TEA ROOM # 121

Good morning everyone. We came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1305046/

Lots of lovely blossom for those in already in spring and as a reminder that spring will come for those of us going forward to winter.

Not much doing here as I wait for the rain to eventually get tired of being in Queensland and come down here for a visit.
I hope noone suffers any damage as the new cyclone makes its way around up there.

Hello Anthony, great to hear you are so much better.

Charleen , love your beautiful flowers. I hope the furry ones are on their best behavior.

Dianne, I am off to look at my brugs again. Hubby laughs at me running in and out.

Teresa, how is your weather over there ?
I hope the Sugar Weasel is getting a bit if training on how not to nick paper towels during trials...lol

Al, thats a nice looking lot of tomatoes.
I am still getting a few here even though its getting quite chilly.
I do love tulips. Your pic reminded me that I will have mine out in spring.
Something to look forward to.

Hello Moon, how are things over your way ?

I am off to move all the chairs & tables to here and put up the new sign so noone gets lost

Have a great day

Jean.

SNOW....here on the 'Wellington' its FFFFFFF-very cold here[warm inside -of course].. purchased 3 pairs of 'merino fleece' socks, for winter,.,. things are now $20 a pair 'scammers'....... The extreme cold is vital for the survival of my bulbs.. That I accept.. but maybe I could be put in an induced coma or hibernate for 3 months[like a squirrel]..I hate the cold.... The best thing about winter, is 'spring ' follows.,.,,.,.

Lol @ Anthony....that was funny....I'd say more like a bear than a squirrel.....

Charleen, I was that I was adept at cross stitch, that pic of the chooks in the fog (minus the fog)...is lovely and would look great in needlework.

Very good value for a dollar, Al....moon is right...

Now Jean, it's almost daylight....get the camera...should I bring my camera and come visit?
There isn't a breath of wind here...perfect for photos of extra special Brugs...
Dianne.

Good morning everyone..
Hubby took great delight this morning, in telling me it was only 0C outside.
I really didnt need to know, I could feel how cold it was when I got up out of bed...brrrrrrrrrr

Anthony, I do not want any of your snow sent up here.
It feels cold enough without it.
You are right though, we should be able to hibernate in the cold weather...

Dianne, you had better come to visit with a couple of electric blankets.
I think the bruggies are sticking a toe out and deciding its too cold to come out ....lol
Perhaps I should take my electric throw rug out and toss it over them all.
I am not going out to look at them until the sun gets over the trees.

Moon , Charleen and Al, I hope you are not lost in the bush .
I put up another sign so you know where we ran off to.

Teresa, It must be getting very nippy over your way too.
You will be so pleased at having the house all done and the heater working well.

I am going to sit by the heater myself until that sun does decide to come up a bit more.

Heres something yummy for morning tea..Blueberry Streusal Muffins.. ( warm of course, with butter )

Keep warm and safe.
Jean.

You know if you hadn't left that trail of cookie crumbs, I'd still be lost. So Here I is.

Charleen, you are lucky you saw the trail of crumbs before Charley did...lol
Love your pic of his nose , and Abigail and Jake in the mist.

Fog here this morning , but there is a lot of smoke mixed in from the burning off everyone seems to be doing now.

Jean.

This message was edited May 2, 2013 9:14 AM

I can sniff out a good cookie anywhere in the world...

Al

Lucky you found the cookie trail too Al.
That Charley mule will eat anything he can find before anyone else sees it.
I hope Moon finds the trail too.

We dont really hide from you ... we love all our US friends..

Just looked at the thermometer..its gone up to 7C now.
Al you will laugh at me with that temp. when you get so much snow.

Jean.

Yes, Dianne!- maybe more the size of a bear than a squirrel,.,.,but, I had a beautiful chicken curry for tea,..,.,nothing beats home cooking!!!!!! Time for a warming 'Brandy', before bed..

right now is is cold & wet outside, the pellet burner is doing a wonderful job keeping us toasty warm.
The dogs are asleep on the couch so all is peaceful & cosy :)

Anthony - I made chicken curry for our tea tonight, tasty & enough to take to work for lunch tomorrow.
Amazing how much money I can save by making my own lunch.
Wish I had cottoned onto that years ago.
As well as left over pasta or curry I have corned silverside rolls in the freezer - used the slow cooker to make a meal & then did fresh bread rolls with relish, cheese & slices of silverside.
It freezes really well & means we can grab a roll on our way out the door in the morning.
Big time saver as well as money saver.

