Good Morning to you all.
Have a good shopping day Jean...hope it warms up for you.
Karen hope you are feeling stronger today.
Louise, hope your meds are settling better with you. Such a miserable feeling.
Chookie, good thoughts to your daughter.
Pretty brug Dianne, so girlie and pink.
Kat, how scared that young fellow must have been. What a foolish thing to do. Not a single plant yelled your name? Must be winter coming...grin
My goodness Teresa. What a happy but strange record to break. I am sure everyone was pleased with that.
Have I missed Marleenanne posting? Hope you and Hubby are well.
Seems I have missed Chrissy also. Waving over the pond to you.
Coleen, know the boys are looking forward to their camping trip...and I am sure you'll be happy for the quiet time.
Anthony, You and Cocky stay warm...understand you are getting some pretty chilly weather.
Hope your day is happy
Moon
TEA ROOM # 106
Good morning everyone. Karen Hope you're feeling better now. Moon the boys don't talk about too much else at the moment than the camping trip. Motorbikes... Jean enjoy your shopping trip. It has come in pretty cool over here too but the sun is shining and there's no wind so it's not too bad. Real Autumn. Lovely smells in my garden with all the brugs flowering. Quite exciting really. The couch is slowly dying so will be able to clear that part of the garden soon. The bulbs are sticking their heads up everywhere. I have a couple of pots of Bluebells so I think I will put them into the ground too now that i have the watering system. I'm sure that I made the right decision there instead of getting a new bathroom. Much more benificial for me I think. The boys are having a good sleep in today. Lovely and quiet. ahhhh. Everyone have a lovely day. Colleen
I'm back from shopping and we had a beautiful warm sunny day after the cold start.
Had to buy a new TV so I am going in to play with it.
Cant let hubby start or he will plug the wrong thing in somewhere. He has no patience with new things.
Our old TV just gave up this morning. It was 14 years old which I suppose is old for a TV today.
We now have a lovely HD one so Austar will send me a new box.
I love it already. So much different to the old one.
Have done nothing in the garden abd will get out tomorrow to check on things.
Keep those fingers crossed Dianne. The brugs are not out yet. Another warm day should see them opening.
Jean.
Jean - you are going to love documentaries in HD...
everything else is good but close ups on plants & animals are just breath taking.
Nice sunny day here - cold but it's that time of year.
Sugar is getting better on walks, not a big puller anyway & responding fast to positive reinforcement on her being in the correct position.
Bit dark by the time we get home but I need to get in the habit of daily walks to keep us both fit.
Did you have the digital programs on the old tv, Jean? There are really great programs on 7Mate and One etc..Mighty Movers, Big Bigger Biggest etc..
It was a strange day weather-wise. It kept clouding over but there was no rain to speak of. The cooler change ( 15 to 25...don't laugh!) has reached here but I'm still in sleeveless tops, so our cool is nothing like yours down south. but it is enough to make the locals start their indoor fires..The air is so nice and crisp..all that humidity has gone. I pruned the climbing wisteria as it had taken over and it hurt cutting off all those buds..I'm sure there are still plenty for Spring but it had almost obscured the sun.
The gingers and heliconias are quite tall now and some are flowering .I went to the Buderim Ginger Factory at Yandina on Tuesday..just a flying visit as I'd gone up, while we were at Caloundra, to get the name of a man who breeds fancy bantam chickens, from the Yandina Produce Agency as some of our girls are now 7 and 8. There is also a big Subaru used spare parts place there. Any Brisbane dealer would just contact them for parts so I went to the source. The Ginger Factory had lots of empty garden space. They must have cleared out a lot of the plants. The Ginger Festival is always in February so I am sure the gardens will be spectacular again then. I have more gingers flowering here, but I don't cut them down as soon as they flower. I leave them as I think the stalk is best left on the plant..same with the bananas, which are close relatives.
Bin day here.. I collected bins as the truck went on and over-the-road neighbour was about to climb up from the lower footpath with a collection of big boxes and junk..straight to our emptied bin..saw me and headed down the road to someone else's. Two weeks till recycling bins are emptied. I've learnt from experience and usually grab the bins from the rubbishman now.
