TEA ROOM # 118

Good morning everyone. Its the 1st of the month, so we have moved again.

We came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1292393/

I thought we might enjoy a wander through the forest down the back of the Tea Room.
Lovely and peaceful, no fires, floods or tornadoes .

Its sunny but cold here this morning.
We had about 33 points of rain yesterday afternoon, which was badly needed.
It is going to warm up again but I see signs that Autumn isnt that far away from us.
I have Naked Ladies already dancing in the garden.
The odd thing is that I also have flowers coming on the wisteria again.
It usually only flowers in Spring.

It was a lovely day shopping in Hamilton as the rain didnt start until after lunch and the weather was not cold .
I found no orphans but did get more potting mix..
I wont have to water anything today as the rain was just enough to give all the pots a good drink. ..
I had better get myself moving and put up the signpost so everyone knows where we are.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.
Jean.

This is a pretty spot, Jean....further in might have a lovely place for a picnic...

We got 20mm of rain and it was very much appreciated...blue skies today, so I don't expect any more, but now it's cold again..
This summer has certainly been confusing, my neighbours have 2 Japanese maples in their front garden and they have both been red for a month, the Cyclamens are all growing like crazy, like your's Jean, my Wisteria is spot flowering as is the Magnolia....
I can't remember a summer as cold as this one.
We picked our first tomato, yesterday....at least they have been on time...along with the Apple Cucumbers....

Elaine, whinge away, this is the best place to do it...we all do it occasionally....

Al, enjoy your night with Elvis, my daughter is a big fan and she likes his daughter, Lisa Marie too...

I'm off to the theatre tomorrow with my granddaughter Steph, we are going to see a stage production of Le Miz, she hasn't seen it yet so it will be a treat for her.....then if she wants she can see the new film version with Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe......

Have a nice weekend everyone.
Dianne.

Good morning everyone.
Very quiet in here. I think everyone must be hiding from the weird weather.
Its cloudy here again but forecast to be warming up.
Very Autumn like weather at the moment.

I am off outside to see what needs doing .
i have a few more small plants to pot up so will do that down in the back shadehouse. It has an alsinite roof , so I can work in there even if it rains.

I hope everyone anywhere in the floods is safe and those friends in the US , keep safe from any storms etc.

Enjoy your weekend and some of these nibbles I will leave out. ... Pretty Cupcakes.

Happy day
Jean.
....

Mud ...sums it up here.

Goodness gracious you don't know what to do from day to day.

Jean hubby bought home 6ft x 300 ft roll of weed mat, so I will get to playing with that when the drizzle stops,We have had a real deluge here, a relief after the big heat, but you can sort of feel Autumn hanging around, the Autumn Joy is all budded up. I have a feeling it may come early, but then the way things are going these days who knows.

I hope everyone has enjoyed their day/evening.
Busy times in the garden when you can get out there.
Some of us preparing for the cooler times and some for the warmer times.
The World is getting smaller every day. ^_^

chrissy

strange weather you are having in OZ, heat & floods & then cold snaps...
I'd say all you need is an earthquake for it to be just like NZ but I wouldn't wish that on anyone!
We had another warm one but the cool change is supposed to bring rain on Monday.
That will do the gardens some good, I still haven't been out & sorted the over grown mess opposite the terrace & now I notice weeds coming up in the two gardens I had looking nice


http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i294/dalfyre/Garden/034.jpg

Good morning everyone.
The sun is trying to come out from the fog.
It rained a bit during the night but is foggy out there now. Odd weather.

I moved a few plants around yesterday. With my little trolley, I can move large pots with no trouble.
I may have told you that my trolley is one of those 2 wheel shopping jeeps from the cheapie shop. We took the shopping bag part off and hubby wired a large plastic crate on the base. I can move all sorts of things and it is just perfect to cart bags of potting mix around.
It makes it so easy to move the mix to where I am working .
So much easier than a wheelbarrow too.

Today I am going to do a bit of converting in the old orchid house. It is going to be a bromeliad space .

