner , sort of like a metal cylinder. We have similar for our old wood heater, but its outside the old chimney, just straight up from the heater to the top of the old chimney. It has a decorative cover over it.
I'm sure there are ways to have your heater going. I would be checking into all materials and also other builders. That one may be okay, but as we found over here, there are lots who come across well, but are using poor materials and shoddy workers.
Please take care. Make sure , whatever you do that someone is also home when the work is being done.
We had a government scheme here for roof insulation paid for by the govt for eligible people. . Our "reputable " contractor in the area, apparently subcontracted and the job was done when we were out. They came in , opened part of the tin roof, trampled some of the garden and just sprayed the roof full of some type of shredded paper product.
Thats enough of me going mad. I just wanted to warn of things that do happen.
I am off to Hamilton today. Shopping day. It will be cold but its not raining yet.
Keep warm everyone.
Hubby is waiting.
Have some of these mixed Cream cakes with a nice cuppa.
Jean.

Teresa wow you poor thing ...just one thing after the other,I hope you have some warm clothes and doonas .
That chimney business does not sound right, I second what Jean said.
Some fly by nights take advantage of these things. Is there any way you can check on this?
Good luck and rug up.
It's been another very brisk morning here but no frost due to icy winds I think.

Hi Moon ...wow you too? lots of interesting info there in your links, how are you enjoying your summer?

Jean gosh you got stung ...is it safe ...that paper stuff in your roof? it's a worry.
Fancy them entering your home via the roof ...typical story though.
Looking forward to seeing what orphans you adopt today

Pam that is a lovely thing to do.

Stay warm everyone except Charleen and Moon ...who may like a cool breeze.

Enjoy your day :)

Hi Chrissy. No, thankfully we haven't had any earthquakes where I am, but California and the Pacific coast have them. That info is from my Sister-in-law, who had to have a chimney repaired. I figure an earthquake and chimney damage are pretty much the same no matter where you live, just a difference in building codes. I sincerely hope Teresa and Baz will look into the options. To say they will fix her chimney but she can't have a fire is ludicrous...they are not fixing the chimney....they are repairing the masonry...strictly cosmetic, not structural.

We finally got a bit of rain...only had about 1.5cm for the entire month of May. Today we got almost 2.5cm....such a happy garden....grin. Our temperatures have been hovering above 38C and higher for the past week....poor flowers droop as fast as they open and so do I as soon as I step outside...grin

Sending warm thoughts your way. Sounds like doona and cocoa days for sure.

Send me some rain Moon. And maybe a cool breeze from Chrissy side of the world. ☺
Hello, everyone, Charley and the donkeys got a new bale or two of hay and I got this beautiful show in the yard.
Look Chirssy and Jean. Serendipity is blooming.

Hello all. I'm home and didnt freeze too much. The showers waited until we were inside shops and the sun even came out. I didnt wear my extra coat either. Its very cold now and the rain started in earnest as we were unloading the shopping. Typical...
I never found any orphans today. Nothing much at all on the shelf besides a few tatty daisies.
I did get a nice surprise when we arrived home and picked up the mail.
My parcel of lovely bulbs is here.
Anthony, I got 40 lovely bulbs. Some xlarge some medium and some small. They will all grow beautifully.
Please, a bit of your sage advice. There are some scales broken off and I know they can be planted , but do they need some of the base on them as in daffodils ? I dont want to waste any possible bits.
Better go and warm up now. Hubby has the heater on.
Keep warm.
Oopps , sorry Charleen , you keep cool.
Jean.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!
It only got to 12 degrees here on the Sunshine Coast.
Last time it got to that temp was ten years ago.
Going to put more bed cover on tonight as forecast says it will be cold for a week.

My poor subtropical plants. I put plastic coats on some of my special plant. I think hubby might object if I put them in bed with me. *LOL*

Jean,you will not be disappointed,they are some of the best[if not ,in the world]!put all the 'babies' and the scales in a 'stock' pot,[but dont add onions,carrots or potatoes],as they will be near flowering size next year and the scales,the year after..when you see the blooms on this years beauties,you will want to keep them all,.,.i only part with them to collectors of fine liliums[that way,i know theyll be cared for],..,.,Dianne,like you,i ordered from the long awaited'garden express' catalogue today,.,.i raked in a few[quite a few] rarities,and emptied my funds for 2011,..,,.but my 'o' my,what a cracker of a season ,summer is going to be,.,.Unlucky for 'bulbs direct''-too late with a catalogue,.,.the cash is gone,even if you have good-goodies[i suppose,theres always my coin tin?],..,oh how sad a lily hoarders life is!!!!-anthony

Good thoughts for rain Charleen. We were in Mobile this past weekend and it rained a couple times. They said the rain there was the first in a couple weeks....maybe it is heading your way. Serendipity is just lovely. I know the longears are happy with their new hay.

