October, vibrant and lively.

Visiting birds;

There is always a cute Galah couple visiting the food bowls. Most of the time they are to late as the greedy Lorikeets have already cleaned up.





Colourful King Parrots.

September snaps...from the garden

African daisies

Dendrobium Orchid

Rhipsalis salicorniodes lives in a very big hanging pot on a window to prevent birds flying into the window.

The blue box  on the wall is home to tiny native bees/Tetragonula.

Tillandsia

Leptospermum, abundance of flowers.

Leptospermum is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, like the Melauleuca.

Orange Blossoms, the garden is perfumed, as soon as the last fruit has been harvested the tree gets back to produce these sweetly scented flowers and  the next wonderful crops.

Photos September 8. 2018

It was time to get out of hibernation and plant some vegetables, as  green smoothies are a must have every day. Also beetroot smoothies are on the menu every second day. 

Green smoothie, generally I add what I grow in my garden, peppermint, Tarragon, Rosemary cucumber if ready to use, leaves of anything leafy growing in the garden, like Broccoli leaves, lettuce, beetroot leaves, cabbage etc plus Banana, or apple, lemon when I have some! A teaspoon of honey and a tiny bit of salt, add water or milk or anything preferred.

Beetroot smoothie similar just add a whole, small beetroot or half a beetroot plus half an apple and some beetroot leaves, herbs and honey.

Benefits:
Feel great, 

Enhanced Nutrient Absorption. 

Green vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, and lettuce are nutrient powerhouses. ...

Increased Energy. ...

Improved Digestion. ...

Boost Your Immune System. ...

Healthy Bones. ...

Heart Health. ...

Get that Glow. ...

cheers.

©Lavender and Vanilla Ts all contents. 2018

July, gives a hand to June and August.

😏

2/July/2018

The kitchen garden is quietly producing...

The "White House" it is benign, not  like the real one!

Cabbages in the making.

Soon, Broccoli;

Borage for the busy bees.

Sellerie greens for soups and herb salt.

No garden without salvia, the bees love it.

Lemongrass; Neighbour's horse hangs over the fence to nibble on it.

Some of the Valencia oranges end up as Marmalade. Made in the Thermomix 5 is quick, easy and makes a very nice marmalade.

Next task, pruning and fertilizing the roses.

6/07/2018
Heavy rainfall over night. Nearly 60 mm

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.” 
― Robert Frost

 One row of potato bushes look a little harassed. I dug one plant out to have a look, this morning. I did not expect a crop. Alas here's for a few lunches or dinners.



..and a little stroll around the garden; a very mild day today. There might be more rain on the way. I am always to lazy to look at the weather patterns. My motto, if it it rains it rains, if it doesn't it doesn't, I can not do anything either way.😏 Just getting a bit dark now. glad did the wash earlier using the sun power on the roof.



Camellias are always a highlight in winter. They are so self sufficient, glorious flowers and tough as old boots.



I did not expect this Hibiscus to flower through the cool season.  I made a cutting many years ago and it flowers now the second time. I had no name for it, so I called it "Flamenco"

Bromeliad past flowering, still pretty with its red capsules, maybe seed.

Billi's and Lulu's resting place and many others never forgotten.

Brillantaisia has woken up.

The common name of Giant Salvia appears to be the most widely used common name is a misnomer as this is actually a member of the Acanthaceae family and the true Salvias are in the mint family or Lamiaceae. 

Bromeliads generally get fed from falling leaves and small twigs.

Hoya cumingiana lives in this tree since 20 years or longer, flowers 2-3 times a year. 

Bobbie enjoys to eat a few of the small leftover tomatoes.

22/07/2018

That's it for today, folks, see you around

© my garden Photos and text Ts Lavender and Vanilla

June dear June...

It is better to be a young June bug than an old bird of paradise. Mark Twain

The scratches on the flower are made by the nectar seeking Bananabirds.

15/06/2018
Cool day; photos early morning.

Tree Dahlia

27/06/2018 morning 8.13 AM
It is raining today. June is nearly done and dusted, I felt a bit blog tired. 
Here is one of my favourite poems by Shelley.

"The Cloud" is a major 1820 poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. "The Cloud" was written during late 1819 or early 1820, Originally published: 12 July 1820

Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley

I am the daughter of Earth and Water
And the nursling of the Sky; 
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; 
I change, but I cannot die. 
For after the rain when with never a stain 
The pavilion of Heaven is bare, 
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams 
Build up the blue dome of air, 
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph, 
And out of the caverns of rain, 
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb, 
I arise and unbuild it again. 

©Photos mygarden +some text/Ts Lavender and Vanilla

May a month of remembrance.

Boom, crash, my whole blog of this month just disappeared , a flash into thin air or where ever it went. I am blogging since many years but I have never experienced this before. At least to say it is very annoying.  I am not sure if I have the Energy to start again for this month. Blogging with Google is not that good anymore lots goes wrong and the technical side is not well maintained.



I will ring Google and ask what happened!
Well, I rang Google, but as usual no time, no answer, just a monitored voice saying:" go away, help yourself, we are busy counting money."

I also send a message that the formatting in the composing site does not work properly and as I have seen in the forums many, many have the same problem and are appealing to Google technicians to rectify it. But, nothing happens! 
 I guess it is not all bad but as with everything, as it is and always has been the golden calf takes precedence. I am a cynic and an idealist.

Anyway, as I am also an optimist with a soaring spirit I do not give up. Here I go again.

Yesterday I read In the Science Explorer; maybe plants are farming us by providing oxygen until  we ALL eventually decompose and they can consume us.

There are already burial capsules with a seed of a tree we can nourish to grow while we are flying free. 

Trees-Life, my interpretation.
Imagine a world without trees, Australia is removing them at a hurried pace like there is no tomorrow, again the golden calf in action. So many native animals lose their home.




19/May 2018


#mygarden;  First steps into the garden, the eyes first look around at all the newest happenings in growths and colours and whatnot then they sweep higher and higher to the canopies of the trees and beyond to the sky with its everyday changes from the bluest of blue, pillows of snowy clouds in sometimes grotesque formations usually to late to grab the camera as they scatter as quickly as counting to three.

21/May/2018

It isnot Daylily time but love to post some of my favourites. Especially the spiders, their curly-wurly ways, their free spirit is very endearing. All growing along the drive way upper garden.






















© Photos mygarden Ts

(just to say font formatting is all over the place again. small is big, big is small etc etc. does not work at all.) I mean if something is provided it should at least work properly)


Bye, bye May, or I might miss  your sister sister June.😏


©Photos/Text Ts Lavender and Vanilla.