Picnic in the Park

On a shady patch of cool grass, in a little local park just a short walk from home, we spread out our red checked blanket and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the long weekend sunshine.

A packed picnic basket.

Homemade banana bread & homegrown mandarins among our picnic treats.

Sitting on our blanket in the quiet park, just us with the whole park to ourselves, was a happy indulgence over a long weekend where restrictions eased here somewhat and we could relax in the outdoors together.

The quiet little park not far from home.

Sir Steve dog came along too, ever so keen on at least the crust of someone's toasted sandwich and perhaps a corner of  shortbread if it could be spared. (Who could resist those deep brown Labrador eyes? Not me!)

 An enthusiastic picnicker.

We soaked up the warm sunshine, the soft grass on which we laid our blanket, the sharing of our simple lunch and the leafy greens of the trees that edge this little local park.

The leafy greens of the park's trees. 

We plan on having a barbecue lunch up at this same park sometime soon. There is a little barbecue hotplate to use under the wooden picnic shelter. I'm sure Sir Steve dog would be very keen on a sizzling sausage or two! 

It was lovely to have the long weekend, and that little bit more freedom, to make the most of the outdoors in our own little neighbourhood. 

Meg

Lately

We are spending all our days at home now like so many others all around the world.  There is work and school to do from home throughout Monday to Friday. Our old wooden table is set with schoolbooks and our study is, for now, a makeshift office. Around and in between this different way of working and learning, there is much that is happily and reassuringly the same about home.

 Homemade pumpkin scones with jam & a dollop of thick cream.


  Fresh, spray-free fruit & veg in my custom-order box.

Crunchy cornflake crackles.

As always, there's much home cooking cooling on the kitchen bench. This nourishes us, sustains us and, in the case of these cornflake crackles, indulges us in a little childhood nostalgia when days did indeed seem more carefree than they do just now. While this refined-sugar free version of these honey joys, is far less sweet than those I remember from my girlhood days, they are every bit as yummy and the bottom still sticks to the patty paper case! 🙂

The first eggplant flower.

A delicate little snow pea flower too.

In the veggie patch, the seedlings I planted weeks ago are growing taller and leafier and the first flowers on the eggplant and snow peas have emerged. The buzz of honeybees, blue-banded bees and teddy bear bees, begins early in this north-facing part of our garden. Our own teeny-tiny little native bees are there among the flowers too but they are just quieter. I am harvesting homegrown lettuce, spring onion, herbs, mandarins and spinach and can't wait to pick the first snow peas to munch on!

A novel & one of those cornflake crackles.

Everyday, I find myself with a book (or three) in my lap which is not that unusual in less extraordinary times either. The pile of books I borrowed before the libraries closed is dwindling. Some of the novels have been ho-hum but I am very much enjoying In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O'Shaughnessy.  It's been quite fascinating to learn more about the life of Marian Evans, who wrote under the nom de plume of George Eliot. Perhaps, when there are no library books left on my bedside table, I will seek out one of George Eliot's Victorian novels to read. 

Little blue & cream drawstring bag.

While my bedside table is emptying of novels, my sewing table has a growing pile of old linens from which I am making little drawstring bags. These are my favoured project right now. Each finished bag is tucked into my present box for later gifting. They are perfect for holding a washcloth and bar of soap or a few packets of flower seeds and a card. While I am often 'distracted' by sewing up these bags, I have made some progress on a couple of unfinished garments too. (If I ever finish them, I'll show you! 😄)

Early morning light along the path.

Each and every day too, there are early morning and late afternoon walks, with each other and our lovely Sir Steve dog, along the winding paths of our leafy neighbourhood. The Autumn light at these times of day is gentle and soft. Quite a way along one path, nestled safely into the fork of a tall gum's branches, there is a precious koala. With a handpainted sign at the bottom of 'her' tree, letting us all know she's up there, this fluffy native has become quite a neighbourhood celebrity! Can you see her way up high in these branches?

A fluffy koala in a gum along a neighbourhood path.

Just as this koala is settled and snug in her tree, so too are we in our home. In these uncertain times, I would not want to be anywhere else. 

Meg

So Many Butterflies

Flitting through the air around our garden and neighbourhood have been ever so many more butterflies.  These delicate insects are, as always, ever so hard to photograph with their fluttering wings and dizzying flight paths but, every so often, when they alight upon a favourite plant, they stay still just long enough to capture something of their beauty.

