After the rain...

All is fine.

We got plenty of rain but the ex-cyclone crossed the coast north of us and went back out to sea so thankfully we didn't receive the predicted wild winds. 

Mr E worked non-stop to install the bigger pumps in our front and back yards before the rain set in, and he also replaced and extended our down pipes so the water flowed away from the foundations of the house. This was a huge job and I am still in awe of the work he put in to reduce the pooling of storm water.

The pump in the backyard ran for 24 hours, pumping 20,000 litres of water per hour out to the street, and though our yard is still a sea it is far better than it would have been had hubby not replaced the small pump for a larger and more powerful one.

Thanks for your prayers and kind concern. The animals stayed indoors looking for dark hidey holes as is normal for them in bad weather, but what surprised me was the frogs trying to get in the back door, not to mention the one who actually achieved that goal. I found him jumping around the bathroom in the middle of the night! Mr E is up at the pool right now (it was overflowing) removing frogs and toads - they are everywhere and now that the rain is gone Sophie cat is keen to catch some so he's shooing her away at the same time.

This being our first cyclone/tropical low in the new home we did not know what to expect and it was quite alarming the other night during heavy rain when we realised the house could flood if we didn't do something quickly to avert water before this bigger storm arrived. 

We still haven't been tested with regards to high winds (and there are some non-compliant structures the previous owner erected that must be removed soon) but one thing at a time, by the grace of God.

We discovered over the course of this past week that there is still much to be done around the outside of the house so over these school holidays my beloved will continue to make the home more weather-secure and eventually we'll fill the front yard with garden.

Now that the storm has passed we'll be experiencing very hot days with extreme humidity. It's always something in the tropics. LOL! Tonight we drove down to the Strand and sat by the beach in a lovely cooling breeze and ate fish and chips, relishing the dry air and the drop in temperature before the heat returns tomorrow.

Wherever you are, may the Lord's hand be upon you and keep you safe, loved and fully at peace as you trust in Him.

hugs

OH - a pincushion and the rains came!

These past couple of nights we have celebrated the arrival of rain. 

After two weeks of out of control fires burning across our state I pray the rains have brought relief and a respite from fear and distress for those in affected areas. But my heart sorrows for the precious ones who lost all they had during the intense heatwave and fire conditions which late November and early December delivered.

The wet season rain here in the tropics has set me on a course of what feels like endless migraines, the barometric kind which cannot be avoided - but I rejoice that's all I'm contending with, after all, my home still stands unaffected by fire. When we compare our situation with that which others face it often dims in comparison. 

Our garden is certainly glad of a respite from the harsh 45c (115f) conditions of late, with rain producing new life very quickly, so I thought I'd take some new photos. They're a bit dark but the skies are cloudy and will be for a while with more needed rain coming over the next week and probably (hopefully) throughout the new wet season.

I planted this Mock Orange tree just days before the heat wave and have been hand watering a few times each day to keep it going. We had one of these trees at a previous house and I knew if we ever bought a home of our own I'd plant one. So I did. 

Mr E had to dig up and around the garden bed which sits outside the back undercover area as it was riddled with termites. After treatment and disposal of the wood chip and affected soil (the previous owners had wood chip everywhere, a termites menu) he added our own compost and good soil around all the plants and covered the garden with sugar cane mulch which our pest control friend suggested because termites hate it. 

I asked hubby to remove a few plants from that garden bed because quite frankly I did not like them, and by doing so we were able to plant the mock orange in their now vacant space. The fragrance is simply beautiful as it's a type of Jasmine. You can see it just behind the terracotta pot where it will grow lush and tall over time.

Early yesterday morning after a night of wind and rain I went up to check the pool as after windy weather there's often leaves across the surface which need to be scooped out. Instead of green leaves a third of the surface was covered in a red blanket of poinciana flowers!

It was beautiful!  But they still needed to be removed so before Mr E awoke, in the cooling silence of dawn, I scooped them all out and piled their wet soggy petals nearby for him to see later. It never occurred to me to grab my camera to take a photo, but believe me that red carpet across blue water was gorgeous.

The poinciana tree belongs to our neighbour but it flows over the side fence beside the pool and as I find such joy in the vivid red/orange flowers and lime green buds and leaves Mr E has not trimmed it back...though he has suggested it a few times whilst scooping red petals from the pool. 

As I scour the various garden beds I'm finding many plants offering up 'babies' that I can propagate and plant out front when Mr E completes his garden preparations over the summer school holidays.

Our potted aloe vera plants are showing themselves to be quite prolific breeders too!

A trip to Bunnings this weekend for more pots has been scheduled...

Two green 'bulbous' plants literally popped up near the side front fence overnight and the following day opened into beautiful orange globes. 

We've no idea what they are but we welcome them.

I showed one of these recently but more blooms are now in play so I must ask if you know what the plant is? Is it some form of lily?

Most of the potted herbs are doing very well indeed, especially the oregano and parsley... 

...but the basil which is planted in the garden is doing better than the potted one. In fact, the potted basil bolted quickly but the garden bed basil has not. 

This time next year we'll have created more garden beds just for herbs and vegetables, but for now we use what we have with delight.

Our first pineapple is thriving still...

...and the pink kalanchoe has decided to bring forth a second flush of  blooms.

Last May dear Blossom gave me a purple tin planter and lavender seeds. I did not plant them at the time as I wanted to wait until we had a home of our own.

Just after we moved here I unpacked her gift and following the instructions planted the seeds in their tin. Now I am fairly patient with gardening but did think 20-40 days for a lavender seed to germinate was a long time to wait, however, my heart decided to hope on the 20 day option.

