WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HELSIE'S PLACE

In Helsie's garden:

 

Spring, Queensland style, has sprung into action with the daytime temperature going straight to the mid to high twenties though the nights are still pleasantly cool - around 13 degrees C.

 

The Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ( Brunfelsia) is coming into bloom.

 Lovely perfume and flowers that change from purple (yesterday) to lavender ( today) to white (tomorrow)

 

The Grevilleas are well into their best and full of honey eating birds.

 

I'm trying some flowers in pots like they do in the UK.

Blue and yellow theme in this one.

Hoping for success before it gets too hot for them.

 

and this little tree.

 

This is a Lemonade Tree. Do you know this fruit?

It tastes like lemon but is not sour like a lemon.

Very refreshing.

I know I should not have let these fruit progress on such a small tree but I could not resist.

As soon as they turn yellow I'll pick them and prune the poor little thing right back to thicken it up.

They bear prolifically and there are lots of flowers and more tiny fruit but I'll be good and take them off.

You can't buy the fruit in the shops and I have a reason for growing them.

I have a delightful Summery cocktail that I have invented that I have named .....

 

Helsie's Downfall !

 

It can only be made with these lemonades.

Just lemonade juice and Malibu and shaved ice......

Delicious !!

(but not too many now ... and go easy on the Malibu !)

 

 

In the kitchen :

 

Corn fritters for Sunday lunch.

 

 

They tasted pretty good too.

 

 

Now I'm on a roll so Corned Beef Fritters planned for sometime this weekend.

 

We have a new BBQ, a Weber Q, so we had to try a pork loin roast on it.

 

Very successful and good crackling too.

 

A healthy breakfast

 

No, it's not that big !!

This is a tiny one-person pan !

It's made with one egg for protein, one tablespoon of oat bran for fibre and one tablespoon of low fat cottage cheese for calcium.

Add a bit of sliced tomato for vitamin C and you are not hungry till lunchtime for under150 calories.

 

 

The same breakfast in my new Firestone pan - as seen on TV !!!

It is living up to the ad so far.

 

Nothing beats red Paw Paw ( or Papaya )

Well mango does but it's not available yet !!

 

Salad, salad, salad.

Still a bit chilly for dinner but BBQs will soon be the order of the day.

 

 

Around the house:

 

The Positano Room had its unveiling recently.

 

One more cushion to go - that large cream one on the sofa.

 I have framed some postcards and placed some actual photos of the same place in Positano and hung that on the small amount of wall there is available for decoration.

 

Sorry for the reflections but this is the best I can do in the daytime.

 

 

Underneath the photo frame is the little table made out of an old Singer sewing machine where I always put out the coffee and tea things

 

 

 

 

 Above the door I hung some stings of plastic lemons I found.

 

 

It's coming along very nicely and can go back to normal very quickly with the removal of a couple of props.

 A bit of fun and bright and cheery too!

 

 

 

So that's what's happening around Helsie's Place.

 

Cheers.

A VERY GOOD REASON

This



is the reason why we try to go overseas when the weather there is cooler.



We 're not looking for hot sunny days and beautiful beaches when we go on holidays, we have them
 here !
 

This morning we drove for about 70 minutes to reach these lovely beaches.

We had breakfast.
Then shoes in hand and sun visor on, Tony and I strolled along the lovely white sands

 

 and paddled in the clear, refreshing water of the Gold Coast beaches.

The temperature was in the high twenties and we are facing six months of hot weather ahead but today was almost perfect.

There was even a humpback whale frolicking in the deeper water off the beach.

It's school holiday time and families were out enjoying the wonderful Spring weather.
 

Of course a delicious gelato was just what we needed before we set off back home.

It's a hard life.

Cheers.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A LITTLE RAIN MAKES

It seems like an age since I've had time for blogging.
In fact it almost feels like the whole year has almost passed me by.
Every time I arrange to meet with friends or have an appointment booked some crisis seems to happen and nothing ever goes as planned.

I'm missing all the Christmas "dos", Mahjong days, lunch outings as well as just the normal routines and cups of coffee 'n chats with friends.

 But it can't be helped.


Dad has had his miraculous procedure - no cutting involved so we can't say operation!

He now has a new aortic valve skillfully placed inside the old one and apparently working well, all achieved through the wonders of modern medicine by way of the artery in his groin.
 

