Spring has arrived, and the King Orchid has bloomed...
The pride and joy of the Red Cardinal garden, it was inherited from my late father who grew them for many years.
Spring greetings too from this pretty golden orchid, a gift from my sister L.
Also celebrating Spring, the pink stalwart has bloomed again..
And we have a new addition, a pretty little orchid I bought Mr. Cardinal for Father's Day... We have tied it on a tree in a sheltered spot...
And I 'celebrated' Spring by finally getting my first Covid vaccination:
my reservation for a Pfizer shot was refused when I arrived for my appointment at the hospital. I finally had the Astra Zeneca vaccine a week later at my personal doctor's rooms. While we are currently Covid-free in Brisbane, we are watching the Delta strain overwhelming Sydney, and know it is only a matter of time before it comes here. I am relieved to at least have had my first dose, and was very tired for a couple of days.
While currently not in lockdown, we were pleased to be able to visit our eldest grandson, Young Aussie, and attend his school musical. Such moments bring joy to the hearts of all grandparents.
It was good to be out in public again, and later that evening we went to the Concert Hall to see London-based but Queensland's own classical pianist Jayson Gillham. His exquisite playing of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 was enthralling, and won him the 2014 Montreal International Musical Competition, bringing him international attention. He appears with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, and the State orchestras throughout Australia among many others.
Our last orchestra concert was cancelled, so it was a delight to be back in our favourite musical place.
Then I saw Helen Mirren at the Venice Film Festival, and wondered why I thought my hair was too long!
Dame Helen looking fabulous with long hair...
P.S. She is even a little older than moi....
Take care, and be safe.
XXXX
Beautiful flowers! Happy Spring!
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of Gillham. He looks radiant with joy. I am glad to read you have your first vaccine shot. Prayers for everyone's health
Thank you! It was Gillham's first concert appearance for 18 months, and he was indeed full of joy. The audience were thrilled for him too. Be safe.
DeleteHello Patricia. The pink Stalwart is lovely as ever. And what a beautiful bunch of purple Iris. You know, that is my favorite color. How wonderful to see your grandson, Aussie, again and attend his school musical. I bet it felt good to get a haircut after all this time. It's always nice when we have a change in clothes, accessories, or hair styles.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have wonderful September days, and while flowers are blooming beautifully there, the winds of change are going on here and the leaves are falling. Take care and be safe, dear friend.
~Sheri
Ah yes, special purple flowers for you Sheri. It was good to actually get to the hairdresser, and we both wore masks the whole time. Amazing how you become used to new things. Enjoy your beautiful Autumn.
DeleteI love all of your orchids Patricia but that King orchid from your late father is a stunner and what a lovely memory he has left you.
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased that you have now had your first vaccine. I am sure that you must be feeling greatly relieved.
Take care.
By the end of his life, Dad's orchid spread horizontally over several trees and was enormous. We divided it into six pieces (I have five siblings) and we are all keeping it going into the future. I am relieved to feel I am protected to some extent, as there is a lot of apprehension here about the Delta virus. Be safe.
DeleteThat King Orchid is doing magnificent work. The iris (is that a "double"?) going well too. I was very tired for days after my first AZ. Sorry to report I was almost as tired for a number of days after my second one. I feel it was worth losing a few days compared to the possible alternative. Of note is that the other person in my house who is generally in poor health sailed through both his shots without noticing anything!
ReplyDeleteI actually do not know if the Iris is double or not! It came from a church fete. Reassuring to know others are tired for days after AZ - it is now a week, so I hope I perk up soon. I fully expect the next dose to be similar and plan accordingly. And the other person in this house did exactly the same thing. I like to amuse myself by suggesting the vaccine did not 'take'...
DeleteHi Trish,
ReplyDeleteNow I want to be in Brisbane for the next 6 months to enjoy another spring and summer. The garden is beautiful as always!
I got my hair cut the length where it just touches the shoulders in June so it's longer now. I wanted it shorter to last into the fall without needing another cut. My hairstylist is afraid to cut it short. I find if I go shorter than shoulder length however, I have to fuss with it more. If at least medium length, all I must do is wash and blow dry it, therefore I will definitely be a senior lady with longish hair.:)
If you have the time, Trish, I am hoping to get your thoughts on a blog I wrote on August 10th about small unused kitchen tools I bought. I always enjoy writing those blogs about my purchasing mistakes, but it's more fun if I have at least one comment. Would you consider reading it and sharing your thoughts and/or own mistakes? Without a doubt, I always look forward to your take and reaction on such topics.
I think medium length is the way to go these days, and mine was only trimmed about an inch and will grow back fast. I like the headband Helen is wearing, and have a black one which is handy in a hurry. I popped by your blog about kitchen tools which was a fun walk down memory lane. Cheers.
DeleteBlessings Trish!
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are looking amazing!! Happy Spring! So happy to hear that you at least got a dose of vaccine and that things have let up enough now to get out. How wonderful to get to go see your grandson's concert. 😊 I pray that the vaccines help the delta variant not be too harsh when it comes. 🙏
I love Helen Mirren's hair like that! I think you should rock the long hair too. 😉 Have a great rest of the week!
Hellow Carrie, yes I am a one-vac wonder now, he he. The concert was postponed due to lockdown, but then the chance came for them to go ahead. We were so pleased as it is his last year in primary school and a good finish for the kids. Yay for Helen Mirren and great long grey hair! We too are praying for delta to be kind to us and meantime are rushing about doing lots of things before the next lockdown hits us. xo
DeleteHi Val, it's a great year for orchids. Thank you for your comment re Pfizer; you express what I have been thinking too. My appointment was made 8 weeks prior, after submitting my doctor's letter, and I was given a link to get a Pfizer jab. At no time did they contact me to say that they had decided to refuse it, so I wasted 8 weeks when I could have had AZ at another place. The appointment still stood, but any documentation about me having Pfizer had disappeared from the system, and they spent (wasted) an hour interrogating me, then tried to force AZ on me then and there. It was too upsetting in a room full of people getting Pfizer. My GP was astonished by it all. When I went back to the GP they did their best for me, with a second nurse standing by with an adrenalin shot just in case. I was able to lie down for 30 minutes while they kept watch, and got a lollypop (for blood sugar). I did well but had extreme thirst and drank absolute heaps for 2 days. It all worked out but there are many over 60s, like me, with 'underlying conditions' which does not mean we are unwell or unhealthy - just a bit unlucky. We could be treated a bit better in this current system.
ReplyDeleteLive music is one of the things I've been missing. Glad you got to go to a concert. I'm also glad we are going the other way, into autumn. It has been a long hot (and very stressful) summer, I'm ready for a change.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Hi Amalia, it was absolutely wonderful to go to the concert. A few weeks previously, a similar concert was cancelled. So sorry things are stressful over there; we are hoping our Summer is neither too hot nor unsafe for us. It was 33c here today, so I think Summer has arrived. Enjoy Autumn, my favourite season. xo
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