TEA ROOM # 109

Good morning....
We came form here....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1257921/


.Here we are nearly halfway though the year already. Luckily our Tea Room has perfect virtual weather as it is freezing here on my hill.
Yesterday was a lovely autumn day. ( I know we are now in winter, but I think autumn is hanging around )
The sun was out even though the temps were still low. There was none of the cold wind we have had lately
A very pleasant day for shopping '
I found no orphans but did bring home my new griller.
Its a George Foreman breakfast griller and just the right size for us. I can do breakfast eggs & bacon or grill any meat we have .
I already have one but hubby got this one as it was on sale and he said we need a spare in case the other gives up.
We havent had an oven for years and I never used it much when it did work.
I like my microwave and toaster oven, along with the griller. I also use my wok a lot.

If the weather stays fine , I may get out the hedge clippers and do some trimming along the paths.
I have all my little daffies sticking their green noses out of the ground to see what the weather is doing
I saw a little yellow breasted robin which was lovely, as they had all disappeared when the neighbors cat was around.
The blue wrens are here too. I hope the numbers grow back to what used to be here.

We saw a couple of cute little wallabies along the road yesterday. They are so quiet and just sit quietly unlike the kangaroos which take off when they are disturbed.
I had better get over and put up the signpost or people will get lost along the way.

Keep warm and dry .
Jean,.

This message was edited Jun 8, 2012 10:03 AM

SNAP on the oven, Jean.......ours was only 4yr old when it's thermostat went, then the griller packed up a year later....so when the element went that was the last straw....I use the electric frypan for most things and bake in the Webber....I refuse to buy another oven...I don't need one.

I had 2 fillings repaired this morning....while I'm sitting in the chair and Danny the dentist is discussing his procedure with his young assistant, he mentioned a bonding agent that he was using called PC something, well for those of you mature enough to remember PC49, you will know why I started to giggle at the thought of a mouthful of that black glue.
They had to stop while I recovered from my spluttering.
It was used to repair the soles of shoes as well as countless other things.

So all is OK until next year..touch wood.

Colleen is that a pic of Clementine?

Portarlington has it's Celtic festival this weekend, it rains every year...tomorrow doesn't look like being any different.....we will probably still go and have look...
This pic looked good in the camera lens, then when I put it on the screen, the cupid looks creepy..lol
Have a good weekend everyone..
Dianne.

another freezing start this morning - 3C but the buses were running so I went to work.
We had a pretty good day too - guess people were looking for warm clothes, can't think why ;)
I was so glad to be wearing merino & bought new socks as my gumboots leak & I had a cold wet foot.
The new socks are 70% merino so very warm, my work mates were complaining of the cold but I was ok.
Then again I had 3 thermals & a merino jumper on as well as the warm socks & merino leggings under my trousers.
Sugar decided she didn't want to wear her coat this morning & took it off & left it on the back lawn in the snow. She is such a weasel!
Copper loves his coat & will wear it all day, even sleep in it.
I don't leave it on him as he is inside & has nice woollen blankets in his bed.
As he gets older I may rethink that but for now he is fine.
I will suggest they leave his coat on at the kennels unless we get a really warm day.
the dogs have 3 weeks booked & we will be staying in a motel while our earthquake repairs are done.
Looking forward to having the pellet fire again, I hate to think what the next power bill will be as we have needed all 3 oil column heaters on non stop the last few days.

Went to the Buderim Garden Club meeting this afternoon.
Awarded a second prize in the orchids and a second in the foliage section.

I have been asked to help with the club stand setup for the Queensland Garden Expo at Nambour in July.
Anyone thinking of going this year?

Dianne have a good time at the Celtic Festival ...don't think they will have plants for sale*G*

Good morning everyone.
A bit of rain overnight here but no wind. Its going to be a day to do nothing outside as everything will be wet again..
I am on earlier today as we have hubbys friend here for the weekend and it messes up my routine..
Its hard to have anyone stay, as our house id small and having to work around a third person can be frustrating. ( especially when they are male )
At least a woman would be of some help and understand routine a lot more.


