04 September, 2007

Grevilla, Australian Native


Grevilla is an Australian Native plant. I personally do not like them, but when in a mass planting and they are all in flower, they do look impressive...

03 September, 2007

Window view...


This is our 'Study Place' and it is also the 'Cat Entrance'...
I wonder what she was thinking???...

02 September, 2007

Australian Fathers Day 2007

Today, we have spent te day with family. You see, its a family thing to do on Fathers day. I did not have a chance to get to see my dad today, as his grave site is a little way away. I did think of him during the day though...
So, today we spent the morning painting the new screen dors for the back of the house, the door frames and the French doors themselves. I will take some photos of that soon and post them! After this, we (very) quickly got all cleaned up I cooked some Asian Greens Bean, photo here at my fotoblog, and off we went to L's favourite brothers place. We had to go to the chemist first to pick up some medications first (and some aftershave for me!).
When we got to the 'party' all was cooked, refreshments being served and close behind us were the baby arrivals of Rosie and Riley. Rosie was fast asleep, and Riley, after being handed around from family member to member, was getting a little unsettled and demanding a feed. Lunch was a grand event (as it always is) and then L ended up with Riley. He was somewhat unsettled, and handed him over to me, the baby wisperer. After about 4-5 mins, I handed him back to L for a hold sound asleep...
Rose now entered the living room, in all of her splendour in a very nice outfit, and she was clearly UNSETTELED! She was shifted from mother to grandmother to great grandmother, to aunty and then me. We had a couple of minutes of tears and cries, and a whisper to her saying that she is NOT going to win... I had her all but asleep when it was called for a photo time of all foour grandchildren, doh, her eyes were so heavy...

Four-Grandkids
After the photo was taken, it was now time to get a special Fathers Day photo of all the fathers and thier children. There is Pa,, L's dad, L's brother (with Max and Will), Ian (with Rosie) & Paddy (with Riley).

Fathers-and-children

Fathers Day Asian Greens


Fathers Day, Asian Greens...

01 September, 2007

31 August, 2007

Some more flowers and garden art (and a cat thrown in as well!)


Double white Hellebours

Resting Buddha, who resides under a Cupressus macrocarpa in the front yard.
A 'Red Tulip' we have in flower at the moment.

'Jasmine' our cat enjoying the winter sun...

30 August, 2007

My first post!!!


Ok, so here it is, my FIRST post, on MY blog!!!

I captured this at the Garden Australia Expo held in Sydney last week, I hope that you enjoy it!


28 August, 2007

wordless Wednesday #5 Photography Class


City Skyline

Sydney Skyline through Park

Nth Pylon

Harbour Bridge & Palms

Opera House

Path & Skyline

Rocks at night

Lunar Eclipse 28 August 2007 Sydney


24 August, 2007

Flowers to cheer you up...

After the 'sad news' that we had last Friday, and after the compulsive purchases made in Myer, we took off for the day to cheer ourselves up, so we went across town, in a circle via home, to the E.G. Waterhouse Camellia Garden. So, here is what we saw through my camera lense:


Waterhouse Camellia Garden


Camellia


Pink Camellia
And look at the size of THESE blooms... That's an arm!


Huge Pink Camellias
As we were walking around the Gardens, we came across this great looking creek


Camellia Creek
and Cherry blossom, oh how Spring must be close...


Cherry Blossom
Then on the Saturday, we decided to do some gardening around our own little house, it was feeling a little rejected. So we started with along the front fence to remove the purple fountain grass


Front Fence
and the Silk Bush is STILL flowering as well!


Silk Bush
I am glad the we had some 'cheap' hired help...


Garden Buddy
You might remember that we had Nan's 90 something birthday at Eden Gardens a couple of weeks ago, I liked this statue (or Garden Art, as it might be known...)


Eden

Eden Fly Away
The one 'weird' plant that I came across on the day was this one. It is called an 'Udder Plant', and I was not allowed to get it unless I could say where it was to be planted. I think that this is a new rule...


Udder Plant

22 August, 2007

thursday thirteen # 9... things to get completed by the end of the year!