Karen, I hope the cooler weather is helping you recuperate faster.
Chookie, I hope your daughter's health improves quickly. It often seems that when something goes wrong healthwise, or an accident occurs, other health problems tag along as your system is compromised, shocked / overloaded or immune system upset. I wish her well..it's a hard slog getting on top of these things.
Stay warm down south..and enjoy your Spring gardens, those of you who live over the pond. Cheers all.
This message was edited Apr 12, 2012 4:53 AM
Hi everyone, smiles and thanks for the kind thoughts.
Today Cathy, my granddaughter Sarah, and I went to a pot sale. Picked up some succulents and a few nice pots for her patio. cathy has decided she wants a succulent low maintenance verge (currently bare gravel). So we are going to hunt up some plants and rocks over the weekend at a couple of markets and through gum tree.
agaves and cordylines will be the backbone and we will go from there with whatever we can find.
We found some great gardening books at a local op shop for her too.....great stuff..
Karen, good to hear from you, and I hope your stamina returns very soon.
Chookie, sorry to hear your daughter is going through such a hard time. I hope she turns the corner very soon. Lovely she has you with her!
It's been a nice day here. We're less than a week to take-off!
Hello, Jean, Moon, Colleen, Anthony, Dianne, Chrissy, Teresa, Charleen and Kat. Enjoy your new tv, Jean! Wishing all a good day!
Louise
Good morning everyone. Just nipped in to put the kettle on Jean. Lots of packing going on here. Have to get the camping box of eating utensils out today and make sure everything is in there. I always keep a plastic tub with plates and cups and bowls and cutlery in it. That way they don't get lost when the boys go camping. I usually have a couple of tea towels, and dish cloth and detergent in there too. Have to get the sleeping bags out today and make sure everything is okay. I think it will be a bit cool but they have a good tent so they should be okay. Last time when they went camping they got a hail storm just as they were putting the tent up. The boys said they hurt and were freezing as they hadn't even started the fire at that stage. Hope they don't find any snakes this time. John and Cameren were riding on the kids motor bike track and one went across in front of John and just disappeared. You wouldn't think that they would come around with all that noise but I suppose it wanted to get somewhere and that was the way to go. Karen i hope you are feeling a lot better now. Everyone have a great day. The last pic I put up was our baking efforts for the boys to take camping. Colleen
Wow Colleen...I thought might be for a bake sale at school...they won't go hungry for certain Grin. I know they must be over the moon with excitement.Send large plastic garbage bags with them...if it turns off cold or rains they can poke holes for their heads and arms and stay warm in their sleeping bags.If not...good storage for dirty clothes and towels.
Good morning everyone. Its nippy again here but the day will be lovely and warm as was yesterday.
I am hoping it stays this way for a few more days , at least until my brug flowers open .
After that I want and inch or two of rain.
Hello Louise. Thats a tall handsome man beside you there...lol
The girls are so cute.
Have a safe trip .
Moon, good tips on the garbage bags. Where would we be without our plastic bags ???
Makes me laugh , how all the supermarkets are phasing them out and we are told we should be using cloth bags.
Thats all very well, but we still need plastic bags around the home.
Besides the same supermarkets sell all the rubbish, freezer and other plastic bags.
A bit of recycling info gone mad again..
Charleen, are you feeding Charley ?
I found a lot of crumbs around the kitchen door this morning.
I think hes been helping himself when I'm not here ..lol
Colleen, will there be room in the vehicle for the camping gear with all that lovely food going as well ?
Enjoy your time alone to get out in the garden and laze in the sun.
Teresa, the new TV is great. Hubby cant get over the clearness and detail. I cant wait to see all the docos in HD.
Austar are sending me the new box and I will be able to enjoy all the old shows again.
I have Avatar recorded so will be watching that again to get the full effect.
I will be waiting for Transformers to come on as I want to see that too.
Glad to see Sugar is maturing nicely.
Hello Kat. Sounds like you need a large bikie mob to move in to your street to control the neighbors.
