Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 24 August 2014

Sunday Selections #186

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Like River I usually run with a theme. And this week it is Spring.  She isn't here yet, but she certainly has her foot in the door.

When we were wandering around the lake the week before last we came across evidence that the plantings for our Spring bulb festival, Floriade, are well under way.  The festival starts in mid September and runs for four weeks.  And we will go at least once.

The annuals are starting to flower and there are tulips, hyacinth, iris and daffodil bulbs poking through.  The netting is, I think, to prevent depreciations by birds and will be removed when the festival opens.



In our own garden there are also signs that Spring is very almost here.  A colourful reward for all the blood, sweat and tears (not to mention money) which I have poured into the garden.

Camellias, and more are coming out each day, despite the King Parrots chewing on the buds.






There are daffodils...



The wattle is starting to come out...



Lots of grevilleas (and more to come)





Violets.


The first of the hyacinths are coming out too.



And every time I wander outside there are more things in bud.  Bliss.

104 comments:

  1. Being in your garden must be bliss. Spring is early here as well. I think the netting has a dual function It serves as frost protections as well.
    Happy Sunday my dear.

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    1. Arija: Often when I am in the garden I see what needs to be done (a lot) rather than enjoying what is there. Wandering out with the camera is good for me. I hadn't thought about frost protection, but you are probably right. And there are certainly more frosts to come.

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  2. Ah, here in Sweden autumn has put her foot in the door. It's getting colder and rainier. Today, I attended a parade (will blog it) in my viking clothes and this was my last viking event wearing my summer apron-skirt.

    I like the flowers on the top picture. My mother used to plant those outside every spring since they are so hardy and can handle the frost.

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    1. CrimsonAnna: I love Autumn and am looking forward to seeing photos of yours. And of you in your Viking clothes.

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  3. How Lovely...we are staring down the barrels of the guns of Autumn over here.

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    1. Delores: The seasons are changing quickly aren't they? Except when we get stuck in one (I am thinking some of your winters and all of our summers).

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  4. Interesting they put the nets out to deter birds.
    You have a lot of flowers blooming. Wild to think as you head for spring, our summer is winding down. (Not entirely - we're still really hot and humid here.)

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    1. Alex J. Cavanaugh: Hot and humid? Bleah. You can keep that. Our birds are often vandals where plantings are concerned. I have certainly cursed the cockatoos I have seen uprooting my tulips. And snapping off the ranuncula blooms.

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  5. Second hand long distance vicarious bliss. (insert smiley face)

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    1. dinahmow: More to come. Much, much more to come.

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  6. Oh bliss indeed EC! only the cold areas of Oz have these gorgeous temperate climate plants. And, I've always wanted to visit Floriade when it's on, perhaps I should plan it and not wish it!
    We don't really have a true 'spring' in the tropics or a distinct 4 seasons. I miss that very much. And I'd happily sacrifice a bud or three for a visit from a king parrot! :)

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    1. Rose ~ from Oz: We do lose a bud (or twenty-three) to the birds. Which is fine.
      Floriade, and its near neighbour Tulip Tops are annual treats for us. And yes, to four seasons. Though I could let Summer go with no regrets.

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  7. I am really looking forward to spring this year. While most magnolias are in bloom, my favourite one nearby has not yet. You have great results in your garden. While leaves can make an attractive garden, nothing beats an annual blooming.

    Folks, if you can, do attend Floriade, as we did last year. Unbelievably, it is free to the general public.

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    1. Andrew: Floriade is great isn't it? And just down the road are the Tulip Top Gardens - which I think are even better. They aren't free, but it is money well spent. $12 an adult entry with a free sausage sandwich and unlimited tea and coffee thrown in.

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  8. Camellias I love and Wattle is lovely too. I wonder if we have it over here....A fab burst of colour for my tired eyes, thank you.

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    1. All Consuming: You might know wattle better as Acacia. Tired eyes? What have you been doing? And I hope it was fun.

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    2. Hmmm Acacia, yes, I've definitely heard of it. I'll look into that. Tired eyes from squinting whilst making bracelets. I keep forgetting to wear my close up glasses and then wonder why my eyes ache, then remember afterwards...arrgggghhh!

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  9. Wow! You are starting Spring off early down your way, EC. We've been having some wonderful, very welcome rain these past couple of days...and some last week, too. We've also had some strong winds which aren't welcome. I love the rain, but I hate the wind.

    I never fail to think of "The Lady of Camellias" and the ballet "Camille" every time I look at the blooms.