Teresa, your garden is looking lovely. I know how you feel about the weeds. As fast as one pulls them out they are back.
Maybe we should all just give up and cultivate weeds.
I bet if we did the darn things would all die ...lol

Chrissy, what on earth are you going to do with 300' of weed mat ?
I see you having it all over the garden around the bruggies.

Hello Anthony, how are things down there ?
I hope all is well with Cocky and the cats. You will be busy with lots of bulbs.

Dianne, did you get a bit of rain last night too ?
Your garden will be looking wonderful as the brugs get ready for Autumn.

Hello Moon and Al. Hope all is quiet over your way. No more storms etc.
It will be Spring before you know it.

Charleen, pat the furry ones for me.
You will be looking forward to Spring too.


Hello to anyone else popping in.
I have left some nibbles out for morning tea....Chocolate Cream Cake..

Enjoy your day
Jean..

Alls groovy ,Jean!-packing up and trying to sell off a few pots and make some room..

Brrrrrrr good luck Anthony, I need to put something warmer on ...I am cold ! (that is nuts !)

Jean I told hubby to pick me up a few yards of weed mat (to try out). He got carried away I guess lol !

Nice pics Therese, nice to have some garden looking good after everything that has happened.

Elaine were you flooded ?

Popping back later, a busy Sunday ahead here !
Have a great day everyone !

chrissy

lol - have a closer look at the photos...
the first is how my garden looks today - an over grown mess.
the second pic is how it was a few years ago!
I really need to get stuck in but it is 27C & I managed to get a little reddened on my upper arms when I was at dog club & then here at home playing with the tomato plants.
In other words I'm hot & (can't be) bothered :)

Keep warm Anthony and I know all about that idea of making more room.
That space gets filled and one is back again looking for even more room.
Gardening is a vicious circle....lol

Teresa, I didnt see any weeds..????
Yours must be tidy weeds.
I'll send you some 3' thistles and grass that grows up around you if you stand still.

Chrissy, dont ever send your hubby out for some steak .... You may end up with the whole animal...lol
What did he think you were going to do with the weed mat , cover the whole block ?? Men........

Jean.

well I felt motivated after looking at the photos & slapped on the 50+ sunblock & got out there...
it was 4.30pm by then so not so bad but I came back to top up the sunblock on my feet when I felt them getting rather warm.
I tidied up the roses & weeded the north side garden, that one was easier as I did the major weeding a while back & now it's just a matter of keeping on top of things.
the other side of the driveway was a different matter, the poppies had gone to seed & died off, there were weeds all through the garden, some were strangling the surviving plants...
It needs more work & new plants - not sure what to do with this garden, it is hard work keeping it looking good.

Good morning everyone.
Its going to be a lovely day as was yesterday once the fog lifted.
I was busy "going potty "as hubby calls it.
I potted quite a few small plants and a couple of brugs .
its lovely sitting in the sun while working.
I have nice sheltered corner between the garage and my garden shed. I have an old wheelbarrow into which I can tip my mix . I also have an old wooden wheel thingy that does as a bench.

Its very quiet in here. Everyone must be busy in their gardens.

Teresa. I like the look of the shrubs you have there.
Instead of annuals, have you thought of trying some of the beautiful small hebes.
Planted close together they would fill a space nicely and are so easy to look after.
I ignore mine and they thrive.
There are some lovely flower colors and shapes.
Any annuals that self seed would just poke up between them and are easily removed after flowering.
Because they are usually low growing they would suppress weeds.

Better get moving, hubby has to go over to Coleraine for an appointment.


Hello to all popping in .
Heres something tasty for morning tea......Orange Cake

Stay safe and enjoy the day.

Jean.

Morning all, a nice morning, cool but the sun is shining..

Jean, my garden doesn't look at all nice at the moment...
All the Brugs need a big haircut from their last flush, they lay on everyone else...
The cucumbers are climbing thru everything and the clematis has gone mad, the whole garden looks like a huge clematis with the odd rose that has managed to climb above it....

The only thing that is orderly and pretty is the Laxa, which is climbing over the hot water service....very gently though..
I think that a whole day in the garden is needed now..
Enjoy your day everyone.
Dianne.

