TEA ROOM # 112

Thought I'd move us now its the end of the month. My legs dont like walking a long way these days.
Lots of blossom around so heres a nice place to sit and enjoy the start of Spring.

We came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1272705/

Not much in the way of Spring weather here though. Windy and wet all day yesterday and all through the night.
Maybe now that August is finished, we may see the sun .

I bought more fertliser and potting mix. I have a pile of potting mix bags and hubby is wondering what I am going to do with all that mix.
He doesnt understand how quickly it will be used and I will be wanting even more.
Lots of repotting to do this Spring . Not to mention all the seeds to be planted, cuttings to be taken .. You all know what I mean.

My 2 new tomato planter bags will take a couple of bags for a start. .

We have baby magpies in a couple of the nests, so I imagine it will be no time at all before the babies are presented to us to feed.
I love the way the parents know us so well that they trust us to babysit the children and feed them .
Lots of small birds coming back around the place now too. Its nice that they can live in peace without a cat chasing them.

Better go over and make sure everyone knows where we are.
Enjoy the day and relax under the blossoms.

Jean.

This message was edited Aug 31, 2012 8:57 AM

Good morning. Moon, I saw the dreadful floods on the TV this morning. Really shocking. Thank goodness no one seems to have been injured. Nature really does go to extremes. I hear farmers are being flooded at the wrong time too. That is the worst thing about floods and fires. They always happen at the worst possible time.

Teresa, I do hope you recover quickly. I worry that there are no safety measures on our buses, and many drivers are of an age where heart attacks etc. are a threat to drivers and passengers alike.

Anthony, drive careful and always expect the unexpected. Barry had his one and only accident not so long ago when an asian came up a side street and went full pelt across 4 lanes of traffic without even looking. There are just no (legal) words to express what I think of it.

Al, lucky you to be travelling, especially in good weather. I love the idea of checking out lighthouses. As for the choc factory...... That would be so fun. Travel safe.

Jean, you must have sent some clouds up our way. We got a bit of rain but not enough to wet the ground under the trees. Can only hope more is coming.

Can't help with hippea. bulbs or seeds, Dianegai. Hope you find some.

Have a pleasant day, everyone.
Karen

Spotted this pretty gold duck among the others on the local lake.

Those blossoms are very pretty, Jean....ours are still on the tree thank goodness, now the bees have time to do their job...
We have 3 local lighthouses, 2 at Queenscliff called the Black and the White and the one at Point Lonsdale, which is still manned as far as I know...
The White lighthouse is where we watch the ships come thru the heads and get the hot jam donuts....
The Black one is in the grounds of the Queenscliff fort, so you can only see that on open days..
Al your trip sounds as though it's going well...

Nice pic Karen..
We had a 10mm last night so we are back to gum boots in the paddock again....yuk
Better move now...
Dianne

Not my pics....

This message was edited Aug 31, 2012 10:14 AM

Darn, now I'll have to go to Australia just to take lighthouse pictures! I'll try not to tell my wife about this.

Al

Wow, Dianne, these are great. Al, can't wait to see your lighthouse pics.

A few lighthouses to tempt you to visit , Al.

Not my pics . The first is the one I used to live next door to at Point Moore, Geraldton . WA

Pic 2 is the upper lighthouse that overlooks Lady Bay in Warrnambool, just along the coast from here.

Pic 3 is at Cape Nelson, where we were last week.

Pic 4 is the lighthouse at Portland, again not that far away , about 50 miles

Fascinating structures, lighthouses...
Think of what a great tour to see them all over the world.

Jean.

Jean, you've just found a Theme for our next magic carpet ride. We could find pics of lighthouses all over the world. Maybe a thread just for that ride?
For instance.....LA Jument Lighthouse in a stormy sea


URL: http://able2know.org/topic/137684-3

Good idea, Karen. We may get to call in on Al as well next time. Maybe taste those yummy tomatoes.
Everyone will have to do a bit of homework on where they want to go to see lighthouses.

II will go and kick Carpet out of the cupboard. lazy thing , he likes to sleep all winter.
Not that I blame him.

What about it ladies ?
Anyone ready for Magic Carpet ride to visit lighthouses ?

Get your lists ready and I'll see what I can do about seeing a few more along our coast down here.

Jean.

