Another Friday Flower Flaunt ... Same 'ole, same 'ole.

Here are almost at the end of our mid-winter month of July.  The weather during this last week has been all over the place.  Talk about a topsy-turvy week.  On Monday we had an extraordinarily warm winter's day and night.  By mid-day the mercury had hit 29 deg C (84 deg F) at work, and that night it only dropped down to around 20 deg C (68 F).

But then on Tuesday the daytime temp. had plummeted back down to the low 20s, where it's remained all week; with the mercury really dropping late Wednesday night / early Thursday morning to around 11 deg C (51 deg F).

Most of us were trying to find lovely sunny spots where we could warm up our freezing cold tootsies and pinkies.

But then the wind whipped up as well this week.  We've had some very blustery days and nights.   Some of us had to move to more comfortable, sheltered spots where we could chill out and snooze while the wind gusts played havoc all around us.

All that moving around, trying to find the ideal spot, was exhausting!

Out in the garden, it's a story of the same old things still on show.  I thought I'd just put a few of these together as a collage to share.

some of the pinks and purples

some of the yellows and oranges

The first of the Bauhinia variegata blooms have appeared, as is usual for mid-winter here.

The Tabebuia impetiginosa has dropped a lot of its leaves by now, and its blooming cycle has begun.  Again, this is usual for mid-winter.

Our native Sterculia quadrifida or Peanut Tree is another of our winter deciduous trees.  Mine has dropped all its leaves now, and is covered in seed pods.  They start off green and turn to an eye-catching orange-red.   It certainly makes an interesting display out in my courtyard garden at this time of year.


I'm joining Tootsie for her Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers meme.

I'm also joining Nix for  Floral Friday Fotos

I've Got My Eye On You ... The Year In Photographs ... July 23, 2013

Pheasant coucal, our native ground dwelling cuckoo.

Flower Flaunt ... A Little Late, But Here It Is.

I'm becoming very slack with my blog posts of late.  I think we all go through periods of blogging block, and that seems to be the case with me lately.  I'm just too pooped when I get home from work, and I'm finding it hard to find something to blog about.  I feel like I'm just showing the same old boring stuff every week.

Yep ... nothing new around here ... I hear him say!   Ah well ... I thought I would make the effort anyway.

It's our mid-Winter month, and boy has it been a very mild winter of late.  We've had daytime temps that have been climbing to the higher 20s ... 26 and 27 deg C  (78 - 80 F), and even our night-time temps have been up between 16 to 19 deg C  (60 - 66 F).  The jumpers and winter PJs have remained in the cupboard and drawers, and we were even tempted to put the fans on last night!   Not that I'm complaining, as it's been quite comfortable and enjoyable weather.

We woken up to some overcast days lately, and have had some very, very light showers in the last week or so.  Unfortunately none of it has actually penetrated the soil here, but it's freshened things up a little.

Out in the courtyard garden, the same old things are blooming.

Clerodendrum ugandense

Pelargoniums

Petunia 'Bumblebee'

Rosebud Pelargonium and Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'

dwarf Azaleas

Angelonia augustifolia and Salvia splendens

double white Impatiens walleriana

Crossandra infundibuliformis

double Petunias

Out in the shadehouse garden, the Impatiens walleriana are always on show.

Out in the driveway garden beds you will see ...

Turnera subulata

and Turnera ulmifolia.

The more recent additions to the blooming parade have been ...

Tabebuia impetiginosa

Bougainvillea

dwarf pink Euphoriba pulcherrima

and Begonia 'Tiger Paws'



I'm joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

 

Denise for Today's Flowers

and Nix for Floral Friday Fotos 

Just Let Me Sunbake! ... The Year In Photographs ... July 13, 2013

Common Tree Snakes are a common sight around here. They are harmless, non-venomous and usually slither away when they're approached or hear us coming. 

This particular one though didn't want to move from its sunny spot.  It was enjoying the sun's rays and was quite content to stay exactly where it was and sunbake.

It seemed to be giving us a look as if to say "Just move along please, I don't want to be disturbed!"

A Mid-Winter's Friday Flower Flaunt.

It's hard to believe that it's already July!  We're now in our mid-Winter month here, but the conditions have returned to comfortably cool, and we've really had no more chilly (for us anyway!) days or nights lately.  Daytime temps. remain around the 26-27 deg C mark  (78-80 F), while our night time temp. have only dropped down to between 18-21 deg C  (64-69 F).   No need for a jumper (sweater) at all.

Out in the garden my other Schlumbergera or Zygocactus has bloomed,

and is showing its gorgeous peachy-pink coloured flowers.

My Clerodendrum ugandense is throwing out flower sprays once more.

The wallabies have begun feasting on the leaves and flowers of one of my Hibiscus schizopetalus, which is something new.  They've never done that before in the twelve years we've lived here.  It's very disappointing to come home and find the tall arching branches pulled down to the ground and totally stripped!  Thank goodness they haven't found the other shrub .... yet!

The Azaleas have started blooming again,

and this wonderful Celosia always catches my eye out in the courtyard.

I thought I'd share a few photos of the Rose Garden I help to tend at my school.  All the shrubs were cut right back at the end of April, and are well on their way to their showiest time of the year.  They really look fabulous during our Sprintime, but the show at the moment is pretty lovely too.

I'm joining Tootsie for  Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

and Nix for Floral Friday Fotos