Flower Flaunt on Friday ... A Pretty Pair.

On this special day when a rather well-known couple are pairing up in old London town, I'd thought I'd share some of the things that go together well in my garden right now ... mid-Autumn and the beginning of our 'dry' season.

This pair I particularly love ... dwarf Angelonia angustifolia and Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'.

The foliage and flower of Episcia cupreata certainly make a lovely combination.

A pair of Jacobinia carnea (syn. Justicia carnea) plumes is such a pretty sight ... 

... as is a pair of Gerbera blooms.

This is a sight that delights me every time I spot it ... the brilliant whites of Begonia semperflorens (Wax Begonia) and Angelonia angustifolia mingled with the green and grey of the Pilea cadieri (Aluminium Plant).

Another great combination ... the orange flowers and the variegated foliage of Crossandra infundibuliformis 'Glamour Puss'

I just love seeing Wrightia antidysenterica 'Arctic Snow' surrounded by the bracts of Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'.

Simple things like the interplay between shadow and sunlight in a patch of ferns draws my eye.

In one corner of the garden the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis provides a terrific background for the Mussaenda philippica 'Aurore', 

whilst in another corner, the orange of the Crossandra is a match with the orange on the butterfly's wings.

 Then there's a pair of Laughing Kookaburras sitting in an old gum tree ...

... and a pair of black butterfly wings.

Last of all, there's something so wonderful about the mix of purple bracts and the tiny white flowers of Gomphrena globosa or Bachelor Buttons.

 

This seems a fitting ending to this post on the day that one of the world's most famous bachelors marries a lovely girl called Katherine.

I'm joining Tootsie at Tootsie Time for Flaunt Your Flowers / Fertilizer Friday.  It's a great place to visit and find out what's blooming around the globe.

Wildlife on Wednesday ... the Helmeted Friarbird.

This poor creature, Philemon buceroides, is not the prettiest bird on the planet.  Whilst it has a close resemblance to a vulture from some angles, this is in fact the largest of our Aussie Friarbirds.

This bird is a fairly common around my place for most of the year.  It's easily distinguished from other birds,   not so much because of its' dull grey-brown body ... which is in stark contrast to so many of the rather colourful birds we see around here!  No, it really stands out because of its' big dark grey head which seems out of proportion to the body.   Then there's that gently sloping knob on the forehead and the dark bare skin around the face.

The underparts are a paler grey.   The legs and feet are  grey.  The eyes have a red-brown iris and the bill is black.  Altogether, the package is a little on the ugly side.

But, then there's the song.  Yesterday the song of a little group of these birds filled the afternoon air and really added something special to my day!  Here's a little snippet of that beautiful sound as the group hopped around feasting on the nectar of the Eucalyptus flowers.

Flower Flaunt on Good Friday ... mid-Autumn Downunder.

Wishing all a Happy Easter!

For those who are wondering what on earth that strange looking chocolate animal is, here's a link to show you one of our unique Aussie animals and our native Australian Easter icon.

I'm on a week-long end-of-term break and enjoying every moment.  The weather has been fabulous.  Bright sunny blue-sky days, albeit getting shorter ... and lovely cool nights.  I'm out watering, weeding, feeding and just being in my garden and enjoying every moment.  Have I said that already?  Oh dear, I think it's called 'end of wet season euphoria!'

Here are some of the delightful sights in my garden right now.

This shot actually shows all the stages of the Bracteantha bracteata or Straw Flower from bud to fully open flower.  These are one of my all-time favourite flowers.  I love their texture, their form and their colours.

 The brilliant blue of Evolvulus pilosus or Blue Daze, always draws my attention.

Who could not notice the brilliant splash of colour of this Portulaca or Sun Jewel?

Now ... the flower in the top row is a recent purchase of mine and I'm just jumping for joy that I finally have one.  It's the stunning white Ginger ... Hedychium coronarium ... and the perfume emanating from this bloom is simply heavenly.  It may even be more divine than the scent of roses ... well that's my opinion anyway.

Middle row shows the fascinating bloom of my Curcuma 'Voodoo Magic' when splashed with sunshine or drenched in shadow.  The colour of the inflorescence and the tiny flower are simply beautiful.

The star of my Courtyard Garden right now is shown on the bottom row.  My Jasminum officinale is finally showing more than just the occasional flower these days.  I think it's enjoying all the sunshine.

Having my morning cuppa while strolling around the courtyard is a terrific start to the day.  There's bird song all around me and nothing else to spoil the peace and quiet.

The Angelonia angustifolia have started their wonderful display ...

... and one of the Snapdragons that was flowering so prolifically last year has suddenly burst into bloom.

I just adore the new foliage of my Trachelospermum jasminoides variegatum 'Tricolour', the dwarf variegated Star Jasmine ...

... and the pink blush on the new leaves of my dwarf variegated Bougainvillea.

There's fabulous foliage to enjoy as well.

It's a great time of year!

Join Tootsie at Tootsie Time for more Fertiliser/Flaunt Your Flowers Friday posts.

Mosaic Monday ... On Another Glorious Autumn Day.

These are the days, and nights, that making living in the tropics worthwhile.  It's another clear blue-sky day today and the living is easy after a hard start to the year.  Our daytime temperatures have finally fallen below that 30 deg C mark ... albeit by only a degree or two ... but it does make a difference.  The nights have started to become a little cooler, hinting at the soon-to-be 20 deg C winter nights that are approaching. 

I'm on a short mid-semester break and it's just wonderful to be able to spend time at home.  I can wander out into the garden areas at any time of the day now without getting fried from the heat or drenched by the rain. 

Yes, I do sometimes have to avoid some of the more unfriendly and unwelcome wildlife ... apparently they are also enjoying the weather!








But I also get to enjoy being around the welcome wildlife friends around here.

With the return of the brilliant sunshine, more and more flowers are appearing in the corners of my garden.

There's not much for me to do at the moment other than wander round and enjoy my garden.

For more fabulous Mosaic Monday posts from all corners of the globe, go and visit Mary at Little Red House