The weekend...

We had a wonderful day celebrating Ross's birthday on Saturday. He, Blossom and the girls came by late in the morning and after cool drinks and the opening of presents we settled down to his favourite mother-in-law birthday meal - chicken pasta salad. Ross requests it every year and I have to tell you my heart swells with joy about that.

I had made a huge amount so they could take the leftovers home, as well as raspberry coconut slice and a banana cake with passionfruit icing. I don't think anyone leaves my kitchen with a hungry tummy because there's always plenty to go around and usually more to take home...

At first Cully May patiently waited for us to take her into the pool, but then she impatiently reminded us over and over again as it became obvious to her that lunch was drawing to a close. Gotta love a persistent 2yo! 

We ended the day with a good long swim followed by coffee and cake, then bade our fond farewells as the little girls yawned and our precious daughter and her beloved took them home.

Next morning Mr E and I headed out early to visit a few garage sales our council had organised. We'd gone to a few the previous morning but returned home with nothing so next morning we traveled further afield and came home with some lovely plants, a brand new electric hedge trimmer ($10!) and a book on growing cactus and succulents. 

Mr E trimmed the hedges later that afternoon and was very pleased his purchase did such a good job...

...and I am still deciding where to plant the dwarf bougainvillea and the cordyline negra.

Quite possibly they'll become part of the front garden.

I may not have mentioned this before but we live on a main road and though the back of the house is beautiful and peaceful, the front is very loud from traffic and it does hinder one's desire for a restful night's sleep as the main bedroom is right near the front door. 

So my beloved is working on a noise barrier, but instead of something ugly we shall be creating a rock garden on the road side of it, and put lily pily shrubs in pots on the bedroom window side. (we cannot plant on the bedroom side as there's a pump under the ground for removing excess water during the wet season)

It will have a slight V in the centre when complete but at the moment hubby has just begun painting all the wood so it may be another couple of weeks before we're ready to add rocks, soil and plants - all depends on how much time he has as this is a busy term at school.

We'll also close off the gaps in the front fence, but one thing at a time as we must save first - our purpose is not to create extra debt but to pay off the mortgage as quickly as we can and save for everything else we need.

My rescued lemon tree is thriving but a few unwanted visitors had to be removed the other day...

Fortunately welcome visitors took their place.

The cuttings I took a couple of weeks ago from the Elephant Bush (Jade) were ready to plant yesterday so I've got quite a few prepared and hopefully they'll all take root as Blossom would like some for her backyard as well. 

SEWING...

Well, I am behind which is no surprise after the house move and all that's gone on around the garden and unpacking and the settling in during the past month...but it was definitely time to take a breath and get back to work because we do have a mortgage after all.

The check print is from Bonnie & Camille whilst that vibrant floral is by Tilda.

I was looking for a few fabric duos to make more alphabet pincushions when the idea to use these two in a design for November took over my thought process so out came the sketch pad and by the following afternoon I had a design traced and stitching was underway!

Once the household chores were done this morning, and all emails had been answered, the coffee machine delivered me a steaming soy cappuccino and I was ready to let my stitching fingers get back to work. 

Of course I did make a mistake first up. I chose to watch the movie 'Florence Foster Jenkins' and as I'd not seen it before I hardly got any stitching done at all! 

It was obvious I need to pull out my Marple and Poirot and Jane Austen DVDs if I am going to get work done. Fortunately, tomorrow is a new day and I shall be staying home and hopefully catching up with work at last.

I can hear hubby calling me for an evening cuppa so I'd best say "Bye!" for tonight and finish my thoughts in the next blog post. 

What thoughts, you ask?

Plans for 2019...

Big hugs

After the rain...

Over the weekend we had some glorious rain, something our region hasn't seen since the first week of March, and within a couple of days this garden we've been carefully watering, tending, pruning and weeding simply sprung to life with such vigour that now, as soon as my feet hit the floor each morning I head outside to walk around barefoot on the cool grass and see what new things I shall discover.

Like these pink buds which have simply 'appeared' on an almost bare tree we cannot identify...

