HELLO AGAIN!

HELLO AGAIN!

As I sit here putting this post together,  I realise I've missed blogging.   New grand babies,  trips to and from Sydney, planning a new build project and the summer garden are my excuses!  

This will be my last Post on the Blogger format as the new website has finally been completed.  My lack of time was very much the reason it has taken so long and I still have to learn how to make my way around the new site.  I'm so looking forward to posting interviews with renowned garden landscapers, travel and updates of the new build project seen below.  Please bear with me as it might take a little time...

I am sure Instagram is also to blame for my lack of blog posting.  I enjoy Instagram for the visual beauty provided by the people I follow and wish I had more time to scroll through and comment more.  I am still amazed that the rushed daily pics I post and short captions are enjoyed by so many and 'Thank You'  once again for the encouragement. 

Part of the new build elevation.

We have had an unbelievably hot summer this year.   The gardens in the Southern Highlands are just about perfect until December/January.  Then the heat arrives, settles in and the weeds thrive!  It's been hard work keeping the water up - especially to all my pots!  In this heat, the smaller topiaries need watering every day which is very time consuming.

We had to make an agonising decision to take down a giant Cedar in our garden seen below to the left of the Glasshouse.  In the past eighteen months the tree had died back and regenerated a couple of times.  We had numerous expert opinions and in the end, after weeks of discussion and peering through the binoculars, we decided to take it down.  A huge crane arrived at 7.00am and the whole process took a morning.  A beautiful fragrance of cedar hung around for days, leaving a sad reminder of the beautiful old tree. 

 

Another difficult decision I had to make was to give away most of my beloved Auriculas.  The hours devoted to watering, tending them and moving them to cooler, breezier spots took too much time.  I'm happy to say they've gone to a friend who sadly lost all of hers recently.  Below are photos of some of my successes.

I was very proud of this one!

The Dahlias have bloomed very late this year.  I'm sure that the severe heat retarded their flowering period as I've heard this from a few other Dahlia growers around here.  Anyway, they've now picked themselves up and I managed to gather an armful a couple of days ago while fighting off many spiders!

The laundry floor was crawling with spiders!

A yellow spider!

The Zinnias, however, have been flowering for weeks!

When the rain stops, it will soon be time to cut back the leaves of the Hellebores.  I adore these flowers and the year round value these plants bring to the garden.

We were also excited to be able to pick our first pears a couple of weeks ago!

The first Pears on the Espalier

I poached them in Saffron, Cardamom, Cinnamon and brown sugar and they were delicious accompanied by Greek yogurt!

The early Autumn weather always encourages me to cook wintery meals.  



The aromas of soups, slow roasted lamb and poaching fruit have been wafting through the house.  I love the drawing-in of this time of year and the gathering around the table with friends and family.

We had a couple of friends for supper this week and the Hydrangeas that I dried last year looked pretty coupled with the soft pink napkins and Spode china ...

Taken a few weeks ago when the Cedar was still with us..

We are looking forward to spending time at our French home again this year.  I think this is my favourite garden.  It is so un-demanding and looks after itself all year.  The Buxus gets trimmed only once a year!

Meanwhile, THIS garden is the exact opposite and it's demands never cease!

Thanks so much for stopping by everyone and have a wonderful week!