    I hope you and The Skinny One have a great week ahead. :)

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    1. Lee: I am not a fan of strong winds either - and this is our windy season. Hopefully we will get some of your rain.
      A great week to you too. And I picked up a book you recommended at a market earlier this morning - The Confessions of a Beachcomber: EJ Banfield. I got a few others too...

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  10. Oh Good Grief ... as your Spring arrives, my summer ends. It is so hard for me to wrap my head around that idea. I think I start feeling a little grumbly because I know that, though I love our fall (which will occur while your Spring blooms are bursting out all over), I cringe at the thought of winter, which they are predicting to be even worse than last winter. (Worse? How much worse can it be?) So if I get myself out of my self pity pot and look at the joy this Spring is bringing you ... I have to admit, it makes me happy. You deserve a million Springs after all that you have been through. So glad you both are able to get out and enjoy :) Your pictures are gorgeous as is your garden. Some people are just blessed with the"touch"! Stay well, EC and I will see you in two weeks when I get back from Switzerland.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Andrea Priebe: Have a wonderful time in Switzerland - and take lots and lots of photos. I hope your winter (and our summer) are much milder than the predictions. Much, much milder.

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  11. Lovely flowers, I like the camellias. In my last house I grew old fashioned flowers such as peonies, dahlias, geraniums, tall daisies and clematis, wisteria, and honeysuckle. Bet your garden smells wonderful. . . I grow a few herbs still, but this summer, not much. Lucky you with Spring around the corner! (Thanks for the hissing and spitting comments on the Environment post. That made me laugh. . .)

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    1. D.G. Hudson: I do rather a lot of hissing and spitting. Some days it feels like my mantra.
      And the garden is a joy. Blood, sweat, tears and joy.
      I hope your husband is doing better.

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  12. Yes, it's definitely becoming springtime in your part of the world! I see signs of fall around here everywhere, but nothing quite as magical as your flowers! I will enjoy your spring while you enjoy my fall. Isn't that wonderful? :-)

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    1. DJan: Your autumn/fall will delight me. As will your winter. I do love that we can share seasons.

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  13. The camellias are my favorite. I never heard of wattle before. I learn so much from your blog. But your spring means our fall..meaning my least favorite season, winter, is coming soon.

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    1. Sue in Italia/In the Land of Cancer: Wattle is our floral emblem.
      'This here's a wattle,
      Its the emblem of our land.
      You can stick it in a bottle,
      Or hold in in your hand.
      Austraya. Austraya, Austraya'.

      I suspect that you, like All Consuming get its relatives - Acacias.

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    2. EC, where did you learn that? It is pretty funny :) (I'm hoping it was meant to be so, otherwise I have just put my foot in my mouth ...)

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    3. jenny_o: It is part of a Monty Python sketch. Spoken by one of the Bruces - and my first boyfriend was a Bruce, so it has extra relevance for me.

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  14. I love where I live but I really love where YOU live!

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    1. Birdie: You see some things which I really love too. The magic of the blogosphere that we can share...

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  15. These are great photos, love your Sunday Selections :)

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  16. Spring always good only nose is not always happy at this time of year.
    Merle..........

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    1. Merlesworld: Yes, Spring is rough on a lot of noses. I was truly miserable until I had a course of desensitising injections and these days I am (usually) ok.

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  17. My favorite season, Fall, is coming here soon. Tennessee gets SO beautiful in the Autumn. My least favorite season is actually summer. SUCH pretty flowers.

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    1. Stephanie Faris: I have seen some amazing photos of Tennessee in Fall. It would be hard not to love it. And I am not a fan of summer either. At all.

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  18. How nice to see these pretty spring flowers inside while outside our door is it scalding hot!!!! Things are wilting here....

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    1. Bookie: I hope your scalding hot mellows quickly. Not my favourite season. At all.

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  19. Spring is springing here too. Love this time of year. In fact if it didn't roll into summer I'd be wildly happy!

    Gorgeous pic. As always :)

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    1. Wendy: Yup. Yay for Spring. And Autumn. And Winter. Summer? Not so much (or at all).

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  20. So heavenly to see all the flowers in bloom, very relaxing and of course ones does see the weeds but never mind we don't

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    1. Linda Starr: I am glad you can't see the weeds. There are a lot of them. I worked out that if I weeded religiously every day until Christmas I might (just might) be on top of them.

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  21. I love that first pink and cream grevillea! Your garden will rival Floriade I think.
    i can picture you on the porch drinking in the sights and scents, then dashing down to put in another dozen bulbs...
    I have a few tiny buds here and there on my grevilleas, but it will be a year before I get a decent display. I have daffodils in bud and I'm hoping for blooms soon, someone or thing broke off the first of the buds a couple of weeks ago.