Next time will be slow cooker lamb roast... on special at the supermarket so well within our budget.

Actually my boss helped with budgeting - he found out that the other store gave staff a start up amount for them to buy clothes from the shop to wear to work.
Well he has noticed that my co-worker & I buy lots of our work clothes from the shop. And one of our suppliers has noticed how often we are wearing his outfits too.
So the boss arranged for us to have the same deal the other shop had - so I gained a whole new winter wardrobe 'on the house'.
And our nice supplier gave each of us a free scarf... very nice, fancy expensive ones too!


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Velocity-NZ/192876674095297

Good Morning

I followed the crumb trail too....grin

Rain and weeds are my daily topics of "interest" right now....

Teresa, how lovely for you. Warmth and fashion and free. that is a deal hard to beat.

Anthony, glad you are feeling better. I feel the same way about winter...wish i could hibernate too.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Moon

Al will make it here in a bit. he and I follwed the trail while there was still crumbs to follow. You all know how Charley loves his cookie crumb and all....

Good morning everyone..
The wind is very chilly here this morning. I was out taking pics and was very glad to get back in near the heater.
Not much doing here at the moment.

I spend more time watching brug flowers open than doing anything else.

Charleen, I see you did find a few crumbs to follow.
I hope Charley and friends are behaving nicely.
Charley never gets lost finding the Tea Room. I am sure he would sniff out cookies from many miles away..

Anthony, are you getting ready for the explosion of liliums in Spring ?
It wont be too long if the rest of the year goes as fast as the first bit.

Teresa, what a great idea, now you will be the best dressed and warmest workers around.
You & Anthony make me feel hungry with the yummy recipes.
I had my slow cooker out during the week for a lovely soupy thingy.
One cant give a name to my recipes as I just taste and toss in as I go.
Hubby loves whatever I cook and especially loves " bowl food " as he calls anything that will be eaten from a bowl.
I bought a new slow cooker a few weeks ago as mine is a bit small for the large ham hocks and fitting vegies in around any meat..

I wish I could find a good pasta cooker.
I used to use a large plastic one which had a strainer in as well.
It was made for doing pasta in the microwave and was a bit stronger than the usual plastic.
It finally gave up and I have never seen another.
I may have to try the slow cooker for pasta but it will take a while to cook even on high.
I like doing pasta in the microwave as it is done quickly.

Moon. I'm glad you found a few crumbs to follow.
I know what you mean about weeds.
After a very dry summer, the piddling little bit of rain we had was enough to kick start the weeds.
Everywhere is now tinted green as the little devils push up through the soil to once more annoy us.
I have the Roundup ready.

Dianne, still no more movement on the brug front..
Enjoy your weekend and cross fingers that the little dear will open fully very soon.

Have to go as hubby is off soon for a meeting and lunch over in Narracoorte. ( SA)

Heres something that should attract those that couldnt find us......yummy GingerBread Cake.

Happy day , keep safe and warm.
Jean.

well the catalogue for the obedience competition next weekend...
Sugar is on early on Saturday & last on Sunday.
Right now she is sitting on the couch watching tv.
She is fascinated when people wave their hands around & since it is a stand up comedy show there is a lot of that.

When a cat food ad came on she was up & over to the tv to see what the cat was up to :)

Hopefully the weather will be ok tomorrow so I can get some gardening done.
Have two containers of ash from the pellet fire to spread around.
And the weeds are totally out control so it would be nice to sort them out before it is too wet to do anything.

Good morning everyone.
Its a lovely morning even though a bit bitey.
We had a nice drop of rain last night. It wasnt forecast but looked like it wanted to rain all day.
The plants all loved the rain even if it was only about 12 points.

Teresa, if Sugar like watching TV, maybe you could show her a video of obedience dogs....lol

Sending lots of good luck thoughts across for her today & tomorrow.

Hello Dianne, Moon, Charleen, Anthony and Al.
Hope all is well in your areas.

I am off to check on the garden and make a start on getting the trailer ready for tomorrows trash & treasure.
We have to leave early to get across to Hamilton and set up everything.
I will not be able to open the Tea Room so the first person who visits will have to open the doors for me and see that there is something for morning tea.

Heres a treat for today .... Chocolate Almond Torte

Enjoy your weekend and I hope the weather is kind to you, Teresa.

Happy day
stay warm and safe.
Jean.

.

Charley and the Bog Garden. It is in bloom too!!!!

