Winter Cheer

I haven't picked any flowers for ages and once again I have been surprised to be able to find enough flowers and interesting foliage to make a satisfying arrangement. Dinner with Lynh and Andrew was the inspiration.

Virburnum tinus, Hakea laurina, Correa Chef's Cap, Euphorbia, Abelia and Hebe

Fiona's Fairies

When I was looking for an area of my garden to dedicate as a private memorial to my Sister in Law - Fiona, the nook with my terracotta Fairy ornaments seemed so very appropriate. I know that Fiona would approve.

Created by G. Kasch  - Garden Jargon Australia  1990

This one suffered a casualty - but
a bit of glue and a lot of love holds
her together.

I have had these precious ornaments for so long I can't exactly
remember when I got them, but I do remember the garden decor
shop in Hahndorf where they were purchased. At least one would
have been a gift.

I do not have a sign or make a point of telling visitors that the nook garden is dedicated to Fiona, but I know and I think Fiona knows too. That is all that matters.

Wheat Bags

 Using the small remnant of fabric left over from Aly's quilt cover I made my very first wheat bag. Hopefully this will be just the thing to relieve Aly's stomach cramps. 

Double stitched for strength.

Important not to over heat as they have been know to combust. 

While I had the sewing machine out and since I still had plenty of wheat
left I decided to make one for Penni who has been feeling the cold of late.

Library toys

 More dusting has been the inspiration for today's feature -  toys. Along with books we have a few toys on display. They are almost all from Rod's childhood. Back in the day when toys were crafted from wood and not mass produced in plastic.

This tractor is screwed together with wooden screws. The
wooden screwdriver is shown on the very RHS.

The steering wheel turns the front wheels.

Rod often comments how unfortunate that I don't have any
toys from my childhood.

Wooden skittles.

The clown is made of 14
wooden pieces.

This is not really a toy but it was given to me by
my parents. In fact they gave one to each of my
sisters too. This was so we could no longer accuse
them of not giving us bicycles.

In memory of Phyllis

Before moving house, Rod's Mum had these terracotta tiles in her garden. Prior to this the tiles were in her grandmother's garden. When I commented on them, Phyllis said that if I liked them she would like me to have them. I was thrilled to be the new custodian of these century old tiles, some quite weathered.  

Crooks & Brooker Adelaide XPort Terracotta Tiles

This is the second version of the placement of the tiles. The first version used
 the tiles to edge  lawn . The corners  were not at 90 degrees like they are now,
but instead had tiles set at 45 degrees across the corners.

Orange music

Alex's eye for detail and presentation is exciting to see evolve. He recently bought this Orange Amplifier and Speaker set. Now he has just finished modifying one of his guitars by painting it orange, polishing the chrome and applying a funky timber veneer to the head. 

This guitar originally belonged to Clyde and has already had one other artistic makeover .
Alex designed and painted camouflage  over the body of the guitar for a Design
project when he was undertaking his Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design .

Funky timber veneer nicely chosen to coordinate
with the original timber veneer on the neck.

Silk Tassel

This shrub holds very strong and fond childhood memories for me. The first house I lived in from new born to about 6 years of age had one of these plants which was a great source of pretend food for 3 young girls to cook and serve in their outdoor play kitchen. Our bush was planted in 1989 and was given to me by Rod and Alex. It seems that every second year yields the most tassels.  

Garrya eliptica

Our 24 year old specimen is not particularly shapely but I have been working
towards shaping it into a more impressive form.