Boo!
Hello from our solitary daffodil, which emerged in sunny fashion in the Red Cardinal Garden of Neglect.
We are quite thrilled with it - remember, we live in the topics after all...
The secret is one little garden which is very cold, gets only a little gentle morning sun, and is sheltered from the hot western sun and winds.
Fingers crossed for the tulip bulb I put in there too..
In other cheerful news, the adventurous and whimsical nasturtiums continue to amuse themselves, clinging to the ceiling under our deck..
Who said plants had no imagination?
A dramatic fire appeared over on the mountain...
It has been very dry here, no rain to speak of over the winter, and bush fires will happen. Thankfully, it appears to have been put out before endangering the populace. Undeterred, the Cardinals went Out.
It was time for a bit of glamour and sparkle.
I put on my black sequin skirt, the better to enjoy the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Guest violinist, the amazing Pinchas Zukerman, played the wonderful Elgar Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61.
I love Elgar.
Here's a tiny bit of a 1932 recording by Yehudi Menuhin, conducted by the composer himself, Sir Edward Elgar.
It is a very long concerto, about 50 minutes, but I was so enraptured that I was astonished when it finished.
I thought only about 15 minutes has passed...
Lavender is also enjoying the winter sunshine..
May the sun shine for you too, wherever you may be.
And have a great week.
XXXX
Strangely we share a lavender season but not a daffodil one. I love Elgar's music too - he was born and lived near here in Malvern. He walked the Malvern Hills daily for inspiration and now when I walk there I invariably have his music playing in my head - Pomp and Circumstances is a good one to help me climb up the hills.
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic to walk the hills where Elgar walked, Rosemary. I'm sure you feel the connection to the music. P & C is a wonderfully evocative theme. I suspect we are having a daffodil season of one, no others having been seen around here!
DeleteSo lovely to see a daffodil - they are such a cheerful flower.
ReplyDeleteI love lavender, looks good displayed around the home.
All the best Jan
I am visiting the daffodil every day to say Hi, meanwhile picked a big bunch of lavender for the house. Smells so good!
DeleteAmazing that in your part of the world daffodils and lavendel are flowering at the same time. Loved the music!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure when lavender flowers elsewhere, but ours goes on for most of the year. Meantime, our daffodil is very uncommon here, but as we are heading to Spring in a couple of weeks, I guess that matches up to the daffodils I have seen in England in Feb/March.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the Elgar.
Ooh, lucky to have seen and heard Yehudi play, Val. No, it wasn't cool to like classics. When I was about 13 I remember deliberately cultivating a bit of knowledge re Elvis just to fit in, while secretly just wanting Chopin! Barcelona....mmmm, jealous :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't have much luck with our daffodils or tulips here either and I'm not really sure why. It's probably the dryness, or maybe the ground stays too warm in winter. Your plants are looking really nice though. I love the nasturtiums. I just grew some for the first time last year. They were so hardy, it was nice to be able to kill a plant so easily for a change. I hope you have a good week, Patricia. :)
ReplyDeleteIt might be too dry for daffodils there, Jennifer. They are rarely seen here as well, because the climate is hot and dry much of the year. It really is a fluke that we have found a spot where we grow: One Daffodil :) Good to hear you have also grown nasturtiums; this is the first time I have had success with them, and I've been trying for about 40 years!
DeleteWonderful to see your solitary daffodil! I hope that the tulip will join it soon! I see that my favourite nasturtiums are still making their bid for freedom!!! They must be some of the longest tendriled plants there are!!! xx
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be fun if the tulip joined in. While we have rarely seen daffodils grow in Brisbane, I have never seen a tulip in anybody's garden. Fingers crossed for the Tulip! Those nasturtiums are the funniest thing - however, as soon as the summer hits, I suspect we will see sudden death to them :( Growing flowers is largely about climate, isn't it. xx
DeleteEverything has been so dry here, and didn't realize it was dry there also. I love what you wore to the concert, so elegant. The lavender bush is so pretty. I can never tell the difference between lavender and lilac. I'll have to look into that. However, I do know the daffodil very well. It shows itself so tall and lovely. Very nice picture of the daffodil, Patricia.
ReplyDeleteI do hope we get some rain this year. And I hope you get some too. :~)
love, ~Sheri
Yes, dry here too Sheri. Lavender can stand the heat and some dry periods, but lilacs would never grow here, much too hot for them. I had never seen them until going to Canada, and I absolutely loved them. I'm proud of the daffodil; like to think it is the only one in our town :) xx
DeleteI am impressed you've managed to grow a daffodil in your climate. I remember your saying that hollyhocks wouldn't grow because it was too hot, and yet they love the sun here. Your evening out sounds very glam! Enjoy the spring such as you have, and before it gets very hot! The sun hasn't been shining today, but I have hopes for the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteWe are impressed with the daffodil too, Val. It is normally too hot for them too, it is just a fluke. I saw some bulbs for sale and just took a chance with them. We are off to Melbourne soon, so will experience some extra cold winter before spring.