Fancy being cheeky enough to use someone elses bin.
Sue, hope all is coming along much better with your daughter.
The gardening project will give her some incentive to be out and about when she can.
I can hear the weeds growing in your garden here..lol
Dianne, hope the sun is shining nicely for you too.
Karen, keep resting and do things slowly. Pop in for a cuppa when you feel up to it.
Anthony. I thought I saw your head among all those plants.
You will need a GPS to find your way if you get lost among dahlias etc.
I am off out to enjoy the sun. Its still a bit nippy but one soon gets warm in the sun.
I found no plants yesterday but we are going to Mt Gambier next week so I will surely find something there,.
Enjoy your day and also this yummy ...Chocolate Cake.
Happy day.
Jean
Morning all
Colleen, I could almost taste your famous sausage rolls, they look great...enjoy your free time.
Great photo Louise, safe trip home....looking forward to NH pics when you can...
Good idea, re the garbage bags, moon....at lots of the country footy matches, they are a fashion statement.
The clarity on the animal docos made in HD is terrific, Jean you will really appreciate it.
Sue, it sounds as though you, Cathy and Sarah, are really getting into that garden, it will be a picture in no time.
Another quake in CC, Teresa.....no damage was reported here...it was a big one too.
Karen, hope you are feeling a lot better now...
Kat, your garden would be very pretty with all the gingers in flower.
Anthony, what are you up to?
Have you been sabotaging the Magpie players in some way?
Dianne
Thanks all, yes Cathy is getting very interested which is great as she has been depressed for a while with no energy from all the meds too. The new chemo drugs are making her nauseous but bearable so far. Hopefully no worse now, she only takes them twice a week, they are to combat the immune system shutdown and allergies not for cancer thank god!
Jean you are right my garden will be a weed bed when I get home. The tomatoes and pumpkins were just coloring when I left so probably lost most. Hope my pots are surviving ok. I'll be home next Wednesday so will know the garden-worst by then.
Dianne the weeds are up here with the first watering ,so will mulch heavily at the weekend, yes Cathy is taking a keen interest and now planning the verge design and plantings.
Today we found a backyard plant seller with lots of broms and ferns,succulents,cannas etc for only 3,.50 each so lots to do before I go home.
This message was edited Apr 13, 2012 1:57 AM
This message was edited Apr 13, 2012 1:59 AM
Nope, Ain't feeding Charley, he does pretty good by himself. ☺
Bright and cool here this morning. Got some pictures of longears doing what they like best "eating"
The girls walked to the gate for a pet. Sometimes Charley will look up and walk to the gate but today he just kept eating.
I have my first Brug bloom.
I loved the Family Picture. Louise. You all be careful and have a safe trip....
Too cool Charleen...my first of the season brug also bloomed yesterday..a noid white that is in the ground here...freezes back every year, but comes back and blooms like crazy.
All Right!!!! We are cooking with the brugs...Still have a lot to get out. Do you grow plumerias too??? I have a question if you do. I sure don't know about them.
I have grown them Charleen...lost them in a freeze a few years back...heat failure in the greenhouse.sniff
I can send you a stick if you want, just let me know....
That is too kind of you. Let me make sure I am going to have a greenhouse for next year....mine is ancient and in need of repair. DH keeps saying we need to rebuild/replace it...just never when that will happen.
Good morning everyone .. I am late but I have a good excuse. My new brug has opened.. Shes a double.
I have been taking pics of her to post on the brug thread.
Its another nippy morning but the sun is out and will soon get quite warm . Yesterday was lovely and Ii manged to finally get the last of the stuff cleared from the cottage garden.
Not a lot more to do around the garden now . Just a bit of trimming along the paths then the rose pruning later in the year.
Charleen & Moon, beautiful brugs. You will be looking forward to all your brugs flowering while ours are thinking of hibernation.
Cookies and a pat for Charley.
Sue , so glad things are going well over there. Nothing like gardening to get interest back in a persons life.
Dianne, go look at the new girl on the brug thread. Such a pretty lady.
Hello to everyone else. I am off to admire my girl again.