Anthony, I can't wait to see your lovelies come summer. It will be a "winter" treat for us here. I imagine it will be like strolling through a perfume factory. What bliss...grin

Pam - thanks for the offer but NZ is very strict on bio control...
no plant matter in unless you go through the proper channels and that is lengthy & expensive.
You can even get an instant fine if you forget to declare the fruit they give you on the plane!
Lot of annoyed tourists at border control when they get stung with that one - but there are lots of warning signs & a declaration form that says to declare any plants or fruits etc.
The fruit from the plane has to be eaten before you leave or thrown away. If you have ticked yes on the form they let you throw it in the amnesty bin but if you don't tick yes they fine you for 'smuggling' fruit.

As for the chimney - it is an insurance matter so we get no choice, the EQC appointed the company to do the work & we just take what we get...
we will ask a few questions though, it is our house after all.

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday was not too cold at all for shopping. Today , I hope will be the same as I am going to be out potting bulbs madly.
Thanks for the info Anthony. I will do as you say with the smaller babies and scales.
Luckily, I didnt see any other bulb catalogues. I would only want them all and I just dont have the funds .
Maybe if I can get myself going with the new market twice a year, I may make enough pocket money .
I am going to have to tackle my iris area again soon . The weeds seem to like that particular area . Probably because one cant mulch around the irises so there is plenty of space for weeds to thrive.
I would love to put down some of the path weeder, but that would also kill the irises. I guess I just have to play with the Roundup. Once the irises really start growing again in spring, I have to be extra careful and not have any Roundup near the plants. It means a few weeks of hand pulling weeds, but once done, they dont grow through summer so everything is lovely until the start of winter again.
A vicious circle designed to aggravate gardeners.
Marlene, 12 C would be nice here at the moment. We do like to share the cold weather but you northerners are very mean about sharing your warmth.
Hello Teresa, I hope that you get something satisfactory worked out. as you say, it is your house.
Hello Jean.Moon. What is going on in your garden at the moment ?
Charleen, Charley and friends will love you for the hay. I hope you get a bit of cool weather or showers soon.
Serendipity is beautiful. Lovely coloring and large too.
Hello Colleen, Dianne, Elaine, Pam and Karen . I am going to get my washing on . Always more of it in the cold weather .
Keep warm everyone and stay safe.
Try this lovely Chocolate Layer Cake.
Jean.

Dear Jean, yes indeed , we got a little sprinkle this afternoon.. They are calling for more this week end. I hope so. I got some blue tomatoes I want to ripen. first year for them.
My brugs are sending up Y's so you know they need rain. Fertilized them this morning.
So glad. Hope you all get warmer.
Hugs and nuzzles.

Nurse on the way back after she leaves ...

Charleen, that lovely Seredipity, does it change to all pink later?.....
BLUE tomatoes........I've seen black, brown, yellow, striped,mottled, green and red and pink.....never BLUE....taste test and pic please Charleen...

Anthony, don't keep us in suspense, what did you order?.

Went to see Super 8 today it reminded me of ET.....and the teenage boys reminded me of The Wonder Years....all in all a fun movie.

Bulbs popping through everywhere....one Jonquil out......very windy the last 2 days and the trees are almost bare....
Can't wait for Spring now......LOL.

oh,all-right then!!-Dianne..Double orientals,.,.owen,sweet rosy,and distant drum,.,..,Orientals-lake carey[love that colour] and lake michigan,.,.but i think the steal is the ,.la lilium-'tropic diamond'--fragrant,red/ruby christmas lily,.,.,..,huge 'erlicheer' popped out here,.,.nylon'smells great',..,heaps of spring wonders popping up everywhere,.,..,.the mass of rain worked wonders

Elaine sorry I missed your question in the brug thread ...I have answered you there now, so sorry I missed your post as the conversation took off to cool climate brugs.

Oh you sound so happy Anthony ...great feeling isn't it when things you love are going well.

Blue tomatoes???? wow! ...hope you get some good rain there Charleen ...and Moon.Serendipity is lovely.My purple ones were good,

I see the QLD people complaining of the cold on the news tonight ...gosh me thinks we are going to have a tough Winter.

Hate to think what the electricity will cost this Winter.

better go get a rug ...it's cold, enjoy your evening everyone ...it's Friday Night and the long weekend looms here in this state.
Anyone else got the long weekend? interstate I mean.

Got this little fella blooming. Love the pale pink.
Blue tomatoes, I got seed from lady in Oregon. I think that must be the Tomatoe Capitol they have so many different kind of tomates.
I'll let you know about them and if we get a little more rain, we may have some. We did get a little rain last night. I am anxious to see what the blue tomatoes taste like too.

