Happy Birthday ctmorris!

Thought you could sneak by huh?
I hope you had a great day Colleen!
Sue

cake picture sourced from
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/DogwoodCake/DogwoodCake.htm

Thank you weedwoman,I had a wonderful day. Colleen

Excellent! Thats all anyone could hope for. Did you do anything special or receive anything grand! (do tell)
Sue

My son and granddaughter came for the weekend and he has offered to pay for a shade house for me. I'm getting the quote now. They brought a mud cake with them with candles. My sister send a beautiful pale pink bath towel that she embroidered a C on and she also got and arrangement of flowers delivered. Pink mauve and white. Lilies,carnations, chrysthansimums, and lithianthas. My brother and his son gave me hanging pots to put my new Epis in. [still need a heap more] His daughter gave me a beautiful succulent Crassula called Ruby Stars. It's got lots of lovely little pink star flowers all over it. I got lots of cards as well. I got very spoilt. Colleen

Good for you Colleen how wonderful! ...my but that is such a beautiful cake ...who could cut it?.

What a great gift idea from your son! We make it easy fro our loved ones really don't we? Anything to do with plants and gardens and we will love it!

Yes Sue but my other son always says that I'm hard to buy for. I haven't seen him yet for my birthday but hope to see him tomorrow. I told him that I would like hanging pots so will wait and see what happens. Years ago when the boys asked me what I would like I always said towelling teatowels because I didn't have a lot of money and that was always something useful. The kids couldn't afford to buy much and they were only about $2 each . I loved my garden even back then but because I was bringing 3 boys up by myself money was always tight. Even now I.m still by myself bringing up 2 little boys but things are a bit easier. I've really found the people on this forum are so generous and helpfuland I'm so glad that i found you all. Have a good night hope you dont get too much more rain. Colleen

Thanks colleen. I hope you get your hanging baskets, or at least a teatowel! he he. How old are your big boys now? and How old are the littlies?
Sue

I got 8 more hanging pots Sue. Yay. My eldest "boy" is 38 and next is 35. Luke would have been 32 this year. the littleboys are 6 and 5 now. I have had them since they were 21mths and 10mths. They're both at school now and life is getting a lot easier. We spend a lot of time in the garden and they love to plant things and pick flowers to take to the teacher. They specially like the cacti. They like to play with all the rocks too but I've had to stop them taking them from around the garden and only play with their special ones. Glad that your rain is easing. Maybe we can have a turn now. I dont care if it pours for Easter as we're not doing anything this year except having a rest and the bunny comes so the boys will be busy making the nests.I usually hide eggs over the yard for them as well. We have fun. Just have to make sure the dogs don't get them first. Well goodnight Sue. happy gardening Colleen

I am the same age as your eldest boy, and my daughter is grown and flown. I haven't been around small children for so long that I've lost the knack! Hopefully my daughter will have children one day, so I can learn to play again! I often think it might be nice to have a baby, and then I wake up screaming he, he!
I'm going outside to blow the rain down to you. Strange, but it's coming from your direction anyway.
goodnight Colleen

Sue, about 7 years ago my younger brother was 48 and he and his "wife" said that they were going to have a baby. after the congrats I said I couldnt think of anything worse at our age than to have a baby in the house again. Well guess what happened .I got 2. I saw your brom palace on the other site. Did you see Ann's. Wow. The colour of some of them are great aren't they? Do the coloured ones have big beautiful flowers too? When I see pictures they just seem to be showing the colours not the flowers. You must be absolutely fed up with the wet by now. Have you got clay soil that sticks to everything like when we go camping and it rains? Well Sue have a great day. talk soon. Colleen

Ha ha Colleen. I bet you love them and wouldn't change back for the world!
I did see Anns brom house. She has an even better climate for broms than me, and can probly grow a greater variety.
You're right about the coloured ones, Neoregelias are mostly grown for their colourful foliage, and the flowers are usually deep in the centre, insignificant purple or white blooms, usually one or two at a time, on a domed shaped inflorescence.
Some of the other genus' have both colourful flowers and foliage, such as Vrieseas and Aechmeas, but both also have plain foliage colours and are grown for the flowers.
Theres a lot to learn when it comes to Broms, and everyone has different tastes, which can change from time to time as they begin to appreciate something different they see.
Yes, sick of the rain. Alot of topsoil went bye bye, but also we had some delivered, courtesy of the neighbours upstream/uphill, he he. The ground is grey clay in places, red in others (makes you two inches taller in the wet) but we do have some deep layers of loamy topsoil, as this was once a swamp, and we are in the right spot for the good stuff to settle after rain. Its just keeping it here in heavy rain that is the problem. Luckily it only happens about once a year, and never as bad as it was last week!
I went into town yesterday and saw the ammount of damage done to peoples possessions and homes and the mountains of things thrown out for the rubbish! Terrible! If all i lose is a few broms, I have nothing to be sad about. Thank goodness no one was killed.
If i don't talk to you before, have a great Easter Colleen, as your birthday is well and truelly over now! he he. You'll need chocolate eggs to fill those baskets!
Sue

Yes Sue. Easter bunny is ready for Saturday night. You have a lovely Easter break as well and talk to you later. Colleen