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.  Mind you, I think most of us are grateful for the cooler weather even though the days are rainy and foggy. This morning I met up with some friends one of which has a beautiful Exhibition Garden during the annual Carnival of Flowers. She showed me a couple of photos of her beautiful dahlias that are growing in her exquisite garden.  ..read more

 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.  As it turned out my daughter and family decided to holiday in Townsville in January and arrived a few days before Cyclone Kirrily arrived.  At the beginning of the week The Strand looked like this calm and peaceful... ...and after the cyclone ..read more

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. A good friend of mine had painted a lovely Christmas card that I wanted to feature in a Christmas post but, by the time we received a new modem, we were already into 2024 so I was a bit late with my greetings. Never mind, while the internet was off I experimented again with rebatching soap as I wasn't happy with the last ..read more

As Christmas is just around the corner and I know that many of my readers are crafty little vegemites I thought I would remind you of crafts I have listed previously in the blog post Christmas Gift Ideas in case there is anything there that you would like to try.  Origami Christmas Wreath  Here are a couple of crafts not in that blog post that might also interest you.  Making suncatchers Chook Farm Twiddlemuffs for dementia sufferers It was unbearably hot here last week but tha ..read more

 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 Still, a little rain is better than no rain at all and the garden appreciated what did fall. Up until this week I have been picking Gardenia flowers each day and the smell is wonderful. However, our one plant has finished flowering for this year and perhaps I should take it out of its pot and plant it in the ground as it would be nice to be able to pick more ..read more

I am continuing to make my own soap as I have oils to use up that I bought before they became so very expensive to buy. I was able to buy Coconut Oil in bulk last year so have been making a lot of 100% Coconut Oil Soap  but I still have Rice Bran Oil to use up and a little Olive Oil so I made up a batch a couple of weeks ago but, for some reason, it was a monumental fail. So I decided to rebatch it.  Years ago I had a couple of soapmaking sessions when I tried to rebatch soap and the second effort was better than my first . I wasn't all that keen on either of the results b ..read more

 I meet with some friends most weeks for coffee and we try to support small businesses in our town. Recently we found 95 Mary Street which is just exquisite with its chandeliers and beautiful decor. If you are ever visiting our city, do call in there and I am sure you won't be disappointed.  There is a large variety of yummy food which is well presented.... ...and the service is wonderful. Considering the service in some other venues it makes a nice change.  Once again it is cactus orchid time which certainly brighten up the garden.... ....at this stage the r ..read more

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.    Last week a couple of my friends and I visited Laurel Bank Park  which is my favourite park in town. I was in a hurry so didn't go up the viewing platform to see the gardens from above as the theme is spelled out in flowers.  It is a lovely park with lots of quirky gardens to look at and there is a playgro ..read more

 As a birthday gift to myself I recently had a holiday at my favourite place, Caloundra on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. A classmate and I had planned a class reunion while there as most of us had left school 60 years ago and many of them had retired to the coast.  One of the beautiful features in the main street. I had heard on the news about the fact that the ocean had broken through the uninhabited part of Bribie Island so it was interesting to view the aftermath. As 40,000 or so people had moved to the area from the southern states there were only four units availabl ..read more

Here we are halfway through winter already. We have had a couple of really freezing days when I actually had to search for my beanie and gloves which I rarely wear but today the forecast is for a 20C day and the sun is shining.  It is lovely out in the garden on days when the westerly winds aren't blowing. I have been keeping a record of what is flowering at present, especially the bulbs, as I am going to move them later on. There must be hundreds of bulbs that my hubby has planted over the last forty five years and I don't think he even remembers where a lot of them are. I do like the ..read more