Jean - hebes could be a good choice for that garden, I have two hebe red edge doing very well there and some other hebes out the back looking a bit sad after some Sugar trampling!

Still here..very busy,.,.,.pollenation..seeds.watering upkeep is unreal..unfortunately ,WORK!! -I havnt won lotto yet!!

Good morning everyone.
The sun is up and warm already although the air is nippy.
Yesterday I was climbing around on the ladder trying to get rid of leaves on the roof of the older shadehouse and the larger epi house.
Darn gum trees drop leaves and twigs year round.. I managed to get most but building the shadehouses to the size they are means I cannot get at parts of the roof.
I like to get them off before winter as they just stick together in clumps when wet.
You would think all the wind we get would blow them away but it doesnt work much.
Lots more light in side there now for the plants.

Teresa. I have 2 little Hebes that are dwarf, around 12"-14"tall. Very pretty little flowers and one has a burgundy tint to the leaves. Very tidy little things.
They would look great along your garden.
Even the bigger ones are easy to keep low. I let most of mine do their own thing out in the main paddock garden. They are a mass of flowers & bees at the moment. The tallest is about 8'now.

Anthony, nice to see you popping in for a cuppa. You must be very busy getting things done and working as well.

Dianne, If you saw the back of my paddock garden now you would think yours is very tidy.
I have just a brown dry mess. I never clean up the nasturtiums, Its not worth trying as they eventually rot away and the new green carpet will cover it all up in Spring.
The day lilies survive on their own so are all looking dead now. They , too will be mounds of green later.
Even the hellebores are now all just dead leaves.
I try not to look at any of that part when I am out there.

Hello Moon and Al. I hope all is well over your way.

Charleen, Charley must be hibernating. I havent seen him for a few days. Hope your weather is turning very Springlike too.

Hello everyone else looking in.

I am off to water as its going to be very hot over the next few days. Its really more Autumn weather except for the few very hot days.

Heres something nice for morning tea.....Streusal Coffee Cake.

Stay safe and enjoy the day.
Jean.

Good morning everyone.
hmmmmmm. I should have said good morning me.
Here I am all alone. Even Charley has not been to see me.
I will have to feed all the leftovers to the birds out the back of the Tea Room.

I hope you are all busy with your gardens.
Its going to be very hot here again so I am going to pop out and water a few pots before the sun gets right up.
It was quite cool in the night and still is outside.

I hope to see a few smiling faces back in here soon.
I will put out some nibbles in case anyone comes in later......Chocolate Peanut Squares.

Happy day stay safe
Jean.

I'm here, Jean...
I did pop in last night to grab a piece of that coffee cake..yum

Anthony, I am in shock re the Bombers......can't believe that James Hird would sanction anything illegal....

Going to be a hottie today, have to do a bit more watering...

Keep cool.
Dianne.

Waving Hello

I have been busy between house and yard. Our weather seems to be on a magic carpet ride...chilly one day rain and then warm the next day. Daffs and "high Scents" as my grandson calls them are poking up and some are in bloom. Daylilies are greening up and the dormant ones have broken ground. The irises are poking up also.

Trying to get all the weeds out and fertilizer and new mulch in...lots to do between showers, which are predicted off and on over the next week. Lot's of pruning to do also.

With DDJan and family coming, I have moved Spring cleaning up a couple months. I usually try to do that just before Easter, but they will be here then. Many projects have to wait until it is a bit drier outside for both house and garden.

Hope you are all well and the weather is calming a bit for you.
Jean, hope you get a nice soaking rain for your garden...maybe it will wash the last of the leaves away for you.


Have a lovely day
Moon

well we received a soaking all right!
Poured with rain Monday night & then off & on all day Tuesday.
Today is Waitangi Day - NZ National Holiday & lucky us have the day off from the shop.
May retailers remain open but as our shop isn't part of a mall we don't do public holidays :)
Saves the company having to pay us time & a half plus a lieu day & after working all the public holidays when I did bar work I am all in favour of the day off!
It is over cast & cool but supposed to fine up later, if it does I will have to get out & dig out some plants from the garden by the chimney.
We had the call to say our chimney repair is going to start on the 12th or 13th of this month...
Not that I am cynical but I think me phoning non - stop & laying it on thick about the 80 year old in-laws being here had more effect than all the previous calls put together.
The medial love to make a big issue out of children & the elderly suffering due to slow EQC response.
Nobody cares about us middle aged folk unless we have some tragic disease or disability.