DeleteI love the idea of plants having imagination. I have a few bullies in my garden, taking over, squashing and burying smaller plants. I don't know what they're called, big daisy things that don't smell too good. However I have a late flowering clematis whi has kept herself to herself for a while and is now gently hogging the lime-light.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, bullies in the garden, we know about them Katharine. The clematis sounds very ladylike - our daughter has one of them which looks very sweet by her front door. Glad she is having her moment to shine!
DeleteCongratulations on the blooming daffodil, Patricia! If it made it I'm sure your tulip will too. That is a very scary looking fire. I'm glad they got it out before any major damage could be done. It has been a summer of fires here in BC. The symphony sounds like it was a wonderful time. :-)
ReplyDeleteDaffodil says Hi to Canada! I have heard you have had fires over there - if it doesn't start raining we might have one of those fiery summers too... The symphony is always a special treat!
DeleteTricia, winter is certainly lovely in your neck of the woods. It looks so mild! I can imagine a delightful morning or afternoon walk.
ReplyDeleteAre the birds gone for the winter?
Yes, walking is perfect these days Debra, and I have been able to lengthen my daily walks. Our lorikeets and cockatoos are with us all year round, no migrating for them. I think there are some migratory birds in Australia, but am unsure which they are. Generally our climate is so mild, there is no need for them to go anywhere (especially as I put seed out for them to eat).
DeleteHello Patricia, I have just discovered your blog via Shane's blog. I don't know where to begin when it comes to throwing compliments around - your posts are so delightful! You are very talented and have such a great eye for beauty - it is so nice of you to share the lovely things you come across in your life. The art you feature really resonates with me. I particularly enjoyed seeing the indigenous art you recently posted.
ReplyDeleteI was so thrilled for you when I read that you spotted a red cardinal in the flesh - or should that be the feather?! I can so relate to your passion for red cardinals, I too am an Australian but I have a very vivid and magical memory from childhood of a Christmas card sporting a snowy scene with a pretty red cardinal and a pinecone. I have been hooked ever since and lap up all the photos our American blogger friends post every winter.
Well done on getting your daffodil to flower - I can imagine what an achievement it is for you in Brisbane. I had bought a whole bag of daffodil bulbs to plant but alas left it too late in the season and am stabbed with guilt every time I see them flowering happily in other people's gardens!
Good luck with the tulip!
Hello Wendy, and thank you for visiting my blog - and for reading through it! Perhaps it is an Australian thing, that we are both drawn to the idea of a red bird against white snow. That was my first knowledge of these birds also.
DeleteSurprise, today, I found a second daffodil in the garden. We are on a roll here. Also found a small brown snake, thankfully dead. Must have been gotten by a kookaburra. I suspect an early Summer is at play here, re both the daffs and the snake. Tulip is not doing anything.... Cheers.
Daffodils come up very early in the spring hereabouts, so does this mean that you are entering the spring period?
ReplyDeleteLavender, ooh, seen only in pictures.
There seems to be a lot of fine culture happenings in Australia, music, art..
Thank you for posting on them!
Yes, Mette, I think we are entering Spring, a little early. August was Always Cold! That was back before the world's weather went crazy. So lavender, must be for warmer climates, I guess. Although not a tropical plant, I think it likes the sun. I have been away a few days and seen a lot of art, which I will turn into some new posts - when I recover from being exhausted!
DeleteI always enjoy seeing what is growing in your garden as our seasons are so opposite. You must have looked lovely when going to the concert. Nice to have those "dress up" occasions.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Darla, sometimes I have a sneaking suspicion I organize the odd concert simply so I can dress up! Most of the time, our life is very casual, and so we dress. We have another daffodil - so pleased with the little garden.
DeleteHello dear Patricia
ReplyDeleteWell Spring has finally sprung in these parts too - tho not in my garden yet apart from flower buds on the lavender bushes! These bushes are looking very straggly after a brutal winter here so I think it's time to replace them!
I've had time in the garden the last two days, weeding, clipping and assessing what to do.
I have long lists of things I would like to buy but it needs astute planning - the price of plants and shrubs have sky rocketed at our garden centres here!
What a wonderful concert and thank you for the youtube clip - Yehudi Menuhin was the master of the violin in our time. My mother saw him perform and loved playing his records. Sadly I didn't appreciate classical music when I was young, so I had no interest in accompanying her to concerts...
I take my hat off to you for dressing up - there are so few occasions when we can do that now - what a treat and I love the sound of your black sequinned skirt!
I often think of the lovely time we had together back in May - I feel we could have sat chatting for hours - a distant memory now I know!
((hugs))
Shane x
Dear Shane, My goodness, you are a busy bee in the garden. Like you, I always have the to do list. Everything here is flowering or has buds, so nice to see before the hot Summer hits.
DeleteLucky mother to see Yehudi. He was so special - he would have definitely been a sequin skirt occasion in performance :)
Yes, I too remember our lovely meeting with fondest memories. I do hope we can meet up again one day - there or here! So much fun to meet a kindred spirit with so many mutual interests. Hugs, too. P. xx