Great idea, Karen....
Just looking at the lighthouses this morning made us decide to have fish and chips over by the Point Lonsdale one, it turned out to be a beautiful day...and Tilly went for a paddle, she loves chasing the waves and her shadow on the sand....Dogs can stay on our beaches until the 1st of December, so we get 8 mnths of freedom on the beach and we always take our little black plastic bag tied to her lead.
It really p's me off if people with dogs don't use their bags and amazingly there are still people who don't....I really don't understand why...who wants to stand in dog woop...especially on the beach, barefoot...yuk

Ok Jean, dust off carpet and see who wants to come...it will take a week to check out the lighthouses...lol
Dianne.

Jean, Apollo bay is as far as I've been looking at light houses and the one at Aireys Inlet on the way to Lorne....we went to the pioneer village in Warrnambool, saw that lovely lighthouse from a distance..

well we could start at the Northern tip of the North Island...
I love Cape Reinga & the drive down 90 mile beach.
You can gather tua tua & pipi & then cook them over an open fire :)
Mind you that's if you like shell fish.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101/info/Cape-Reinga.htm

and then there's the southern most light house in the South Island
http://www.newzealandlighthouses.com/waipapa.htm

or perhaps start with the oldest light house in NZ...

http://www.newzealandlighthouses.com/pencarrow.htm

That's the thing about lighthouses they all have a story to tell..... fascinating...
Looking forward to all these pics....

Daff Show setting up and staging today-'Im Stuffed'-but it will be a great show!!! I may need to stick a lighthouse on my nose to keep me awake!!!!-Anthony

This message was edited Aug 31, 2012 4:14 PM

Good morning everyone. We are s till in winter here even though I did ask for a bit of sun.
Its raining as I type so another day with nothing done outside..

I love all the lighthouses.
Anthony , you have some great ones around Tassie.
Good luck with the daff show. You will win lots of prizes. We will wait to see pics of all your winners.

Teresa, NZ has some lovely lighthouses too.
Love to see more of your lovely country.

Dianne, the stories of each lighthouse are fascinating and its a shame they are not more widely recognised for the job they do or have done over the years.

Al, you started us on a new adventure.

Carpet wont come out of his cupboard as he doesnt like flying over the ocean that much.
We will all have to post pics of the lighthouses we have around us and those we would love to visit elsewhere.

Hello to everyone and I hope some are seeing sunshine.

Charleen and Moon. How are things going over there.
I see that there is so much rain from Isaac, but after the cleanup, hopefully the farmers etc will have had welcome rain where it was needed.
I left cookies for Charley and Abigail on the table out back.

Heres a tasty treat for you all...One of my favorite indulgences... Chocolate Mud Cake.

Happy day.
Jean.

A few more lighthouses .
pic 1 Cape Schanck is the 2nd oldest in Victoria. Now, as with a lot of others is available for holidays in cottage accomodation.

pic 2 Point Hicks built in 1890 and said to be haunted by a lighthouse keeper.

pic 3 Cape Borda on Kangaroo Island , built in 1858.


Found a great site with lots of interesting info on the worlds lighthouses.

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/

Enjoy.
Jean.

The Lighthouses in Louisiana are a rather plain lot...most built to withstand hurricane force winds...below is a link with images

http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/gallery.jsp?gid=768a5498ce7f47a6d8c7

I think I started something really big. Lighthouses that is. Having a little trouble with the camera bumping to the computer, will try later when I'm less tired after driving all day.

We just crossed the Bay of Fundy on the Digby ferry from St. Johns, we're now in Nova Scotia. It was about a 3 hour boat trip across the channel. Still nice weather for the trip, though noticeably chillier up here. Staying overnight just south of Yarmouth on the west side of the island.

Al

Moon, those lighthouses are not plain, just a bit aged like us...lol

I love the Sabine Pass one and the Kenner Laketown building is beautiful.

Isnt it a shame that some of the really old, first lighthouses are long gone.
Of course, noone thought of them as something to be kept, just a necessary building that was let go when no longer needed.
Luckily, these days, a lot are used as accomodation, so will last for years more.

A bit more on ancient lighthouses. , This one ..Pharos.
http://www.lycianturkey.com/lycian_sites/patara-lighthouse.htm

I could read old history all day, not only lighthouses, but all about the ancient world.
After all, it is where we all came from and should be of more interest to us all.
Such a pity it is not taught more in schools these days, as it was when I went to school.
It started me on a lifelong pleasure & appreciation of books.
Knowing our history gives us a sense of self .
Seeing how civilisations have merged and morphed over time, makes petty squabbles between countries these days seem so trivial.
I wonder what the historians will say of our time after about another 1000 years ?
Probably not much....lol

Jean.