Teresa, love the pics . I see doggy mischief in every bit of that spotty body .
Glad to hear you will finally get your repairs done and have the heater back working.

I see there was a tremor in NSW . A lot of people think we dont get many earthquakes in Australia.
Maybe not as often or as damaging as NZ and other places, but we do get a lot more than realised.
I was in one years ago which struck Cadoux in WA and it was very scary.
We lived a few moles away and things were falling off shelves as the whole house shook violently , while the local pub had damage from falling bricks etc.
The tremor moved a giant water storage tank and opened up a huge crack in the road, which then closed up by the next day.
The little town of Cadoux was flattened .

Hello Marlene. congrats on the prizes. Always nice to win something.

Dianne, enjoy the festival. I hope the rain stays away for it.
I had a laugh about your dentist talking about fillings while you were in the chair...lol

Hello Colleen , Sue, Anthony and Karen.

Charleen and Moon , hope you are getting a bit of rain for the garden but also lots of sun.
Hugs for that Charley mule.

Louise , we do miss your pics of those darling girls. Hope all is well over your way.

Have to move as hubby wants to use the computer.
Tomorrow I will have the entire day to myself so can be lazy all day .

Keep safe and warm.
Enjoy this.... Coffee Cake... with your morning tea.

Happy day
Jean.

Good morning everyone. What a lovely spot for a picnic, Jean.

Nothing happening here, so am off to start what will be a busy morning until Barry arrives, then off to the shops. So have a great day, everyone.

Karen

Just get a hooded bbq Jean[guarenteed 15 yrs] and the fat cooks out.,although this morning in the supermarket i swayed away from eggs and bacon[to cook] because it is now too cold to be outside at sundown,.,Sooty my cat has been attacked last night and hes in a bad way.,,bleeding ears and swollen eye, very sore in the front legs and 1 back leg.,.,[i only lost sight of him for 5 minutes and never heard a sound] i went outside during tea, and searched every 10 minutes, til he came home an hour later,.,.Hes old' like me and is not going to give up easily, to these new cats,.For 15 yrs, he has been the big man and protector of the clan.,,.now all he has to do is look after himself- as all the others have passed before him.,

Oh poor Sooty. I hope he is alright and heals quickly. He is the same age and color as my Max. Too old for fighting, too set in their ways to run. Sooty is such a beauty, Anthony.

Hello to everyone, stay warm

Good morning everyone. Its been dry but cold here and this morning is a bit misty/foggy.
Not a lot being done in the garden as its all damp. The weeds are growing well so it will be the Roundup out again soon.

Anthony, give poor Sooty a hug from me.
Poor man, just trying to defend his territory.
I do like cats, but only in other peoples homes. I am not the type to have a cat try to own me.
Cats dont worry though , they all seem to like me anyway.

Karen, the park in the pic is up at Bright. It is beautiful and right on the river. I spent many hours walking around there when I was living up there.
There is a part of the river where the council puts boards across in summer to make a swimming area.
One of the loveliest places anywhere in autumn.

Hello Dianne , Teresa and Sue.
Hope you are enjoying the long weekend and keeping warm and dry

Hello Moon and Charleen, I expect you are enjoying some lovely weather before the summer heat arrives.

I am going to be lazy today as I have the whole day to myself. Hubby & mate have gone to their convention in Mt Gambier.
Time for another cuppa for me and maybe sit near the heater with a good book.

Heres something tasty for morning tea....delicious Chocolate Cake.

Happy day
Jean.

Morning everyone.....are you still in the chair, Jean.....taking advantage of a husband free day,
Wet, wet, wet, here...we can't drive in to Mick's paddock now, it's a bog...thank goodness it isn't clay at least you can get your boot out again....

Sue, that stump is beautiful, what a marvellous shape.....can't tell what your Brugmansia is 'till we see a pic in spring....it's a good size though, it will be a tree next year.
Can I see brandied Cumquats coming up...ooh I can taste them....
Good luck to your daughter, Keep us informed....