Although not an invasive procedure, it was still a big thing to go through for a 90 year old who has had his first experience of an anaesthetic, being shaved in the nether regions and supervised in the shower by a female nurse!!!

 

There have been a few side issues but hopefully they will remain of a minor nature and he and Mum can go on with enjoying their old age......

and I can get back to everything.

* Christmas planning and shopping - heavens I haven't even started and we're off to Sydney to visit Brett and Sarah for early Christmas with them next weekend !!!

  * Holiday planning - as you can imagine a lot of that has been done already. Cottages and apartments rented. Lots of research on what to see and where to go but more needed.

* Housework - yes housework ! You know how I hate it but my, oh my, do I need to get into it. Things have been allowed to slide a bit here of late !!

********************

******

Finally, a decent bit of rain has fallen on our parched gardens and it has been just in time.

The gardenia is now covered in huge buds



and already the first flowers are filling the air with their delightful perfume.



The lovely blue agapanthus are doing what they do best




and the red flowering gum from Western Australia is providing a great show.

Elsewhere in the garden colour is emerging

sometimes pale,

sometimes bright

sometimes from leaves

sometimes filling the whole hedge with colour.

But my modest garden is not the only place that is making a show.
In the streets of Brisbane the flowering trees are doing their best to brighten up the neighbourhood.

 

 

 

Here's a close-up of those pretty Poincianas.

 

 

and I can't leave out the lovely bouganvilleas.

 

 

 Thanks for sticking with me.

I've had a chance here and there to fly around the blogs but I hope to get back into gear posting and commenting from now on.

 

I've got a lot of catching up to do.

 

Cheers.

  

TAKE-AWAY TIME

After a stinking hot day today

we decided that it was just the night for a dinner take away.

 

A visit to our favourite Thai and we came home the proud owners of this

 

 

 

Penang Chicken Curry - my absolute favourite.....

 

 

Chicken Chilli Basil Stirfry for Tony......

 

and this delightful Thai Coconut Rice

 

 

cooked by ME !!

 

We've been watching Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute meals so I though I'd give his recipe a try.

 

Easy peasy !

 

1 tin of coconut milk

1 tin ( same tin ) of rice

2 tins ( same tin) of water

 

Stir together in a large microwave container and cook for about 15 minutes.

 

We sat on our front porch ( hidden from view by the shrubbery ) and ate this feast

with a pleasant breeze and a glass of rose'

( How do you get the little accent in the right place? Do you have to own a French computer ????)

 

and some candles to give a little light.

 

Very pleasant indeed !

 

We're in for 37 C again tomorrow with fierce storms predicted for the afternoon.

Sounds like fun.

 

Cheers.

 

TOOWOOMBA ROAD TRIP

After yesterday's shocking weather (35 degrees C and a howling hot wind ) today was much cooler ( about 25C) so we set off on a short road trip to Toowoomba, about an hour's drive west of Brisbane.



It's a two lane highway most of the way and a pleasant drive.

At first we passed through open fields.



There's plenty of grass cover after the good rains we have had over the past two years but with no rain now for 75 days all is dry and brown.

 

Next we passed through the fertile crop growing area around Gatton.

Flat ploughed fields stretch off to the distance ready for potatoes, beetroot, beans, melons,onions and pumpkins.

Nice to see a few of these. I think they are left for wild life habitat.

 

These huge sprinklers provide irrigation for the newly planted crops.

Further on we are back to scrub.

Lots of dry grass. You can see why there is a lot of concern about bushfires this year

and talk about controlled burning off has already begun.

How's this for a typical Australian vista ?

As usual we encountered huge trucks along the way - most with double trailers fully loaded

and travelling fast..... faster than we were ....

 and passing us at speeds over 100kph even though they are not supposed to be able to go that fast !!

It happened several times - very scary !!
(pity they don't stay over in the left lane like they do in the UK !)
 

From the flat plain we climbed up the range to lovely Toowoomba the "Garden City" and though yesterday's hot wind has cut short the spring flowers, the trees made a lovely green tunnel.
 

 

Business done, a quick bite was in order so we visited our favourite Cafe Valetta.
 

 

where we shared a Club sandwich ( dieting !!!) and a delightful coffee .....

 

before heading back down the range towards home.

 

Beats working !!!

Cheers.