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    1. River: Someone or something snapped off your buds? Hiss and spit. You will know that your daffodils are close to flowering when the buds turn over and angle themselves horizontal to the ground. An exciting time.

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  22. daffodils! any hyacinth:)
    I love these beauties and it's joy to see them blooming
    somewhere cooler and less sticky
    (the air here is thick with humidity and far to overheated for my taste right now);
    it's just joy:)
    thank you,
    Jennifer

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    1. Jennifer Richardson: Heat and humidity are NOT my friends. And I am very happy to share the spring magic with you. You share vibrant colour all year round.

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  23. I am glad I got to visit Floriade once in my lifetime. I love Spring. I weather is pleasant for all I think. I must look for the signs of Spring here ~ in the absence of bulbs. Of course we generally just refer to the wet season and dry season. The indigenous people are much mire observant and have many seasons based on local weather events. http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/

    Have a wonderful week EC.

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    1. Carol in Cairns: The indigenous people are often MUCH more aware environmentally as well. We could/should learn from them. And they are probably not too precious to observe (and learn from) mire as well.

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  24. Beautiful! It is still summer here and hot...but I can't wait for fall.

    "Depreciations by birds" - so eloquently put!

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    1. Riot Kitty: There is nothing elegant about the depreciations though. Decapitation and uprooting. And spreading of petals from Christmas to breakfast...

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  25. Ohhh, how pretty! Lots blooming in your lovely garden. They are all beautiful, the wattle is my favourite, and by far the most missed for me, living back in Canada. It's been a rather hot and humid summer, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of autumn.

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    1. Karen: I hope your autumn comes quickly. I have been watching (and shuddering) your weather.

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  26. Your garden must be so beautiful all year round, full of colour and bits and pieces bursting into life, visited by birds and owned by cats. An oasis for you I'm thinking. One year I will get to Floriade, I am determined to do so. Happy Sunday xxx

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    1. Kakka: When you get to Floriade (and Tulip Tops) we will have to meet up.
      The garden is a haven for me - except in summer. It is severely neglected then as I skulk as far away from the heat as I can.

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  27. Oooo, fabulous Floriade! I look forward to your photos.
    I love your garden, EC. It is wonderfully diverse. And, because of that, there is something for all the birds, bees and insects. Pure delight.

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    1. Vicki: You know me well. There will be lots of photos. Lots and lots of photos.
      And I try and plant for colour, shape, scent, birds and insects. And the cats.

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  28. Bliss indeed! How I look forward to your Sunday posts. Your camellias are doing so well - I have what I think is a beautiful white one, but the cold winds and frosts turned all the flowers brown and yucky before they even came out properly.

    I'll be looking forward to the Floriade posts!

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    1. Alexia: It is the sun which burns the petals on our white camellia. Often. They are beautiful at the moment, but it won't last. And the camellias flank the front of the house and several of them tower over the roof line. Camellia trees rather than bushes.

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  29. What a wealth of glory you have planted and shared with us. Thank you! And I am looking forward to seeing Floriade again this year through your eyes.

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    1. jenny_o: Thank you. And only a fraction of what I planted is yet in flower. More photos to come. Many more.

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  30. And here signs of autumn are beginning to trickle in.

    So beautiful. I do like your annual report from Floriade, as well as the amazing photos of your own private Floriade at home. So much to look forward to.

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    1. Paper Chipmunk: I love that so many people encourage me to share my obsessions. Thank you.
      And, while I love Spring, Autumn is a very special season too. And often a huge relief.

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  31. all my flowers out front are withering away with the weather :(

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    1. Tammy Theriault: I am so sorry to hear that your garden is withering (and wilting too I assume).

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  32. So beautiful to look at! You - and the cats - must be smiling each time you glance out the window or take a stroll through the garden...or go on the hunt... ;)

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    1. River Fairchild. Smiling - and wincing at the work to come.

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  33. Dang girl, you could just about host Floriade in your own garden! What a beautiful, colorful start it's off to!

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    1. Laloofah: And if we get the rain that the weather boffins have been predicting the garden and I will smile broadly.

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  34. Your garden is beautiful!

    So many treasures, not just from the flowers, but from what happens when you dig, and plant.

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    1. Guyana-Gyal: The garden is a work in progress always. However I use it to ground me, and soothe me - and excite me.

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  35. Lovely, Sue.
    Wish we could sit in your garden together for a cuppa tea!
    SPRING))) O, something to look forward to. I long for Spring ALWAYS in my heart.
    Do the little panthers like Spring outside your window?
    Love and KISSes from MN.