Good Morning

We have had rain off and on all week...a little over 10cm....and it is supposed to get down to -1C tonight....a bit chillier than the 26C we had yesterday. I am seriously hoping this is the last cold front of the season.

Charleen, are those Proteas? They are lovely.

Yummy torte Jean...snagged a piece before Charlie got it all....grin. Hope you have success at the Trash and Treasure.

Hello to you all.

Moon

I just sent the 'prime minister' a message of my thoughts on immigration..I know, political views are not allowed on here,but I asked her, could she please turn the boats away as we are struggling to support our own people...but 1 small question... 'how come immigrants are not taught the difference between left and right.. especially in a shopping centre...Hopefully when they get a drivers license they eventually work it out... ..Where are we going?-Anthony.[fed up]-with arrogance

This message was edited May 4, 2013 5:16 PM

This message was edited May 5, 2013 6:58 AM

the blooms are of carnivorous plants. I know I'll not spell it right but here it is....serencia, Cobra plant. Some even call it a pitcher, but it isn't.
got to be fast to beat Charley....:)

Hope you are selling all your plants Jean.....it's very chilly here...

Yesterday we went to a chestnut farm...there were chestnuts everywhere......all over the ground, up the driveway, the husks were in enormous piles near the little old husking machine that the farmer was using....
When I asked him what he did with the husks, he told me that they make fantastic compost....
So we bought 2 Kg of very fresh chestnuts@ $5 per kilo....great price....
He was bemoaning the fact that he was 80 and no one in his family wanted to take over the chestnut farm so he could retire.....he said that there was plenty of money in it and you only had to be on the property for 2 months of the year...

But no, the family don't want to pick chestnuts, he said......his wife only comes to collect the money and so he had taken up smoking again, to keep himself company.....
The chestnut and apple trees were absolutely loaded....a shame isn't it, in time those trees will go and another farm is lost.

The bog garden looks very pretty....Charleen....
Hope it warms up for you Moon.....
We know where Al is, tending his tomatoes....
Hello Colleen, hope you are well...
Hope you got your gardening done, Teresa
Anthony, take it easy, you don't want a relapse....
Isn't this cute.....ok fellas it's too chocolate boxy for you....but it's pretty.
Dianne...






This message was edited May 5, 2013 2:27 PM

had a rubbish day yesterday, have been feeling off colour for a few days & decided to give myself a sleep in.
Finally woke up fully at 1pm!
So nothing really got done.
I did vacuum & muster enough energy to go grocery shopping.
I did better today, up early & off to dog club, had some one on one training with a senior handler, he was a huge help & I feel a bit more confident about competing next weekend.
Sugar was pretty good most of the session, she got a bit bored to ran away when I took her lead off.
Once I had her back under control she worked well again.
I managed to hang a load of towels out before we left & they were nearly dry when we got home.
the weather was predicted to pack up this afternoon but apart from getting cloudy & cold it was ok.
After I brought the towels in I decided to mow the grass, figured I might not have as good a chance for a while so it was only going to be worse if I left it.
It looks so much better now!
I think I pulled an abdominal muscle, am in pain now & have rubbed anti flam into the area & have a warm wheat bag sitting on it as well.
Can't quite get comfortable so won't be doing much of anything for the rest of the night.

take care all :)

Yeah, Dianne.. I think Julia's got more on her plate, with the 'Headless Chickens' Ad which seemed to disappear from TV early today.. I quite liked it!!..'funny'......Like everything , Dianne, nobody wants to take over!!I attended the last Crysanthemum show , I and everyone will ever see , yesterday,no one to follow in the footsteps of a very'demanding' bloom....Teresa, watch you arent in for the 'flu virus' ... thats how it starts...I purchased many mini alcohol bottles today[a big box], for $20,[ for mini daffodil display bottles] all full-and dusty , many that 'us old people' would remember.. El -Toro[with the hat],Sheep Dip -scotch..Tanquiri Gin,, Katz liquer,many cognags , bourbons, whiskys, rums,brandys and mixers'vermouth-marco-bianco 'stones'-anyone who was ever 16 remembers stones !!,.,.,.,.all, were tipped down the driveway..,..many ,overproof,.,.Back to 'the grind' Tomorrow.,.,.,.Anthony

The sun is up, Jean and it's a lovely morning....have you checked yet?

I'll be back later...
Dianne.

Good morning everyone.
Very cold here but looks like being a beautiful sunny day like yesterday.
Had a great day at the trash & treasure. There were not as amny stalls as you see in the Spring but lots of people coming in to look & buy.
I sold quite a few nerines, ferns and a brugmansia. the best result was selling 3/4 of the bromeliads I took over.
I made a nice profit and only bought myself one plant.

