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Never worry about the Red Cardinal Garden of Neglect..
It survived our long absence, and really did not appear to care at all....
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The Annual General Daffodil has appeared.
It would be nice if we got a second one this year, but you can't be too particular...
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Lavender is coming into flower ..
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and the day after we returned, we went to the Garden Centre for some potted colour..
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carefully inserting these mad little fluttering Canadian geese I brought home:
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The naughty cockatoos hate them, which is a win for us..
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The friendly kookaburras just laugh about it all....
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While I recovered from my virus, we went for a country drive to see the Elderflower Farm
The orange vine was magnificent - I forget its name, although my mother had one at her house...
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I always loved Poppies...
and brought home a large bunch, including buds. They lasted over a week..
Loved the birdhouses!
Introducing Decoy Duck, our new pet...
I found him at a yard sale in Canada, for the princely sum of $5...
Carefully packed him in bubble wrap and lots of clothing, and brought him back to Australia. We do not see them here. Duck hunting, while something my father did when young, is not such a big thing here but apparently is popular in Canada, the land of thousands of lakes...
The day after we came home, the tiny twins came over to help launch him into the swimming pool.
And there he is, delighting me every day with his stoic floating about, and startling the neighbours and occasional visitors.
'There's a duck in your pool', I hear...
Sure is....
XXXX
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I would love to have a couple of laughing Kookaburras in the garden.
ReplyDeleteIs the orange vine a Pyrostegia venusta, which is commonly known as flamevine or orange trumpet vine which I believe originates from S.America.
I think it may well be, Rosemary, as Orange trumpet rings a bell with me. It is nice to have the occasional Kookaburra around, and there was a baby one here recently, very sweet.
DeleteDearest Patricia,
ReplyDeleteLovely spring flowers unfolding in your garden—enjoy this season.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette, hope you are recovering well. It is always a treat to watch the Spring flowers, wherever we are. Take care.
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DeleteHow lovely to see spring awakening in your garden, even though you were away from it for awhile. I know that my garden will be in need of much work when we return home in October. Our house sitters sent some photos of my flowers - zinnias, dahlias, marigolds - that made me feel a wee bit homesick.
ReplyDeleteThe orange vine is magnificent. Love the duck floating in your pool.
How lovely to know you have those gorgeous flowers waiting for you on your return. Photos do not do justice to that orange vine, which flowed in the sunshine. Greetings from Decoy Duck, who is a special reminder of our time in your beautiful country, every time I look out :)
DeleteI am always surprised to see pictures from you as our seasons are opposite. Daffodils are such a reliable pop of colour and I keep planting more…the squirrels like to nibble bulbs here so I have to keep ahead of them! A duck decoy makes for a great souvenir! We have loads of them here in our local parks and some even wander around the streets !!!!
ReplyDeleteLeslie
Hostess of The Humble Bungalow
Aha, maybe if I planted more daffodils, I would get more flowers? This was my second attempt to get a decoy duck for the pool. The previous time I bought one it was broken in transit back to Australia. This time I was very careful indeed, with lots of bubble wrap and a fragile sticker placed on the bag at the airport. We actually have wild ducks around our parks and creeks, and they are very cute, especially when the babies arrive. But we never see decoy ducks :)
DeleteThe decoy duck is delightful in the pool greeting you every day. My father-in-law used to carve the mallard ducks out of wood and paint them. He had a whole line of them on his windowsill. The orange vine is striking, and reminds me that Fall will soon be here. That little aqua bird house is so cute. It's nice that you brought home some poppies. They look very nice on your table. I didn't know you love poppies. They are our state flower. Your garden is doing well, and you have many wonderful flowers to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteTake care and feel better with each day, Patricia.
~Sheri
How wonderful to know someone who carves the mallard ducks, and they would have looked excellent along the windowsill. I would have loved to bring home the aqua birdhouse, but getting the duck home was enough of an exercise in packing! I had to throw away a few pairs of socks to fit in our special duck. I love to look out and see it floating in the pool.
DeleteHaha! This just made me smile. I have ducks almost daily in my bay too. 😉 So I feel truly kindred with you dear Trish...your bits of Canada always makes me feel right at home as it's practically my back yard. Lol
ReplyDeleteAnd even though I'm starting to anticipate colorful leaves in the months ahead here....i can still appreciate your spring and all of its flowery goodness. As flowers are a love language ALWAYS! I hope it's a very colorful Spring ahead my Friend. Just so happy you're feeling better. 🤗 xoxo
Lucky Carrie, you have real ducks in your bay :) I am jealous you are so close to where my daughter lives, if considered from the other side of the world! Here's hoping for that feast of Spring flowers before the dry heat of Summer. Feeling much better these days, thank you. xoxo
DeleteSuch a lovely floral recap my dear! Thank you for sharing your local color! I am so impressed to hear your garden thrived even in your absence!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tamera. Of course, having an automatic sprinkler system around the garden helps a lot. Hoping for lots more Spring glory to share in the next few weeks. xx
DeleteLovaduck! My mother used to say that as an exclamation. She also used to grow those poppies. She called them Iceland Poppies. I wonder if that is the correct name for them?
ReplyDeleteI remember lovaduck! Also Iceland Poppies. You do not hear that name these days. I wonder where it came from. They do seem to like growing in cold places.
DeleteI sound like a broken record, but again love all the flowers and nature. I have never seen a kookaburras tree. It is lovely. The sweet little duck looks so real swimming in your pool. It is sure to attract a live duck.
ReplyDeleteKookaburras love to get high in a Gum Tree. You can't get any more Australian than that! Our decoy duck has surprised a few neighbours: it is very realistic. We do have wild ducks down along our creek where I walk, but they do not come up on our hill. Probably just as well, as I hear they make a right mess of swimming pools :)
DeleteIt sounds as if you are well and truly over your virus, and I'm glad to hear it. What rotten luck for you both to be ill after your return... but I suppose it is as well it didn't happen when you were on holiday. I love the pansies ...or are they violas ... ? whatever they are they're my current favourite flowers for my own garden.
ReplyDeleteYes, thankfully, I am going well now Jenny. We are very thankful we maintained good health during our trip - it could just have easily been an infection acquired on the journey over to Canada, which would have been so disappointing. Yes, I think they are all Violas this year. They are so forgiving, and also edible, and I like to decorate cakes or salads with a few. Happy gardening, Jenny.
DeleteHope you are over your virus and feeling better now. Your photos are great, I love that you only have a single daffodil LOL
ReplyDeleteIt is daffodil difficulty here in the tropics. We have one garden which is quite cold as it gets a bit of morning sun, shade all day, and is exposed to cold and wind when we get it. So we have called it the bulb garden and try any bulbs we can acquire. I have always loved daffodils. Thank you for visiting my blog.
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