Colour in my December summer garden

I love my December summer front garden. Every year it blooms glorious colours - 

red, yellow, pink, bluey mauve - and best of all these plants come back year after 

year with little maintenance. They bloom, I water and clip them back a little, 

and next summer they bloom again. Beautiful. 

So today I share some of them with you.  (My apologies for this post apearing strange 

on mobile phones. - I don't know how to fix it. Sorry)

Mauve-blue agapanthus, against the backdrop of the red coral bush, and along 

the bottom my wild hibiscus - an Australian native 

Pinks and mauves of the hydrangea - I must admit that the ones along the top 

row - the bluey mauve ones - are in my neighbour's garden

 

Roses, though they have finished their first glorious flush

The yellow Coreopsis daisy that is a wonderful border plant that comes 

back every year, frangipani, and the yellow rose bush

 

Last year a glorious new frangipani flowered in my garden - a cutting gifted to me 

by my friend - It looks like it has buds on it again - so fingers crossed. 

Native yellow and green kangaroo paws - the honey-eaters love these. 

The Australian native red bottle-brush

My Hoya is flowering in my shady patio garden

In my back garden we are picking apricots (a month early this year - looks like I 

will be making apricot jam later this week), the red and green grapes are looking 

fabulous along the side fence, and the tomatoes are coming on. We also quinces 

on our tree which will be ready in autumn. 

The apricot tree has bags all over it to firstly guard against fruit fly, and 

secondly to keep the birds off when the apricots are ready to pick. The parrots

love apricots too! 

Some of the native trees are blooming too. Everything seems early this year - 

you can see some of them on my previous post here - 

Trees are blooming for Christmas. Below are the candlestick banksia (they remind

me of giant Christmas candles), purple jacaranda (not an Australian native), 

the yellow Christmas tree, and the red flowering gum. So vibrant. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to 

hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous 

contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Eco-printing and Coreopsis

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

This time of year - November and December - summer - the Coreopsis in my garden comes alive. I love it.  The bees love them too. 

But as well as making a fantastic bright border plant in my front garden that I have to do nothing to other than cutting off the dead heads, and which comes back year after year - even in winter the green leafy plants are there - coreopsis is fantastic for eco-printing. 

The last few weeks I have been busy getting ready for Art in The Garden artisan markets for Christmas at the Stirling Street art Centre in Bunbury - it's on the last Sunday in November - less than three weeks now - so I don't have long to finish. 

Today and one day last week I have been printing with my coreopsis. Here's a few pics for you to enjoy.

These are on cotton up-cycle shirts - 

They are also fantastic on silk and wool scarves - 

I'm going to make some tote bags - but I haven't finished making them yet so I will have to come back later with those. 

Just a short post from me today - busy busy!

Do you know about eco-printing? I have blogged briefly about it before here - Eco-printing- magical absorbing art. I've learnt a lot more since then. There are some complicated processes, but I like the simplicity of printing with my coreopsis. 

There are lots of websites where you can find out more. too much for me to tell you even the basics here! I've been doing it for a few years now, but still have lots to learn. 

I continue to be heartbroken by the tragedy around the world. My friend has just returned from one of the war zones - thankfully safe. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On  

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

October 2020 - Covid photo a day project

 Hi everyone, my goodness it is November already! Can you believe it! Less than 2 months to till Christmas! I must tell you I've spent a while this morning scrolling on the internet looking for paper Christmas decorations. Amazing how quickly time goes. I've found a few I might fiddle with over the next few weeks with papers I have left over from making flowers.... once my wrist is feeling a little better. 

Anyway, here I am with the October edition of my Covid Photo-a-day project. 

1 October 2020 - Thursday - Blue Lady Orchid - Thelymitra crinita - Manea Reserve, Bunbury. I didn't expect to still be doing this project in October!!!

2 October 2020 - Friday - Jarrah blossom - along the Miller's Creek walking path

3 October 2020 - Saturday - Kangaroo at our son's block in West Dardanup. I think she is a mother carrying a joey

4 October 2020 - Sunday - Carbanup King Spider orchid

5 October 2020 - Monday - Cathedral Avenue paperbark walk, Australind

6 October 2020 - Tuesday - doodling with ink and botanical paints over an eco-print leaf print on paper

7 October 2020 - Wednesday - Moonstone - one of the weiroes we are "bird-sitting "for our grandsons. 

8 October 2020 - Thursday - cooking afternoon - lemon butter and savoury muffins. I did the one handed jobs like stirring the lemon butter.  Rod is the king of the muffins

9 October 2020 - Friday - we went for a walk along the Leschenault Inlet while our son was at afternoon dragon boat training

10 October 2020 - Saturday - we netted our apricot tree to keep the parrots from destroying our apricots

11 October 2020 - Sunday - through the paperbarks along the Collie River in Clifton Park

12 October 2020 - Monday - A day trip to Perth to see our finance adviser and then a lovely lunch at the Secret Garden Cafe in South Perth with friends. - it really is a lovely place for lunch, good serves, and very reasonably priced. 

Tuesday - 13 October 2020 - drying protea flower heads from a bunch of flowers I was given a few weeks ago

Wednesday - 14 October 2020 - our quince tree is blooming beautifully and we are looking forward to quince season

Thursday - 15 October 2020 - we have little baby birds. ps sadly a few days later they were taken before they were ready to fly.