Charleen, how big is that grub, it looks a foot long.....
Marlene, nice to see you back again, congrats on your win.
Hope it didn't rain on your fossicking Colleen.....
Karen,Anthony,Moon and Teresa, hope your weather is kind to you for the weekend....hope Sooty gets better soon, Toms will be Toms, unfortunately...typical males....

it was pouring all day yesterday and it's the same today, so we didn't go to the festival.....the thought of going in and out of wet tents didn't appeal at all.....they really should change it to May.
Dianne


This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 1:13 PM

Anthony, so sorry to hear about Sooty. Boys wills be boys, sadly, and we can only hope he heals quickly and cleanly.

Its a cold day here today. This morning was a warmish 14C. According to Barry, it is still 14C at 2pm. We needed the rain though to keep the plants going. I wouldn't complain though if it was fine and sunny for a week or so.

Weird thing happened this week. I enquired about an enzyme to a health food shop, just wanting information about it, its uses and possible side effects. They asked the normal questions, and I explained I had a blocked artery. They said they'd make enquiries and let me know. A day later I got a phone call from the hospital saying they wanted me to see the cardiologist. Please explain? I am totally in shock and outraged that the health food shop could do this, and just cannot understand why they would do it. It was a simple, straight forward enquiry. The enzyme is not classed as a drug and can be bought over the counter. I really can't wait to hear what the cardiologist has to say about this.

Well the long weekend is half way over. Hope everyone is enjoying it.

Karen

What a miserable cold Sunday afternoon. The family have just left after having a " Soup Lunch" here.
If this weather keeps up my Epiphyllums will get that dreaded rot again.

Karen...for some reason I am not able to get into the Epiforums Website. Are you having trouble?

This orchid is flowering for me again. A good old reliable bloomer.

Good afternoon everyone. We have been bike riding this afternoon. Branden got run into by another bike and has a very sore toe now. He and I came home a bit eariler than everyone else and I have bathed it and had a good look at it and now he's laid back watching TV. I think he will have a very black toe nail. Could have been a lot worse. We haven't been fossicking this weekend. Motorbikes come first in this house. Boy it's cold. My ears are getting frost bite I reckon with my new you- beaut short hair. Dianne that is a pic of Clementine. There's 2 flowers out on her at the moment. Lots of 6 and 7 pointers on BB again. Isn't he a ripper? The frost hasn't touched anything yet. touch wood. One flower on Mango Cornet and lots of buds everywhere. Must go they're all back now so will put a pic up that my son put up on FB. cheeky sod. Colleen

we have had 2 lovely sunny days so most of the snow on the roads has cleared & the ice melted.
There is still a fair bit lying in sheltered spots, we are getting hit with sleety showers tomorrow according to the weather report.
We dropped the animals off at the boarding kennels & they will be there until the house is fixed.
We have packed up most of our stuff, move into the motel tomorrow night.
It is very quiet here right now - no Sugar trying to get into everything at 100 miles an hour.

I went on a 'Hellebore' saving mission,'again'this evening, before bfl- sil pulls out the mower and drives it through them on -5 setting,.beautiful hellebores, 'white/lime'-dark purple-purple white- and white,.,.Fay was so proud of them...Sooty is still getting about very 'gingerly',..,unable to climb onto the 'pillow penthouse' on the couch,..,but happy to sit in dads miniature daffodil planter box, and watch dad 'stuff around in the garden ' all day,.,.'hard life'!especially when you get curry chicken and prawn pie filling rubbed on your toes to eat,.,.Dianne, send a bit of rain this way, we need it, and water meter usage rates take effect on July1,.,Man alive-Ive really swamped myself with seedling lily bulbs,.,.I planted 3 on bubbys grave today.,.,Regale[one of Fays] Strawberries and Cream and a pendant beauty ,Rinadeena[which means 'raindrop' in aboriginal],.,should be a beautiful sight, come December.,enjoy the xtra day holiday-Anthony

Prayers for Sooty, Anthony. such a beauty, he is.
That worm was about 3inches long. They are scary looking but they do turn into a beautiful hummingbird moth. That one won't Abigail ate him.
Fluffy lady with fluffy pet chicken.... She doesn't like me to pet her tho. I'd love too...she is so soft....
double daylily
This brug will be open in a day or tow NOID....

