Cactus Orchid

This plant is one of the ugliest, that is before it bursts into bloom. The pink one, I've had for a very long time, it never gets any bigger because I keep giving cuttings away to almost anyone that sees it. I does not like the cold and struggles to thrive against the warmth of the brick wall.

Glorious delicate colour, and a different shape than the red one below.

Mini mince pies

Preparing for Christmas, today's effort is 48 mini mince pies. They wiil go into the freezer until Christmas day when they will be dfrosted and refreshed in the oven, then dusted with icing sugar. Some have shortcrust pastry stars and the remainder have frangipan tops sprinkled with slivered almonds.

Unusual activity.......

......right at our front door. A European wasp has decided that it is an ideal spot to build a nest.

Firstly check that all is OK on the outside

Quite unaware that I'm here taking photos of her home making.

then go inside to see if its snug enough. I don't think she will inhabit this spot long........wait till I tell Popeye.

24/11/2010

Well the nest is no longer adorning our front door. Popeye waited until the "mother" wasp was inside the nest, placed a plastic bag around it and with a quick twist of the wrist the whole kit and kaboodle was inside the bag with mother showing extremely aggressive behaviour.
After he killed the poor mother wasp (I can't help feeling a bit sorry for her) we inspected the nest, no eggs inside as yet, but little 'cubicles' which looked almost as if they were made of paper, where they were to be laid. Apparently they chew up wood to construct their nest, hence the resemblance to paper. Very interesting.

Spring beauty

THis is a new iris that I purchased at the Meadows Market last Easter. Very aptly named HYPNOSIS. I asked the stallholder to recommend a pink variety, this is what I got, the pictures do not do it justice.
It is the most delicate shade of apricot with bright orange beards. It almost does hypnotise one, to see it slighty moving in the breeze.
The blue one is DREAM OF YOU. This is one I purchased from the same seller the previous year.
They never fail to amaze me, such strong foliage and extremely delicate blooms.

The Aussie sense of humour

I'm sure that every one has heard of the mythical monster that inhabits the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland, but are you aware that here in South Australia we also have a creature living in the salt encrusted waters of a lake in the mid-north of our state ? Just on the northern side of the town, Lochiel.

You might have to click on the photo to get a good look at it. I was lucky to be there at the time it "surfaced" to take a breath (lol) There it was....the Loch Eel !!

I took this picture some years ago when we were traveling through to the Territory. One, or maybe a few of the local "wags" have constructed "OUR" monster from car tyres. Good old Aussie humour !!

Its been a while...

....but I've been working on it. You see today is my 75th Birthday and this is a picture of the house where I was born, my maternal Grandparent's home at number 17 palmer street Pt. Pirie West (the house has since been demolished and a new one built there) The event taking place in the front left hand side bedroom about mid-morning. I was named Ronda after my father (Ronald) and Joy after Mum (Joyce) and known ever since as Joy.

The earliest picture I have of myself, approx 8 months old. Cameras were few and far between, most pictures were taken in a Studio.

On the Pt Pirie docks, where we used to swim. My Mother's family were great swimmers, my mother being diving champion at age 16. How about those cossies? very becoming don't you think? lol

And last for this part of the blog is me at about 3yrs old dressed entirely in red. No colour film then. I lived with my Nanna in the same house until she passed away from breast cancer when I was 4 years old. I can still remember her.

Blogging through Picassa will only allow 4 pics at a time so sorry folks, this has to come in 2 parts, and hopefully I have it the right way around this time.

Growing older.

This photograph is me sitting astride Bonnie, a trotting horse. My Nanna used to keep and race trotting horses and after she passed away my Uncle Don (mother's brother) took over with the horses. I then livedin the same house with Uncle and wife until I was sixteen years old

In this shot I was 13 years old, (can't remember being so skinny !) My dress canary yellow, made by my Mother.

I wont bore my readers with heaps of pictures taken through the years because I'm mostly doing this for my family. I have chosen some that portray me as HAPPY. That's how I want to be today. The one above was taken in my early 40's and the last in my early 70's.

My apologies for being indulgent today, but this, being a MILESTONE birthday, I feel I'm entitled to be. Now only have another 25 years to wait before the Queen's congratulatory telegram. Not really, she probably wont be Queen then and I probably wont be here LOL