Overdue soapmaking

 I haven't made any soap for over a year although I did measure out the ingredients last year but wasn't motivated to actually make a batch. However, I did manage to get motivated a couple of weeks ago but, wouldn't you believe it, I made a big mistake somehow and the soap looked like it would never harden so I rebatched it and ended up with a reasonable looking soap. 

Winter is nearly over

Here we are halfway through August which means that Spring is just around the corner. The freesias and sweet peas are starting to make an appearance and the pink poppies are about to flower.

Happy Easter

 I have been MIA on this blog lately but I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a Happy Easter. We don't do the whole chocolate egg thing here as neither of us need to put on more weight at our age and I believe chocolate is quite expensive to buy at the moment anyway....like everything else in the supermarket. 

Happy Christmas

 Well, another Christmas is upon us so I just wanted to wish you all much happiness and joy on this special day. It will be a quiet one here as normally we have my elderly sister here to join us for lunch but she is unwell this year so won't be here. I have happy memories of Christmas in the past from when I was growing up and when our children were little to give me comfort. 

It's been a long time

I rarely have anything to write about these days it seems. As it has been so long Blogger seems to have changed too so I am not sure how this post will turn out.

A new month, a new season and a cyclone

We are now halfway through March already and the new season of Autumn means that there is plenty to be done in the garden now that the heat has gone. We did have Cyclone Alfred to contend with though as it made its way down to SE Queensland and we were buffeted by winds in the early hours of Sunday morning on the 9th March after it crossed the coast. I thought our almost 100 year old house would blow away but somehow it survived and the only damage on our property was a large broken branch on the macadamia nut tree which fortunately landed on the pathway instead of the laundry. The cyclone certainly did cause a lot of damage to the beaches in SE Queensland and Northern NSW and several properties were flooded.  So now that the weather has returned to normal gardening duties can go ahead once more. 

Red Spider Lily

Damage to the macadamia nut tree

Of course, there was panic buying here in town just like during COVID so the shelves in the supermarket were almost empty plus the roads became flooded so the trucks which supply the supermarkets couldn't get through for a few days. 

I wondered why the misting machine was still turned on when veggie shelves were almost empty. 

In an attempt to get back into the swing of gardening I ordered some new seeds from The Seed Collection. I will be a bit late getting my sweet peas in but I wanted to wait until we got our new fence out front as I wanted to grow them along the fence. 

I have mentioned before that I have a lot of very clever friends and that includes Suzie Peace Pybus who has had two of her books published recently and they just get better and better. I could hardly put The Truth about Irene down it was so captivating. Our local library bought both books after I requested them so yours might too if you would like to read them. 

A couple of friends and I like to visit different coffee shops to support local businesses and recently we found one that was new to us at The Salvos and right next to it is an Op Shop. 

The Lighthouse Cafe makes really good cafe and you can also pay for a coffee for someone in need that the Salvos help. 

I have joined up all the pieces of the rag quilt I am making and now the tedious task of snipping all the seams can begin. Thankfully I bought some special scissors years ago which make this job easier. 

I thought the hydrangeas had stopped flowering for this year but noticed that the new one I bought which is growing in a pot had flowered once again. This one goes from white to green to pink but I am not sure in which order. It hasn't flowered very often but, I daresay, it enjoyed the 170mm or so of rain we had recently as these plants like a lot of water. 

I hope everyone is doing well and that the weather is being kind to you wherever you live.

A lovely Saturday

Last Saturday some of the ladies from our now closed down Simple Living Toowoomba group met for a catchup as several of them want to keep in touch and what a lovely morning it was chatting, sharing ideas and recipes as well as enjoying the bounty of the swap table.  

A new year

 Well, we are at the start of another year and I wonder what 2025 will bring but I guess it is just as well that we don't know otherwise it might seem too daunting. I find that when difficulties arise, as they will, that we are given the grace and fortitude to deal with what comes our way. 

Not long till Christmas

 

Seeing as we are already in December I thought I would remind any readers who are crafty that I did a blog post a while back named Christmas Gift Ideas in case you want to make a couple of quick homemade gifts. 

The last month of Spring

It seems a long time since I got around to writing a blog post but thought I would say hello to those of you who read my blog to let you know I am still alive and kicking. As winter has passed and the warm weather comes and goes, which is typical at this time of year, the view in the garden has changed and the Freesias and the Sweet Peas are going to seed but the Alstroemeria are starting to flower along with the ever beautiful Hollyhocks. Here are a few photos of the beauties....

Alstroemeria

Spring has sprung

Well, Spring brought with it a heatwave of sorts this year. We went from having cold weather to 30C or so which was a bit of a shock to be honest. The plants are all confused I am sure and I imagine the gardeners in the parks and gardens in town are doing their best to stop all the plants from flowering too early for the Carnival of Flowers which is on from the 13th September to the 7th October. 

A new craft

 I mentioned previously that Neralie, who used to teach at our Simple Living Toowoomba group before it was disbanded, had offered interested ladies a tutorial on how to sew a Kawandi project. So a few of us turned up at her lovely home to learn the craft. I was just watching as I was intrigued. 

Winter is on the way

 There is a definite nip in the air to remind us that winter is just around the corner. I am sure many people who suffered through a really humid summer don't mind the cooler weather. April has  presented many challenges for our family and we have been the recipients of many flowers etc. including this beautiful arrangement of proteas. I have never grown proteas here to be honest but they seem to be very hardy.

Autumn is upon us!

It seems that just a few weeks ago here in Queensland we were complaining about the heat and humidity. However in the last week or so the temperatures have changed dramatically and we found ourselves having to dig out our winter clothes to keep warm. 

Nearly the end of a wild summer in Queensland

 Well, what a summer it has been here in Queensland with heavy rain, floods and a cyclone. Thankfully we have been spared any damage unlike many other regions where houses have been demolished by wild storms. Late one afternoon I could see something strange through the windows and when I went outside the sunset was just beautiful. 

Storms, a cooked modem and belated Christmas greetings.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with your families. We had a lightning storm the night before Christmas Eve and our internet modem and back up battery were cooked when lightning hit close to the house so I didn't get a chance to wish everyone a Happy Christmas.

Another month gone

 Recently we have had fires in Queensland which thankfully have been doused a little in the SE by some thunderstorms and general rain. We had about 24mls here but other places scored a lot more rain. 

Gardenia Grandiflora Star

A busy month for our city

It is September which means the flowers in our city are blooming and  the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers  has begun. The Carnival runs for the whole month so there is plenty of time for visitors to make the trip up the Toowoomba Range. 

 

The beginning of winter

Although the cold weather actually started here in May we are now officially in winter. The seasons seem to be very jumbled lately but I am not complaining that we missed the searing temperatures in the high thirties during summer. 

Pesky possums!

 Does anyone else have issues with possums? My hubby bought a beautiful (and expensive) dahlia last week and just as well I took a photo of it as the next day all the flowers had disappeared....obviously the possum was eating anything that looked appetising in its path although I didn't know they ate dahlia flowers.