A beautiful Blue Tiger Butterfly.

Dozens of Blue Tiger Butterflies, with wings that remind me of stained glass cut-outs, are gathering around one heavenly-scented blossoming tree in the park. 

The female Common Eggfly on a mandarin leaf.

The Common Eggfly and the Orchard Swallowtail are favouring the lone mandarin in our garden. I spot them from our kitchen window as they weave in and out of the glossy green mandarin leaves.

The closed wings of the Common Crow butterfly.

In the warmth of the morning,  Common Crow butterflies flit and flutter around our star jasmine. We often see these butterflies in our garden.

The bright blue wings of a Blue Triangle Butterfly

Flashes of the most exquisite bright blue signal the flight of the  Blue Triangle Butterfly. They seem to like the salvias in our garden. Even when these butterflies are feeding, their wings constantly vibrate so they are rarely still.

A little butterfly bag.

These butterflies, and others of their fluttering kind, bring such a sense of delight and wonder at just how beautiful and perfect nature can be. I even discovered a butterfly, stitched in purples, on a piece of vintage linen. So many butterflies!

Meg

A Bee's Honeypot

My Sunday morning began with a slow stroll through the park and along the streets with Sir Steve dog. The quiet of the morning was all ours! Both of us contentedly ambled along; my elderly statesman taking his sweet Labrador time to smell every tree trunk and blade of just-the-right-type of grass (and munching on the occasional one too) while I soaked up the early rays of morning sun that cast such a gentle light.

Bees on a blossom.

I heard the industrious hum of these bees, and all their companions, well before I saw them. I too caught wafts of the sweet and slightly vinegary scent of the pale yellow blossoms they were plundering.  Such hard work on a Sunday for these little bees. 

I guess bees don't have weekends ... I'm very glad I do!

Meg

Our Little Local Creek

Just down the hill and around the corner, begins a path that walks you along our little local creek. It meanders all the way to the sea! When times are very dry, as they were back over the Winter months, our little section of this waterway is just a rocky creek bed. But, when we have lots of rain, as we have this past week, it soon starts flowing again. During breaks in the rain, or sometimes while it's pouring, we go down to the creek to see how far the water has come up and how fast it's flowing. 

Over the past few years, our little creek area has been rehabilitated. Invasive weed species have been suppressed and more native trees, grasses and reeds planted en masse. I love to see the cycles of growth and blossoming and setting seed that we observe in the plants that grow along the creek. As we walk this path almost every day, there is always something beautiful and botanical that catches my eye.

I love watching the rejuvenation that the rain brings; the increased flow of water in the creek bed, the green that returns so quickly to the landscape, the blossoming of native flora and the abundance of birds and other wild creatures that call our creek their home. Nature seems to rejoice, as much as we do, when plentiful rain falls.

Meg

A Posy of Nasturtiums

As I wandered along a little local street, the subtle fragrance of a familiar flower reached me on the breeze. At first, I couldn't quite place that delicate scent but then I saw masses and masses of brilliantly coloured nasturtiums. Spilling out from a garden bed, trailing down an embankment and covering part of a grassy 'footpath' with garlands of their flowers.  As there were so many, I picked a little posy and brought home some of their orange, yellow and red happiness to place upon our table.

A little posy of nasturtiums.

Such vibrant colours! 

Nasturtium in Latin means "nose twist"!

I haven't grown nasturtiums sucessfully but now I am wondering why ever not? They seemed to be thriving in the little street just a few over from ours. They would not only make me happy every time I saw them, the bees would be beside themselves too. There were many bees foraging among the nasturtiums I found, buzzing with abandon. I wonder if native bees like ours love them too?

The other thing about nasturtiums is that they are edible, their vibrant petals but also their leaves. I shared a slice of a quiche once, flavoured with peppery nasturtium leaves from the very garden where we ate, and it was delicious. I have read too, at the link above, that you can pickle the seeds and use them like capers. Clarissa, over at Simply by the Beach, posted a list of twenty good reasons to grow nasturtiums.  I think I've talked myself into it ... a niche for growing nasturtiums needs to be found!

It would be lovely to wander out and pick nasturtiums from our own garden. There'd be flowers for the table, food from the garden and their subtle scent wafting along on the breeze.

Meg

p.s. Finding these little flowers reminded me that I have a little stitching of nasturiums that I did years ago. It was to be part of a quilt I never got anywhere near finishing but I've since used many of the flowery embroidered squares to make re-purposed bags like this one. Perhaps I will make one of these little bags over the weekend ... a gift for the gardener in the little street just over from ours who grows nasturtiums!

