Settling into a new garden

Every day in a new garden is an adventure.  We discover new and exciting things everyday.  I don't know what this flower is called but it looks almost like it is painted.

There are several roses dotted throughout the garden.  They are not roses I would have chosen but they suit this space and I am thrilled with them.

We are waiting for our fruit to ripen and I think the birds are waiting for them too.  We have apples, apricots and cherries.  Our lemon tree has finished fruiting but has lots of new fruit on it.   The idea of having a productive garden is also new to us.  We have added a vegetable garden and a little plot of herbs.

Speaking of birds - I discovered this nest today when I was pruning.  Mother bird is sitting on the eggs so I was careful not to disturb her.  There are several nests in our garden and the birds here are different from the birds in our previous garden. 

Sometimes we even manage some time to sit and relax.  This palm makes it feel like a resort in our own back garden.

 The lower part of the brim is covered in wool tops to represent the sea and the rest of the brim is covered in texture paste and shells.  Once it was dried I sprayed it with yellow ink to represent sand. 

 The crown is surrounded by beach huts made of paper and painted.  The top is painted green and topping it all is a lighthouse.

I have been decorating a summer hat for a display at our art group.  We were asked to decorate a summer hat and or thongs (flip flops) for our annual display. 

It has been a slow process but I am pleased with the results. 

Planning a new knee

Today I visited the surgeon who will do my knee replacement.  He is well known as an orthopedic surgeon and operates in a hospital just ten minutes from our home.

I do feel nervous about the surgery but at present I can hardly walk for more than five minutes.  I look forward to being able to take long walks again.


Anyway in the meantime the garden continues to delight.

Beautiful gifts from dear friends.

 Today I received a parcel in the post from my friend Linda.  I have never had hand knitted socks before and these are gorgeous,  warm and comfortable.   Linda and I have been friends for several years although we have only spent time together on two occasions.  Our love of textiles, photography and the countryside underpins our friendship and I will treasure these socks. 

Yesterday I also received a gift from a friend.  Norma and her husband John are preparing to move home and when we caught up on Sunday Norma mentioned that there were a few things that she had put aside for me - would I like to pick them up before they move?    There were threads and needle and scissors and a very old book.  The book had been passed down to Norma from her mother and is very old. 

I am looking forward to reading this book and it will be passed down to someone who will appreciate and love it.

Do you have any old needlework books that you treasure?

Halloween and the Wallabies Versus the All Blacks.

Today we have had rain and thunder and lightening. We have also had lovely sunshine.  

Our Spring racing (horse) carnival has commenced as has our Spring Art Show.

This morning I was lucky to sell a few items at the art show.  We have another three days to go so I am hoping for more sales.

I will add these hand dyed doilies to the stand tomorrow. 

This afternoon we were visited by lots of children celebrating Halloween.  Lots of dressing up and laughter.  It is the first Halloween since we moved into this neighbourhood and it was great to see so many youngsters and their parents walking around the area.  We dispensed a huge amount of treats and everyone of the children thanked us. 

As if that wasn't enough excitement we have the Rugby World Cup final starting at about 3 am.  Our Wallabies against New Zealand's All Blacks.  Hoping for a win for Australia.

Melbourne Cup Weekend

This weekend will be busy with the Spring Art Show.  I have been trying to decide on things to include on the stall and you can see hubby has been relaxing with the tv and a glass of wine. 

Wonders from the garden

Goodies for the Spring Fair

I am making a few items for the Spring Art Show.  It always comes around quickly and then I am in a panic.

I enjoy making buttons and broaches and they are usually well liked.

These little pencil/scissor holders turned out quite well.

It is hard to think of things to do in a hurry and still be happy with the results but I think these items should be fine.

New House - New Life

I have been surprised at how quickly we have settled into our new home.  It is as if we have always lived here.

It is only 20 minutes from our previous home so we are still in the same general area but this is much more suburban compared to the bushland we were living in.

In practical terms this house is not as big as our previous one but it is spacious and well designed.  There are no stairs and the block of land is flat. 

We were on a quiet windy little road before and now we are on a main road with school buses passing by morning and afternoon.

We had possums and tall trees and mostly indigenous plants in our garden.

There were lots of beautiful birds too.

Our new garden is well established with lots of flowers and green lawns.

Fruit trees and bulbs.

I spend a lot of time outside in the garden.

I do love our new home.