APRIL SHOWERS AND MAY FLOWERS

 

Hello, Dear Readers..

April showers have passed, and suddenly it is May.

Autumn is in the air, and with the passing of the stifling heat, flowers find it easier to bloom in the new Red Cardinal garden..

We are delighted with the five Camellia bushes which were here when we bought the house.  They are covered in buds, and more flowers bloom every day:

Unfortunately we both caught a seasonal virus over the past few weeks, which made us very tired, as well as ill.  Many planned events were cancelled, and I missed my work at the gallery.

However, all is now well, and we are back into the swing of life in our new suburb.  I love singing in not one, but two choirs, every week.

These little mini roses do well, and we have planted four of them now.

On Saturday we attended a garden Open House a short distance down our road.  It was absolutely lovely, a very well maintained cottage style garden, with lots of rustic sculptures, bird houses, chickens, a large vegetable and fruit garden, as well as roses, lavender and so on.

There were plants for sale (we bought a fern we lost when we moved), and home made Rosella jam.  Rosellas are considered an Australian plant, having made its way here from Africa some thousands of years ago.  There was a Rosella bush in the garden:

The home owner made the jam, which we enjoyed with scones and cream in her pretty garden, as well as buying a jar to bring home.  I remember my mother grew this bush and made Rosella jam a few times when I was a little girl.

The roses and lavender reminded me that we had to leave our lavender plants behind when we moved.  Yesterday we went to the plant nursery and bought another lavender to add to our place, as well as a few more much-missed old favourites.  We will squeeze them in somewhere...

I know I am running a bit late, but had to mention I enjoyed the fashions during the visit to the United States of King Charles and Queen Camilla last week.  

I really liked Camilla's Dior coat dress on arrival.  Because, pink!

Also thought this double act was incredibly chic.

Camilla's pale minty green hat and coat, and the First Lady's white suit and very stylish boater hat were just lovely.

The main event, the State Dinner, brought out the glamour.  

Both gowns were just so beautiful, and, yes, Pink again...

Camilla's antique amethyst heirloom necklace was a fabulous piece dating back to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, about 200 years ago.  Melania's pale pink gown was perfection.

Here is a little peek at our new house.  I was returning from my walk last week and a rainbow appeared to come right down onto our roof!

Could there be a pot of gold up there?

Our little retirement house is very different from our previous style.  It is of modest proportions, with a handy car port under that sloping roof at the front.  There is also a garage which is now a storage space.  While I was not looking for a walled garden, it does make it much safer for us elderly folk, with electronic gates and security cameras.  The roses and camellias are inside the front courtyard.

The back garden is bigger, with the pool, more gardens, the Magnolia tree plus an Olive and lime and lemon trees.

We have tied the orchids we brought with us onto the street trees (we have four of them).  We hope they do well and brighten up the street.  Lots of people go walking past on our footpath.

As the Autumn temperatures begin, I have been reorganising my wardrobe.  A new dress is half made, a shirt dress with a leaf design in Autumn tones which will go under my white Winter coat.  I also bought some Plum coloured warm pants for the cold Winter mornings I imagine will be here in a few weeks.  

In August we are off to Canada again, and my mind is firmly on what to take and what needs to be done.  We have our ETA forms done for Canada, but are working on the ones for the USA as we hope to go across the border to Vermont on this trip.

Well, that sums up my month.  I'd love to hear about yours.

Be safe and well

XXXX