Gardenia perfume

I have two gardenia hedges in flower at the moment - both different types of gardenias but each with a beautiful perfume. This one has sort of star shaped flowers and looks so healthy.  I went for a walk this morning at Kalinga Park  There were signs of recent flooding there with debris caught on trees at the height of the path.  Otherwise it was just as always with the smell of barbqs and boys in the creek finding tadpoles.
When I got back home I had a swim...........

 the house next door continues to grow and is certainly taking away a lot of light from my dining room.  At least the bricks have been rendered.......  Can you see the "portico"?  they must be rich!!!!!

visiting friends

I recently caught up with some of the girls I went to school with.  There's no point in going to reunions at school as the only people I liked there were the ones I have kept in contact.  I really have little interest in finding out what happened to the others (I'm sure they feel the same).  Here we are, looking like nearly 50 years has gone by but still looking happy!  Tall ones in the back, short in the front - never grown up!

We are very lucky to all still have our health and happiness and I hope that we can all be standing around having our photos taken when we're 80

Spring

My little garden is looking wonderful and there are lots of volunteer vegetables providing me with delicious things to eat. The flowers are lovely too and my gardenia hedge and jasmine arch smell beautifully sweet.

A friend has just been over to see me and we sat on the verandah having tea and smelling the sweetness.

Visits

I have recently returned from a trip to Melbourne to see my daughters and to Tasmania to see some very old and close friends.  Both my daughters have nice flats and are settling into Melbourne life.  We enjoyed some good dinners and talks although the weather was not really very welcoming.  I had my folding umbrella confiscated at the airport (I can't imagine what I could have done with it on the plane) and so I had to buy another one.
My friends in Tasmania have a helicopter and we flew up to another friends farm for lunch.  Here we are about to leave .....and here is a shot of their housefrom the helicopter window .

Annabel's garden was looking magnificent in the beautiful spring weather.. - Even Amelia's sheep dog had had a shampoo for spring.

rain and it's effects

Brisbane has had 100 mils of rain in the last 24 hours.  Good for the garden.  Last night I was watching the news on tv when I heard a crash and a rumble.  It was very dark and once I had ascertained it was nothing inside the house with me I went on with my evening. 

This morning I went to pick some mulberrys for my breakfast 

(don't they look nice) and when I looked down the side of the house, I saw that the scaffold for the house next door had sunk and

tipped a whole load of bricks onto my lillies and agapanthus!!  The builder had neglected to tell the brick layer that the land had been filled!!

the house next door

the house next door is getting bigger and bigger.  yesterday I came home and found they are now laying bricks.  this neighbourhood has old colonial queensland houses and for some unknown reason, the local council is allowing a "stranger" to be built in our midst.

Anyway, spring has really sprung and the rain that we have had has made the garden very pretty.  I'm even eating my own mulberrys.  My front garden is in the shape of a patchwork.  I originally thought I would have a low hedge and no trees but cars parked all over the street and the loss of trees to make way for my neighbour's new house has changed all that!

visit from a friend

yesterday a friend came for lunch.  we had travelled to India last year and enoyed reminiscing about the travel, the people and the textiles.  It seems a shame that the Commonwealth games athletes aren't supposed to go out of their village to enjoy what delhi has to offer.  I took this photo at a market in Delhi in Nov 09 - how colourful can you get.