Friday - 16 October 2020 - beautiful scented sun orchid along the trail in Manea Reserve. I had not seen this colouration before. Stunning.

Saturday - 17 October 2020- Sea eagles have nested along the Collie River. We could hear the baby squawking. One parent is sitting on the edge of the nest and the other in the tree. Unfortunately only place I could get a photo was straight into the sun and I didn't have my proper camera with me, only my phone..

Sunday - 18 October 2020 - Tassel flowers in bloom in the Harvey hills. I had never noticed their tiny stars before - Down in the bush today

Monday - 19 October 2020 - the drying protea heads are opening their cones

Tuesday - 20 October 2020 - Leopard Orchid - Manea Reserve. We hadn't seen these at Manea before.

Wednesday - 21 October 2020 - just playing with camera blur and swamp grasses

Thursday - 22 October 2020 - my latest article published in Caravan World magazine

Friday - 23 October 2020 - digital swirling in my garden

Saturday - 24 October 2020 - an orange rose from my garden

Sunday - 25 October 2020 - The Busselton waterfront was bustling in the burst of summer weather when we went down to have lunch with friends.- not that you can see it's bustling in this photo but there were people everywhere. We bought fish and chips for lunch and were lucky to get a picnic table in the shade.

Monday - 26 October 2020 - pink roses in my garden

Tuesday - 27 October 2020 - Back down to have afternoon tea with my sister and brother-in-law at the Equinox Cafe in Busselton. We sat and watched the rain roll in. So different to last Sunday.

Wednesday - 28 October 2020 - We bought two punnets of dwarf sunflowers - they are a colourful burst of sunshine in our back garden

Thursday - 29 October 2020 - Out of the splint and into physio and exercises for my broken wrist which is very stiff and not much flexibility. I need to be diligent with my exercises.

Friday - 30 October 2020 - just a few dry eucalypt leaves

Saturday - 31 October 2021 - making a start on making Christmas cards from botanical eco-printed scrap papers.

So there you have my October in pictures. I hope you and yours are doing well. Please take care and stay safe.  Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and gave me words of encouragement last week. Now that my cast is off I am feeling more positive. I have a long way to go, as my wrist is very stiff, but if I keep up my exercise regime I know it will improve. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.  

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons 
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Pieni lintu - Monthly collage challenge

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Courage Compassion Creativity

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are all dong well in these troubling times.

On Saturday evening we went to the "Confirmation"  of our youngest grandson. We are not Catholic, but our grandsons are being brought up by my daughter-in-law in her Catholic faith, which is absolutely fine with us. Even though I don't attend church I like to think that I live in a Christian way and accept that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, whatever they are. 

I enjoyed the priest's sermon relating to Covid and how we can approach it in other ways other than fear, but to practise courage, compassion and creativity in our daily lives.  Showing compassion to others in our actions, the courage of our beliefs and creativity to find ways to fill our days and to step forward and help others. 

I have been feeling a little low, but I know there is much to be grateful for - good friends, family, health (even while my wrist is broken), time, in fact life and all its glorious seasons and pathways. One of my writer's group members is going through cancer treatment at the moment, so I know I have nothing really to complain about. 

Covid numbers in Western Australia, and Australia in general are very low due to our Government's stance on hard borders with the rest of the world and within Australia itself. However in the back of my mind constantly is my fear that we are just avoiding the inevitable, especially when I hear what is happening overseas and the thousands of new cases every day. . 

I must admit that I have been hibernating and avoiding interactions. It is not good for the mind, body and soul. I must make more opportunities to catch up with family and friends. 

A Chinese saying, which I've always thought rings so true, is:

"It is not what life does to you that is important, but what you do with what life does to you."

In the book I am currently re-reading "Salvation Creek" by Australian writer Susan Duncan (about finding a new life when life has hit you a few hard blows), I read this last night - it seem particularly apt in these times:

"There are huge swags of time. Empty. Waiting for you to fill them. No distractions. That's a gift". 

I've also just finished reading "The Phone Box at the Edge of the World". by Laura Imai Messina - A beautifully crafted story about loss and finding love again and the magic of the wind phone in the phone box in the Bell Gardia Kujira-yama garden which came into existence after the tsunami in Japan in 2011. People come to talk to those who they have lost and it is where Yui and Takeshi meet. Bell Gardia, Japan. 

This book was indeed a gift. 

I think sometimes little messages are sent to us when we need them, if we open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds to receive them. 

If you are struggling like me, this old post of mine might help: Ease your stress by following your passions - I really needed to re-read this post today 

My garden is a joy at the moment. The roses and other garden flowers are blooming. The grape vines are graping, the apricot tree has tiny green apricots all over it, our small quince tree is a mass of flowers, the blueberries are ripening, the tomato plants are flowering and the lemon tree is a mass of yellow. 

Statice

My quince tree is flowering

I do hope you and yours are doing well. Thank you for stopping by. Take whatever you will from my small offering today. Please take care an stay safe. 

You might also like:

Go away winter - October 2016

 October garden - 2018

Ease your stress by following your passions - I really needed to read this post today 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.  

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

All Seasons 

MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.