Tuesday, November 13, 2012

If You Can't Grow It....Just Sew It....



For the past three years or so, Sweet peas have self seeded in our open compost/prunings pile. They have put on a wonderful display, at times looking better than what was in my garden!!
This year not one came up and being away in September I decided it was  a little too late to plant seedlings when I returned home.
 A couple of stragglers have come up in the garden and are sporting a flower or two, but I was disappointed I didn't have any to cut and bring inside.
I love their perfume......

Trying to decide what to put on a tea cosy this morning, I thought if I can't grow it then I will just sew it....and I did



I would be more than happy if these lovely colours came up in my garden.

On the reverse will be words from Mr. Keats......

"Here are sweet peas, on tip toe for a flight
With wings of gentle flush o'er delicate white
And taper fingers catching at all things 
To bind them all about with delicate rings"




Last week, we finally got the rain I had been waiting for. 
The garden was in need to a good drink.
46mls fell at out place giving everything a good drenching including the garage floor!!
The combination of grey cloudy skies and green, green paddocks....I love days like this.
This week the grass is drying off quickly with warmer temps and the tractors are out slashing the paddocks for silage.
Giant green marshmallows are springing up everywhere.
It's interesting watching the landscape turn into a patchwork of green, gold and brown......





Planted sometime last Summer this David Austin rose....William Morris is putting on a wonderful display.
 Obviously, very happy in it's new home......



Hard to tell from the photo but the centre is apricot tinged with pink.......
It's just beautiful but rather prickly.....



Gladiolus Cardinalis is flowering like there is no tomorrow.
Just googled this to check I had the name correct and the info says 'it's quite challenging to grow as a garden plant since it is found in waterfalls!!....'hmmm
Well I'm very pleased it's happy in my garden as it was a bulb my mum bought many years ago and it's a nice reminder of her.



Another reminder is this concrete wash trough, mum grew herbs in. .
It now resides with me and I also grew herbs in it until a couple of months ago, when it filled up with water and failed to drain.
The roots had blocked up the drain.......
Drastic measures were required and unfortunately the concrete cracked. We have propped it up with bricks and it's holding fast, but will be used for annuals now.
I  planted it with Marigolds and Snapdragons, which should put on a vibrant display throughout Summer.
Could be the perfect spot for Sweet peas next season.....

What do you think ?....


The Poppies are still going strong, attracting the bees .

This fellow was keen for some pollen even though the flower hadn't fully opened....talk about impatient, hehe.......



A first for this garden are Foxgloves. 
The first spire ever, a little on the small side, but I hope it will be happy and reward me with more blooms next season.

Walking around the garden with Rich this morning, I was happy to show him this bloom.
It reminded him of Beatrix Potter stories.....
I like to pass on some gardening knowledge to him and share the beauty........ 







The Ixias I purchased at last months market are in flower.
One bloom is this lovely raspberry pink and the other is a lemon with a raspberry centre.....
I love them and it's so nice to have more variety in the garden this season.......




The Jacobean Lily is sporting some blooms.
Quite a striking colour and certainly an interesting shaped bloom



Sweet little Dianthus Doris.
 You may have been around
for many years, but you are another 'newbie' in my garden.

I have a sweet posy on my bedside table and the perfume is 
quite strong as I sit here and type this post.....

I think I may have to move the vase!!






This week has been about sewing for the market in Bright on Saturday......

Three weeks between each one seems to fly by.

I felt some owlets were needed.
I like to have something new each market as I get locals coming along each month to see what I've been making.....




'Twit,
Twoo
Who loves you?'

A few more to fill and stitch up and I will just about have enough for a sitting of parliament!!

Did you know the collective noun for mice is a mischief?
A mischief of mice, love it.
They can also be referred to as a horde, but mischief is much more entertaining don't you think?

.

Thankyou girls for all your lovely, encouraging comments on my last post....
I am so pleased all my artworks found new homes.
After the rush and excitement of the art exhibition, things have quietened down and the pace is a little slower here.

Cricket has started on TV and I find myself taking a little more interest in it as hubby and son discuss the days play.

In between sewing, I have been out in the garden.
 The vegie garden is keeping us supplied with greens....
silverbeet, kale and spinach and  the broad beans are now ready to pick and if every flower turns into a bean we will be inundated with them.
Any recipes you have for them, would be greatly appreciated......

Ok, I better go and pick some broad beans before I head off to work.
Thanks for dropping by to visit and if you are new to Sweet Birdy Love, I'm glad you found your way over here.

Take care and have a great week,

Claire X

16 comments:

  1. Claire, everything in your garden is just beautiful! Good idea to put the sweet peas on the tea cozy... one way or another there will be sweet peas at your house! :-)

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  2. Love the garden and the owls, you have been so busy.

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  3. So many beautiful flowers, so many cute owlets and embroideries!!!
    You are a happy person, I say!!!!
    xxx Alessandra

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  4. Your creations are beautiful as always, so nice to see the flowers, I'm missing mine, very few left now! :)

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  5. Oh Claire, the beautiful sweetpeas got me first, and your incredible garden finished me off!! Just beautiful. Our garden is quite a bit ahead of yours season wise as we have higher temperatures..

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  6. Thanks for the stroll through your garden! Must plant more flowers : -) Your owls are gorgeous, Claire : -)

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  7. Your posts are always so newsy that by the end I've thought of loads of things I want say, but forgotten most!

    I was looking up the collective noun for starlings last night, of which there are many, but a cloud of starlings is about my favourite they are here in great numbers at the moment swarming like big black shifting clouds, so mystical when they do.

    Love the flowers in your garden, they look lovely....I love sweet peas, especially the dark ones they have such a wonderful scent....your tea cosy captures them perfectly. I am a big fan of foxgloves too, they look right in our cottagey garden, a couple of years ago I bought some cultivated White foxgloves which are stunning, but the main of mine are wild self seeding ones.

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  8. COOO'EEEEEE! Sorry I've sort of fallen off the internet for a while again...(expect painfully long email soon..eeek!)
    But a visit to the homestead and ablast of springy gorgeouness is just what I needed...glorious! And CONGRATUALTIONS for the market success...just beautiful, love the stitchy poetry and glittery threads...wonky lines and frayed edges, MORE!!
    Big loves to you and the gang.."speak" soon!

    ooo'rrooooo!!!!!!! xxx

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  9. Isn't that funny we wrote similar things aout growing flowers! We couldn't grow them but you could sew and I could paint them! Gorgeous gorgeous photos!:)
    Jess x

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  10. Your garden is truly tropical Claire! Loving all your new work - love the scent of sweet peas, and who could resist an owl or twit-twoo, hehe!! :):)
    Alison x

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  11. Love the owls and the sweet peas! That photo of the bee in the orange flower is super!
    June

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  12. Looks to me like you can grow it AND sew it! all so cute, love the little owls and sweet peas too, the foxgloves are gorgeous Claire. such a bright and colourful post! cheers Wendy

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  13. The owls are fantastic!!! Your so clever!!! How do you write with your machine so neatly and so teeny-tiny???
    Carly
    x

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  14. Your Garden is looking wonderful Claire. Lovely to see foxgloves and poppies flowering .I love your owls too. Such a sweet message on the back...you are very talented.
    Jacquie x

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  15. Oh, that rose is so beautiful. Just packed with petals - like a blossom out of history or fairy tale.

    Gosh, you've got an amazing garden! :)

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  16. Your garden is looking lovely, I love foxgloves.
    Home grown broad beans always remind me of a song my children used to sing at the Harvest Festivals at school. It finished with the line "broad beans sleeping in their blankety bed" which is just what their pods are like!

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