TEA ROOM # 104

Well , time for a move again. Here we are into Feb. already. I see lots of hot cross buns around , so Easter is looming.
A bit foggy here and cool . There was some very distant thunder during the night.
Everything is so dry, I have given up even trying to water some areas.
One would be standing there for hours trying to get the ground wet etough for the plants to get a decent drink.
If anything is going to survive, it will be worth putting more of those plants in to replace what dies.
Our fruit trees were loaded but with no rain, they are just bird food now.
Every year is different and I should be glad that we are not feet deep in flood waters as are those up north.
But if we all didnt moan about our own weather we wouldnt be gardeners , would we ?

I am going to be busy today doing more potting. Its amazing how many baby plants one accumulates in the greenhouse.

We have a koala up in one of the gum trees again. They seem to visit often. They just sit around and rest and are not worried by us being close. They do no damage to anything and its a privilege to have them visit. Havent see any wallabies for a while though.

Better go over and put up the sign post. Enjoy your day.

we came from here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1239321/

Anthony, the pic is of your lovely state, Tasmania.
Jean

This message was edited Feb 10, 2012 8:35 AM

Good Morning.

Oh how cool. We get to have tea with Anthony and Molly.

I brought some fudgy brownies for you all to enjoy.

Jean I only have a minute , I must get brekky ready for everyone here, it's a full cooked mixed grill here this morning as requested. I haven't done that in decades.

Looks like the Tea room customers may have got lost Jean.
It's going to rain big time again ...unbelievable flooding everywhere in the lower areas around the place, evacuations only ten minutes from here, we had people hit by lightening in the Blue Mountains again and mudslides, I guess 2011 is still hanging around, the weather everywhere is nuts !

Moon thanks for the Brownies ...

I will try to get back after Brekky.

Good morning everyone. The sun is out here but I did here a very small shower early this morning. The path isnt wet so it was a teeny shower. Just enough to make a drip that echoes near our bedroom wall as it hits the cover of the heater thingy outside.
Chrissy, there is so much water up there . I do feel for all those affected. Talk about the wet & the dry seasons in the tropics. I think they are all wondering where the dry season went. I can tell you , its here.

Hello Moon, thanks for the Brownies, yummy.

The pic of Tassie was from a CD my daughter gave me. She & her hubby went there on holiday 2 years ago and she took so many pics.
A lot were pretty ordinary as her enthusiasm got the better of her sense of good scenery composition, but the others were really amazing. There is such a lovely variety of scenery down there. Its the only state I havent been too and until they build a bridge , I am not likely to get there.
Its on my bucket list.

Anthony, beautiful lilium you posted. It is exciting waiting for a new plant to flower.

Hello Karen, Dianne and Colleen Hope you are all well and getting about in the garden.

Hello Teresa. Today is the big day , pats for Sugar when she arrives.

Charleen, tell Charley to wipe his feet , I found bits of hay and dirt on the kitchen steps.

Hello to everyone popping in. I hope everyone does manage to find us. I love seeing all the smiling faces having their cuppa.
Besides, if noone came in, who would eat all the cakes ???
Yes , I know, Charley, Copper , Cocky and the rest.

Heres a treat for you all. .. Apple & Blueberry Shortcake..

Enjoy your weekend.
Jean.

Chrissy you will be rolling back in after a full cooked breakfast. lol Good morning everyone. Well all the watering system is finished but the third tank in the Shadehouse and the pump still have to be connected. I can now water all the garden out the back in one hit and 2 hits for the front. It will save me a lot of work. Please send the rain this way now to fill the tanks. The "visitor" is supposed to be here again today, but wthe boys and I have a backup plan today. If she's not here by lunch time they're allowed to ring a friend and see if they can come over. Tomorrow they have a mate coming so their weekend is already planned. I hope this will work a bit better. Not much going on here just a lot of washing to do and the normal housework so must go. Colleen

Good morning.

Colleen, must be "pink season" there. Beautiful colours, beautiful flowers. Glad you are getting your watering systems underway. Its a big job for sure, watering by hand. Used to take me 2 hours daily, but have had to cut way back due to water restrictions. The front rarely gets watered unless it rains these days.