The only downside to the day was that I was limping around like an old woman.
I pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve in the top of my leg , the day before and it was very painful .
Much better this morning though and the walking around yesterday probably helped it anyway.

Now I can think about what plants to get ready for the next T&T in Spring.

Anthony, I had to laugh at the picture in my mind of you tipping all that alcohol down the drain...lol
Hope you are feeling much better too after the bug you had.

Teresa, Anthony is right, be aware of those flu bugs. Keep warm there.
Sugar Weasel is certainly having fun with you at those trials.

Dianne, funny you mentioned chestnuts. I saw some a few weeks ago when shopping and just had to buy some. I love them.
When living in Bright , we used to get them from the apple orchard while picking apples.
The kids loved them too. Hubby isnt a chestnut fan so I ate most of those I bought.
Not having a large oven now, I roasted them in the toaster oven . yumm.
I used some in a nice curry in the slow cooker too.
I could just stand there and eat chestnuts all day.
Roasted then sprinkled with a little salt. Also nice in with mashed potatoes ( better with sweet potatoes ).

Charleen, very pretty flowers . Doesnt Charley pose nicely for pics ?

Hello Al and Moon. Hope all is well in your areas.

I am off to look at my plants and take a few pics.

Heres a treat for morning tea......Cherry Cobbler..
I know Al will smell this and come running before it all gets eaten.

Keep warm and stay safe..
Jean.

Good morning everyone.
Its very quiet in here today.
I am off to Hamilton for a hearing aid adjustment so we will enjoy a nice lunch over there.
Nothing much done yesterday as we popped over to Casterton for a few hours.
I bought a new pair of shoes for the garden and we had lunch in the bakery there. The best place around anywhere for lovely pies & cakes.

I hope all are well and having an enjoyable time in the garden.
I hope to see a few more faces coming in for a chat and a cuppa.

I will leave something nice out in case anyone pops in.......Carrot Cake..

Stay safe and warm.
Jean.

I love Carrot cake.
Jake and Blackie....

They are beautiful chooks, Charleen......
Have a good day in Hamilton, Jean

Off to see Iron Man this morning....Ray wants a pocket watch, his wrist watch drives him mad he said...
I bet he loses the pocket watch..lol
Dianne.

Good morning. I cant say everyone as there is none here but me..

Dianne , we did have a lovely day in Hamilton. The sun was out so after seeing about my hearing aids and looking in a few shops, we bought Subways and went down to Nigretta Falls to eat.
Not much water going over the falls as yet but lovely to sit and enjoy the area with noone around.
We drove home the long way which is a less traveled and more picturesque way than the highway.
We saw two kangaroos sitting by the fence and they were quite happy to look at us too.
I didnt have the camera so missed a great pic.

Charleen, I love your chickens.
Do you ever have any problems with anything coming after them like the foxes do here ?

I am off to water a few brugs as we didnt get any rain .

I will leave out something nice for morning tea in case someone pops in....Almond Sponge..

I know Charley Mule will clean up any leftovers.

Hope all are well out there.
Teresa, Al, Moon and Anthony

Keep warm.
Jean.

Good Morning

Glad you had a nice trip Jean.

I have been trying to catch up in the garden now that DD and the Grands have returned to Brisbane. I swear as fast as I pull these weeds they run and re-root in another bed...it is frightening how they try to take over in such a short time....That is what Happens when you turn your back on them....grin

Poor Al...saw where they are predicting temps to drop in his area later this week....gonna be close to freezing in the Northeast. Hope Ma Nature remembers to close the door on winter soon.

Hope you all have a lovely day....hope ya get some rain for your gardens

Moon

We are very subject to frosts up to around June 1st, but not predicted for tonight. We do have gray overcast clouds and rainy weather predicted through the next few days. My tomato starts are doing well preparing for the great sale 10 days from now on Saturday. If we do forsee a frost, I can easily haul them all inside under cover.

We're getting much of our early plantings in the garden. Lettuce , onions, radishes, cabbage, peas, and early beans. Annual flowers will have to wait a couple of weeks until my other projects are done.

Al

Oh, Al. She is growing and so cute. Painted toes and all.
Charley is standing at the gate now to get something to eat/. It is nearly his feeding time...
Dufess in the yard....

Good morning everyone. How nice to come in and see some smiling faces.