Good morning everyone.
Very cold here. My fingers are feeling numb.
Yesterday was damp with the misty rain. fog around most of the day.
I had to water a few plant that are in the shadehouse with the alsinite roof as they dont get rained on.
I even had to water some of the pots under trees as the rain has not been heavy enough to come through the canopy on them.
Besides, those large brug leaves seem to shed the water over the edge of the pot.

Anthony, I thought you would be getting more rain down there.
I will send mine down for you.
Those liliums will certainly look beautiful come spring.
I can just see Sooty lazing in your daffs while you work.
Glad yo saved the hellebores. Mine are starting to flower. Arent they so lovely ?

Teresa, Enjoy your mini holiday and then getting back to a lovely repaired house.
I bet Copper & Sugar have a great time in the kennels. The staff will love those tow spottys.
I can see Sugar thinking up more mischief to get into when she is back home.

Hello Dianne. I did enjoy a husband free day. I pottered here and there then had a good read by the heater.
It was lovely to just sit and have nothing to do.
Poor hubby came home not feeling well as he is getting a cold.
Oh dear... a man patient who is not very patient ...lol

Hello Colleen, nice to hear you had a good day. Boys & their toys. The boys are learning early about man toys arent they ?

Marlene, as far as I cab find out, Epiforums is off line indefinitely.
I wouldnt worry about rot on the epis. Some of mine get it every year. I just leave them until the warm weather dries it out then cut the dead bits off.
Doesnt seem to bother any of them much..
I found that if I cut the rotting bits off now, they will just start again on the new cuts.
The rot seems to stop itself and just slowly dries up as the weather warms again. .
I have a group of them that I had to put out in the open and they are looking awful, but will recover in spring/summer.

Hello Karen. That was really a weird happening. Fancy a shop ringing anyone about your business.
I would be complaining to them and making sure they were not stepping over the privacy line.
I hope you are keeping well and taking things very easy.

Charleen. I like the look of that fluffy lady with feathered friend.
Its a wonder Charley didnt stick his head in for a look . He may be hiding out the back waiting for me to put out cakes...lol

Hello to everyone else looking in
Enjoy the rest of the long weekend ( those that have it )

Heres a treat for morning tea......Pumpkin Loaf.
Happy day
Jean.

Puff puff Gosh I nearly got left behind.....must have missed the move and was happily posting on the old site ! Duh Sue!
Thanks Jean and Diane for letting me know I was behind the times.

Anthony I hope Sooty is feeling better, your furry friend is lucky to have you caring for him.
Jean enjoy your day of "self" so nice sometimes.

Karen that was very odd of the shop, How did they get your details? Maybe a coincidence? Unusual but they do happen sometimes. I would be asking them if they did that and if they did, give them a serve on the privacy laws.

Dianne Love Celtic, how did the concert go? Toe tappingly good with little to no rain I hope?

First frost this morning and opening up the trees has also opened up new frost spots in the garden too....didn't think of that did I? But going to be a nice day after it warms a bit. But the vegie garden now has morning sun and I am sure it will enjoy that.

Can the Brug fanciers in Vic tell me what is the best direction to face the Brug? West East North? Shelter from frost required? I have a nice spot facing SW kind of semi under a maple that might be good, if it sounds ok ..It is fairly open but sheltered above by the bigger tree which is deciduous. and would only get full shade in Summer with maybe early morning sun only then. Would that be Ok do you think? The only one locally I have seen was in a big herbaceous border under huge 150 year old trees and would have had full shade & facing East.

My mounds of mulch are steaming in the frosty air this morning. There was a a lot of green leaves in there as well and they will be breaking down quickly and starting to 'cook' I guess.


The different colours of the different tree woods are amazing. Nice lot for next years open fires, all from my own lopping, Mulch, Blackwood waiting for woodturner to collect. New studio flooring - I love it! it looks so tidy ...but not for long I fear.

Hi everyone. Supposed to be gale force winds here today. Just a bit of a ruffling breeze so far.

Marlene, I haven't been able to get into Epiforums either. Thanks for letting me know. Sort of sad really, but the admin was getting slack. Maybe someone is very ill? Shame that someone couldn't have taken over.