Jean, I've never been to Tassie either. Friends have though and said its beautiful. Would love to see more pics. I hope you get some rain soon. I hear people are starting to return to their homes and a big clean up out west, after the big floods did so much damage there. I am glad we aren't getting too much rain here. I wish Nature would work it so that the rain falls just enough to water the garden and then allows the sun to shine.

Anthony, you are lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world. My brother lived there for a short time but said it was too cold for him.

A bit cool here this morning without the sun. Don't know where the day is heading weatherwise yet.

Karen'

These are out again. They don't seem to last very long, but so pretty.

Yes!- I drive past that fern on my way to work each day

That must have been you I saw, Anthony when my cousin took me to see the Man Ferns...
Lovely new lilium.....those seeds that you bought will be wonderful to watch...
One of my "this years" babies has grown a little baby on it's side, curious because I didn't see it flower.
I will put a saucer under the plant to catch the baby if it falls off.

Lovely pinks, Colleen.....sounds like a good plan with the boys....good luck.
Dark and raining here.....only light rain unfortunately.....
Sounds as though you are feeling a bit better, Karen....hope you stay that way...
Sugar will cause a ruckus in your house Teresa, when she comes home and it will be lots of fun...
Love fudge brownies, Moon..thanks...
I am cooking a date and walnut loaf at the moment...good weather for it and a cuppa.....

This little Penstemon is beautiful, such a deep colour..so nice that I bought 2.
Dianne.

love that penstemon!
Sugar is here & Copper loves her...
so do we :)
We went to the airport - no puppy.
Asked at information & were sent to another baggage collection area.
No puppy but when the lady at the desk finally got off the phone she was able to tell us that Sugar would be at Air NZ cargo.
We arrived there & the chap took one look & asked if we were there to pick up a puppy.
Relief all around, I think the leash in my hands might have given him a vital clue :)
He brought Sugar out & cut the ties off the crate so she could come out.
Her tail was wagging the whole time & she was all over us for pats when she got out.
I was going to take my time introducing her to Copper but he was so good we fast tracked the process.
We introduced them through the wire gate, then I took Copper in the back yard & had Sugar crated so they could sniff, then we got them both on lead with Copper muzzled.
that went really well so I let them off lead.
Copper was so good that after a while we took his muzzle off.
they sniffed & played & ate fallen plums & sniffed & played some more.
Now they are away to bed, Sugar is crated & Copper has a bed next to her.
Normally he whines & carries on, we have been leaving him in the lounge as that is the only way to get a peaceful night's sleep.
Not a peep out of either dog!
I am soooo happy!!!!

Sounds good ,Teresa...A whole new phase in your life has just started....enjoy it!!
Sooty biffed the jack russell next door today[fortnightly visitor with kids attached]..
My newly inherited zebra finch is a true weaponhead!!!- he waits until i come home from work and makes sounds like a chipmunk from the snowball tree, until i open the garage door and he flies over and eats the seed i placed on top of the galah cages,or gets in the galah feedbowls,then he goes out and bosses the sparrows about,.,Dianne,.,.always wonder, what the plant world is doing, because, i dont think we can understand everything that happens,.I cooked up an old recipe for tea tonight...Tomato -onion -cheese on heavily toasted buns,..,.,mmmmmm!

Good morning. We are off the to Gold Coast today. Lunch with my daughter, yay! She has some sort of picnic organized. Its a beautiful morning so far, and I hope it continues all day today.

Nice little Penstemon there Dianne.
Anthony, sounds like your pets keep you busy there. Where do you find time for your plants? I too love the tomato, onion and cheese but I slice a french loaf on an angle and put the filling in such a way as you can break off a sandwich, and heat in oven.

Teresa, I am so pleased for Copper and Sugar that they get along well. There was no reason why they shouldn't but sometimes the unexplained happens. She is a lovely looking puppy. Well done.

Looks like I'm first in this morning. Everyone must be at the markets, lucky people. Have a great day.

Karen

Good morning everyone. The sun is shining in the window here. Still some cloud about and the path was a bit wet this morning. There must have been a small shower in the night.
It washes the dust off the leaves anyway.