These wonderful lighthouse sites are going to take some time to look at..
So far I've only had a chance to look at one....
Don't plan our trip yet please Jean, I'm sure Colleen will want to come with us this time and probably chookie too..Maybe Anthony after he collects all of the prizes from his show, will join in.

You're right about the history lessons in school, Jean...little, in primary schools and not much better in secondary...sad isn't it.
It's been a beautiful day....here's my Donut peach, which makes me think of Brian.
Dianne..

Hi everyone. Yes please can I come too? There's some really beautiful old light houses isn't there? England has some beauties. I don't think that I would like to live in one though. They always seem to have a lot of cold wind around them don't they? I have spent some time time taking pics this morning. I have my Pandora jasmine flowering for the first time this year. Gee it's pretty. I have a lot of flowers in the SH on the broms and my brugs are slowly growing. I have a loooottttt of seedlings to pot on. I will go out soon and do a list of all that I'm waiting for. I don't think that my coldies will flower this year but you never know. I took the boys to the lake and playground for a couple of hours today then since then they have been looking for lizards. It's great to see them doing the boy things again after having to help me in the house. I suppose it didn't hurt them though. Such an absolutely perfect day for the first day of Spring. The chill is just starting to come back in for night. I have been looking in most days to see what everyone is up to so haven't been lonely. You could say I've been "lurking" lol. Here's a pic of "Pandora" Colleen

well I'm a tired little teddy bear tonight...
I had the Saturday shift but the part timer rostered didn't show up...
some confusion over the roster, she thought she was working tomorrow.
When I phoned she was in Timaru & couldn't get back till 2pm if she left straight away.
I told her to stay put & not worry, it was quiet & I spent years working alone at the RSA bar so was fine with it.
We couldn't get anyone else in so I did the shift by myself, just before closing at 4pm a young couple came in & were trying on different things, by the time they left it was 4.45pm but they spent a bit & I was happy to help them find what they needed.
So 9-5, no breaks...
makes up for having Weds off injured.

HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS!!!!!!!!..I won-bigtime-never even saw it coming....Tas Daffodil Society- Novice Champion, which consisted of 3 daffs-any division[staged seperately].,I went with a bold yellow trumpet, a not so bold white trumpet with a custard corona and a miniature called 'Snook'-Theres shock No 1!!!!.. Restricted miniature champion, with 3 absolute 'crackers' of miniatures- Narcissus Cyclamenius/Snook/Conspicuus-all staged seperately[there goes my novice standing],..and-heres the twister....my Narcissus Cyclamenius was judged as open Champion miniature species[in the whole show]...., by a visiting American judge [Kirby Fong].,.Whoooooaaa-'somebody stop me'...what happened after that...'who cares'!!...Yet another 'brilliant' flower show, making me very proud to be involved,.,.I did 'the big interview' with the ABC- radio at 10 to 9 this morning and 'bumbled my way through, with Peter Cundell, but what made it all worth it was at 20 past 7 tonight when my 86yo nan rang me and said'' I heard you on the radio this morning and you made me feel so proud'-who needs trophies or certificates,when your grandmother says that!!!!- Anthony

We all knew you could do it , Anthony.
Huge congratulations.
Wasnt that a lovely end to you day, having your Nan ring and say that.

Now we want to see the pics. I hope you did get to take some before you went into shock...lol

Jean

BRAVO! and a huge thumbs up to ya Anthony. So pleased for you....and yes, hearing that from your Nan was surely sweet icing on the day's cake. Congratulations to you.

Jean, I meant by comparison to all the lovely ones you have all posted. Hard to believe that so many of the LA lighthouses were once on solid ground...some were even inhabited with gardens and the like....the toll Nature has taken on our coastline is staggering when you see what it looked like in 1830's and today. There were Barrier Islands that you could boat to to fish and picnic when I was a kid....and today, they don't exist...sad that it has taken so long to do anything about it.

Colleen, nice to hear you are getting around a bit. The Pandora is so lovely...I do miss mine. It didn't handle the serious cold spell and snow we had a couple years back and I have yet to find another one.

Dianne that is such a pretty tree. Do you get much fruit from it or is it a battle with the birds?

