Too Much Sunshine......

...... means too much shade.

Too much bright light, and too much shade to take good outdoor photos, means that flowers don't show up to their best effect. However, waiting for optimum conditions sometimes means I miss the flowers altogether.

Iceberg roses are budding prolifically and should produce a wonderful display.

Another Cotinus (Smoke Bush). Perhaps Jane will like this one better?...lol.

Anyone need some Alyssum or African Daisy seedlings? The result of piling plants in a heap waiting to be mulched.

Japanese Maple, Silver Birch, Calendula and Californian Poppies.

Poppies in the shade of a Sycamore Maple.

Mauve and white Lilac.

Claret Ash, yellow Broom, African Daisies.

Self-sown Sweet Peas.

Smoke Bush, Crab Apple.

Eriginon (Seaside Daisies).

African Daisies.

Overgrown Silverbeet vying for space with the Alyssum.

Lavender, Centranthus and Bronze Fennel.

Centranthus, daisies and Ceanothus.

Gazanias.

Silver Curry Plant. The leaves actually taste like curry and can be used in cooking.

Ceanothus.

Crab Apple.

Only a few months ago this daisy was a cluster of thick, stumpy branches without a leaf on them.

Columbines in the shade of the cherry tree.

Yesterday's Garden

Yesterday was the sunniest day we've had for a while, so I managed a couple of photos while the sun was out and there was a lull in the wind. Ever notice that just when you want to photograph a plant, the wind begins to blow and the plant waves about madly?

Now, if only I could find a space for all the plants we bought in the last week or so!!!

You are invited ....

.... to come on a photographic journey with me through Victoria and New South Wales.

The 600km trip home on Tuesday provided plenty of opportunities to snap roads, GREEN paddocks (fields) and ever-changing clouds, albeit through the windows of a moving car. Believe it or not, this is the order in which the photos were taken so you can see that the cloud scenes varied all along the way. Sometimes it was a case of 'be quick before the windscreen wipers pass again'. If only the countryside would stay this green!!!

I took about another sixty photos on the trip......aren't you glad I didn't post them all?......lol.

Around the garden ....

..... between the showers.

25mm (1 inch) of rain while we were away and the garden is just loving it. Very cold wind at the moment is stopping us from getting out and planting all the plants we bought, but hopefully we can sneak a few into the ground in the next few days. Meanwhile, we're loving the rain too, even though the lawns now need harvesting rather than mowing.

Pink Dogwood (Cornus)

White Dogwood - fairly insignificant flowers, lovely leaves and stunning red branches.

Yellow Broom and Red Valerian or Centranthus.

Pink Valerian and Yellow Daisy (?)

Silver Lace Bush, Purple Hops and White Osteospermum.

A bit of everything including Californian Poppies and Bronze Fennel.

Smoke Bush (Cotinus) - Grace.

Rhododendron

Lavatera

White Lilac.

Purple and white Lilac.

Single pink Marguerites.

The lettuce are thriving and the pansies are blooming.

Contemplative gardener.

Broad beans and spring onions that have been growing continuously for about 15 years.

Apple blossom.

Food for the Future

We've been busy this week! Lovely Spring weather - sunny days, occasional rain, and life seems to be bursting from every branch and the warming soil.

Gradually growing in size over recent months has been this large heap of discarded plants and tree prunings, and the occasional nasty surprise like rose branches full of thorns and ornamental grasses (Miscanthus), which is impossible to shred without bringing the mulcher to an abrupt standstill.

So, on Tuesday morning this was the heap......

...... and five hours later

this was the result.....except for what was embedded in my hair and down my shirt!

In two or three months it will resemble what Kerri calls 'black gold' and help produce more

Lettuces...

Broad Beans,

Tomatoes (in black pots for protection and to direct water to the roots), Spring onions and rampant Parsley

and even more onions. Irises by the fence seem to be thriving without any 'black gold'.

Plus the carrots, parsnips, French beans, peas, potatoes, beetroot, strawberries, spinach and silverbeet that are also coming through.

So after all that activity, we're heading back to Victoria tomorrow with friends to spend a week exploring those beautiful old towns, delightful gardens and magnificent scenery.

Oh, it's a hard life....but we're ready for the challenge.....lol.

I hope you all have a great week, too.

Springtime......

..... a time for flowers.

Although I've pulled a great many plants out of the garden in the last few weeks, a little colour is gradually returning.

This was today's offering.

White Azalea - almost smothered by violets....their days are numbered, too!

Yellow Osteospermum (African Daisy)

Pink Correa, Bronze Fennel and Euphorbia.

Gazanias.

Cercis Forest Pansy in front of Pittosporum

This Californian Poppy provides such a bright splash of colour on this heap of soil that I thought it deserved to stay there and be photographed.

Pink Marguerites.

Apple Blossom

Freesias, Alyssum and lettuce.

Gazanias, Luecadendron, and Eriostemon (now called Pilotheca)

If I'd not been so lazy I would have removed the hose!

Lavatera, on the right.

Forget-me-nots - love them now, hate them later!

Front garden.

Cherry tree with astonishing amount of blossom.

Despite the Dust.....

.... there was still some colour in the garden this week.

Camelia

Wallflower

My favourite daffodil at the moment.

Tomatoes waiting to be planted out - hopefully when frosts are finished.

Home grown 'nursery'. Most of these trees and shrubs have been propagated by Richard from seed or cutting.

Lamium

Surprise cyclamen - surprise because we didn't know it was hiding in this pot.

Cherry Blossom against a briefly blue sky.

Fresh new leaves on the Claret Ash.

Pinkish flowers and seeds on the Canadian Maple.

Pink Rosemary

Grevillea

Bi-colour perennial wallflower.

Hellebores

The Place Needs Dusting......

..... OUTSIDE!!!

As a result of wild weather across southern Australia, we have been 'visited' by tonnes of topsoil from South Australia and western New South Wales.

Whilst we may be covered in dust, the farmers out west will have suffered heartbreak and financial loss from the stripping of their topsoil.

The sun struggling through at about 8.30am.

Multi-layered clouds this afternoon against what should be a blue sky.

At least the fields are still green.

The thunder was rumbling too.

Slightly clearer in the upper atmosphere.

Believe it or not.....

..... this is the face of Victory!

Sara was happy - she just didn't want her photo taken.

A hug from Dad was okay.

Pre-match warm-up. (Sara is #10 - standing on the white line)

University of Canberra won its third successive hockey Premiership today by defeating the Australian National University 2-1

The clouds looked ominous early in the afternoon, but the weather remained fine and sunny.

Whilst on the subject of Wales....

...... these photos were taken on a train trip from Machynlleth to Pwllheli. Most were taken through the train windows, so I apologise for them being not as clear as I would like, and with the occasional reflection. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact location for many of these places along the route.

Click to enlarge map.

The station at Machynlleth.

Stone fences.

Hundreds of holiday cabins.

Harlech castle.

It just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?.....lol