...and the blue cheeked Rosella who feasted on seeds from one of our many grevillias until Tom the cockatoo swooped down to shoo it away. 

It seems that each new day brings with it more opportunity to work in the garden and there is simply no time to be bored or lazy - though my aching muscles would very much prefer it if I took a lazy day or two soon. 

Mr E has been pruning the trees and larger shrubs...

...and I am gathering seeds from the old basil we brought with us, drying pruned off cuts from the large jade plant for re-potting next weekend, catching seeds from bursting desert rose pods and planting more things in both pots and in the ground. 

I thought this looked a bit like a plant UFO when I first saw them growing on all the desert roses throughout the garden...

...but then one burst open and a lot of fluffy things flew out and began to drift past on the wind, which was when I realised these were desert rose seeds so I quickly gathered as many as I could and have them safe in a jar while I read up on planting them.

The jade plant near our front door was so huge that I had to trim quite a lot off, though to look at it now you'd still say its rather large...

...but I've kept a dozen or so good pieces which I shall plant in pots once the ends dry out and grow over. In the meantime they make a lovely centrepiece on the outdoor table. 

I finished gathering the basil seeds from the few plants we brought with us as one by one they have bolted with the onset of hot weather...

...whilst the remaining leaves have been used in many lunches and dinners.

Saturday lunch was simple pizzas made on naan bread bases. Delicious once baked, though I forgot to take after photos. 

Early Saturday morning we drove around to check out a few garage sales and I'm so glad we did!

The week before we'd been pricing large glazed planter pots at Bunnings but they were a bit out of our budget so I asked God if He would please provide good affordable pots one day.

Well, after finding nothing we needed at the the first five garage sales, the final two were meant for us. We bought four large glazed pots for $25, half the price of a single pot at Bunnings, and they were in perfect condition. I used Mr E's muscles to load them in the Jeep and then we headed off to the final garage sale where we bought this beautiful huge fern...

My beloved thought I'd like it near the kitchen window so when I looked out I could see it, but the problem was I couldn't see anything BUT the fern. LOL!!

So we have moved it to the side of the carport and it's thriving there. 

God is good all the time!

Never think something is too small or insignificant for God. I pray for a carpark at the shopping centre or down by the beach ALL the time and sometimes Mr E laughs at me, but you know what, I always get a car park close to where I need to be. He is my Dad, my Heavenly Father, and I am His child...when I have a need, any need, I ask Him about it, and I believe my asking makes Him happy because I'm turning to Him just the way my little children used to turn to me. And His word tells us to be as a child in the way we relate to Him so I sure intend to stay little in His eyes.

Other things found in the garden after the rain that I can identify are blooming bottlebrush...

...a double hibiscus...

...and a few brilliant orange ixora.

New plants we've purchased are a yellow kalanchoe...

...and an olive tree which we planted in one of the glazed pots after we read it grows 7 metres high by 7 metres wide! At least this way we can keep it small, though I do hope to get olives one day as I'd love to learn how to prepare them in brine. 

I also found some succulents in small pots beside the pool, hidden under larger plants. They were root bound so I've separated them and planted the many smaller sections through the garden and in some old plastic pots to see if they take. 

This is another gorgeous flowering shrub that I haven't been able to identify. Do you know what it is??

On Monday Blossom came over with her girls for the day and we had such a lovely time. The little ones scattered toys from one end of the living room to the other, played in the pool (my muscles ache from carrying Cully May around and around and around in the water - "More nana!"), gobbled up lasagne, bread and rock cakes, and generally had the most wonderful day. 

You can't buy those kind of days so treasure them. 

Goodness, I've gone on a bit today, but before I sign off you should know that the new issue of The Stitchery Club was emailed to all my club members today, and for those of you who are not members I have added it to my shop - just in case you'd like to stitch lots of pretty Christmas stockings.

 Do you like my new logo and pattern cover?

Over coming weeks my shop will have a lovely makeover and a number of new/old patterns will appear on it's shelves to download, all with the new logo and cover. In fact my blog will get a makeover too. Have to admit, giving the blog a makeover is one of my favourite things to do.

