It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Tropical Christmas.

The sun is starting to swelter.  The days are sultry.  The temps outside have climbed to very, very uncomfortable.  The humidity levels have risen to stifling.  The cicadas have started singing.  The Poincianas are blooming.  It must be nearly Christmas time here in the tropics.  Hot, steamy and sticky is the way we like our Christmases!!  That's the weather, not the food.

Anyway, the school year is over and I'm on holidays.  Yahoo!  I've been busy adding some Christmassy touches to the place.

The tree is up and covered in ornaments collected over many years.

The verandah has a few Christmassy touches here and there.

There are many, many little gifts, given to me by students over many years, all scattered about the house.  Of course, I did receive bucket loads of chocolates, smelly soaps or lotions, and coffee/tea cups over the many years of my teaching career.

I've been very appreciative of all the presents presented by happy-faced students over the years, but I have to admit that the gifts that were not chocolate, not smelly and not made of china have become very precious to me.  Even though they're not the most sophisticated or classy looking things, they can be brought out every year and add that special touch of Christmas joy.

What does your place look like this Christmas?  Do you have special things that bring back lovely memories?  


Note:  After I had published this post, Google Auto-Awesomed one of my collages  (not sure that's a word, but what-the-hey!)  I love what 'they' did with my collage.     Here's the link.

It's Friday Flower Flaunt Time ... On This Rainy Almost-Summertime Friday.

It certainly seems like the wet season has arrived early this year.  Just this morning we've had it all ... heavy rain, lightning and thunder.  How fabulous!  We get very excited when the long dry season ends.

Here's a little clip ... you do have to wait a while for the lightning and thunder crash.

It's still raining at the moment, so I can't get outside to take shots of the blooms out today.  I'm restricted to sharing a few photos of the rain-splashed flowers I can see from my verandah.

Gardenia

double Gerberas

Salvia madrensis and Russelia

Mussaenda philippica 'Bangkok Rose'

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Snowflake'

Pseudomussaenda flava

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

First Ever Blood Lily Bloom ... The Year In Photographs ... November 11, 2013

It seems rather appropriate that my one and only Scadoxus multiflorus or Blood Lily, given to me as a pass-along plant earlier this year, should show off its first ever fully open bloom on Remembrance Day. 

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month has special significance around the world, including here in Australia.  We observe one minute's silence at 11.00 am every Remembrance Day, to remember all those in the armed services who have died or suffered whilst serving for their country.

This spectacular fiery red flowerhead is a fitting reminder about the sacrifices made by so many in the past.

Lest we forget!

It's Time For A Friday Flower Flaunt

Well today is my birthday, and it finally coincides with my day off work.  Fabulous! It's a great excuse to just have the day to myself, and not do the housework that usually gets done on my day off.  I bought home a tiny bouquet of Roses from the school rose garden yesterday afternoon as a special treat for myself.

This is one of my favourites from the garden.  I have no idea of the varietal name of this beautiful Rose, but I do so love the colour change as it slowly fades.  The perfume is exquisite as well.

Out in the garden here at my place,

I have noticed a little Rain Lily, Zephyranthes primulina, opening this morning.  I've grown these from seeds sent from a very kind and gracious fellow north Queensland gardener (thanks Pitta!).  I absolutely adore the gorgeous pale soft yellow flowers.

It seems I missed a couple of other blooms that had already opened up.  We've had some showers of rain recently.  The inner city area received quite a heavy downpour last week, but we seem to have missed that here in the foothills.  Still, it was lovely to have some rain finally.  Our wet season is still a long way off though.

 I also spotted the very first buds on my Scadoxus or Blood Lily.   This plant will be going into a corner of one of my new garden beds and will add a splash of terrific colour in Spring and Summer after it rises from dormancy.

There are still just a couple of Lilies blooming in the big pot out in the courtyard.  There's a rather pretty Asiatic Matisse Lilium and a huge Oriental Lilium on show this morning.

 

The stark white flowers of my Tabernaemontana corymbosa 'Sweet Love' are brightening up the courtyard space. 

 The pinwheel shaped blooms certainly draw attention.

The potted Salvia farinacea 'Strata' is blooming in the courtyard,

alongside a couple of Pelargoniums,

 

and the potted Duranta 'Geisha Girl'.

The first of the blooming season's flowers have started opening on my Gardenia shrub out in the courtyard as well.

Under the very tall Corymbia torellianas, the Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa have both started their end of Spring/Summertime display.  You know summer is not far off when the Frangipanis start blooming at my place,

and you see the Delonix regia or Poincianas blooming at our front gates, with our neighbour's Jacaranda on show in the background.

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