Heres a lovely treat so you can all help me celebrate.. Chocolate Cake.
Happy day.
Jean
A very big congrats to you and Senorita Rosado, Jean.....what a pretty thing.
Hi Charleen and moon, everything is happening in your gardens now...isn't Jean's baby beautiful...
I have absolutely no luck with Frangis, I bought a new one every year for years and finally gave up, when I saw one growing in a local front yard, that in no way you could call a garden, total neglect and at least
8 ft high and full of flowers...I could have had a holiday on what I had paid over the years.
Congrats Anthony, whatever you did worked.....a terrific victory...go Blues....
We are the navy blues, we are the old dark navy blues.....I'm singing it for you Anthony, can't you hear the dogs howling...lol
Back later.
Dianne.
This message was edited Apr 14, 2012 10:07 AM
This message was edited Apr 14, 2012 6:32 PM
Had to laugh...my son in law Peter is a Blues fan...a small lonely blue spot in a Maroon sea in Brisbane...grin.
Lovely Brug Jean...I see why you are so tickled.
Dianne, my daughter has 3 frangis in her yard....she does nothing to them and they bloom like crazy....makes me so envious...grin
My birthday gift to hubby was a flight on the Southern DC3, ZK AMY is really a Dakota, first flew with RAAF & dropped Aussie para troops during the Battle of the Phillipines.
It was an eye opener to fly over ChCh city & see just how many vacant sites there are now - and piles of rubble & buildings partially demolished.
An extra thrill during the flight was the appearance of a Mustang - the pilot flew by us too fast for photos unfortunately.
Hi everyone .Moon, your daughter is in Brisbane, isn't she? What suburb? Here, you just stick a broken bit of frangipani in the ground and it takes off..I know, we are spoilt and probably take them for granted...but they and the Cecile Brunner rose and the Honeysuckle (Lonicera) are my favourite scented flowers.Hibiscus grow easily too...but, there are heaps of things that won't grow here. In fact, I think we can grow nearly all of the tropicals..they just might not get quite as big as they do further north..
Days are getting shorter and I really notice the difference. I would go (even more) stir crazy if shorter, darker days lasted too long. Obviously I wouldn't make a very successful Eskimo. No snow or frosts either.
Massive/explosive power outage/fire etc.. in our cul de sac, has kept me quiet- but power was restored at 8.20 pm, in time to see Carlton-obliterate Collingwood,.Sausage sizzle, for the flower show, at Bunnings today, kept me busy all day, and now im stuffed!!!!!-Anthony
Yes, Kat, she is in Northgate.
Nice gift Teresa. That must have been a shock to the senses seeing ChCh from the air.
Good you got to see your match Anthony...how was the flower show?
Good morning everyone. Its going to be a lovely day again here. We badly need some rain but I enjoy the sunny autumn days when its not so very hot. Pity we have to get the wind too.
I am going to be moving a few plants around today as I am changing plants in the shadehouse at the back veranda.
The last of the cacti are going out to their new area and some of the cold climate brugs are moving in. Should be just right for them during winter.
Hello Teresa. What a nice gift for your hubby. It would have certainly given you a very different look at ChristChurch.
Anthony, how many sausages did you eat ?.....lol
Hope the flower show did well.
Kat, are you feeding those turklings frangipanis now ?
I saw lots of them when I was in Darwin. ( frangipanis, not turkeys)
They do grow like weeds dont they ?
Hello Moon. I see on the news, that there are new storms coming which will breed more tornadoes.
Keep safe.
Charleen, I hope you are not anywhere near those storms either. Keep safe too and give Charley & friends a pat.
Dianne, I love to see the frangipanis in bloom too but would not attempt to grow them .
I have seen nice ones around Melbourne . They thrive on neglect I think.
Hello Colleen, Chrissy and Sue.
Louise, lovely to see you pop in to the brug thread. . My new baby is so pretty isnt she ?
You must try growing some from seeds over there. In Florida you have brug heaven.
Better get out and enjoy some sun. Have a lovely day everyone.
Try some of these Cherry Scones, just warm from the oven.
Happy gardening
Jean.
