Not much happening

This is the November page I received from Helga in Germany.  If you click on it you will see the embroidered cat 'Paul' which belongs to her neighbour.

She also sent me this postcard with the explanation of the page on the back of it.  Both very nice.

My November page had to be about a Van Gogh landscape, which I needlefelted, using both the embellisher and a hand needle.  You can see the picture I was trying to depict in the photo below! 

There has not been a lot of activity around here lately.  I seem to have spent my time going to doctors trying to get my legs to work properly!  Shall just have to put up with everything for a while, the soonest I can get in to see the next specialist is mid February.  Christmas activities are going to be minimal this year I suspect - too hard to walk far, so everyone will get gift vouchers to spend on what they want.  Actually the older grandchildren will get cash in the hand - they like that better than anything as they are always saving for some project.  I remember when our boys were small they used to spend half the year working out what they were going to buy with the money they knew they would get from their grandparents at Christmas - the priorities changed frequently, but they had months of fun planning!

We actually have a bit of cloud cover today and managed 2 mm rain!  This October/November had been so dry and with strong northerly winds blowing the garden is desperately dry.  At least we can water and save plants - the hinterland has quite a few bushfires burning, some lit deliberately.  That is so awful for the landholders trying to keep fodder for their stock.

Now I am off to my workroom to see what inspiration I can drum up.

More flowers - and Jock

the Leichardt trees are starting to flower at the Botanic Gardens.  I just love the golf ball sized flowers, especially looking up through the canopy as in this photo.  Looks even better if you click on it to enlarge.  Whenever I hear the name Leichardt I always think with amuzement of the directions being given on my sister's GPS system.  We were driving around Brisbane and were directed to go down 'Leechart' street.  It took a few minutes to realise the young girl reading the directions had no idea of the pronunciation!!  I know she was young as she comes from Mackay and obviously did not study history of any kind at school.

I brought a cutting of this shrub home from my sister's garden in Buderim a couple of years ago and have struggled with it ever since.  At last I think I am doing the right things by it and this lovely bloom has appeared.  I am driven to distraction as I cannot remember the name of the shrub and I can't find the article in a gardening magazine - when I know it is there somewhere!  Does that sound familiar to any of you?

This is a not very clear photo of our crazy dog, who then got into trouble for pinching my new 'feet seat' which he was sure was a new toy for him to play with.  He was running around the room and trying to toss it into the air.  We have been having words about it ever since, I think I am winning but I am not too sure, it is place out of reach when I am not using it.

Now I had better get a cup of coffee for my hard working husband who is putting up some guttering around our greenhouse.

PS.  I have finally found the name - Ruellia Chartacea, a native of South America.  I googled it and I am now going to buy a larger pot and keep it in that.  I had been planning to plant it into a garden bed, but apparently I will do better with the pot.

Some birds at the Gardens

I have finally managed a short walk in the Gardens again taking my new camera along with me.  I am really thrilled with the zoom in this coolpix camera - much improved on my old camera, but no doubt that is because it is newer!

The ubiquitous white ibis were there.  they are such a pest in lots of places, but I must admit that they like to eat baby cane toads, so I am quite glad they are around!  Some Pacific black ducks were sunning themselves as well.

This is much better when you click on it to enlarge.  The tree in front of the deck is not really dead - trees in the tropics tend to lose all their leaves in the spring, this one will be covered in new leaves and beautiful pink flowers in another month or so.

This egret is stalking its food in a carpet of a terrible weed - water hyacinth.  The gardeners fight a continuous battle against this, at the moment the weed seems to be winning, but there are weevils trying to eat their way through the weed.

I really love this desert rose - can't remember its proper name.

Not sure when I shall be back walking again as my right knee has packed it in once again and my left hip has decided to get in on the act as well! Just old age and arthritis I know, but I wish it would go away.  We have suddenly got some hot and very sticky weather which I don't think is helping.  I shall have to hide in the air conditioning and do some stitching instead.