A few more kindie kid brugs potted yesterday and are now down in the shadehouse.
today I am looking at a bit of clearing of a space between the 2 greenhouses. I have shadecloth over the space so will add a bit of bird net over the entrance and I will have a blacbird free area for pots. ( hopefully)
The koala has travelled on but may return later. It always amazes me how they must travel at night , across all the open paddocks. We are quite a way from the nearest creek with large trees.

Teresa. Sugar is beautiful. I'm so glad Copper loves her and you dont have problems between them.

Anthony, that little finch must love you.
They can be very cheeky. How is your little Galah now ?

Dianne, pentsemons are so pretty and hardy too. Mine are mostly where they dont get watered and still do well.
One day I will get cuttings and put some near the front door.
I used to have lots of both the thin tubed ones and the short fat tube ones. . Must go and see exactly what I do have .

Chrissy, you must be feeling so waterlogged and confined. Hope it all soon clears a bit so you can get out .

Karen, I hope you are getting a few dry days there. Great to see you getting around a lot better

Colleen, good plans to show that person , the boys are getting along just fine without her.
Marvellous , how some people think they can disrupt lives just because they are wanting to feel good after so many years.

Moon, how are things weather wise over your way ?

Charleen, You will be looking forward to all the spring flowers soon.
hugs for Charley.


I am getting around a bit better now but I think my knee is more painful now than when I fell on it.
Lovely purple color and still swollen.

I am off to do my morning inspection.
Have a great day . Enjoy your gardens if you can.
Something nice for morning tea. ...yummy Coffee Cake.
Happy day.
Jean.

Good Morning. difference...

After a couple cool days and rain, our temps are plunging to -1C tonight...BRRRR. I have a lovely blue iris getting ready to bloom and my Phaius orchid has bloom spikes as do the Bletilla orchids. I will cover them in hopes of protecting them from the freeze tonight. Strange weather...Monday it will be back up in the 70's....over 40 degrees difference

Teresa, Sugar is a lovely little girl. How happy for you and Copper.

Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Dog gone I lost you!!! Supposed to have a cold cold front moving in this weekend. Can't stand it!! Just got too. Charley can use that fur and dirt to keep him warm, him and his donkeys. I fed them a little extra so maybe that will keep them warm, I hope....

Showery and sunny.....expected 23c...who knows.
Sugar looks like a lovely girl, Teresa.....very nice pic of the 3 of you.

Anthony, the zebra finch sounds like a fiesty little fellow....lovely little fellows they are...amazing how they adapt.
That snack you had for tea, sounded very nice...I made some tomato relish this morning...the weather is so cool, I feel like cooking and I always feel like eating....

Moon, what colour are your Bletillas? I have the pale pink....I like the hot pink though.

Jean, hope you can birdproof your GH....they can be pesky little things.....our neighbour has mynahs breeding in the garage roof....when I mentioned what they were, the response was" Oh there aren't very many of them".....since then the population breeding in the roof space would number in the dozens...they go in and out like a turnstyle....
I love my neighbours but their apathy is so frustrating.

I was going to join apathetics anonymous but I just couldn't be bothered....
then I thought I might join procrastinators anonymous but I can leave that till tomorrow ;)

Teresa, just give up and join 'thinkers anonymous' like I did.
I think I did anyway...lol..

Jean.

Good afternoon everyone. It's a beautiful day. All went well yesterday. Their friend has come to play today and they're outside, Ohoh spoke too soon. Now they're back inside for a drink. Anne of Green Gables is on the TV. I love that movie. I have all the books and quite a few of the movies. I don't think that I have them all. Son no.2 came and had a cuppa with me this morning. He had been camping overnight. Teresa, I'm glad that Copper has accepted Sugar. That's lovely. Gee, Moon, you're certainly getting some differences in your temps. How do your plants like that? Chrissy please send your rain this way now. The tanks are waiting to be filled. I do believe that the garden is looking better already with the watering system. I have started dead-heading the roses again hopefully I will get another flush from them before winter. Have planted my new brug seeds. Still have a few more brom pups to take off and lots of weeds. Plenty to keep me busy. Have a nice rest of the day everyone. Colleen

Teresa, what about'Pick theshtoutofourlazy Govt anonymous'-at least i know i'd be there for a very long time,.,

Or ponderers anonymous.,.,.I'll ponder on that for a while, while i think of a reason!! maybe have a 4xxxx or two,.,.it helps the ponderin' brain

Good Morning.

