Friday 10 July 2015

Winter in Australia

I guess you would have to live under a rock if you are an Aussie and haven't heard about the Antarctic air mass which is going to be moving into south east Queensland on Sunday and Monday and will possibly bring snow or sleet to Stanthorpe which is a only a two hour or so drive from here. Stanthorpe is situated on The Granite Belt and is home to a number of winemakers who are looking forward to the frosty conditions which act as a natural pesticide in their vineyards. This area is the coldest spot in Queensland and apparently people from other areas in the state flock there during winter to experience the chilly weather. I think they need to get a life :-)


In light of the cold, windy forecast I took some photos of the peach blossoms this week before they get blown away. 


We have had some beautiful sunny days with clear blue skies ....


 ...which make a stunning backdrop for the pink blossoms.


Another variety of bromeliad is in flower...


...and is equally stunning in its own way. 


I was going to try and make Faye's Violet Salve  but I don't think I have enough flowers so have dried a couple of batches of leaves and flowers thoroughly and am going to sun infuse them in olive oil and then add the strained oil to my next batch of soap. As a first I am going to colour the soap so bought some from a Queensland firm Big Tree Supplies. I haven't infused violets before so hope the oil turns out okay. I guess the worst that can happen is that our skin will peel off. ;-)

Instead of violet salve I might make some Calendula Salve using Rhonda's instructions. Actually, while I was searching on Down to Earth for that link there was another interesting post that came up in the results named Do you know what's in the cosmetics, cleaners and skin products you use? which I am sure you will find very enlightening if you haven't read it before. I am pleased I have learned how to make my own soap and hopefully will master making salve in the near future.


I am hoping that I don't lose the tomatoes that are growing down the back when the cold change hits as I really hate buying them in the supermarkets and fruit shops as they are often like rocks. We have a jungle of parsley and tomato plants growing in places...


...and these little tomatoes just pop up everywhere amongst the greenery. We haven't planted tomatoes for years and these don't seem to be bothered by the fruit fly. I would like to see if I could keep them growing right through winter but I won't hold my breath.  

Well, I hope that everyone survives the cold during the coming week. If it gets too bad in this old wooden, hardly heated house, I might head off to the shopping centre. So if you are looking for me I will be sitting on the couch there with the oldies trying to get warm. Now....where are those thermals?

I guess you have heard of Weatherzone which is a great place to get current temperatures and forecasts a week ahead. I check it out every day to see how cold our mornings are getting and today the site has a little story about the unusual weather we are going to get called 'Mr.Cold Front Takes a Holiday - A Children's Story'. It is good for a laugh! :-)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 


17 comments:

  1. Such lovely pink flowers on the blue back ground. I love the bright blue skies of winter, that's when the clouds clear you can see them. They usually mean frost in this area.

    We are in for a cold blast for the next week, I hope that is it for Winter and hopefully it can start to warm up and head into Spring.

    I picked a couple of tomatoes from my garden yesterday. The cold is making them get black spots even though I have them covered over.

    I was horrified when I read the chemicals that are contained in cosmetics etc. I have stopped burning cheap candles as they contain chemicals. I now burn home made soy candles. I have also stopped using household sprays, bought washing powder, toothpaste, soap etc etc. The list is endless...

    Stay warm Nanna Chel.

    xTania

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    1. Tania, it is certainly chilly here at the moment and I hope my tomatoes survive the 1C forecast this week. We did have zero a week or so ago and they survived but it feels colder at present. We can only live in hope. :-)

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  2. I would love to experience Australia! My sister lives in UTAH USA and she doesn't have inches of snow, she gets FEET of snow and they love it there. They have snow from early October to late April! NOT for me! I love the seasons but I am always glad to see our winter go. (I enjoy the first snow fall but I'm done with snow after that.)
    I still don't have ripe tomatoes! We've had too much rain and the temps as of lately have been very mild. Looks to change this morning though. 90 and humid. That should ripen some tomatoes! :)
    Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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    1. I hope you get some tomatoes soon, Joyful. I can imagine that you would really get tired of snow after a while.

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  3. Nanna Chel, I was going to go for a walk and take photos of the magnolia trees on our street today and I didnt as it was raining.... and now I regret it as it is turning into gale force winds and heavy rain. It will be a miracle if any magnolias survive. And they are pink too!
    We also are getting snow in the Adelaide Hills which isnt common! A very cold weekend ahead! Time for some knitting and crafts! Lots of love, Annabel.xxx

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    1. I hope your magnolias do survive, Annabel. They are such stunning flowers. I hope you aren't freezing too much down there.

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  4. Congratulations, your photos are divine. Dont talk to me about chilly weather, its freezing down here this weekend.

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    1. Are you still surviving after all the cold weather in Victoria over the weekend, Lynda? I am a bit over it by now and it only started today. LOL!

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  5. Oh, dont forget that Mr Abbot doesnt believe in climate change. What will it take to persuade him!

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  6. It's hard to imagine sunny days with blue skies at the moment. I have to get up my courage just to step out the front door, it's awful! Can't wait for Spring, or at least some slightly milder weather and I can contemplate getting out in the garden again :)

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    1. That's no good, Kelly. It is particularly hard when you have children who get tired of being inside.

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  7. Peach blossoms - such a promise of things to come...peach crumble, fresh peach, bottled peaches, peaches and cinnamon cobbler......aaaaaah.

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    1. Well Phil, if we didn't have fruit fly I might consider making some of those items :-)

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  8. Ah! As someone who loves fall and winter and being cold - I am somewhat envious. However I do understand that I will get my winter after I have suffered with the heat. Beautiful flowers, peach makes my mouth water as well! Try to stay warm and drink lots of hot tea!! By the way - in the middle of your winter you have tomatoes and I am still waiting for ours to turn red in the middle of our summer!!

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    1. I have been drinking lots of tea and coffee, Kathy. Of course our winters are not severe like yours are over there so we can grow lots of fruit and vegetables throughout our cold period although I think my tomatoes may get frosted during the week.

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  9. Nanna Chel, we have the same bromeliad, and aren't they just gorgeous? We are really feeling the chill after a couple of weeks in the Northern Hemisphere Summer, so I'm sitting here in two layers of every item of clothing....lol! Fireplace is going great guns, and if you think I'm going outside for anything, you're kidding yourself! I'm off to take Kathys and your advice on a hot cuppa. Love, Mimi xxx

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  10. Beautiful peach blossoms Chel. It reminds me of growing up in Tasmania where the fruit tree blossoms were always gorgeous. Hope you're surviving the cold. We've resorted to using the air-con on heat these last few days. We hate doing that as it chews up the power from our panels and the rebate dwindles somewhat. I used to look at an interesting website called "skin deep" which tells you what nasties are lurking in your skin care products. Scary stuff. Much better if we make our own even if it can be a bit of a challenge.

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