Thirteen Things that we would like to get completed by the end of the year!!



1…. We need to get 'L' pregnant. After 2 years of medication to bring this to a conclusion, and after an IVF cycle, we think we might be nearly there until some not so good news last Friday. If we need to go through this again, so be it, but hopefully not as it is a very emotional trip which may not be so bad this time around, as the 2 SIL have had Rosie and Riley now, so the thought of not being able to get pregnant when everyone around you is, will not be so apparent!

2…. Ellerslie Flower Show in Auckland Botanic Gardens. This will be in November, and we are thoroughly looking forward to going back. We went last year and had such a great time, we decided to go back, and can be read in the following one, two, three, four & five posts! Except this time, we are taking L's Mum and Dad! This is of course, no worries as we spent nearly a week together in Noosa Heads & Toowoomba when L graduated in April. We enjoy taking time with them, and all they need to do now, is to get their Passports in a hurry!!

3…. Finish the Verandah! We (sort of) finished it back in late Feb or early March. It is not that there is much to do, just the fascia and 'barge boards' then it is finished... Not to mention to install/finish the drains which are a set of 'Rain Chains' that L won on eBay!

4…. Screen doors to living room! We were at Bunnings (sort of like a Walmart, but more hardware) a couple of months ago, and they just happened (as you do) to have four, yes 4 matching screen doors that are in keeping with our heritage Californian Bungalow styled house. These doors normally retail for $200 each, and they had them marked down to $50! So what did we do, L stayed at the store holding them, whilst I drove home to measure where they were intending to go to ensure that they will fit. They will with a minor trimming of them, a BARGAIN! So we need to prepare, paint and put these on before summer.

5…. Convert our Laundry. We (L) wants to gut out the laundry, and then install a second toilet and a shower, whilst maintaining the normal laundry bits and pieces as well. I am still not sure that there will be enough room, but I am willing to go along with it at this stage. I am sure it will look great all the same! We have seen some fantastic rimless shower screens that are quite cheap, and there is most certainly the need to have a second toilet let me tell you...

6…. Fix cracks and paint the inside of the house! These have been there since we purchased it a couple of years ago. The previous owner, according to the building report, was not the best with these cracks and that they are easily re-decoratable. So getting these done plus the wardrobe painted as well, would be nice.

7…. Bathroom renovated! Our bathroom was renovated (rather badly) and is stuck in a 1970's time warp! There is a big box like 'Vanity Cupboard' that has the same tiles as the floor, which takes up WAY to much space! This, coupled with the suspect plumbing where sewer fumes comes up through the bath drain and when you flush the toilet, you can hear it go down via the bath drain as well. So once number 5 above is completed, then we can get this done.

8…. Get a spa! This would be very nice indeed for my bad back. When we were in Rotorua last year after the Ellerslie Flower Show, we went to the Polynesian Spa. They had many 'spas' ranging from 34 degrees C, up to 41. We spent a little time in all of them, and it gave me the BEST relief for a couple of days. I was pain free, YEAH!

9…. Win Lotto, or a lottery! Come on, wouldn't you? The only thing is, we do not play in either, and at the moment, the Lottery is at $8 Million dollars!!!

10…. Get a new car! Ok, so I know that this is NOT going to happen to MY car, but I suspect it might with L's car. It is a company car, and it has nearly done all of the required klms needed. It has been a dog of a car really, and lately more so since it has had three counts of damage, all from across the road, one was admitted too but then retracted, and the other two were suspicious with no definite evidence. I can't figure out how, our car being white, ends up with a silver scratch on the corner of the bumper bar from a silver car! And, hang on, there is a similar scratch (white) on a corner of the silver car...

11…. Get a new bed! I am finding it more uncomfortable as the days (nights) go on... It is just about killing my back.

12…. Getting a Gardener to look after the gardens at home! Mind you, he/she would never do it to my standards, so maybe this is not such a good thing...

13…. Work less for more pay! Not sure how I am going to pull this one off, but if I do, it will remain a secret indeed!





The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!