Colleen, is that you on the bike? Looks like fun.

Jean, our morning temps have been around 13-14C. Much warmer than its been. The cloud cover does it. But then we are cold all day. Yesterday never got over 14 in this house.

Charleen, that double daylily is one of my old time favourites. I had it growing for years, but eventually the extended drought claimed it. Wish it would take the untidy ferns that grow like weeds here. Some ferns are great, but not these ones.

Anthony, looking forward to seeing your liliums in flower come Spring. Sounds like its a cat's life there.

Teresa, I am so pleased for you that the repairs are being done, finally. Hope you are able to keep warm where you are until they are finished.

Dianne is it still wet there? Really, is this weather normal for the beginning of winter? I do remember wet winter days, but not for a long time.

Sue, the name of the pharmacist at the Logan hospital was at the top of my medications list. All I wanted was to know the enzyme I was enquiring about was contra-indicated while on any of the medications. I am annoyed they took it too far, really, how dare they. Now I know this sounds racial, but the shop is run by muslims. I feel they have treated me like a drug addict that had to be reported.

Hello everyone else. Hope you all have a pleasant day.
Karen

Cheeky possum looking for treats but not wanting anyone getting too close, thank you.



This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 4:08 PM

Karen I don't think it is entirely normal, so friends on a gem collectors forum are rained in up near the Sapphire fields at Emerald and can't move, they have had SES food drops to the miners up there - not normal for winter in Qld.

Teresa I forgot to congratulate you on finally getting your house repaired - it has been a long wait . All the best . I bet the furry beings are enjoying their holiday and being spoiled too. Do you know how long it will all take?

Yes Dianne Cumquats in brandy (yummo) and Cumquat marmalade coming up.

When is that Sunshine Coast Garden show on? I am coming up in July /August to visit my brother and son.

This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 3:20 PM

Karen, can you change Drugstores?? I'd be tempted too.
thank you Jean. That fence is not too close to Charley that is my Dogpen side. I know Charley would love to go in there and snack. Poor Dear thinks he is starving all the time.
We are getting rain. My Angels are jumping!!!! They really love it when we get rain and i do too.
It is amazing how fast they grow in rain, but just sit there when I'm watering and fertilizing. doesn't kick it til THEY are ready.....

Sue, I am no expert on brugs but am probably closest to you in climate here.
I have mine everywhere I can fit them, as being on a hill, there is little shelter from wind.

In your position , I would opt for any place with shelter from frosts , excess afternoon heat and strong winds.
Some of mine are under a gum which gives afternoon shade.
Some do get all day sun and go wimpy until the evening.
Others have been under the canopy of a large cypress do well but do tend to be a bit more leggy looking for more light .

I find that they love plenty of light but not hot sun.
Under a deciduous tree would suit as the autumn/ winter sun is never really hot down here.
I have brugs both in pots and in the ground and as long as they are happy where they sit they will grow well
Hope this helps.
Jean.

Hello all.

Take the cold and rain back. We went to Caloundra thinking hubby could sail and we'd mow and stuff and, by the time we got there, it was raining, then steadily got worse and colder. The house is "heritage fibro" (eg, post war fishing shack) so we couldn't even listen to the rain on a tin roof. We went to Bunnings to get washers to fix some dripping taps and Bunnings was deserted. The garden section was deserted! I found orphans! I also bought another Tibouchina Jazzy that was covered in buds and it turned out that it was a multiplanted one, unlike the others! What luck.The plants were probably a bit smaller but I'm not complaining. I planted them and cut all the flowers and buds off as I want them to establish themselves before they get the burden of flowering and I also don't want them to stand out till they are too hard to dig up. When I was trying to establish Geraldton Wax years ago, I went through about four plants as someone would dig them up. Probably sold them at the markets. I finally succeeded with the Geraldton Wax by digging an enormous hole and using wire, chicken wire etc etc so that it would be extremely difficult and noticeable to pull the plant out.

