Tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Australia -
I like to remember my grandfather, an Australian far from home in the snowy fields of Flanders back in the First World War.
I took these pictures when we visited in 2009.
Lest we forget
See those few blossoms on the top of our Jacaranda tree?
We thought the day would never come, but....
our five year old tree has finally decided to bloom!
Other trees have been covered in purple for weeks, but just when we had given up on our tree for 2015, I looked up and there they were - tiny little buds, about to burst forth.
Like proud new parents, we will probably take pictures of every new development....Heaven help us!
The Blue Sapphire has been giving a good example..
Roses are popping out on a daily basis...
along with the Agapanthus.
There have been storms.
Lots of Summer Storms with ear-splitting thunder and scary flashes of lightning.
I went for a walk as the sun re-emerged the other afternoon.
The sky had quite a glow.
In other lovely news this week, the Sewing Ladies celebrated the Spring Racing Season in Australia with a flourish.
Champagne? Of course...
And Little Aussie has been to visit.
He is now into complex cardboard constructions..
This is a tool shed, with his plastic tools taped to the inside walls.
He decided on free-form murals for the external decoration:
Hope your week is full of rainbows.
XXXXX
As usual, I enjoy all your beautiful flowers. Blue is my favorite color, and your blue flowers are a gorgeous shade!
ReplyDeleteWe should never forget the sacrifices of prior generations. Brave they were.
I cannot believe how mature Prince William looks these days!
Little Aussie seems to have a ball with his grandparents. You and Mr. C bring out his creativity.
I love all the blue blooms which come in November! Isn't that a great pic of the Queen and William - he looks soooo grown up now.
DeleteHis father arrived in Australia today, and will be in Canberra at the National War Memorial tomorrow for the ceremonies.
Hooray! So glad your Jacaranda hs decided to finally don her pretty blossom frock...exciting! Your garden looks a treat Trish. Love your Grandson's delicious creativity...fantastic.
ReplyDeleteSeems it takes five years for a jacaranda to become 'mature', he he.
DeleteThe garden loves the heat and the storms and we enjoy all the blooms. Might as well, it will probably all die in January! x
He is really into rainbows these days Val. He is quite particular about the colours and wants me to get him pens which are Indigo and Violet! He doesn't like substitutes..
ReplyDeleteRemembrance Day is important. Our version, Veterans Day, is Nov. 11. Your flowers are beautiful and how exciting you tree put out some blossoms. You must have a lot of fun with the very creative Little Aussie
ReplyDeleteYes, on Nov. 11 here too, Darla. It is honoured more than ever these days. We are like new parents with that jacaranda tree :)
DeleteIn Canada we celebrate Remembrance Day on the 11th. I have once been to one of the sites where there are trenches remaining from WW1. It was a very sobering experience. The queen looks so young in that picture with William! Congratulations on your blooming Jacaranda tree, and it looks like you have a budding young architect in your family. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, 11/11, the Armistice Day, celebrated all over. Perhaps you went to the same trenches we went to, and yes, very sobering. Impossible to imagine how men lived and fought in them.
DeleteDoesn't the Queen look great in that picture - who would think she will be 90 next year.
We call it Veterans Day here, Patricia. It's nice that you're thinking of your grandfather on this day, and the red rose is perfect for remembering your loved one. The blue sapphire is so pretty. It looks like a combination of blue and purple. How fun that Aussie made a tool shed out of a cardboard box, and he decorated it with all the colors of a rainbow, how precious. My kids used to love to make things out of simple boxes too. The imagination of a child.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed week, Patricia, and stop by today if you want to see my red kitchen. I know how we both love red.
~Sheri
Our red rose bush is going well this week Sheri, with some lovely big blooms - you would love them! The blue sapphire is a gorgeous colour and a very tough plant too. I should grow more of them. That box construction is so funny - each visit he turns it into something else. Who knows what will happen next? I will pop in to see that red kitchen - sounds very nice!
DeleteVery beautiful flowers!! A moving tribute too to all of the worlds service men and women. xx
ReplyDeleteThe garden is doing lots of good things this month Amy. Storms and nice sunshine work wonders, before the summer heat really hits. I loved the royal family's photos from the Remembrance concert.
DeleteThank you to your grandfather for his service. I really enjoyed seeing your flowers. Those blue sapphire ones are stunning, almost hard to look at because the color is so intense. There is a wildflower here that is similar, it's even hard to photograph because the intense color never shows true in a photo. I hope you're having a good week, Patricia, take care.
ReplyDeleteA blue flower can be very vivid and attractive, and they are just a little more unusual that the average, I think. The blue matches the sky, and you have great skies in New Mexico too. Have a good week Jennifer.
DeleteThe 11th already. Thank you for reminding me. yes, War. Nasty business. Most of my family were wiped out during WW1, so I have very little in the way of an extended family myself. WW2 also had an impact, as did the Cold War (my father was involved in that too). So, I think a great deal about war, which may not always be a cheerful thing to do! But gardens help, don't they - contemplate beauty of this sort always does. As does being grateful for what we all have, thanks to the sacrifices in war or otherwise, of those who have gone before us.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, that is awful losing so many from your family in WW1. I have heard some of these stories, and how a generation of young men disappeared so it led to a lot of 'old maid' ladies in the next generation. No wonder you think about it. The Cold War was strange, and a scary thing to be involved in. I remember the Cuban Missile crisis and how frightened we were. Always love to have a garden - nature is a perfect tonic for me: flowers, walking near bush, and drives in the country.
DeleteLovely remembrance reminders and beautiful flowers, Patricia. Your garden must be soul food at this time of year!
ReplyDeleteIt is great to have flowers all about us this month, Val. I am enjoying the roses while I can - because in January they will all be gone, and it will be hard to find a single bloom of anything for the house! That is the Australian Summer for you.
DeleteOh I am totally charmed with Little Aussie's constructions. What a wonderful time of his life this is, one to be treasured. How nice to think of everything blooming and coming to life as winter is closing in here. I still hate to think of the men who died "like cattle" as Wilfred Owen put it in his wonderful and terrifying war poems. Have you read them?
ReplyDeleteA rainbow house certainly has its charms, Jenny. It is such a delight to re-live the joy of small children's inventions via the grandchild. I treasure all his little drawings now. Yes, I seem to recall Wilfred Owen from when I did English Lit. There are some good Australian war poems too. Prince Charles and Camilla visited our National War Memorial in Canberra for Remembrance Day. They seem to be enjoying their tour - lots of smiles, and enthusiastic crowds.
DeleteHow very beautiful your garden looks my dear! It is always so lovely to visit your world my dear!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tamera, may you have many rainbows this weekend!
DeleteLate at your place again (:
ReplyDeleteThe snowy pictures look much more familiar, considering it is November, but then again, we live so far apart.
Seeing everything so fresh and just starting to bloom, cheers up my spirits.
Our fall has been a long one. No signs of snow in the near future either. Our only flowers are in the flower shop and first closer to Xmas am I planning to buy some.
Your Aussie grandson has artistic skills!
Hello Mette, I hope you two are going well over there - fall is nice, but can probably go a bit too long. Our flowers are about to disappear over the next few weeks as the Summer heats up. Big plans to do a garden tidy today. Awful news from Paris!!!! I keep going back to the TV to watch. I'd love the grandsons to grow up being good artists :)
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