Looking forward to seeing your blue tomato, Charleen. We did Black Krim one year....such a strange color for a tomato.

Last Fall I got some Coneflowers on closeout at the nursery. They were tiny, ragged little plants and I didn't have much hope of them ever doing much. They certainly surprised me....guess they love our heat. The garden is mostly daylilies, coneflowers, vinca and ROS/Hibiscus now. The Crapemyrtles are coming into bloom and they are always quite a show. The Gladiolas are almost through blooming. I found some called "Glaminis" and I am pleased with their performance. Full sized blooms on shorter, sturdier plants that don't flop over in bloom.

My double purple Datura is in full bloom also. None of the Brugs have started yet...too hot and dry i guess.

Jean, sounds like you and Anthony will be potting up for a while....can't wait to see all your lovelies in bloom.

Very pretty Moon. Don't want new addictions but the Datura is a beautiful color...

It is grown here as an annual, but each flower produces a seed pod full of seeds. A self perpetuating annual so to speak...grin

I had that datura too, but it never self seeded, must have dried out or something I guess. It's certainly very pretty. I still have Echinacea flowering here too Charlene and Moon. It's been blooming for absolutely months. I think it must have enjoyed our very wet Spring and Summer.

I bought home a heap of new grevilleas on Thursday and had big plans of planting them all today, but of course, it's raining! How frustrating.

Chrissy, I'm certain we're in for a cool Winter. All the reports of snow, and so early in the season. Brisbane apparently had the coldest June day since 1916 during the week.

Jean, I think I'm going to have to get out and dig some holes for those grevilleas, rain or no rain, simply to work off all your yummy cakes. lol

All this talk of lilies has reminded me - I've been meaning to plant November lilies / Christmas lilies (depending on where you live) for the past few years but have always remembered too late. Is it still early enough to plant them now? Anyone?

Have a great day all, but remember while you're all huddled around staying warm, lay off all that cake. hehehe

Pam

Good morning everyone. Cold and showery yesterday but the icy wind has gone for a while. Today looks slightly foggy out the window. .
Anthony, sounds like you are going to have a magnificent show of liliums.
I potted all my new ones yesterday and have them out where they will get sun but the bases will be covered with some of my seaside daisies.
I saw a magnificent B. sanguinea over on the brug thread It is in the Tas. Botanic Gardens. Those gardens must be lovely.
If you want ground cover, you cant beat that seaside daisy . It grows anywhere and seeds itself all over the place. Easily removed though despite having many roots. If mine gets a bit much, I just cut the whole thing to the ground and it regrows later.
Pam, I hope your Christmas lilies get treated better than mine. I totally forgot all about putting the pot near a hebe. The hebe grew over the pot and I only just found it. I think the lilies must be very forgiving as they look quite happy.
Hello jean/moon and Charleen. Your gardens must be looking lovely now with a bit of rain.
I cant wait to see the blue tomatoes.
Chrissy, the brugs are starting to realise its winter now. A few leaves falling off. The bougainvillea has no such ideas. Its still flowering like mad , even with no sun to speak of.
Hello Dianne and Elaine. Also Colleen and Karen.
Not much to do here as even though the rain has stopped. everything is wet, ugh.
I will just walk around in the greenhouses and shadehouses, telling everything to grow.
I hope you all keep warm, especially all the northerners. Poor things, getting a little bit cold.
Anthony, you should send them some snow.
Hers something nice to add a few more pounds to the waistline. My favorite, Chocolate Mud Cake.
Happy day, Jean.

gardengal,its fine to plant longiflorum/christmas lilies now-thru to august[maybe not late where you are is warmer],.,.anthony

I believe we were colder sooner than you Jean this year, even QLD is cold.
I have people coming so I have just popped in shout everyone a hot chocolate to warm us up.

Have a great Saturday everyone ...loving those pretty blooms emanating out of the USA ladies, it is a sight for sore eyes.:)
Thanks so much.
Better shout you an iced coffee.

Back after the visitors have gone.

Good afternoon everyone. Have been doing some domestic chores and have just had a honey sandwich and will have another cuppa soon. A grey day hear today. not much wind though so not too cold. Will take the boys for a walk later and start gathering some dried leaves for their cockroaches. Just dirt and dried material and a small container of water. They haven't arrived yet, so still have some time. I hope they will be okay in the post. I suppose the guy must know what he's doing otherwise he wouldn't be in business. My winter hippy is nearly out Jean. Have your's flowered yet? I should have a nice display of Epis this year. They've all grown so much. Only a few brugs left in the SH now. The ones that have put their roots down and a few that still need to potted into bigger pots. The work never ends does it ? Well I'm going to make that cuppa. Will be back soon. Colleen