I belong to Do-ers Anonymous...who the heck does my family think cleaned that up????GRIN

Yes Colleen it has been a strange weather year. Last night was miserably cold (-2C). When the temps get above freezing, it is 0C right now, I will go out and uncover things in the garden and hope they escaped damage. I won't know about the Magnolias for a couple days...I am hoping the buds did not freeze...if they did that will be it for the blooms this year.

Dianne, my Betillas are B striata, the common purple ones. I have species Phaius tankervillae and a cultivar of that one called Big Charlie that gets just over a meter tall. Just 5 more weeks till Spring...hope the weather cooperates. My Sinningia sellovii has put out new growth and I am almost afraid to look at it. The tuber has gotten huge, nearly a meter long.


This message was edited Feb 12, 2012 10:00 AM

We had a freeze last night. Brrrr, that wind was blowing all night.

Good morning,
Very pleasant here at the moment....I'm strolling thru the tea room gardens before I put the kettle on...
I can see Jean and Colleen, they are wandering too.....

Moon, no wonder you are afraid to look at your Sinningia, a metre long, whew.....please post a pic when you can.....I double checked mine, just in case...at the moment it's only in a little pot..

Today is repot the Cyclamens day....so I'd better get started.....there a quite a few....
Have a nice day everyone.
Dianne

Good morning everyone. Overcast here at the moment, but hubby says we are going to get hot weather until about Thursday.
I will be outside early this morning to spray all my brugs with one of the sprays so kindly listed by you all.
Look out brug biters, here I come.

Anthony, I like ponderers anonymous, I may join you there.


Moon & Charleen, sorry to hear you are freezing your little bums off there. Keep thinking Spring thoughts.

Colleen, if your tanks disappear in the night, they may be here in my yard. They look great. So much easier for you.

Dianne, When I put the first greenhouse up I left space for a second which eventually went in leaving me a nice place about 6' square between them
I had a few straggly plants there for a while but it will be an ideal space for lots of pots until the plants are big enough to be out in blackbird territory.

Hello Karen, Chrissy and Teresa and anyone else looking in.

I'm off to spray brugs for bugs .

Heres something nice to nibble on....Banana Muffins.
Jean.

Good morning all. And a beautiful morning it is too. A storm passed over nearby, missing us with its ferocity, but giving us a good dose of rain for the gardens. Much appreciated. After the heat yesterday, everything looks so fresh and alive this morning.

Had a picnic lunch with my daughter and grand daughter yesterday down the Coast. A lovely day. We got back well before the storm.

Not much time as we have a full day planned and Barry needs to do some work on the computer first. So everyone have a lovely day.

Karen
Our picnic area....

Karen that looks like Summer should look :) sounds lovely.

I love the idea of Water tanks but if I had them here they would have been flooding for the last 3/4 years.

Good luck with the bug treatments Jean, sprays don't work here due to being washed away almost daily, thus I have lots of gobbled leaves ...most of the blooms seem untouched though some of them are chewed too and those tiny snails are back again, you know, those ones that live up in the canopy of the plants. Dry or wet bring it's own insect problems.
We will be awaiting the results with eager anticipation ^_^

Teresa I hope Sugar brings you much joy and comfort, I know they are a lovely loyal breed of dog.

Charleen and Moon stay warm over there it would be most upsetting to have your early Spring plants burn't off in the sudden cold snap. Good luck . our thoughts are with you and the darlings. Cold winds ugh !

Dianne have fun re-potting. So frustrating here ! so many babies waiting to go out into the big World ...just waiting for a day of dry ground.

Anthony and Kat I hope you have a lovely day, whatever you are up to.

The house is quiet now, it was lovely to have family here ...it's left me tired but happy,
I hope all of our lovely tea room guests are all going to have a wonderful, happy day despite the fact that it is Monday.

Does anyone do anything special for Valentines Day ?
I love this Movie for it's Romantic scenes, it's almost a modern version of Cinderella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCOYiaeVdlA

What is your favourite Romantic Movie ?