The details for the Garden Expo at Nambour are here
http://www.nambour.com/home-garden-expo/

I don't know whether I'm going this year. Hubby would rather sail so, if it's fine and we are up there, I may go.
Marlene, at Easter, we went to the Buderim Forest park. I took loads of photos using the macro lens. The area has come on so well. I wonder whether they'd notice if I moved into the restaurant/ cafe?
http://www.buderim.com/forest.htm

I left the laptop open on the desk and the cats have been playing with it..it seems to be missing a key or two!!! We left the animals..read zoo..behind as, with three offspring back home, we thought they'd look after them but I think the animals had lots of free time. They were fed and looked after but, of course, their caretakers had lives to live.

Anthony, I hope Sooty has made a full recovery by now and is his happy purry self. I hate it when any of the animals are sick or injured. Charleen, give the furries a hug and some carrots. Teresa, it looks cold there. Don't think I'd survive long as a freezicle. Probably because houses and clothes here aren't designed for it, so when we do get cold weather, our thin walls and open houses and thin clothes make it seem worse. I had never thought of New Zealand as having subtropical areas though. I have almost finished reading both of Helen Brown's books.."Cleo" and "After Cleo came Jonah". She writes in such an impelling, emotive way and the visual imagery is so strong. Both writer and cats have such perspicacity.

Take care, everyone. Stay warm and well. Cheers.

EpiForums is supposed to be offline for a few months to fix technical problems but as Eddie has a family and other commitments, I think it took a lot of his time. A lot of the members are on Facebook too.

This message was edited Jun 10, 2012 9:50 PM

Chookie, didn't make the Celtic festival...too wet....it's perfect today...bad luck...
That ''WRONG PLACE" wasn't meant for you...lol.....I posted there too and realised after I had sent it...so I deleted it and wrote "wrong place".

Karen, it is unusual for us to be so wet so early....Spring is our "wet".

Here's my T.Jazzy, it flowers right thru Autumn and Winter....great plant.
Dianne.

lying in a warm bed in a warm motel room enjoying a red wine...
it has been stressful packing the house up but we are almost done & hubby has a meeting with the painters tomorrow before they start work on the house.
Have picked my colours, keeping it simple, 1/2 Spanish white - in the bathroom & hall, Spanish white living areas & double Spanish white in the bedrooms.
Archive grey external walls, grey friars on the trim.
Hope it looks as good in real life as it did online with the ezy paint soft ware.
Weather report is for more snow tomorrow, we didn't get the sleet today so maybe the snow will by pass us too.
First pic is the house now
2nd pic virtual paint job

Good morning everyone. The sun is creeping up over the trees. I dont blame it being reluctant to come out, its very cold out there.
I have just been out to feed all the children ( magpies, blackbirds and currawongs)
The two currawongs came here last year for a little while on their way to where ever they go for the winter.
This year they have decided to stay around for the free food.
Usually this is hubbys job but I have him in bed with a bad cold. . Going to Mt Gambier was not the wisest thing he has done as he was starting to get the cold before that. Now I have him not well at all . At least he is now having to stay put instead of running in and out to his shed getting cold then inside to the warm again.

Teresa, I hope you paint job does look as nice as the virtual one.
You will be anxious to get a look at it soon.
keep warm there.

Dianne your yard looks so pretty. Love the purple.

Hello Kat. Maybe your cats are sending emails to the turkeys when you are not around ..lol
Whatever happened to sunny Qld ? It seems you get more rain than we do.

Hello Colleen , Anthony, Sue, Marlene , Charleen & Moon .
I had better get myself moving as I will need to get over to the chemist later , but I have to get the washing on first.

Enjoy your day and keep safe and warm.. Try this for your morning tea....Apple & Blueberry ShortCake.

Happy day
Jean.

Good morning everyone. We had a great weekend but all back to normal now. Jack Frost invited himself here again. I wish he wouldn't do that. I think there will be some damage this time. It was still 0C at 10am. I just about froze too. I've put the kettle on Jean. I hope everyone is well and all have a great day. Colleen

Good Morning to everyone.
Colleen Jack Frost is here too BRR.
Thank you Jean for that info on the Brugs. It is most relevant to my area and yes that spot I picked out will get morning sun and summer shade from the maple so should be fine as long as it likes acid soil as this soil here is rich but leaning to acid - which is great for azaleas and Rhodos.

