Easter Cupcakes............

Easter is finally here.

Cupcakes for my work tomorrow, to celebrate Easter, but also as a little farewell as I leave to start a new position next week.



I am looking forward to a lovely 5 day break - I really must make a list of what I hope to achieve. 

Gardening, stitching, some sanding and painting..........what a lovely time I am going to have being home.



A very Happy and Blessed Easter to all my friends who stop by here.

Autumn Roses.............

A beautiful flush of Autumn roses has filled the garden.......

 beautiful on the sideboard..............



Our two little bantams, Scoot and Trixie died yesterday.  A sad day as they were our first little chickens.  Hoping it was just old age and that the rest of them are OK.

Vintage Book Wreath

After a little lunchtime hunt for a couple of lovely old books

I had some fun making a Vintage Book Wreath



A sweet crown and some ruffled crepe paper finish the middle

Some loveley vintage ribbon from my Great-Aunt's bag of ribbons to hang it with was the finishing touch.

Gardens of Warwick..........

I had been planning for a month to go to see the Open Gardens in Warwick this weekend.  As the week went by it seemed uncertain.  And still so yesterday morning.  That was until I heard on the radio just how wonderful they were.  I had to go!

First on the list was the lovely 'Haddington'.  A lovely old property with a beautiful sprawling garden.  We were also invited to walk along the verandah and peek into the rooms!  The garden was lovely and obviously still a work in progress.

Next on the list was 'Merrilees'.  Another magnificent old home with the most beautiful iron work on the verandah.  This garden too was lovely.  This home featured the most beautifully wide verandah I have ever been on! 

Up the stairs and on the verandah was a lovely lady selling her wares.  Susan Volz of Our Kitchen Garden was up from Brisbane.  Her story is one that I could relate to.  Unable to find the things of her dreams that she had seen in magazines for years, she and her family set to and now makes them!  Just beautiful.  Kicking myself that I didn't make a purchase or two - why do I always to that!!  Oh well an excuse to visit Brisbane I guess!!

This little view at the rear of the garage - stunning!

'The Laurels' was my favourite I think.  This garden is owned by landscaper Clint Kenny.  It is perfection from front to back - so many ideas. 

I loved the set up of the vege patch - very much my style!  This picture is a little ordinary, but the rain had started and I was juggling camera and umbrella!

Be still my beating heart - A wash basin in the vege patch - I have the basin in my garage and I just need to get it organised in my own vege patch. 

This garden is all relatively new, except of course for the magnificent original trees.  Oh to have some big trees.

The Woodland Walk along the western boundary of the home is stunning, lined with Tropical Birch trees.

The little dam is at the back of the property. 
What a lovely spot this must be to sit awhile!

And this, is where the chickens live - Buff Orpingtons and the most beautiful Wyandott's I have ever seen!



The Garden Tool Shop is also part of Clint's business - once again - beautiful tools and garden bits and pieces. 

I really could have gone again today, I enjoyed it all so much.  I hope they are open again some time.  It was just a lovely day out.  Time to forget about my everyday ordinary life and enjoy the beautiful Southern Downs area.  I just love it down that way. 

It was so lovely to be inspired by these gardens and by the people who obviously love their garden they way I love mine! 

Sunflowers...........

Sunflowers............

in the garden this morning.......



Brightening my days and my garden at the moment.......



Summer, Birthday and more........

The last month or so has disappeared into a blur.  The children are back at school and into week four already.  Goodness!

With all the rain we have experienced the growth in the garden has been amazing.  By the time it stopped raining every weekend, we had a huge mess to clean up.  Where to start.  I don't know how many trailer loads have been taken to the dump (tip)!  Our garden is just four years old and thankfully though, the rain has meant that after some little plants just sitting and surviving in the long drought, they have finally taken off. 

Earlier in the season, I poked some sunflower seeds into the ground.  They are about 6 feet tall and about to burst into some sunny yellow fun. 
They are certainly brightening up my vege patch.

For weeks I tried to get my beans to grow.  The constant wet soil and lack of warmth earlier in the summer made it impossible to get them to sprout.  When I was almost ready to give up, they grew.  I had bought a beautiful tee pee and they have clambered up and look wonderful.  I have just this week started to pick my delicious beans.

 This week saw another birthday.  I had beautiful flowers delivered to my work, and a lovely bunch brought home too - the ones above are picked from my garden this morning.

The highlight of my birthday week was certainly seeing the most divine Michael Buble in concert on Friday night.  That man is gorgeous!  It was wonderful!

Other lovlies in my vege patch at the moment are basil, potatoes, lettuce, parsley, tomatoes, corn and spinach.

Hopefully life will return to some sort of normality again and my blogging will become more a part of it.

I can't believe summer is almost over.

Here's hoping we get a few more weeks of warmth.  Hopefully right through till Easter.

Devastation.......

As many of my blogging friends would have heard about in the city of Toowoomba where we live and work, there is devastation beyond words.  The Lockyer Valley is about a 20 minute drive from where I live.

My brain is overloaded and I am numb from thinking about the awful happenings there.

I am currently away on 'holidays'.  The weather went from bad to worse and now it seems we will be here for a little while - at least until the floods go down.

My thoughts and prayers go to all who have been affected by this.  Not just the happenings of the last week, but the whole season we have had - lost crops, livliehoods, hopes and dreams.

We are safe and so are our family - for this I am grateful.