A bit behind

 Well, the start of 2023 has been a tad disappointing as I finally succumbed to COVID at the end of December and spent the first week of the new year in bed. At first I thought I had a bad flu and it didn't enter my mind that I had the virus until I lost my sense of taste and smell a few days later and thought I had better do  a test and sure enough I was positive. 

Happy Christmas

 It is nearly the end of yet another month and, as it is only a few days until Christmas, I just want to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Christmas and I hope that 2023 brings you much joy and good health. 

The end of another month

 Goodness me, I have become very slack with my blog this year. I think a lot of bloggers are the same for some reason...apart from the very dedicated. I think for many it is easier just to post a few photos on Instagram rather than write up a blog post, resize photos etc. As it is the end of November I thought I would post a few photos I have taken during the month so that I can look back next year and see what had flowered this month as a lot of the plants seem to be flowering a month late this year possibly due to the long and cold winter we have had. 

The end of October....really?

 I can't believe October is almost over. I do neglect my blog these days and haven't written a post for over a month now. The Carnival of Flowers is also over after thousands of visitors made the trip up the Toowoomba Range to see the beautiful parks and gardens. The weather was mostly fine which made it a pleasant time to stroll through the many gardens. 

What flutters by?

 'What flutters by?' is the theme this year at the beautiful Laurel Bank Park during our famous Carnival of Flowers.  I love this park as the displays are always quirky and unlike the classical beauty of Queens Park which is one of our other premier parks. 

My friends and I visited the park last week before most of the tour buses arrived and it was already busy. Unfortunately some of the plants weren't flowering then.....

 

...like many of the Foxgloves and all of the Hollyhocks as we have had a cold winter this year but I imagine more flowers are putting on a show this week as we have had several warm days. 

There are always masses of tulips to look at complete with windmills along the way.

There is a viewing platform in the park from which you can get a better view of each of the gardens in the themed gardens and I also found that looking through the lens on my camera helped to make it clearer but, of course, the photo that is usually taken from a cherry picker is the best one of the lot but I think that is only published in the daily newspaper which we don't buy. 

If you live in the region and would like a pleasant day out then there is still plenty of time to see the gardens as the Carnival doesn't finish until the end of September. 

We held our very last Simple Living Toowoomba workshop this month. It was only fitting that our 'founder' Margy was the presenter and so we shared morning tea while we had a chat about what we had learned over the last 10 years since the group began and then some of the ladies made a gratitude book. Margy had been inspired by Ann Voskamp's book 'One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are' which she brought along to show us. 

There was a lot of fabric, etc. to choose from but I am terrible at keeping up with diaries and the like so I didn't make one as I knew I would start off being enthusiastic and then forget to add to the book regularly. 

Margy brought along a couple of books she had made which were already filled up. Some of the ladies still want to meet up to keep in touch so we will get together every six weeks or so at a friend's house. We have learned a lot over the last ten years and have covered so many topics that it was hard to think of something new for each month. So it was time to finish. 

I watched some of the pomp and ceremony of the Queen's funeral and don't the British do that so very well. The bagpipes always make me tear up as my grandfather was a piper in Scotland who used to wake up the Laird of an estate each morning apparently. Must have been the days before alarm clocks I guess. LOL!

Another wet spring and summer forecast has been announced and residents have been asked to prepare once again for flooding which must be devastating for those in flood zones as they have already been flooded at least twice. A couple of years ago we were having bushfires. Stay safe everyone!