Not so.

It has now been 60 days and guess what I saw on Tuesday morning?

Blossom was here with the girls so it was doubly special to find her lavender gift making it's way out of the soil and into the world above.

We still get a LOT of birds at the feeder and generally all around the yard so the Australian Field Guide for Birds lives permanently on the outside table where we have breakfast each day...

It's such a lovely spot to sit and watch feathered visitors come and go, though Bob the dog would rather sleep now the weather has cooled a little...

...whereas Sophie follows me all around the gardens each morning.

Hubby is busy each afternoon when he comes home from school, digging up more of the road-based front yard, composting, cleaning the pool, cleaning leaves from the guttering and moving down pipes away from the house slab. 

There's so much to do here and many gardens yet to build (along with a rock wall garden out front) but what joy we have planning it all.

The four cuttings of frangipani I took continue to flourish and will be planted out once the front yard has been cleared of road base and soil put down. Probably two out front and two in the back yard...

As I look around at the unexpected blooms and those that simply last and last, the gratitude in my heart expands. God has blessed us, beyond what we had dared hope.

AND NOW...I'm sure you're waiting for this week's Alphabet Pincushion?

I had my friend Ondrea in mind with this one. The O is featured inside a little window...

You can follow how I make a cameo window to sit over a stitchery in these two tutorials.

This one is for a pincushion and this one is for displaying a stitchery in a frame.

'O' has been embroidered onto a white cotton/linen blend background fabric and the beautiful window fabric is a Lecien linen print from 2013 which I use sparingly for special projects.

Download the pattern for 'O' here or here

This pattern will be free to download until January 3rd.

The pattern sets for A-E, F-I and J-N are now a $2 purchase here in my shop. 

Next week I shall remove the veil of secrecy and tell you what's happening in Elefantz for 2019.

There are changes, and I'm excited about them.

God bless you and keep you close to His heart. 

May He fill your mind with His peace, your sleep with His rest, your attitude with His kindness and your needs with His provision - for every good gift is from God above.

hugs

Block 11 "A Year in the Garden" BOM and some garden friends...

I'm about three hours early (Australian time) sharing our November pattern but I'm sure you don't mind?

I love hydrangeas. Really love hydrangeas.

They're not easy to grow in the tropics but a few very green thumbed gardeners around the place have had some success which proves it's not impossible. A couple of years ago I attempted to keep a potted hydrangea and it did rather well over our very warm tropical winter and into the start of spring, but then the intense mid-spring heat and humidity returned and that lovely hydrangea promptly died on me.

At the weekend Mr E and I were back at Bunnings again (we should buy shares in Bunnings) as he needed a chain saw to trim the trees under the power lines and to reduce one entire tree to a stump. Man stuff, man toys. I on the other hand wandered over to my favourite Bunnings department - the garden centre - and strolled up and down rows and rows of bonsai, shrubs, trees, flowers, herbs, vegetables and succulents, wishing I could load a trailer and take all that flourishing greenery home. 

Suffice to say I bought a bag of fertiliser and nothing else. Though I did look longingly at the hydrangeas in full bloom and toss back and forth reasons why I should and why I should not buy a pot or two. 'Should not' won that day, but perhaps not the next time I visit Bunnings which given our current obsession with all things garden related could be tomorrow or the next day or the next day. 

Anyhow, this month's feature flower in our Block of the Month is the hydrangea and I'm jolly happy about that because it is permanently in bloom and impervious to weather changes, pests or neglect.

Download the November pattern HERE in my shop.

It will be free until November 30th when it will become a $2 purchase.

The previous month's blocks can be seen here and are all available as a $2 purchase from my shop. 

We're almost ready to make our quilt!

Next month I'll share the final block and the quilt instructions. Honestly, I cannot wait to see your quilts!

In our garden there is an abundance of bird life, all day, every day. 

Tom the Cockatoo turned out to be a girl (girls have red eyes and boys have black) as you can tell in this photo...

...and is now respectfully known as Betty.

Still quite territorial about our yard and 'her' feeder she has begun to fly right down near us when she leaves, as though saying thank you for the meal.

Double Trouble still shoo her away when they visit...

...it seems they enjoy being bossy.

And they never say thank you.

Other feathered friends dropping by today were Mr Sparrow and Miss Pigeon.

They got along famously. Not a cross word spoken.

Lovely and polite, welcome anytime.

Is it any wonder I love sitting out the back with my coffee?

A few months before Rafaella was born my dear Blossom packed away her sewing things and turned her hand to preparing their tiny cottage for the arrival of baby number two.

Rafaella is almost eight months old now and an absolute delight, and Cully May is a bright and bubbly and endlessly chattering 2 year old...so Blossom thought it was about time she began sewing again.

Her precious family have now moved out of that tiny cottage and into a lovely large home which has the added bonus of a designated sewing room. They have been there for almost three months now, but just the other day sweet Blossom tucked her little ones in to bed, kissed hubby on the forehead, and with excitement in her heart opened wide the double sewing room doors, uncovered her sewing machine and began to create.

First project, a 'twirling' dress for Cully May.

Finished that night and hung near her little girl's bed so that it was the first thing she saw upon waking the next morning...

I visited Blossom, Ross and the girls today and was once again impressed by the exquisite workmanship in my daughter's homemade garments. 

We who can craft, and that can be ANY craft, are so blessed to enjoy working with our hands, creating beauty for ourselves and others, aren't we?! 

What have you made this week?

hugs

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