Shop HERE for Elefantz patterns.

And if you'd like to see what's coming in the November issue of The Stitchery Club just pop over there for a peek.

I'll be back on Friday with your next pattern in our Alphabet Pincushions Stitch-a-long.

Does your name begin with "H" I wonder??

Until then, may your days be blessed and your nights feel like a soft pillow of peace...

hugs

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The garden and our regular visitors...

This is where I sit each morning to sip my hot coffee, read my Bible and pray...

It's just after dawn and as my husband catches another half hour of sleep I am joined by some feathered visitors who take turns breakfasting from our bird feeder nearby.

We've named the cockatoo "Tom" and discovered he's quite territorial about our back yard. Tom arrives before the sun slips over the top of our home and I think that's because he knows once the orange rays fall upon the feeder his breakfast will be interrupted for a while.

Between reading and prayers I watch him make a delightful mess of the bird seed we've provided, then right on cue as the sky turns bright and sunlight hits the bird feeder another two visitors arrive to shoo him away.

We call this pair of rainbow lorikeets "Double Trouble" because they gang up on poor Tom who must move to one of our trees and wait until they've had their fill before he can return...

All three birds are quite content to have us walk around the yard or beside the feeder, they've quickly become used to us and don't flinch even when Sophie the cat sits right under the feeder watching them from the shrubbery. 

A little later when Mr E and I have our own breakfast outside a few Ibis will drop down from the sky to drill their long beaks into the grass looking for bugs. I haven't been able to get a photo of them yet because Bob the dog does not like them so my spare hand holds him by the collar with hope that one day he'll figure out they are welcome. 

This is where we eat all our meals these days...

...and this is our view. You can see "Double Trouble" at the bird feeder.

Each day the garden changes a bit as we plant things out into the soil, move things around, or add something new.

A small lemon tree in the front yard was almost dead and crippled with curly leaf and mildew so we'd decided to pull it out and plant a new one in a better position but later thought why not give it a fighting chance first?

So hubby and I bought a large terracotta pot, some very good citrus tree soil, and pruned the lemon tree to within an inch of life before potting it. Watering well and praying for a few days what a surprise to see it come to life with new shoots and flowers!!

There are loads of hibiscus and a few bouganvillea trees scattered through the garden, plus an abundance of native grevillea and various other trees - all of which attract butterflies and birds so every day brings bountiful life in and through the gardens.

I've potted some herbs (mint, basil, chives) and planted out rosemary and lavender, but we're not going overboard with filling the gardens just yet as some areas need to be made bigger, a tree close to the house has to be removed, and the entire front yard needs a makeover.

We have about six or seven beautiful Desert Roses around the property but the one near our front door is by far the most glorious!

The rest of the front yard is rather barren (this is where we dug up the dying lemon tree) but along the fence line there are more hibiscus, grevillea and other natives which simply need water and time to come alive with colour. 

I'm in love with Kalanchoe and have purchased a pink and a white which we've planted in pots...

Little by little the garden is coming alive and truly, the joy we receive from this is beyond words.

Each afternoon once the garden chores are finished we cool off in the pool...

...and the funny thing about that is we never, ever wanted a pool. In fact it was the major 'strike' against this house the day we first walked through it. 

But God knows what we need better than we do and swimming each day has brought such relief to our aching bodies that we can't thank Him enough.

This home really is a gift from God and as each day passes and our own touches are made here and there we feel as though we have lived here much longer than 17 days.

My husband finally has his own shed...

...and I have the loveliest kitchen and pantry. They are perfect for my needs and cooking is more of a delight than ever before.

Well, that's definitely more than enough blogging for today. Mr E is waiting for a lovely thick slice of date loaf and a cuppa before we settle down to watch telly for a bit.

Drop by on Friday for the next Alphabet Pincushion, okay? I had to change my sewing room around a bit yesterday when I was stitching it because I discovered my original layout wasn't going to work as well as I'd first imagined - but I'll show you the tweaks on Friday. 

Until then, bless you ever so much,