Al, good luck with the tomato sales.
I still have a few in the garden , but the birds get the ripe ones before I do.
Our season isnt really long enough to get the plants to grow and mature in the ground. Next time I will buy some plants instead of seeds. there are still a few small pumpkins but they will not mature.
I will think about more beans next time as they are pretty quick.
I hope you dont get frosts at all .

It seems the seasons dont like moving on anywhere. We are still getting a bit of late summer weather here, but it wont last long.

Moon, I know how you feel with the weeds. Our dry summer fixed most but they dont die , they just hide until it rains a bit.
Everywhere is green now after just a tiny bit of rain.
I have the Roundup ready to go , so the weeds had better watch out.

Charleen, I like the way Doofus is enjoying your iris flowers.

Charley went home with lots of cookies so dont give him any more...lol

Shopping day today . I must get out this morning and take a few pics of my brug flowers while its nice and cool . They tend to sag a bit as the day goes on.

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

Hers a nibble for morning tea. ...Chocolate Marble Bread.

stay safe.
Jean.

This message was edited May 9, 2013 8:25 AM

It's really hot here, about 25C, phew...it's not allowed to get that hot in Autumn.....
Everything is drooping, including me.....

Gorgeous girl, AL...what is her name?...sorry if you mentioned it before.....

A tomato grower of the future, no doubt.....

Jean, get the brolly and shade the babies.....we want to see them all flower.....
Anthony, is it hot where you are?
Dianne

She's our GD Olivia, we call her "Livy". And she loves tomatoes, especially the sweet cherry type.

Al

My GD used to call them pop tomatoes, because they popped when she bit them...she still loves them and she's 18 this year...

Dianne

Anthony - you should have poured that booze on the lawn so it will come up half cut ;)

The weather has been nice the last two days but so much cooler in the mornings.
It's supposed to be wet & nasty tomorrow but clearing Saturday & fine Sunday.
I hope so, would hate for Sugar's first foray into obedience competition to be in miserable weather.
I would scratch her from stays rather than ask her to sit for a minute then lie down for 2 minutes in the rain.
Once upon a time we expected our dogs to obey no matter what, now we expect handlers to put their dog's welfare first.

Good morning everyone.
A lovely morning here again.
Yes, Dianne, we were drooping a bit here too. It was quite warm for this time of year.
Lovely day for shopping though.
The brugs enjoyed the sunshine but they too were all droopy until the cool evening.

Al, Livy is certainly a cutie.
I love those little tomatoes too. They hardly ever make it to the house .
Its so nice to wander in the garden popping fresh tomatoes into ones mouth.

Teresa , from the look of our news weather report, you will have a nice day for Sugar to excel.

Anthony, are you okay down there ? I bet you are busy with all those liliums, getting ready for the spring .

Hello to anyone else looking in..
I am off to pot up a few more bromeliads. and water the brugs.

Heres something tasty for morning tea..... Berry Shortcake..

Happy gardening and stay safe.

Jean.

Is it hot .Dianne...? only just today, its been freezing,.,.,.Ive been taking steel to the 'Norske sko"g' paper mill, and unloading on the 3rd floor,.,.Its like the inside of a furnace there!!.. Very noisy too!!!................Good one, Teresa, 'Half Cut'...but I only have a little piece of lawn....can cut it with the snipper, then get 'half cut' myself!!! Truth be said , Jean, yes, I have been pondering about with lilies, sold a couyple of bulbs... Quyiet time of the year-Anthony

My Walk this morning. Love that strange color iris... Charley and Tbo send you all nuzzles.....

Good morning everyone.. The sun is shining and it looks like being another lovely warm day.
Hubby says the cold weather is coming back so I had better enjoy the sun while its here.

Not a lot to do in the garden, but I see green weeds poking heads up to see if I am around.

Anthony, I knew you would be knee deep in liliums ...lol
take care of yourself as the cold creeps in down there.

Charleen, your garden has some lovely blooms. . Pat the furry ones for me.

Hello Dianne, Teresa, Moon and Al.

I am changing the Tea Room a bit..
I will pop in and leave nibbles for you all once a week instead of each day.
Too many leftovers for Charley when noone comes in..lol

I will still look in every day for a chat with anyone here. I know these sites get a bit boring after a while and people drop out. Too many other things going on.
Lots of other forums to look at too.
I hope you will all still come in and have a chat over a cuppa when you can.

Heres a treat for you all for morning tea.......Black Forest Gateau..

stay safe and enjoy those gardens..
Jean.