Thanks for the links to the Garden Expo - might make it- we will see what happens. I love that area and haven't been to the Ginger Factory for a few years , am due a visit.
Bad luck on the rain for the Celtic Festival Dianne, it means no profits for the organisers too- sad when they go to all that trouble.

Today I am back off to the quarry to fossick for peridot again.Have permission to take a friend as long as we wear Flouro safety vests and sign a waiver. So we will call in to the Shire Office to sign and then head to the quarry for some fossicking in the sun- hopefully the frost has burnt away and leaves us a lovely day for it.

My fuchsia in full bloom. All in one pot and doing well , cuttings of mint, hydrangea and fig .

Good morning everyone. Cold & windy here this morning .
I still have hubby in bed with his cold and crook back.
I wont be doing anything outside in this wind anyway.

Sue , your fuchsia is lovely.
I have a couple here that struggle through each summer then put on lots of new growth around now
They do look lovely in flower .
I hope my hydrangeas look as nice as yours when they flower .

Colleen, you make sure Mr Frost stays over your way. I have not issued an invite for him to come here...lol

Hello everyone else looking in .
I had better get hubby some breakfast so will leave you all with something tasty for morning tea....Coconut Macaroons.

Enjoy the day and stay safe and warm.
Jean.
.

Good morning. Not quite so cold this morning, and its so nice to see the sun again. Haven't been doing much lately due to the weather. Sent the cat trap back to the pound, empty. I had fish in there. Somehow, it ate all the fish (or maybe rats ate it), but it never sprung the trap. Will try again with better weather conditions.

Went for a drive Monday. Saw a couple of kangaroos. A change for us, as we usually only see wallabies. Was fascinated by the clouds down the mountains. Was a very pleasant drive. When we go for a drive, Barry always asks, where do you want to go? I always say, I want to see cows! This time he delivered :).

Jean, hope hubby recovers quickly.

Karen


This message was edited Jun 12, 2012 3:43 PM

Aw Jean I do like to share. Good morning everyone. Lovely pics Karen. My son is on his way to Brisbane today to participate in the Oxfam 100km walk to raise money . He is hoping to do it in 24hours. There's 4 of them going from here and they will stay together in pairs. One isn't allowed to walk alone. If one pulls out for some reason they have to merge with others. It's a safety thing. Hope he goes well. A bit of damage to the brugs but still lots of buds. Poor little Lipstick copped it so don't know whether I'll see a flower from her. I have only seen one flower and it's really lovely. Large and deep pink. Must go and walk the boys up to school. Have a great day. Colleen

Hi Everyone, I had a great day at the quarry yesterday, Collected rocks for the pool as well as some gem quality peridot and crystallised Olivine. Great fun. I have several big rocks with crystals in them and I want to get them out without breaking them so I am just thinking how to do it now and will tackle them later.
Really the best moment was when the quarry tractor pulled down a wall for us to play in and in doing so he broke open a rock that has been buried for 75 million years. Inside it was still covered in really fine ash from the volcano !
It was like a layer cake with ash and layers of lava all frozen in time. Truly...so I painted myself with ash and communed with the rock to let me have a nice crystal out of it ....and it worked!! LOL

I also brought back two pieces of lava tube ( they were heavy as!) that have been buried for 75 million years and were formed when the lava ran down the hill in streams and then hardened. It looks a bit like a petrified log but has layers of lava in different colours- love it, it is now sitting on the edge of the pond as my 'communing with nature' focal point, already two magpies have sat on it to drink from the pond too LOL.!

Karen I love my cows too , lucky they are all round me here so I don't need to own one now. I had Daisy, Pixie and Bessiebelle once but they were hard on the garden if they got through the fences....now I can ring the neighbour and say "get em out"! LOL ( but will soon have new fences so won't happen then.)

Lava rocks around the pond, Lava tubes look like trees, Me studying that olivine for gems, The rock from my commune with the volcanic rock; the protrusion at top is all solid olivine and the crystals are in the hole lower down, small pond with new rocks & water feature ( boy with turtle).