Well that's my whine for the day... prefer a pinot gris but never mind ;)

Well, me and that dog gone mule went Bumbling off down the wrong road. Then we had to turn around and finally found the Cake crumbs leading to the Tea room. TBo led us straight to the door. Lapping up the crumbs that Charley didn't get. I have been busy, looking for your tracks. So glad We finally found you all.
Chrissy, i used used the weed barrier, The grass still seems to creep under it but it does help....
supposed to be getting some rain moving in. I'll take it.
Was nice today.
Blessing and love to all.
Charley and Charleen

Sorry guys just popped in to say I have vertigo, back when it goes away. Always get it when I have a chill.

back in a day or two.

waving !
chrissy

I once was lost, but now I'm found...

Al

the sun came out properly so I slapped on some spf 50 & got out amongst it.
The green bin is full of rose prunings, grass clippings & weeds.
There are piles of branches from the camellia, the oak tree, the winter hazel, the witch hazel ...
hubby complained about overhanging foliage getting in his way when mowing.
well he should have plenty of room to move now!

Hubby was a little shocked when he arrived home, he didn't expect me to have done so much.
He reckons it's not safe to leave me unsupervised ;)

Well he was off having fun at the hangar so I had to amuse myself.

Dianne, the truth!!-'they were crap afterall''.............Did anyone have trouble accessing the tearoom , past the "holden 'Ad?

Amazing Al...grin I need to remember to tag you and Charleen when the thread moves....grin

Busy busy Bee Teresa....there is plenty of room to mow now...grin

Feel better soon Chrissy.

No problem here Anthony....I don't have ads showing in the threads.

Have a good day Folks

Good morning everyone.
It was so nice to see lots of smiling faces here when I arrived this morning.
After a hot day yesterday ( 37C) it is a lovely cool morning.
I stayed inside most of yesterday as even though the temp wasnt over high, it was a bit humid.
I caught up on all my library books which I can look up and place holds on via the internet. I usually have a waiting list of around 12 books at a time . They arrive at the Hamilton library for me to pick up on shopping day.
I normally only ever get 3-4 books arrive each fortnight which are read before the week is out so I have another week to wait for more.
Hubby says I need to live in the library.
I love reading and have always read lots of books .
There is nothing like sitting in a comfy chair with a good book.

My plants ( the ones I water ) are looking green and waiting for Autumn.
I see a few more naked ladies poking up through the very hard dry ground.
Arent bulbs so wonderful in returning each season to brighten our days ?

Anthony, nice to see you and Cocky here. You must be planning lots of things for Spring planting already.
I am waiting on those liliums I bought as orphans in Bunnings, to die off so I can take them out of the pots and put in the ground.

Dianne, I thought someone had been nibbling at the cakes.
I was about to blame poor Charley mule , when it was you.
I'm glad you enjoyed some before the birds out the back ate most of the leftovers.

Moon, you sound very busy. Its getting closer to the time your DD will arrive.
It will be a lovely time of year with Spring coming as well.
I do like walling around the garden in the various seasons looking for which bulbs are coming through.
You will have a sea of daffies and "high scents "

Teresa, did you get Spring fever...lol
All that tidying and cleaning up. It feels good when you sit back and see what you have done .
I think its the men who cannot be left unsupervised, dont you ?
One never knows what they will chop, stand on or just mow over.
You have lots of room for more plants now...lol

Al, I will leave a bigger sign next time we move.
Its nice to see you found us though. I thought you may have been lurking in the kitchen, cooking up some yummy treat.

Chrissy , hope you feel better soon.

Charleen, I gave lots of leftovers to Charley mule to take home and share.
TBo knew where to bring you, little darling he is.
Always looks so happy.
Abigail and Kaitlin knew where we moved to, as I found a couple of eggs under the bush out the back.
There wont be any large amounts of rain here for a while yet.
The plants are all waiting eagerly for autumn.
Hope you are getting lovely weather there.

