Flower Flaunt on Friday - start of mid-winter in Oz.

I've had a few days break from blogging ... I've been enjoying time with my grandchildren ... oh and my children!  They always complain my visits are never about them!!!  Anyway, I've made it back just in time for another Flower Flaunt.  To see many other great Friday Flower Flaunt posts, make sure you visit Tootsie's
Fertiliser Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers
Right now it's the start of our mid-winter month - yes it really is Winter in July here - and this is the time of year that both my Tabebuia impetiginosa and Bauhinia variegata are beginning to bloom.  They will both lose most of their leaves as the Winter progresses and be left with bare branches covered in fabulous blooms.

Here's the Tabebuia impetiginosa ... the Dwarf Pink Trumpet Tree ...

... and the Bauhinia variegata 'Alba'.

There's now a lot of petunias making an appearance ....

and so many of the potted plants are in bloom .... such as Pelargonium 'Emotion', Azalea, double Impatiens, Verbena, and Violas.  My little Bromeliad has bloomed too ... sorry I'm not that good with the names of Broms!

Others in bloom include Bractenatha bracteata - Everlasting of Straw Daisies, Scutellaria suffrutescens - Pink Texas Skullcap,  Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, Angelonia and Dahlia.

Then there is of course my fabulous Winter bloomers ... Euphorbia pulcherrima - Poinsettias.

 Finally, there is my stunning Euphorbia leucocephala - the Snowflake Bush.  I simply love the splash of white this adds to my Courtyard Garden at this time of year.

Dining in the Courtyard Garden.

The Courtyard Garden is my favourite spot in the garden ... it's where I expend most of my gardening energies and it's the spot that is lavished with most of my attention ... although it's not lavished with heaps and heaps of money!   In my efforts to add lots and lots of colour to this space, I've ended up with a whole lot of inexpensive containers filled with lots of annuals and colourful plants like Cordylines.  Right now the annuals are coming into bloom and it's beginning to look quite lovely as our Winter marches on.

While I so love the Courtyard Garden during the day, it's at night that I absolutely revel in the surroundings.  We enjoy many evening meals out there or sometimes just drinks and nibblies.  Last night was our first Winter's dinner evening spent with family and I thought I'd share some photos taken while I was setting up.  As you can see there's nothing extravagant or sophisticated about the table setting ... it's more the homely and unpretentious touch!  Bit like me really!

I like to scatter little candles around the courtyard to light up the lovely flowers.   I plan on getting tall candle holders ... they're on my never-ending list of things to buy one day.

As the evening draws in, it's time to light the candles.

What was on the menu last night?  Well it was a rather cool Winter's evening ... gosh the temperature got down to chilly 17 degrees C / 62 degrees F!  Oh yeah ... time for the warm winter comfort food ....
Beef and Guinness Pie with mashed potatoes, string beans and corn ... and a few glasses of a fabulous red!

Followed by Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice-cream ... then coffee/tea and chocolates.  Oh ... and a glass of Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor.  

Luckily we have enough beds for our guests to sleep over ... it's a long drive back into the city!!!

Flower Flaunt on Friday - Bonny Balsam.

I'm joining in Tootsie's Flower Flaunt today with a flaunt that has a theme.  I've had a wonderful relationship with these beautiful flowers ever since I was a beginner gardener.  Balsam - that's the common name we use for Impatiens - was among my choices when I decided to have potted plants in my first flat.  I've had varieties of them ever since.  I just love the way the petals seem to shimmer and shine in the sunlight.

So here's a look at some of the Impatiens blooming in my garden today in the early Winter.

Impatiens balsamina.

Impatiens walleriana.

Impatiens walleriana hybrid.

Impatiens walleriana double.

New Guinea Impatiens.

New Guinea Impatiens with variegated leaves.

The hanging pots of Impatiens in my Greenhouse/Shadehouse Garden had a haircut just recently and are coming back well.

For many more great Friday Flower Flaunt posts, make sure you visit Tootsie at .........

Fertiliser Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

Mosaic Monday ... Fleetwood Mac and Dragonfly!!

How on earth are these two related ... through an early Fleetwood Mag ..ical song!  The song 'Dragonfly' was written by Danny Kirwan who adapted a poem from the 1920's ... "The Dragonfly" by W. H. Davies

While you're gazing at the mosaic, play the old Fleetwood Mac song titled 'Dragonfly" below ... enjoy!
(For other great Mosaic Monday posts, visit Mary at Little Red House.)

And when the roses are half-bud soft flowers
And lovely as the king of flies has come
It was a fleeting visit, all too brief
In three short minutes, he had been and gone

He rested there upon an apple leaf
A gorgeous opal crown sat on his head
Although the garden is a lovely place
Was it worthy of so fine a guest

Oh...Oh...Oh...Oh... Dragonfly, dragonfly ..

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