Recent Rain

We woke to the sound of heavy rain on our roof this morning, a storm rolling through just after four o'clock. I was happy lying there and listening to the sound of more water falling free from the sky. We've had some really decent rainfall lately, many days on end of wet weather. After a very dry Winter and a scorching start to Spring, our water tanks are full again and the garden deeply watered. There's nothing like rain for the garden!

I love to see nature's response to soaking rain, both in our garden and in the wider surrounds of our neighbourhood. The soil here now is moist down to a decent depth, the grass lush and green. The little creek, that runs through our suburban pocket, is flowing again. Plants have responded with new growth and fungi have emerged. The greens of the forest seem brighter too. Everything feels refreshed!

 In our garden:

 

 The mint is growing vigorously again.

 The lemongrass I planted has long & strappy leaves.

 A new sweet potato vine has started growing.

 The yellow Clivia lily is in bloom. 💚

The fragrant Gardenias are covered in buds and flowers.

 A single and perfect Gardenia flower.

In our neighbourhood:

The little creek is flowing again.

These lilies, that grow by the creek, are flowering. 

Different fungi are popping up on the ground and on logs.

Late on Saturday afternoon, after a whole day of steady rain, the wide and beautiful arc of a rainbow formed in the sky. A second  "double" arc could be seen just above it but it was so very faint.  We all stood out in our rather squelchy backyard in awe at the spectrum of colours in the sky. We all agreed it was quite special!

A late afternoon rainbow. 

Can you see the ever-so-faint double just above it?

How's the weather been at your place?

Meg

Here & Now 16

It is October and the beautiful Jacaranda trees are in bloom now. Their distinctive seasonal flowering, a soft lavender purple, is synonymous with Spring in our sub-tropical city. In our oldest parks and public gardens and along many streets, these majestic trees put on their Spring display. Here, in my little suburb, there are many jacarandas, their spreading branches covered in masses of their beautiful blossoms. These blossoms fall in a swirl of purple that covers the grass and footpaths below in a soft and flowery carpet. I love to walk beneath them ...

Masses of jacaranda flowers 

A carpet of fallen flowers covers the path.

Soft & beautiful purple blossoms.

An almost-silhouette against a greying sky.

Loving //   Jacarandas in bloom, like purple punctuation marks along our streets.

Eating //  Little chocolate chip cookies made with chick peas and peanut butter. 
                     (Back to school biscuits!)

Drinking //  Cold water with a few lemon juice ice cubes for zing!

Feeling //  So very tired. 

Making //  A set of Melissa's red and white peace doves for Christmas giving.

Thinking //  That Christmas gets earlier every year ... 
                        
Dreaming //  Of this distant, but not too distant, shore. It's only seven short weeks away!

I'm not sure what's blooming in your own Here & Now but if you'd like to share, or to peek into the October of others, you can pop over to Sarah at her beautiful blog, Say Little Hen. A visit there will brighten your day!

Meg

A Short Walk around our Streets

Each and every day, Sir Steve dog and I set off for a short walk around our streets.  Sir Steve is an elderly statesman now, a rescued Labrador about 9years old (that's 63 in dog years) who is happy trundling along, slower than many of the young "pups" we meet along the way but content all the same to amble along at his own pace. While we walk, he stops to sniffle and snuffle at anything and everything he finds of interest along the way. I don't hurry him and he, in turn, is very patient with me if I stop to take photos. Unless he spots a brush turkey that is ... then he forget his years and attempts to give chase! Here's what we found on one of our walks recently:

Trundling along a local path.

Lots of ducks in the park.

Bright red bottlebrush in bloom. 

Clusters of pretty pink flowers. 

 Tiny and delicate purple flowers.

Silvery grey foliage on dark grey concrete. 

Spiky leaves of hardy roadside plantings.

 Possum scratches on local trees.

 A white picket fence.

Citrus blossoms on an old lemon tree.

New red-tipped growth on shrubs. 

Back home again!

As we walk through the familiar gates of home,  Sir Steve gets a bit of an extra spring in his step. He trots into the back yard, does a few four-legged pirouettes then flops promptly down on the grass ... exhausted! He really is a most endearing fellow and the best walking companion there is!

What would you find if you went for a short walk around your streets?

Meg