Time I had my cuppa and went out to water the pots.

Heres something yummy for you all........ Strawberry Cream Cake

Enjoy the day and keep thinking Spring or Autumn thoughts

Jean. .

I suddenly thought with the space I have made I can rescue more plants from around the chimney...
and they should do ok in a semi shady spot.
As long as the camellia I moved does ok - it has sentimental value.
My old girl Chita won it in her best ever outing at a Dalmatian Club Champ show.
It has been moved a couple of times, the last time it broke & the part with roots died off but the sad broken bit I stuck in the ground did well.
I was trying to move another camellia that Mum gave me as a cutting, it was growing way too big for where it was & hasn't bothered to flower for me so I figured I'd stick it in a corner where it could give me a privacy screen.
It has decided it likes where it is & I couldn't budge it.
I might try a cutting or two & if they strike I can kill the original.
I never meant to leave it where it is - right by a path is just not a good spot for a triffid!
I was just a bit slow to shift it, a couple of years back would have been ideal.

got a picture of a red shouldered hawk sitting on Charley's wire fence. Also thought you may like thsi Mug shot of my TBo. He loves to have his picture taken...
Hope everyone has a grand day....

Good morning everyone. Its a bit chilly as is usual here, but will get quite warm later.
Strangely, even though we had a north wind yesterday, it was not a very hot wind.
Made the day much more comfortable.
I pottered around watering and spraying. Checking on whats coming up and where.
Its funny that one always forgets where bulbs are after they die down, then up they pop next season to surprise you.


Charleen, of course TBo wants his picture taken , he is so cute.

Love your hawk too. The hawks are very pretty birds. We have several that are in our area.
The most common is the small Nankeen Kestrel , often seen hovering just above the fence line along roadsides..

Teresa, I knew you would find more plants for your empty space.
Camellias are very forgiving plants . I have seen them cut back nearly to a stump, then grow again.
I dont put any in the ground here now as they only last a year or so then die. Its the soil & water . Too alkaline for them. I had the same trouble with azaleas and rhodos.
Now all my azaleas and camellias are in pots on the veranda and are watered with only rainwater. They are all doing well.
Good luck with yours.

Oops , I am being called. Hubby wants a hand with something .
Better go and see what mischief he's up to.

Heres a nibble for you all ......Chocolate Truffles.

Take care and stay safe.
Jean.

Day off tomorrow so I will try to get more done in the garden...
I should see if I can borrow Mum's mulcher & that way I can put all that foliage to good use on the garden instead of filling up the green bin.

Sugar is playing with my husband - he is on all fours pretending to take her bone.
It's so funny to see him on the floor with the weasel, her tail is beating a tune on the floor & she can't take her eyes off Baz.

Copper is on the couch with me.
He prefers to take things easy & poor Sugar obviously wants him to play & gets all wound up when he ignores her.

Good morning everyone.
I'm like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, I'm late.
Been wandering around in the bromeliad threads.

Its going to be a lovely day here and hubby says getting hotter near the middle of the week.
Nothing much to do at the moment in the garden.
A few plants to be repotted but that can wait until after the next hot spell.


Teresa, it sounds like Sugar and Copper have a great time with you both.
One to play with and one to sit and relax with.
What more could a dog ask for ?

Hello Al, Moon and Charleen. I hope Spring is dancing toward you all quickly.

Hello Anthony, Dianne and anyone else looking in.
Keep cool when the next lot of hot weather hits next week.

I am off outside to just walk around and enjoy the cool morning.

Heres something tasty for morning tea. ...Blueberry Muffins..

Happy day
keep safe
Jean.

We are getting rains. Maybe my little well will fill up.
Charley looks like a Mudball Walking.
Hope you all have a grand day...

Horrible gusty squalls here- making life difficult.. Am taking stock and repotting mini daffs.. and just placed an order with 'Hancocks' and 'Hillview'..............Very sore back 'AGAIN'-'angers me',-Anthony

Bright sunny day here - on with the spf 50 & out to the garden...
I managed to fit all the foliage on one lawn into the green bin.
took a while to cut it all up & i have a sore thumb from using the secateurs for so long.

