Farm garden tour - Part 2

I left you, a week ago now, stranded at the front entrance to our farm garden. I'm sorry - my garden tours are never speedy. Welcome!

On your right is the first of a few Manchurian pears, beautiful in spring bloom ...

... and equally spectacular in the autumn.

Look back for a moment to see this:

The front path runs right along the north side of the house. Prepare yourself for roses!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know of my rose obsession, particularly David Austins. Have a look here if you don't believe me!

These are the roses along the front of the house, in full and glorious bloom. We curse these roses every winter at pruning time, but by spring they are well and truly forgiven.

And looking back to the archway you have just walked through. I have tried to create a wide perennial bed along the front of the house.

The garden opens up at this point to a lawn ...

... which looks across to a stand of lemon scented gum trees. These trees catch the warm light of the setting sun each afternoon.

These trees are positioned so that from the front door, I can see the paddocks beyond the garden. I can also see right down the driveway to the mailbox - critical when I am expecting fabric in the post! Pour yourself a little late Friday afternoon champagne at this point and enjoy the view! Back soon x

Farm garden tour - Part I

I promised some time ago to dig up some photos of our farm garden to show you.

Please note that these photos are the best of the thousands I have taken over the years. It doesn't always look this good! 

Let me take you on a little tour - it could take a few posts! We'll start at the front drive.

Chinese liquidambers are planted either side of the drive, to eventually create an avenue that you will drive through. I use strawberries as a groundcover down the drive - pretty and productive! There are rows of agapanthus behind the strawberries.

And yes, I planted three deodar cedars as the focal point at the end of the drive ... hmm, thinking that was a mistake. These trees can be massive! Groundcover in this photo is a 'tough as nails' cream gazania.

The driveway kicks around to the left, to give a glimpse of the house.

To get an idea of the perspective, this is where you are, viewed from the roof of the house!

If you turn around and look back down the driveway, you see this:

You will notice as we meander around, that given the choice between a straight line and a curve, I will almost always choose a curve! Drives my Sweetness mad!! Walk a little further around the driveway, you will come across the garden entrance. The arbour is planted with potato vine & snail vine. Row of standard 'Iceberg' roses to the left.

The snail vine smells amazing in the summer. Unfortunately the meat ants agree with me and entering the garden can be a little hazardous at times! But it is worth braving the ants for this beauty.

So here we are at the front entrance. Haven't travelled far, have we?! I might leave you with the heady fragrance of the snail vine for a bit, and come back later to continue the tour. Mind the ants!

I could tell you, but then I'd have to shoot you!

Just dropping in to say 'hi' and let you know that, despite my absence from this blog, I have been stitching my little fingers off.

I know 'sneak peeks' are inordinately frustrating. Let me assure you, I am as frustrated about not being able to share my work with you as you may well be! But what fun I have had! Stitching with vibrant 'Hope Valley' ...

... basking in the privilege of working with some gorgeous pre-release Moda ...

... and combining some rustic linen with 3 Sisters 'Martinique'.

I am off tomorrow to spend the weekend with my lovely 'Club Quilt' friends. Having moved away from them two years ago, I still miss their company & inspiration like crazy. Looking forward to a catching up with their news, having lots of laughs and eating ridiculous amounts of luscious food I really don't need! Hope your weekend is looking as promising. Best wishes, Bloom x

Awww, but I AM doing the washing ...

Kona solids washed & ready ...

... for more of these, Paintbox quilt-a-long blocks:

Kona solids are hard to come by in Australia. I have purchased mine from Fabric Shack. The staff are very helpful, willing to do 1/8 yard cuts (!) and manage to get a whopping 9 yards of fabric in an International envelope.

"Muuum, I'm out of clean undies again." Hmmm, must go ... !

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished

Life in the Bloom household has been so madly busy this week that I really feel the need to go for a walk in the sunshine & enjoy a little peace amongst some flowers. Since this day is all but over & darkness has descended, it will have to be a virtual walk! Care to join me? Let's walk down here ...

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago in my local Botanic Gardens. Being late Autumn, there are not a lot of blooms to be found. But I did stumble upon a dahlia patch.

Giant, spiky ones ...

Cute pom-pom, button ones ...

Serene & simple ones, tinged faintly with pink ...

Ooooh, and a bee's bottom!

The camellia's are unfurling their plump buds ...

... to reveal a golden boss of stamens.

I have no clue what this little pink beauty is, but she sure is pretty!

And then around the corner is a beautiful collection of salvias. These are for you Annie!

Soothing blues and purples ...

... and a seldom seen yellow.

"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves". ~ John Muir

Ahhh, that's better. Everything seems better after a turn about a garden, virtual or not! Peace descends. The night is quiet ... before the chaos that will be morning!

Dishy!