Teresa, hope the long day didn't set you back....was that the part-time worker that doesn't get along with you? If so probably best she didn't come in.

Hello to you all...Hope Spring is truly lovely for you ...can't wait to see all the pretties cropping up

Photo day today-in about an hour..If I get there!

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday turned out to be not too bad with the sun and no wind.
Today is fine and the sun is out, but there is a very cold wind.

I threw a large bag of complete fertiliser around the garden yesterday , so all the plants have had their annual feed.
That , along with the osmocote a few weeks ago, will keep them all happy now until next Spring .

I will keep feeding the brugs of course.
I usually give the zygos and epis a foliar spry after flowering too.

I will be planting a few vegetable seeds soon as the ground doesnt take long to dry out once the sun warms up.

Al. you really have started us off on a lighthouse journey.
What a wonderful job the keepers did . Living out on isolated islands and promontories.
Some of them raising families there too.

Moon , hang around for a few more centuries and all those places will be dry land again.
Mother nature likes rearranging the land .
I would love to see what the continents are going to look like in another million years.
Nothing like they are now.

Hello Teresa, you did a good job, working all day . Have a good rest today.

Colleen, nice to see you again. Hope that back is healing well now.
It wont have hurt the boys to help you.
They will need to know about housework in the future and they would also see what you do for them each day.

Dianne, we will all have to show pics of the lighthouses we would love to see and enjoy them all on here.
Carpet will not leave the cupboard. I tried pulling and tugging, even threatened to throw water over him.
He says one trip a year is plenty for him.
I think he's been talking to the Flying Carpet Union....lol

Charleen, are you okay there ? Hope Charley and friends a re not getting too wet in the weather around Isaac.

Hello Sue, Karen, Anthony and anyone else popping in

Here is something tasty for morning tea......Carrot and Pineapple Cake.
Enjoy the day and stay safe.
Jean.

I'm glad everyone enjoys eating cakes.

So far we've eaten fish cakes, lobster cakes, clam cakes, scallop cakes, shrimp cakes, and crab cakes! Okay, maybe a potato cake, too...but no sweet cakes!

We're now in Shelburne, a small fishing village south of Halifax. Absolutely stunning scenery on the road trip up the coastline. Weather has been beautiful as we have been watching a sunset on the western side of the isle.

Al

Good morning everyone. First of all CONGRATULATIONS Anthony. Good job. It's lovely to hear of our friends winning for all their hard work. Sue, weedwoman, has entered her garden in a competition and has been working really hard to get it ready. She's in the Bromeliad site if anyone wants to have a look. It looks as though it's going to be another lovely Spring day. Might see if the boys will help with a bit of cleaning up in the garden. There's still lots to do. Dianne it's funny what reminds one of other people. The donut peach that Brian grafted for me didn't make it, but his daughter has another one for me. I think they are a beautiful peach. My nectarine is covered with blossom too. This is the one that came up by itself and my son was going to move it but he didn't get around to doing it so after he passed I decided to replant it into the garden. It has beautiful fruit every year but it's a seedling. Have a wonderful day everyone. Colleen

Yes Colleen it is a very beautiful Spring day...My mother always grew her nectarines from seed and never had a failure....yours sounds the same...it's nice to have you back...

Anthony, a very big congrats, you deserve a big win...you work hard with your plants, I know it's a labour of love but it's nice to be recognised too....and to have your nana hear you on the radio would be a proud moment for both of you...by next week everyone of her friends and acquaintances will know all about your win...lol
What a shame we couldn't listen to the interview, I wonder if they have a "listen later" facility on the Tas ABC..I'll check later.

Moon, that little tree is laden every year and for some reason we don't have a problem with birds...
We have some very low lying areas here too, it's not happening as quickly as it has over there, but it is happening...the council has to replace sand continuously on the beaches and a lot more groynes have been installed.
Carrot and pineapple, Jean...sounds different, but yummy....
Dianne.


This message was edited Sep 2, 2012 12:39 PM

Woo hoo - way to go Anthony!!!
All the tlc given to your bulbs has paid off :)

I was disappointed that the part timer didn't turn up as she is lovely girl & I haven't worked a shift with her in ages.

Had dog training today, later start as there was a seminar on that most of the instructors attended.
I gave that a miss & concentrated on my 11am group as they only have a couple of weeks left & wanted to give them something new to try.
I set up a Rally-O course & did a practice with Sugar & then a demonstration run with her.
It usually helps people get the idea if they see an actual dog performing the tasks...
and with Sugar still being a pup & making mistakes it shows them how to deal with the inevitable.