Hello All.

Dianne, if you look back to my last post, the picture is of the Sinningia sellovia...I took it on Saturday before the freeze...the caudex extends the length of the greenery. I will try to get a close up for you. I understand your S leucotricha is a rather slow grower eventually reaching about 12 inches...yours seems to be fairly young yet. I think ours are roughly the same type of bloom...and the same color. The leaves on yours are much prettier...downy like a lamb's ear.Obviously mine did not get the memo as to height....some of the bloom spikes top 4 feet.

http://www.onlineplantguide.com/PlantDetails.aspx?Plant_id=4142

Thanks for the warm wishes...or wishes for warmth...grin Just Nature's way of keeping us from getting complacent I guess...

Chrissy, I think my favorite romantic movie is an Alan Rickman/Juliet Stevenson black comedy called "Truly, Madly, Deeply"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1BlyOcmBs&feature=related

An Affair To Remember, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. I cry every time I see that movie. No romantic movie has ever moved me so much. Showing my age, I know. The end scene........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=MMQUu-KCXGA

This message was edited Feb 13, 2012 12:41 AM

Thanks, CHRISSY....I did have 'a good old' great day- like people used to have,,in their yard 20 yrs ago- it was good,.,.except,the bretherans up behind us, had the high pitched, sawdust evacuator going for about 5 hrs, and for a poor hearing person like me, it drove me bonkers..so i had to turn the transistor up!!!All the birds [including cocky] are worn out after the 3 day weekend[regatta day/hbt cup day]- cant handle a 12 hr day!!!-for 3 days..Billions of seeds arriving and cocky and i washed 50, 7"pots,today, in readiness...for the mail deluge!!

Moon, sorry....when I looked at the pic....I didn't recognise it...so very different.....even the way the flowers grow.....mine seem to sit on the leaves, whereas yours look like bleeding heart flowers, so pretty.
It must be spectacular being as tall as it is...I had a look at the Purple Rain and it looks just like a tiny Gloxinia.....

Romantic movie that I like best will always be Pride and Prejudice, from the original with Lawrence Olivier as Mr Darcy, ( he was the best)
to Colin Firth (a very close 2nd) and the modern one, Mathew Macfadyen..(he's ok)....

Dianne, the Gesneriads are such a varied lot it is hard to keep track of them. One would hardly think yours and mine were related. With some plants I think only a Botanist can discern what makes them related. grin isn't the Purple rain a sweet plant?

This is not the best picture, but gives you some idea of what a happy plant it is. It shares this bed with Crinum asiaticum, African bush daisy and echinacea

Good morning everyone. The kettle is on Jean. A beautiful morning but I think it's warming up again. I think the plumber will be here today to finish putting the pump in and connect all the tanks. Then I get the bill. Not much going on here, just lots of cutting back and weed pulling. I liked Richard Gere and [ oh mental block] in Pretty Woman. Colleen I had to google her name. lol Julia Roberts.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2012 6:49 AM

Good morning everyone. Yes, Colleen, I was 'wandering' the threads again , so am a bit late.

Lovely morning here. Yesterday was warm but not hot. Just right for me to be doing things in the garden.

Happy Valentines Day to you all.

Romantic movies,hmmmm..
I'm not into romantic ( mushy, kissy ) movies at all but I did love African Queen.
Humphrey Bogart was one of my very favorite actors and who could do better than the great Katherine Hepburn .

I dont even read romantic books, ugh... Give me a good murder /thriller any time.

Aside from that, in actual real life , I am romantic when it comes to doing things for hubby .

I am going to just say a quick hello to all as I want to get out and get going in the garden. I have a few irises to dig and pots to clean.


Enjoy the day and any gifts you are given by your loved one.

Heres a special cake for all.
Happy Valentines Day.
Jean.

My husband had a delightful Valentine's Day, thanks Jean.....

I took him down to Geelong for a colonoscopy and gastroscopy........I went to see "Safe House" while he was under....things are so different from when he had the first one....the nursing staff don't encourage you to sit around in the waiting room so they send a text when the procedure is over and the theatre is only a block away, so I had a good day.......LOL

He is such a baby....he can't stomach the prep, that you have to drink...
Oh well, he doesn't go back for another 2 yrs.....

