Of Flowers and Feathers......

I knew the little crocheted flowers from the last blog post, would come in handy for something.

I had an end of year catchup with a friend recently and we exchanged gifts.

I made her a cover for her sketch book.

It was something she had asked for, unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it.

When I had wrapped the pressie I knew just what needed to be added and was very happy with the look.

Might crochet a few more in different colours to add to gifts throughout the year
My friend's gift to me, is one of her beautiful paintings.

A very special one which I shall blog about when it's framed.

I 'll give you a little hint what the picture is about.

The subject is red and feathery, yes, you guessed correctly.....

The nectarines this year may be just a few, due to the wild storms we have been having BUT what we do have are ginormous.

I hope the birds don't sneak in under the netting and get to them before we do, they are pretty cunning...............

Love the rich red in amongst the greenery....

Does it remind you of anything?

My Sunflowers are blooming........

Love the rich burgundy, dare I say Autumnal tones, of this flower.

I had seeds in an envelope in the shed and actually didn't read the description so I have been pleasantly surprised by the colour and size of the flowers.

The chooks love eating the seeds so they serve a dual purpose.
I barrowed loads of cow manure into this garden bed and I think all the effort has paid off. One of the plants is well over 2 metres high.....

The Buddleia is also putting on a lovely display. The butterflies love it.

I just love the rich, dark, purple and the scent, mmmmm.....

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last long when cut and bought inside, but that won't stop me...

Recent storms have weighed the branches down and I will need to have a serious pruning session, but not till it has finished flowering.

As you can see there is still quite a tinge of green to the hills in the background. It's nice that everything hasn't browned off and gone crunchy underfoot....

The weather is finally starting to warm up a bit, but more rain is forecast for the weekend. Hopefully not in such great amounts as we have experienced recently.

Another photo shoot for mum and bubs. They are growing quickly and beautifully marked feathers are sprouting. I let her out each evening so she can forage and have a dust bath. It's so much fun just watching them.

I love hearing the chirping noise she makes when she has discovered a tasty morsel. The chicks come running over and then there's a tussle over the tucker.

Well, that's just a little bit of what's been happening here.

I would just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for a happy, healthy and creative 2011.

Take care wherever you are particularly if you are travelling.

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog throughout the year and commenting..

It's so nice to connect with people near and far, I hope you will keep visiting in the New Year.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X