I never promised you a Rose Garden

My darling Ivan always promised me a Rose Garden and he has made me one in every single house we have lived in.  My Rose Garden in this house is just outside my study window and the scent and beauty of the roses often inspire me.

This morning, I couldn't resist taking some close-up photos of the roses, rather than the whole bed. 

Then I noticed that there were a number of aphids - the famous rose pest on some of the buds - I went and got the Pest Oil and gave them a good spray.  It was only when I began editing these pictures that I noticed the following - this is an adult female aphid, giving birth to live young.  Luckily I gave her a good spray, so hopefully she and her babies won't be eating my roses anymore - but isn't this just a great photo - pity it is slightly out of focus - should have had the tripod.

For those of you who don't know the song - or who just want to hear it again - I have copied the Youtube link for you to enjoy - I never promised you a Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4wcNVbYOQ

No Snow - only snowflakes

Our front garden

 Winter in Brisbane is beautiful. We get temperatures from as low as zero, but up to the low-mid twenties.  So we don't get snow.  However, every May/June we have these beautiful bushes called 'Snowflakes' that bloom in full profusion and fill our beds with white.

Apologies to Vesta Followers

To all Vesta followers my apologies for neglecting you so badly. Life has been hectic and I have also started another Blog to cater to my more Spiritual/Thoughtful Writings - it is called VestaLife http://vestalife.wordpress.com/ and you are all welcome to come along for a journey of thought provactive posts.

I will continue to maintain Vesta with family news, photos and posts (apologies if they are not as frequent.

Anyway todays post is titled: SATURDAY CHORES

I have discovered the JOY of having 2 teenage children (although Sarah is still 12). They are both capable and willing to help around the house and garden when given specific tasks. Sarah loves driving the ride-on-mower and Matt is now strong enough to deal with the hand mower.

With Ivan away at the moment this help is invaluable.

Thanks Kids

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

Happy Australia Day to all.


With 38 degree heat today, Ivan got up at 4.40am to prepare the area for his (and Sarah's vegetable garden beds). I woke her around 8am and she quickly dressed and joined her Daddy to fill it with soil, blood & bone and fertilizer. When it cools down a little (or maybe on Saturday) they will plant the vegetable seedlings we bought yesterday.

Soon we will hopefully have onions, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, carrots, capsicum and beetroot from our own vege patch. Now we just have to keep Abby (our dog) from digging up the bed and the birds and snails from eating the seedlings.

It finally rained!

After weeks of 35 degrees celcius plus temperatures and not a drop of rain, our weather cooled a little today, only 29 degrees predicted and about 15 minutes ago it began raining. We had 10.5mm of wonderful rain, refreshing the air and plants. It is still cloudy, so we are hoping for a little more, but are completely grateful for the little bit that we have had.

An interesting few days

It has been a very strange weekend. On Thursday morning my Mom had a very bad turn at the shops and was rushed to our local hospital where her heart dropped to just 20 beats per minute (effectively stopping). Luckily she was in the emergency room when it happened and they managed to revive her. After a series of tests, they sent her home on Saturday afternoon all hooked up to a heart recorder/monitor and today (Monday) she is going for an ultrasound of her heart and for more tests. It doesn't appear that she had a heart attack, but rather is experiencing arythmia (irregular heartbeat).

The good news is that she is feeling a lot better and looking well, although tired.

Ivan came home from Bolivia on Friday, a few hours late - after travelling for about 42 hours.
Saturday and Sunday we gardened and Ivan cut down a few branches of the trees overhanging our roof. Needless to say the branches reacted badly to this and attacked back. Result one battered and bruised face.


It was a beautiful weekend, our 'winter' temperature reached 30 degrees on Sunday and the children took advantage of the recent warm weather that has heated up our pool water enough for a swim. Elizabeth said it was cold but refreshing.

A lovely weekend.

Ivan home, Mom alive and family fun and work together.

I wonder what this week will bring.

Lots and lots and lots of April rain

The Boys out in the rain.
After a very wet weekend, Easter Monday saw our heaviest falls with over 80mm. Last year in April we had just 17mm and this year to date we have had over 200mm.

Although most of our garden handles the water really well, the front is an exception and continually floods. Our winter chore this year is to lift the front path pavers and dig a drainage channel to allow the water to escape. Luckily today Tuesday has been a dry day and the water has slowly drained away.

The funniest part of this photo is all the water and a dead pot plant!!! My lavender just died, I think it just got pot bound and wasn't in the right position. So I now need some lovely winter flowers for the front.

Mushroom morning.

I love this photo, taken low down of the mushrooms in their own world.

A garden filled with mushrooms.

All in a row!

Sarah told us yesterday all about how the spores are blown on the wind, or wait underground, ready for the right conditions to grow. Lots of moisture, well we have had that over the past week, with showers and rain most evenings.

I love the white texture and the brown spots.

What a blissing to wake to such pretty garden decorations this morning.

Roses for Spring

Spring is the perfect time of the year in Brisbane, the humidity and heat of summer have not arrived yet and my winter pruned roses are in full bloom. The view from my study window is so beautiful and the gentle breezes waft in the most divine smells of the traditional, old-fashioned roses that Ivan planted for me. I am always torn as to whether to cut a vase full for the house, or to leave them blooming so beautifully on the bushes.

I have an amazing collection of colours, including a beautiful 'blue rose' that is almost lilac in colour. It is special to Ivan as it is the same cultivar as a rose his Mum grew in her garden when he was a child. My special yellow rose that Matthew bought me for my first Christmas in Brisbane is also strong and healthy.

Yellow roses of course are my total favourites, these were the colour of my wedding bouquet and they represent friendship! I also love the stunningly deep red of an old-fashioned rose that has a fragrance that draws you in for a breath.

The photos above are of the ones that are in full bloom today, as others come into their own, I will share them with you all.

I hope you enjoy my Rose Garden!