I have two loads of washing out so am sitting in the dogs room now to keep the weasel happy.
Can't leave her out side as she will tear the washing off the line.
She was yelling the house down until I came in, now she is out to it on the floor.
Copper is in Sugar's bed, he always does this, not sure why but Sugar is quite happy to share.

Hope your back is a bit better now, Anthony.....though this would be such a busy time for you....
Sometimes we over commit to things that we love....so take a step back for a couple of days when you can...

Teresa, your life is never dull with those two, is it.....when the weather cools, you can chop your Camellia down to it's socks and dig it up, as Jean said, they are really tough....

T.Bo is very photogenic, Charleen........love pic of the bird too....

Hi to everyone looking in and have a great weekend.....Chrissy, hope you are over your vertigo....

Dianne.

Yep starting to feel human again thanks ^_^

The first of My Hungarian Black chilli fruits are going red, you have purple flowers and some deep Green fruit,Midnight Black, then Lacquer Red ones, so beautiful, I hope to post pics tomorrow, wish I had grown 50 plants of this darling.It is enchanting to look at, and just as beautiful as anything you will find in the flower garden. The Kale is going well and the winged beans too.
I have Basil Seedlings popping up from the chopped flower stalks, Pickling gherkins going nuts as well as the Spaghetti Squash.
Should have planted more veggies but last year was a disaster in the wet weather, so I didn't plant lots this time. Isn't that always the way ? Might have time for some quick things in Autumn.

I hope you are all ok and enjoying your weekend !

chrissy

Yes, Dianne.. It feels 'lazy' to stop.. I hate sitting around[so Im doing it in the garage],..Fire smoke is so heavy ,you can taste it..little sprinkles of rain today[fire is about 10 km away],..,Early night I think!!!-Anthony

Another big snowstorm missed us by inches, it's downright cold and windy here though. Some places further east in NYC and Boston had serious snow squalls last night. The ski people are out in droves this weekend, good for them! I'll just throw another log on the fire and stay warm, thanks. Back to my seed catalog pile..

We're packing for Florida in a couple of weeks.

Al

Good morning everyone.
Its overcast here this morning . No rain in sight and its supposed to get quite hot again during the week.
Nothing much done outside yesterday . I spent most of the day going through all my old discs of garden stuff to see what was on them .
I transferred all that I wanted into a file and put it on a new memory stick. I use them for all my backup stuff now.
I dont want to risk losing any further pics & info , after my silly mistake a few weeks ago in accidently deleting a file full of new pics.

Hello Al. I was thinking of you when I saw all the snow on the news in NY.
Makes one feel foolish complaining about a little heat when people are under feet of snow.
Nice to see you are sensibly staying in with those catalogs.

Anthony, I think we gardeners who are always out there doing things, do feel a bit lazy at times when we have to stop. You are also busy with work so take that break and sit with Cocky for a chat.
Hope the back gets better soon.

Charleen, lovely to see that you are getting some welcome rain.
Yes, I imagine Charley would love the mud to roll in.
I see muddy hoofprints around the back of the Tea House. Guess who was there ?

Teresa, I get the feeling Sugar still has a few naughty tricks . She probably lets Copper share her bed because he showed her some of his old tricks...lol
Yelling the house down worked too didnt it ? You came inside to sit with her.

Chrissy, sounds like you have great vegie garden going there now.
I have a few leeks and corn plants also tomatoes that finally grew . The pumpkins and zucchini are growing well too.
Not much I can plant in the warm weather here as the ground is much too dry.
I use drippers on the pumpkins etc so they get enough water.
Once the rain starts again in autumn, I'll plant more.

Dianne , how are things down your way ?
I bet your garden is looking lovely with all the brugs. I see a few nerines popping heads up.
It must be autumn with all the bulbs on the move.
Give Tilly a pat for me.

I am off to do a bit of pot watering as we are having visitors later , so nothing will get done then.

Heres a yummy nibble for morning tea.....Carrot Cake

.Keep cool ( or warm if you are like Al ,in snow )

Happy day
Jean.