Baz took some photos of Sugar when I was practising breed show set up.
I still haven't quite got the hang of placing her feet in the best position to show her off but getting better.
1. front is ok, back legs not!
2. best one so far
3.what is she looking at & how can I get that expression in the ring?
4. Copper decided to play too... and for an elderly dog he is looking good :)

Elderly, she says.... I think I look fantastic... So much more suave than the mad teenager....lol ( Copper speaking , of course )

Jean.

Firstly, Teresa, That American Judge[Kirby Fong] is on his way over to your land .Warn your exhibitors, he is super smoothe and 'extremely' thorough..He lives for daffodils..Thanks, Dianne, yes, I was very emotional after nan rang,but many people rang me to congratulate for a 'right up there' show.{Im very proud]Rod was in his element.. I think he took about 6 champions, but i think more than anything, he was happy that all his training courses had paid off. and he had enticed at least a dozen new exhibitors.,He gave away, roughly $600 worth of lilium bulbs as prizes[and hosted a 'MONSTER' saturday night entertainment for about 40 people, -finishing at 3.30 am with a last 'wee dram'of 'rocketfuel' whisky- then back up at 6.30 am to cook all the interstate visitors breakfast].He is a very generous person,.Thanks Colleen, yes it s been very hard work- but it has all been worth it![my batteries are low]..I can only say to any plant lover who visits Tazzie, that you do it in the 1st weekend in Sept or the 2nd weekend in January..come to Claremont, and we will look after you in style[and thats not a whimsical]-you will be our guest-Anthony

Anthony, I read your news. Congratulations. Well deserved too.

Colleen, good to see you back here. That Pandora is beautiful.

Al, didn't realize this was a food trip. My mouth is watering after reading that.

Teresa, Sugar looks great to me, as does Copper. Does Sugar have brown spots?

We went for a drive today. We usually look for birds but the bird life was asleep today, but we saw some nice farm animals.

Hi to everyone.
Karen

Thanks Karen, Im still up, I cant go to sleep.,.even though im so worn out

Great pics Anthony, looks as though there were a lot of entries, obviously as you said, partly due to Rod's enthusiasm passing on during his training courses..you have said before how generous he is and by the sound of that party everyone had a great time....any wonder you can't sleep...a very successful day....well done.

Sounds as though you like fish, Al...we have a few shellfish farms nearby, Mussel, Oyster and Abalone....love them all.....

That horse could do with a good grooming Karen, just imagine that mane and tail after a wash and brush..he would be magnificent..the Alpaca could do with a clip too...lol...nice pics.

Colleen, I meant to say how pretty the Pandora was too, unusual colours....lovely.
Good night everyone, beautiful moon up there tonight.
Dianne.

They have changed the Browser somehow, but Look at Charley!!!! He got up onto his trailer to look for morsels of grass to eat.
You have been busy. always good to come over and see what my friends are up to....

Good Morning.

Jean, that seems a strange combination, but i bet it works well...carrots and pineapple....gotta give that a try.

Dianne, they are implementing a variety of ways to slow down the coastal erosion here. Unfortunately they haven't quite figured out how to protect against storm surges. You may find this article of interest.

http://www.restoreorretreat.org/la_erosion_facts.php

Teresa, Copper looks quite the fine gentleman, proud and stately. Sugar is a sweetie and I am sure she will become quite the showgirl. Good on you.

Al, you will have to come try our Louisiana seafood sometime.

Karen, don't they shear the sheep and Alpacas in the early spring? that horse has such a lovely face.

Anthony, sounds like Ron is as gracious as he is generous. All that good fun and company and being a winner to boot...I know you must be over the moon with a "job well done" Congratulations to you again.

Colleen, good you are feeling better...nice to see you back. That is a pretty nectarine and so full of blooms.

Charleen, glad they got the pic thing straightened out...Charley...king of all he surveys...or at least the trailer...grin

Hope you all have a good day with a grin or two along the way.

Moon

Look at my little jolly happy man I made. Isn't he cute?
Second one is yellow bloomer, loaded now!!!!
Third one is Called Monster. It is loaded.
A pretty one of Mexican Petunia and a red cypress bloom and foliage...
glad you like the Charley's world picture....