This message was edited Jun 12, 2012 10:33 PM

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Hi everyone!

A better day here today.
I have been busy getting ideas for the floral art section at our garden club spring show in September.

I was surprised to find my hibiscus has a few nice flowers on it at this time of the year.

chookie2...where is Camperdown?

Good morning everyone.
Its very very windy here and has been all night.
Nothing will be done outside today as there is a bit of rain with the wind.
Looks like another day bear the heater with a good book.
I am certainly getting my reading done. I love reading but it always gets left for the winter as I do like being outside as much as I can.
Hubby is still staying in bed as its the best place for him at the moment.

Hello Sue, hope you are not being blown out to sea.

Colleen, did you send this wind ? If so take it back please..

Dianne, hope you are well anchored there too. Cant have anyone floating away off to Tassie.

Anthony, you had better tie Cocky's cage down if this wind is getting down your way.

Hello Marlene and Teresa.
Teresa, you will be cosy in your merino woolies . Hope the repairs are going well.

Charleen, I could send you some of our wind but I think you get enough of your own.
Give Charley a cookie and watch Kaitlin doesnt pinch it when hes not looking .. lol

Hello Moon and Louise .

I am going off to get hubbys brekkie now.

Heres a treat for morning tea......Caramel Crunch Cake.
Happy day
Jean.

Good morning everyone. No Jean I didn't send the wind. I wouldn't be so mean to you as I don't like it either but at least there's no frost when there's wind. I have some reading to do too but am having trouble finding the time. There's so much to do and after all the visitors left I have been washing and cleaning and spending a bit of time outside as well. The pruning is calling me too. The tops of the brugs out the front got zapped the other day but still lots of buds hanging in there. Hope yet. I've also found a couple in Renmark who have lots of broms so will be trying to get up there and have a look at them and see if I can swap some of my pups with them. My B-I-L had a knee replacement done on Tuesday. Haven't heard how he is so I presume everything's okay. I left a message yesterday but haven't heard back. May have to ring again today. Well, must get moving or the boys will still be sitting there instead of getting ready for school. It's nearly holidays again. Goodness where does the year go? My sister in Adelaide retires on July 2nd, so that will be a relief for her after all these years. She said that she's going to just veg out for the first few weeks, but I bet she doesn't. She will be cleaning out cupboards and doing all those things that she just couldn't find the time to do before. Must go. Everyone have a great day. Colleen

Good Morning everyone, early start today as something woke me at 5am and that was the end of sleep for me.

Jean no wind here at all as yet.Maybe missing us here and going further North instead. I think it is visiting from WA , my daughters both lost power over there and they said it was equivalent to a category 2 cyclone on the news.

As to that hydrangea it is very strange for it to be pink , we have acid soil here and that is supposed to make them blue, but they are all pink, so maybe I have it wrong?

Marleneann Camperdown is in South West Victoria not far from the Great Ocean Road, about 1.5 hr from Geelong.

Today I am going to tackle one of those piles of mulch and spread it on my new paths which I have begun to dig out, still plenty to do if the rain holds off.
Have a good day everyone.

Putting out mulch is as refreshing as new clean sheets on the bed. Everything looks so neat and tidy. Kaitlin was being bad. He got after my oldest little rooster. The young up start....
Trimmed an elm tree, we have Japanese beetles, Abigail was standing there waiting for me to feed them to her.
Charley and all the critters sending you all love and nuzzles....

Yes, Charleen, I love mulching too....always pea straw or sugar cane mulch for me......love the peas that come from the pea straw mulch....always plenty of them.....
Good on Abigail eating those bugs.....

Colleen, you are sounding more like a Brom person these days....are they winning you over to the dark side..lol
Where was that pic taken, do you know?......what a beautiful place....

Chookie if you ever decide to open a B&B, book me in for a holiday, just put a bed into that studio.....I could spend time chipping away at those rocks very easily.......well done you....

Jean, glad to know that you are catching up with your reading in comfort.....enjoy it while you can....lol
Teresa, how long will you be away from your house?

Beautiful Hibiscus, Marlene.....gorgeous colour for these dull days.....
Keep warm Anthony and Karen.
Dianne