Blossoms and Blooms

The weather has been so upside-downy here lately!

Warm days where you just want to lay in a hammock with a cold drink, then before you can put ice in your glass its raining and you find yourself shnuggling down under blankets!

So on those chilly days while the kids are hogging the TV, I curl up nearby with whatever book I have chosen next from my 'to-be-read' pile.

I enjoyed every page of a friends copy of The Au Pair and am now getting into Gypsy Girl by Rosie McKinley.

It's incredible to read about her life as a part of a travelling family.

The things she got up to would curl the hair of our modern day parents - me included!

But she survived and thrived, and it has made for a great book.

When the rain clears up do you venture outside?

Or stay cosy indoors for a while longer?

I go out and breathe in that fresh earth rain mix of air.

Reminds me of my childhood.

Maybe I haven't gotten old and grown up too much after all ;)

The raindrops gently resting on the flowers are so pretty.

Little diamonds and glitter specks.

This rose looks good enough to eat!

Like a boiled lolly, super sweet!

I planted this wisteria a few years ago.. like maybe 5ish! and it quickly wound its way up a post and began weaving its way across the top of an archway/veranda thingo, but then it stopped and started to die off.

Not just drop leaves for winter but the ends of the branches completely died.

I trimmed it back to halfway up the post to where it was still alive and after reading that wisteria quite like stress on their roots, I got in there with a shovel.

Sounds crazy but apparently it works, so here's hoping!

Mine didn't go kaput after the shovelling so maybe it'll work, it did give a few flowers but no new runners.

I have a serious thing for roses lately and have a huge crush on this climbing one!

I've planted it at the opposite end of the archway/veranda thingo to meet up with the wisteria.. if it grows.

We strung up some solar fairy lights and I have visions of the rose and wisteria mingled together, twinkling lights amongst them, the sweet scent travelling in the breeze and petals gentle falling to the ground.

So romantic its almost cheesy ;)

Today we transplanted our sad apple tree into a pot in hopes to give it a boost and in its place put this amazing tree rose.

It reminds me of the Red Queens roses from Alice in Wonderland.

I am so in love!!

I threw handfuls of sunflower seeds all over the back garden months ago and what the chickens and wild birds didn't gobble up sprouted the biggest sunflowers ever!

I was amazed when this one grew taller than me but now I cant even reach the top on tippy-toes!

I can't wait for them to bloom.

I was super excited to find my first cornflower, I took this picture straight away.

Lucky I did because those cheeky (among other words) chickens had completely devoured every single leaf from it by the time I got home from work that same afternoon!

Another plant tucked away from easy sight has flowered a beautiful shade of dark blue.

I just hope it doesn't get a haircut too! 

The wind has been bonkers at some stages over the last few weeks but hardly any nectarines have fallen, yay!

The tree has oodles all over..

cross your finger and toes that the birds leave them alone while they grow!

The clouds were so pretty the other day.

I used to look at the sky so much as a kid.

I remember hot summer days on the school oval surrounded by dry native bush (literal bush, it wasn't planted on purpose, our school was right on the edge of the scrub. The whole town was, it was fantastic! I might need to do a post on it another day..)

.. I got sidetracked, as I do..

Anyhoo, on those hot days when we were supposed to be doing our sports lessons, me being the non-athlete that I am, would stand away from the crowd half-listening but eyes wandering around the bright blue sky, admiring the shapes of clouds or birds flying by.

Hmm.. I'm starting to realize some things about myself ;)

Some days when I look at the sky now I get a deja vu feeling from specific times from my childhood.

I'm glad for that feeling, it reminds me I still have that child in me, but it also saddens me that time goes by so fast and we can't get the old days back.

I guess it just goes to show we need to appreciate everything we have because nothing lasts forever.

Eep, that was a bit heavy.

It just occurred to me how random my posts can be, and how my mind is all over the place.

I would normally delete sentences or paragraphs when I feel myself veering too much but today I just want to ramble.

I want to look back at these posts one day and not see them neatly trimmed, showing all and nothing but positivity (which is my focus) but also see my sad moments, my loopy-doop thoughts, and irrelevant memories.

