CONNIKA

IN THE GARDEN THIS WEEK

 

The agapanthus around our shower are putting on a wonderful display as are all of them which are scattered throughout the garden. They actually stole the show in this photo as I had gone for the camera on seeing a beautiful moon rising.  The colour in the garden is predominant with the Jacaranda trees also in flower.  

Yesterday was a very promising day for rain.  We were so very quietly excited.  From early on, the skies were dark and thunder was rumbling.  By the time David arrived home, still no rain.  It did start to rain later in the evening and looked very promising but when I left for my walk this morning, I was so disappointed to see we only had 7 mls.  7 mls!!!!  After all that effort.  Hopefully today we will get something more substantial.  The trees in the garden must be getting to the end of their tether. 

A PAUL BANGAY GARDEN

 

After visiting the Rodway garden, we went on down the hill on the same road to this garden.  This is the entrance with beautiful mass planting of plumbago. This garden was designed by Paul Bangay whose designs are, in general quite formal.  If you Google his name, you will see some of the work he does. The rear garden backs on to the bush with a view over the Lockyer Valley beyond.  This backdrop emphasizes the formality of the garden itself with its lines and exotic plantings.

The swimming pool and the reflection pool.

OPEN GARDENS

We had two lovely ladies visit us from the Open Garden Scheme with a view to us opening our garden next November - in the 'southern' spring. Shared a lovely cuppa with Rhondda (it's Welsh) and Susie when we filled in forms, drank our tea and coffee and then went for a wander in the garden where they asked me the names of some of the plants and I said Mmmm not sure on that one!

"Now Connie - would you like to give the visitors morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea?  Where can the buses park?"  Tried to keep smiling and not let them see the panic going on in my head.  Went on to say that there are 'groups' in and around the town who would love to do this for me (the afternoon teas, lunches etc) (for their own particular charity) if I would like them to.  Had a think and thought "Yes" I think that's what I want.  So have passed on to Rhondda to pass on to the charity.  

David and I then took ourselves off to some gardens at the weekend to just check out the lay of the land.  Oh golly - there are some beautiful, beautiful gardens in this town.  This one RODWAY "is one of Toowoomba's finest old homes built in 1904, now standing on nearly 2 acres...There are 720 Japanese box plants forming diamond-patterned hedge gardens either side of the old driveway...the lawns at the back side of the home are terraced into five distinct rooms...second room of the southern grounds is a large 'par terre' garden with a Canary palm as the centre piece

...The front (northern) garden facing South Street is dominated by five Norfolk Pines and two Jacarandas the latter of which were planted around the time the house was built

 

...To the western side of this garden, adjacent to the driveway is a doll's house furnished with a kitchen sink, fridge and stairway leading to the upper level.

 

Don't you just LOVE the clothes hoise?

WASHING

 

Blowing wildly on lines by the sea - atop a mountain from where, on a clear day, Ireland can be seen.

The mountain has ghosts.  Their desperate scrawls on the walls of the church - also by the sea that took them from their land which drove them to and over the edge.

Their names, initials, beliefs - leaving something of themselves behind.

Their descendants return searching for something of themselves.  And after lunch, stand at the edge and look towards home.

FROM THE GARDEN TODAY

It's hot here today!  Hot yesterday as well.  But still NO RAIN!  We're all starting to contemplate packing up and heading somewhere where there is some of this magic stuff - how about Singapore?  It all sounds so lush there.  Around 4.00pm yesterday, the skies started to darken and Dougal took himself to safety under the coffee table.  Lots of bangs and flashes and rain which probably lasted less than a minute.  Checked the gauge this morning and it was a total of 2 mls.  From where I sit, I can see a few clouds in the sky - but they're still the wrong colour. 

Had a lovely play in the garden before breakfast today.  Went down to the potager but David had watered it last night and it was too sticky to work in, so back up and settled myself down to weed one of the beds nearer the house.  Staggered off for my shower after about an hour and when I came through to the kitchen, David had left some strawberries from the garden in a bowl for me.  Washed them and threw them into my cerial and it all looked so beautiful with the sun shining on them, I had to take a photo.  Can you see his squash, a little gold courgettes, some rocket and in the vase dill.  At this present moment, I can here him in the kitchen cooking lunch -  dear Charis and Neil are coming over.  I've done the sweet which entailed the culinary skills of a chef from France.  See previous post from a few days ago.  Packet of TimTams main ingredient.  We're going to open our bottle of Champagne which we were given when we bought the new car a few months ago.  We shall make an optimistic toast to "rain".

Just checked the post and yes, the lemons are from the garden and yes, they do go with the tonic!

A FLUFFY PINK GRENADE

 

We were down at Emma and Michael's over the weekend - babysitting Hamish and Angus while their parents flew off to Sydney for a wedding.  When we arrived Emma had a wee collection of stuff that I've left or she's borrowed over the past few weeks.  In amongst the collection she had popped in this book that she's recently read.  Am half-way through - great read.  Here's the blurb..."Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee.  He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six.  She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."  If you're looking for a wee read, here's a good one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON

 

Happy Birthday to a beautiful man.  With love from his Mum!

IN THE GARDEN TODAY

 

 

DRESSING UP

When the Alblas family were here earlier this month, the girls had a wonderful time playing dress-ups.  Here's a gorgeous photo of Liliane standing in front of a large mirror. Girls have to have a mirror!

AN EASY PEASY SWEET

 

We had Anny and Adrian round for lunch yesterday and I made a dead easy, yummy, yummy sweet.  Between the four of us, we scoffed the lot!

1 litre good quality vanilla ice-cream (we had Connoisseur)

8 (I used 12) crushed TimTams (chocolate)

strawberries

Let the ice-cream soften, fold through the crushed biscuits.  Back into the freezer.  Serve with strawberries.