Colleen, is that a Morning Glory....I love it what ever it is...

This message was edited Feb 14, 2012 5:48 PM

Yes Dianne. I got some seeds from OS . One hasn't flowered yet but the other one comes out very dark purple but changes to dark maroon as it dies. They don't last long, maybe a day or two. You like your movies don't you? lol Colleen

Hello everyone. No storms around, I hope. Yesterday was bad enough. Barry got home today to find workmen and council everywhere, cutting up a huge gum tree that came down. It was growing on the footpath, and the storm brought it down, taking out the corners of the roofs of two houses, one of which was Barry's. His neighbours house took the worst of it but both houses need tarps to keep the water out if it rains.

I got the last of my newer plants potted up today. Now just have the repotting of larger plants, and dividing of others to do.

Had a pleasant surprise when I found my Oxypetalum in flower last night. It had two buds, but the other was damage in the storm and it didn't open. The perfume was exquisite.

Karen

Good morning everyone. I can hear Jean coming up the path so will put the kettle on. It's totally overcast here this morning but hot and muggy. Hope we get some rain out of it. Lovely Oxypetalum Karen. Cactus flowers do smell lovely don't they? Who would have thought. The school wants me to go up there and do a bit of gardening with the kids. Don't know if I will yet because I have enough gardening to do at home. lol Maybe I should get them to come here. Be back later. Colleen

Good morning everyone. Yes, I'm late again. Been wandering the threads.
Its a lovely morning here but will get pretty warm later .

I still have some watering to do with all the pots I have around the place. I need to give everything a drink because I will be out shopping tomorrow. .

Thanks for putting the kettle on Colleen. I need a cuppa after all that wandering.

Karen, that was a large tree. Lucky noone was hurt. Its time the councils everywhere did something about all the large gum trees that are growing on verges and in gardens. They were planted when people didnt take a lot of notice of the growth habits.
B*** the greenies, cut them all down and replace with safer trees. If you need native trees, there a re plenty of very beautiful smaller ones.

Hello Dianne, Anthony, Chrissy and Teresa. hope all is well with you.

Charleen and Moon. I hope you are getting a warmer weather by now.
I love the beginning of Spring when everything pokes their little heads up. All the lovely fresh green every where.
Carrots for Charley & friends out on the patio table.

I'm off to the garden. Have a lovely day and enjoy some of these old favorites...Lemon Bars.
Happy day
Jean.

Ghost with Patric Swayse is a good love story.
Those donkeys out there hollerin' want a flake or two of hay.
Had rain last night, this morning and they all look like Walking Mudballs..Even Charley. I think it will start getting a little warmer soon. I'm hoping.
Hugs and Valentine nuzzles to you all, Our friends...

Good morning everyone. I'm a bit late this morning. Slow to start, is all.

Charleen, hope all the animals are faring well in the cold. Sounds awful. I hope it warms up soon for all of you. We've had too much cloud cover here to say we've had a really hot summer. I don't mind at all as I don't fare well in the heat. I like "Ghost" too. Hugs and nuzzles right back.

Jean, I think the gums on the footpath there simply grew and were allowed to grow. Have seen koalas in them at times. But you are right, you can't have dangerous trees so close to houses. What upsets me most is that they've destroyed the bush, but left gums on footpaths. Can't figure the councils out. Barry's roof was damaged over his bedroom. I'm not sure what room was under his neighbours, but the room was more extensively damaged there than Barry's.

I've had a long war with Dept Housing over a huge wattle tree right between my house and the one next door. The tree has alread dropped a monster rotten branch, taking out the neighbours window. They came, cut up the branch, and left. I phoned back and asked to have the tree removed, but no way. Yet the tree has grown sideways rather than up and though there isn't much left but the heavy trunk, if that came down, someone could get killed. Yet they ripped out my bird friendly trees that didn't grow big at all.

Don't mean to vent. It just annoys me, some of the insane decisions made regarding trees and bushlands.

Nice breezes outside today. Rather pleasant, with patchy clouds to keep the worst of the heat at bay.

Karen