Well, that snuck up on me

I should have seen the signs of course. When a young colleague apologised to me after saying someone was behaving like an old woman, that was a clue.

Then one morning I woke to this. One of our wonderful neighbours left balloons at the front door and a sign on the garage door.
There was no hiding the fact that my birthday had arrived.
I have turned the big 60.


A champagne brunch was held to celebrate the occasion and being old and forgetful, I forgot the take any photos. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and look forward to whatever the next decade has in store.

Well it's been a while

Living on a relaxed laid back island is all very well if your lifestyle is also relaxed and laid back.

Lately mine has been anything but.
My job plus the commute to and from work seems to have become more demanding this year. I love my job, but there are many times I wish I could stay home and walk along the beach with Missy (and John) instead of setting off in the car each morning.
I'm still glad we moved to Bribie island but I have much less free time than I used to.

The garden is powering on without any help from me.

The pink pompom hibiscus keep flowering and are thickening up well. They'll soon form a hedge.

Along the back fence the palms and the native hibiscus have reached fence height. The cannas continue to flower, but with Winter coming on they will die back soon.

The heliconias are also growing well and the crepe myrtle. 

We'll soon have a mini tropical retreat.

A lovely place to sit and enjoy the garden....

Hope to have time to do that soon.

The Ginger Festival

Today we went to the Ginger Factory at Yandina - about an hours drive up the road. It was their annual Flower and Food Festival. Ginger plants, ginger recipes, cooking demonstrations and gardening talks.

I did not buy one ginger plant.

As we walked into the main cafeteria we were greeted by this enormous floral arrangement featuring beehive and torch gingers as well as various heliconia and other flowers. (This is just the lower half)

Heliconias (my favourite flower) made up the upper half

To get an idea of scale, you can see it was twice the height of a person.

 

There's an extensive garden shaded by large trees. The ideal growing conditions for gingers and other tropical plants.

Love this combination

 

This was the view from where we sat to eat lunch.

 

They sell all manner of ginger products - cosmetics, candles, etc, jams and sauces and chocolate coated ginger (some of that came home with us)

I didn't buy any ginger plants because they need more shelter than we can provide yet. Heliconias, on the other hand, don't mind full sun and when they grow tall will help provide shade for the ginger plants I might buy next year.

I did buy a few heliconias

 

and

they're already in the ground.

We have grass

Someone is especially happy

 

She's missed it.

A new shade house

John and I decided that we would give each other something for the garden for Christmas this year.
He erected my present over the weekend and it's already been put to use. Stay tuned for John's present.... It's next on the list.

Eventually a lot of the bromeliads will live around the garden, but until there's enough shade to protect them, they have a new home. There's a few other assorted plants in there as well - a few orchids and crab cactus, but mostly broms that we brought with us. They will get a little morning sun, but shade for the rest of the day.

Our other little project last weekend was to create a more permanent area for the succulents. When we moved I poked small pieces of various succulents into bonsai pots and other small pots, often 4 or 5 types in the one pot. They've been sitting on the ground near the laundry door and have grown and multiplied. I hope they do as well in their new home. It's actually the same area but we made steps from leftover bricks so the area looks neater.

All of those flapjacks (Kalanchoe luciae) at the front came from the one plant producing multiple babies.


I still have a couple of mixed pots to separate, though I actually like the look of the mixed plantings.
Originally, I bought the bonsai pots thinking I might try to learn the art of bonsai, but I'm starting to think that they may be better used as pots for mixed succulent plantings.


I can see this area expanding as our succulent collection expands. Maybe we'll even create a succulent wall.

Welcome 2016, may you be a great one.

A little late I know, but Happy New Year everyone!

We've had a busy time lately, including a trip to South Australia with my brother to visit an uncle who has been ill, as well as the usual Christmas festivities.
It's back  to work and the usual routine again now.... and time to catch up with blogging.


Meanwhile the garden is slowly developing.

I added a few annuals to the front garden to fill in the spaces while the permanent plants get going.

At the top of the stairs we created a courtyard effect with a water feature (goldfish included, of course). Recognise the bowl. We brought it with us.

Welcome rain is helping the plants along the back fence




Can you pick the colour scheme ?

Have you guessed yet?

What? Need more clues?

John has built two wooden screens which not only make great vertical gardens but provide a windbreak and some additional privacy. At the moment we've planted them with annuals for a quick burst of colour, but I'm still deciding on permanent plants for them.


Living near the ocean is wonderful in so many ways, but can also have some issues. Sometimes we get a lovely sea breeze much appreciated on a summers day. Sometimes we get an annoying wind that dries out the pots very quickly and has even snapped a couple of plants off at ground level.
.

The plants along the side fence were chosen mainly for screening. It will take some time, but eventually they will be higher than the fence. They're coming along well.





The next job on our list is to plant some grass.


It will be interesting, I think, to look back at the garden at the end of this year.

Old dogs and new tricks

I haven't mentioned Missy for quite some time.  She's almost 16 and is showing her age more and more lately. Her arthritis gives her trouble and stops her running about and playing with her toys as she once did. Now it's a slow stroll (except when food is involved then she bounces).  She doesn't hear the car arrive home or even my footsteps up the hallway, so gets a surprise when she sees me. Her eyes are clouded by cataracts and she sleeps for much of the day.
BUT
She's still in charge of the household.

What is it they say about teaching old dogs new tricks?
I'm guessing you can't teach them because they are very good at discovering new tricks for themselves.

Missy's "You just woke me up" look.

Missy has always had us well trained.
We know when she likes to be fed  --- 6 AM and 6 PM --- It can be earlier but never later. As an old lady she has started asking for extras.... the leftover milk from my breakfast cereal has become a necessary second breakfast rather than an occasional treat. Empty plastic containers (cream, dips, yoghurt, etc.) are begged for.
 Chicken, bacon, gravy and most meats are stared at to telepathically make them fall off the table. When that doesn't work, there's whimpering, more staring but now aimed at John or me rather than the meat, more whimpering... until the food is either taken away or she has a win. We have to be careful not to feed her too much because she isn't getting the exercise she once was. The vet did say the medication she is taking would increase her appetite - but really.... you would think we starve her. The problem is, of course, that sometimes we give in.

She has a number of favourite sleeping spots and goes from one to another throughout the day - usually near where we are. 

For a dog with poor eyesight and hearing, she surprises us with her ability to know when dogs are walking by. She looks sound asleep. She can't see them - even if she was looking in that direction, yet she knows and gets up to bark. Often she barks then a few moments later we see the dog. I'm guessing it's her sense of smell letting her know there's another dog nearby.
The other dog generally ignores her which must be frustrating to a little old dog who is diligently protecting her home.


Even in old age she's still the boss.