I'm already looking forward to looking back through these posts one day and reading about my childhood sky watching :)

*I honestly just heard my youngest go out the front door and say 'look at the sunset'. He's onto it.. the sky is dusk blue with pink, purple and orange clouds. He's definitely my son <3

As squiggly as my mind works I do slow it down.

I bought the pattern for this bobble heart square last night and tried it out immediately.

Nighttime pics don't turn out so well, it's actually a nice red.

I hope to make a sweet lil blanky of these squares.

The day is winding down, so are me and my lil family.

I'll wrap myself up in Boof's (Elvis' new blog-name) flannel shirt and go sit under the stars, watching them slowly appear.

Maybe watch the new fairy lights twinkle away and imagine how beautiful it will be when the vines have grown through them.

Gnite

❤❤❤

Blooms and Visits

For the last week I have been enjoying a break from work.

I think my soul has really needed this one.

My sons are out of town spending time with their dad so the house has been very quiet.

I miss them beyond words but know I have to make the most of this time, it wont be long before they are home and arguing with each other again.

I 've been keeping myself super busy doing things around home.

The weather has been amazingly sweet making the chores a lot more enjoyable.

If chores can be enjoyed ;)

I wrote myself a long to-do list and have crossed off all but one job.. painting the hallway!

I prepped it and was going to get stuck in today but Elvis has scattered things all through the shed and I can't get to the paints.

Maybe it's not a bad thing, the sky has been trying to rain and it's only reached about 18 - which feels like winter after the beautiful sunshine we've been having!

My body needed the day off too.

I've pushed myself quite hard to get through my list and finished big jobs like paving a crazy path, removing the garden shed to relay the foundation pavers and putting the shed (and the gazillion things inside) back in place, the giant spring clean inside the house.

Then all the other things that just needed to be done like mowing the lawn, fixing garden fencing, baking trays and trays of moon and star shaped cookies. 

*gaaaasp*

I am puffed!

It has felt good to be physical and productive, I just need to keep it up.

The garden is between seasons but giving little bits of yums still.

We had lots of cauliflower bakes the last few weeks and have pickled up some more jars of beetroots. Next batch will be chutney-ed.

One of my favourite things to grow is carrots.

I made a big pot of carrot and coriander soup with this bunch and am thinking strongly of another carrot cake for the next lot that are bursting to be picked.

Have a look at how big the chookababies have got!

This picture was about a week, maybe 2, ago and they are even bigger again!

We still don't know if they are hens or roosters but think that at least one is definitely a boy as it has some pretty colourings showing through and a comb developing while the others don't.

The boys have named them.

Blackberry, Rosie, Castaway (has always been a little bit left behind) and the yellow fluffer is called Barbara, Babs for short.

They are super cute little eggcups!

While I was doing some shovelling in the backyard a couple of days ago I smelt something.

It was familiar and comforting and made my eyes mist up with happy and sad tears.

It was my Dad.

A mix of his deodorant, his clothes, cigarettes.. it was all of him.

He was sitting with me in the garden.

I'm not crazy.

I'm a big believer in souls, the afterlife, spirits and ghosts, and I tell ya, my Dad was with me.

The house next door is vacant and I couldn't hear other neighbours out - and I was tucked in a bit of a corner where their scent couldn't have reached me anyhow.

It was like he was right beside me, sitting on the edge of the trailer, thinking as he did, dreaming up garden plans.

Since the day he left I have prayed that he would visit me.

I wish every day and night that I could talk to him, just talk about the nothings and the everythings we used to.

I needed to know he was around.

I love that that was the moment he visited me.

Just he and I, in the garden.

He was always doing work to his garden, making new beds, tidying up, fixing things, adding quirks.

That's what I was doing.

And I was using his tools that I'd watched him use since I was a little girl, shadowing him around the place.

It makes me happy, relieved, overjoyed and overwhelmed that he was there.

I hope he stops by again soon.

Well I need to go a get a box of tissues again!

And I might go get some air in the garden while the sun is peaking through, though the wind has picked up so I don't think it'll be a warm sun.

Please, wind, don't blow away my nectarine babies!