WE grossed $1224 from the sausage sizzle-very exhausting[but fun] day...Another shower this morning and a good nights sleep,but i can still smell sausages,.,.I didnt eat a single one- and probably wont ,for another 6 months,.,.,.,.,.I swapped some rare 'Davidii' lilium bulbs, for an 'ultra rare' 'Narcissus Cyclamenius'daff bulb from portugaul this morning, so i'm quite happy,..,.,Anthony
You did great Anthony.
Look at those two boys with their noses in the hay. The girls want a pet or a cookie, whichever they can get.
This is not good hay. But at least they are eating it . Cow hay!!!!
BooBoo had a Birthday Friday. Isn't he cute???
He does look cute Charleen..
Happy birthday Boo Boo . Share these with Charley & friends.
Thats if Charley doesnt get there first..
great work on the sausage sizzle , Anthony , and on getting a rare bulb for your garden.
Jean.
Charleen, Boo Boos head looks like the front view of a '39 Caddillac.....Refined- perfected and very unique
Jean, you have really tempted me after seeing your lovely Seniorita. :)
Charleen, Boo Boo is ADORABLE! How old was he on his birthday?
Hi everyone. So much to catch up on again. I've been gadding about in the rain for the last 2 days, looking at some beautiful gardens. I think its done me the world of good to get out. That lying around when you don't feel sick is so out of date!!! Just not my style. I am careful not to overdo it though and feel better for it.
Chookie, I hope your daughter gets through this quickly. How awful for her. Medications do have their side effects, but I'm here to testify that they do their job.
Jean, I'm always ready for a cuppa.
Well, its been a long day, so I'd better go get some beauty sleep.
Take care
Karen
So happy you all liked my old BooBoo. He is 13 years old now. He is just the gentleist little man and loves to eat. He is a "Foodie"
Anthony loved your description...
Good morning
Charleen....BooBoo is quite the delightful little old man.I agree with Anthony...he's in a class of his own.
Anthony, that was a whole lot of sausage...but a tidy profit. The exhausting but fun is exactly how DH and I describe our work at the music fests. Congrats on such a great swap. I know you are tickled about it.
Karen, couldn't agree more. Out and about at a gentle pace is tonic for the soul. So good to hear you are feeling better.
Colleen, hope the boys got off on their camping trip okay. Know you will enjoy the "unscheduled" time with them away.
Jean, there were 112 recorded tornadoes spawned by that storm system that went through Nebraska, Indiana, Oklahoma and Kansas.The nearest the storms came to my area was 1150km away. The northern and middle parts of the US have been sorely damaged by storms this year. We have been very fortunate here in the South. That system will bring rain/thunderstorms here, but nothing like it did in the upper part of the country.
Has anyone heard from Chrissy? I realized I have not seen her here on this thread at all. Think it has been maybe 3 weeks or more since she posted.
Hope your Monday is the start of a lovely week.
Jean, I think I may have seen her on FB...
Thanks Charleen...just thought it strange to not see her here..
Good morning everyone. A very quick trip in today as we are off to Mt. Gambier.
You know hubby likes to get going anywhere early.
He has an amplifier to get on the courier . He sent one over to USA last week.
He is very good at what he does, but I'm glad its only a hobby as he can be very messy and I usually have an amplifier or two sitting around the house somewhere.
I will just wish everyone over in US, all the best and stay safe.
Glad those tornadoes are not near you, Moon and Charleen.
Louise , be careful on your trip home.
Hello to everyone else here. Its going to be a warm day and I will be on the lookout for any plants that look like they need a new home.
Heres your nibbles for morning tea..........Apple & Blueberry Shortcake.
Couldnt resist adding this mornings pic of my two cheeky Senoritas.
Happy day
Jean
And they are indeed saucy Senoritas....grin very pretty, Jean.
Good morning everyone. Just popping in to let you know that the boys have left and oh the quiet. They won't be back til Friday so I'm going to have quite a bit of my time. Enjoy your trip to the mount Jean. Well I'm going to go and enjoy this beautiful day to it's fullest and I'll pop in later. Colleen