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    1. My Inner Chick: A cup of tea - or a bucket of wine with you would be very, very good.
      The cats adore the garden. There are sheltered nooks where they can see without being seen, patches of sun to revel in, and birds and insects to tempt them.

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  36. Your garden is so lovely. I really enjoy the glimpses you share of, what is for me, another hemisphere!
    We should be having the hottest, driest days of summer right now - but a rain storm moved in and has refused to budge the past few days. Temperatures are only in the mid 40's F, so this weekend has felt a lot like fall.

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    1. Susan F.: Send that rain this way. Please. I don't envy you hot days, but do suffer from rain envy.

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  37. I didn't realize the parrots ate the growing flowers. I'm glad they made it through, and you're right, they sure are pretty.

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    1. mail4rosey: They eat them and sometimes just rip them off and throw them around. A small price to pay for the pleasure of their visits.

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  38. Dear EC
    Beautiful camellias and lovely spring flowers - so cheerful and heartwarming.
    Keep enjoying.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Ellie Foster: It is an exciting time of year. Every time I turn around there is something new - emerging from the soil, budding, blooming...

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  39. It's amazing to see the opposite season through your blog. Those photos look like NYC in early May. I suppose soon I'll have photos of autumn. Those photos are gorgeous as usual...the colors on the flowers, like a dream!

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    1. Raquel Somatra: When I am melting in summer it is SUCH a relief to know that I can cool myself down by looking at images from the other side of the world.

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  40. Thank you for sharing your lovely flowers!

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  41. Bliss indeed, EC! Your garden is looking delicious already. Mine too but I'm seriously wondering about my daffodils as I can't see any sign of them! Next year they will be my planting priority. As for the parrots, grrrrr. They've cut off every orange, lemon and mandarin and after one bite, tossed them all over our orchard and the next door preschool. Makes me smile through the annoyance. Just the white guys, the big black cockies are far more well mannered of course!

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    1. Carol: No daffodils? I wonder why. In hiding perhaps. I am worrying about liliums. They popped up (too early) and budded. The frost has turned them into a black and soggy mess. I hope they will return at a more appropriate time.
      The white cockies are indeed vandals. They behead and uproot my tulips each year. And spread apple from Christmas to breakfast.
      No orchard here, but I am sure they would have a heap of fun if we did.

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  42. The buds are appearing everywhere... just this lunchtime it felt like Spring... that subtle warmth and humidity that soaks the senses :-)

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    1. Geoffrey: And so very changeable. Yesterday and this morning we had warm sunshine. This afternoon the wind has got up, and the temperature plummeted. With luck we will get rain too.

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  43. There is nothing more joyous that flowers budding out and bursting into bloom, I think. Lovely photos!

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    1. Lynn: It is an exciting time. And a beautiful one.

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  44. I am often educated here with beautiful flowers I have never heard of.

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  45. Lovely - spring is such a tonic for the spirit.

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    1. lynners: A tonic is the perfect description for Spring. Bracing often, but soooo good for us. And rewarding.

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  46. You've created your own bliss. How wonderful. It must smell heavenly in your garden. The flowers are beautiful. What better way to enjoy this earth? Have a gloriou Spring.

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    1. Myrna R.: Bliss is there, but so is hard work. And plentiful rewards.

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  47. Gorgeous! Let's see ... I could do summer here, spring and summer in Australia, and come back for spring and summer here. That way I could avoid early spring and late fall and winter all the way around :)

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    1. Carol Kilgore: You are more than welcome to our summer. All of it. And the seasons you would avoid are right up there on my favourites list.

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  48. Spring is heavenly! A lovely set of shots.

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    1. ladyfi: Spring is always a treat. We have returned to winter (yesterday and today) but the promise is still there. And the daffodils are blazing in the garden.

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  49. Soosie how lovely to see these spring blooms again. I wish we could go back to repeat spring and summer here as they were so very cool, cold, wet and short.

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    1. Donna@LivingFromHappiness: Cool, wet and short sounds like the perfect summer to me. I love the colour - and loathe the heat, and we very rarely get enough rain.

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  50. Never mind the official Floriade; I think you have your own personal floriade right at your door step. How you manage it I don't know but your garden is magnificent and so beautiful.
    I remember years ago my mum was in Canberra at the time of the Floriade and when she came home I recall her describing how beautiful it was.

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    1. Mimsie: My garden is not a patch on Floriade (or Tulip Tops) but gives me a lot of pleasure (and a lot of work). I will post photos of both Floriade and Tulip Tops next month.

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