I am at my computer today, supposedly doing farm accounts. I have 'North & South' playing on YouTube while I sort through the receipts and do the mundane cross-checking with bank statements. As I was loading episodes of 'North & South', I came across this:

 

I am a long-time fan of Richard Armitage, initially from 'North & South' and then 'Spooks' and 'Robin Hood'. This has just made my day. Funny! And oh so hard to watch!! Must do accounts ... must do accounts ...

The liabilities of a frilly handbag

I have two Frilly Dilly bags (one and two) which I use constantly. There is hardly day where I go out with one or other of my bags and they do not draw comment. I have been picked out from a crowd by my Frilly Dilly. "You must be Bloom - I recognise that bag!" All credit for this goes to Janelle Wind for designing such an amazing pattern. It is my favourite, and everyone else's too it would seem!

I promised my niece her own Frilly Dilly for her 21st birthday. She turns 22 this week!!

My brief was to create something in blue, green, yellow and orange. I failed on the orange, although there is the smallest amount in one of the prints.

For poor Suzi-Q, who was so exasperated when I didn't give fabric details a couple of posts back, the fabrics I have used are as follows:

1,2 = precious 'Flea Market Fancy' by Denyse Schmidt

3 = 'Ginger Bliss' by Amy Butler

4,5= 'Charm' by Amy Butler

6 = Michael Miller 'Dum Dot' C2490

The foundation fabric is a seeded Osnaberg. I would usually have used linen or linen/cotton, but the Osnaberg was just the right shade of 'neutral'!

I wandered down to my local Botanical Gardens to take these photos, thinking it would look quite at home amongst the newly fallen Autumn leaves.

And as so often happens with me, I was soon distracted by blooms, and what should have been a ten minute excursion turned into a leisurely & meandering stroll from one flower to another. But I will save those photos for my next post!

Happy 22nd birthday Niecey!


Edit - Janelle Wind has a complete list of stockists for her patterns listed in the left hand column of her blog.

My road to 'Hope Valley' love

I have been cavorting about in 'Hope Valley' lately.

When Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley was first released, I confess I didn't immediately feel the love. I think I was still in mourning for the passing of 'Flea Market Fancy', and was hoping for a reincarnation. Like so many others.

But then I saw this stunning Dresden plate made by Katy of I'm a Ginger Monkey. (Check out her brilliant version of 'Dotty for Dresden'). Oooh, I like that!

And then this! How very special. Gina of Ginabean Handmade chose to make my Sweet Menagerie pattern up in 'Hope Valley'! The love was gathering strength ...

After seeing this gorgeous little quilt from Amy of A Commonplace Life, I was all but convinced that I should purchase some 'Hope' before it all sold out.

This lovely thing from Brioni at Flossyblossy, a stunning Jewel Box quilt, merely strengthened my resolve. 'Hope Valley' was destined to be my new favourite.

And just by the way, Brioni & Katy, along with some other talented bloggers are releasing an exciting new ezine called Fat Quarterly on 27th April. You can snatch an enticing glimpse of projects in Issue #1 over at their blog.

Finally, the clincher in my 'Hope Valley' journey? Z&S Fabrics had a 20% off sale. I was done for. Here is my little stack of loveliness. The colours are unusual and intense and they work beautifully together. Thank you to all the aforementioned bloggers who inspired me to fall in love with this range!

Unfortunately, the project I am working on with 'Hope Valley' is under wraps for a while, but I will certainly share it with you the moment I am allowed to!

Definition of cavort?

ca·vort (kə-vôrt')

verb. To bound or prance about in a sprightly manner; caper; to have lively or boisterous fun; romp.

Yep, cavorting over here!

The creative energy of a small boy

Just yesterday, we saw this amazing origami ball in a gift shop. It is made from the pages of an old copy of Tom Brown's School Days. Cool!

My mathematically-inclined 11-year-old was smitten and has thought and spoken of nothing else for the last 24 hours!

Armed with help from the internet, a quick Google search for 'modular origami', this YouTube tutorial and a whole lot of patience & determination, my young man has emerged from his room with this prototype.

He is working on his vintage book page version as I type! Hmmm, can't imagine where he gets his obsessive creative tendencies from ...

Daybook entry #3 - Down at the farm

I am ... just back from a busy week at our farm.

Outside my window ... this was my view from the dining room at the farm house where I had my sewing machine set up for the week. Beautiful autumn day. I love being there!

I have been thinking ... about the logistics of sowing 300 acres of lupins at the farm! Yes, you could say I live a 'rich & varied' life. Perhaps otherwise known as having 'too many irons in the fire' or just plain manic!

In my garden now ... the warm copper of autumn chrysanthemums.

I am thankful for ... family & friends who persist in liking me despite my 'stress-head' tendencies and show me undeserved kindness.

I am creating ... something from this luscious stack of fabric:

... and this one. Mmmm, delicious!

From my picture journal ... I love this photo of my brother down the paddock teaching my nephew to ride the 'big bike'.

And just because ... it's beautiful!