Monday; Ladybirds; are garden buddies;

Everyday when I get the lettuce from the garden I find these tiny visitors in the leaves.

Gently they are transported back into the garden. 

Ladybirds  are generally loved and cherished by many. Also called ladybird beetles, ladybeetles and ladybugs. They are  a spot of bright, cheerful colour amongst the leaves of plants in the garden. 

They are very welcome in the garden, as they will eat up all your aphids, adults consume 2,500 aphids during their lifetime,  scale insects, mites and other enemies of your plants. Ladybirds also eat flower nectar, honeydew from aphids, or plant material including fungus.

©Photos/ my garden Ts

To attract ladybirds to your garden you need to provide them with food. Avoid using chemicals to control garden insects as ladybirds will arrive to do it for you.

Australia is home to over 500 species of ladybirds. The familiar ones are bright orange or yellow with patterned shells but there are also many other varieties that are black or brown and hairy! Ladybirds are most active in warm weather, and adults can fly long distances to find food or a mate. Ladybird copulation typically lasts for 15-60 minutes but can extend for a few hours or even days.

Ladybirds start life as an egg, go through three larval stages, turn into a pupa and finally become an adult. Some species may have two, three or more generations per year. Ladybird larvae look very different to adults and are confused with other bugs or even scale. Leave little unknown bugs in the garden as they could grow up to be gorgeous ladybirds.

To escape from predators such as birds or even curious humans, ladybirds slide to the edge of the leaf and drop to the ground. If you put your hand under the leaf as you approach, the ladybird could land into your hand. It will hide its legs and antenna under its body, but once it feels safe it will walk around on your hand or fly away.

Many different varieties of Australian ladybirds - they come in lots of different colours and pattern variations. Top to bottom, left to right: Traverse Ladybird, Southern Ladybird, Traverse Ladybird, Common Spotted Ladybird, Tortoise-shelled Ladybird, Fungus Eating Ladybird. Photos, left to right, top row: Arthur Chapman, Donald Hobern, Bill and Mark Bell. Bottom row: All John Tann.

TIP

Lure ladybirds to your garden by making a concoction of honey, water and brewers yeast. Spread it in the garden and ladybirds will come to visit.

The scientific family name for ladybirds is Coccinellidae - which is probably derived from the diminutive of the Latinized Greek word 'Kokkos', meaning a seed or berry (like their rounded shape!). Or it could also come from the Latin Coccinus, meaning scarlet colour.

Link  http://www.backyardbuddies.net.au

Thursday; The red and blue hat;

First born grandson, Lucian, born 1989

The red and blue hat;

I wrote for Lucian 1992

Happy,  Miss Flora sits on her stool

in her hands the knitting of red and blue wool,

First she wanted to knit a mat

but, rather she thought, I knit a hat.

Red and blue stripes and a pompom on top

oh, cry key,  she let some stitches drop,  

Beside her, purring, Miss Kitty the cat

watches the progress of the red and blue hat.

The balls of wool dance up and down 

these movements let Miss Kitty frown,

She blinks and thinks a little play

is fun and makes a better day.

She yawns and stretches and licks her fur,

she lets escape a little purr,

Then a sudden grab for the wool

Miss Flora nearly falls off her stool.

Out of doors and down the street runs the naughty cat

tangled in the wool of the red and blue hat, 

Miss Flora cries stop, is quite aghast,

Miss Kitty her cat is so very fast.

She plays with the wool has so much fun

A neighbour's cat comes too for a run,

Meow, meow let me have a go

the pair of them make quite a show.

They run past the butcher- and baker’s shop

nothing will and makes them stop,   

They pass the church and pass the school

still playing along with the red and blue wool.

Miss Flora is all in a flurry

she really must run and hurry,

She sighs and thinks what am I to do

How will I recover my red and blue wool?

Miss Kitty her cat is nowhere in sight

now, this is Miss Floras plight,

She puts on her shoes, her coat and her hat

and follows the spur of her naughty cat.

She finds the red and she finds the blue

tangled up mess of her beautiful wool,

She finds Miss Kitty curled up in a ball

fast asleep and not sorry at all. 

©Photo/Text Ts

Wednesday; food, glorious food;

Filet steak and Potatoes, always a favourite;

In earlier times it was not usual, quite rare to have menu cards for the guests on the table. 

A historian from the 15th century told, that in 1489 the Duke Heinrich von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel heading the Reichstag in Regensburg, attracted a lot of interest, because at the meal he consulted often a note while he was eating. 

The head cook had written down all the dishes in order to be served. The duke could choose which dishes he liked  and  spare his appetite accordingly for the best ones.

Mixed lettuce leaves from Lilli's garden.

Photos/Text Ts

Link

PoeticTakeaway's;

Tuesday; enjoy!

Love the scots...

Monday; just paper;

The amazing art work of Calvin Nicholls. (This is my favourite)

Link http://www.calvinnicholls.com/

Sunday; ambiguous;

 Sunday Fairy;

©Photo/my garden;

Sunday,  for  Christians  is a day for worship of God and rest, due to the belief that it is Lord's Day, the day of Christ's resurrection.
Sunday is a day of rest in most Western countries, part of 'the weekend'. In most Muslim countries, Sunday is a working day.
According to the traditional Christian calendar, Sunday is the first day of the week. According to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 8601 Sunday is the seventh and last day of the week.
No century in the Gregorian calendar starts on a Sunday, whether its first year is '00 or '01.

The English noun Sunday derived sometime before 1250 from sunedai, which itself developed from Old English(before 700 Sunnandæg literally meaning "sun's day", which is cognate to other Germanic languages, including Old Frisian sunnandei, Old Saxon sunnundag, Middle Dutch sonnendach (modern Dutch zondag), Old High German sunnun tag (modern German Sonntag), and Old Norse sunnudagr (Danish and Norwegian søndag, Icelandic sunnudagur and Swedish söndag). The Germanic term is a Germanic interpretation of Latin dies solis "day of the sun", which is a translation of the Ancient Greek heméra helíouIn. 

In the Christian as well as in Islamic tradition, Sunday has been considered as the first day of the week. A number of languages express this position either by the name for the day or by the naming of the other

 days position of the week count.

 The current Greek name for Sunday, Kyriake, means "Lord's Day" coming from the word Kyrios, which is the Greek word for "Lord". 

Christians from very early times have had differences of opinion on the question of whether Sabbath should be observed on a Saturday or a Sunday. The issue  for Seventh Day Adventist, for whom  Sabbath is unquestionably on Saturday, nor for Muslims whose day of assembly is on a Friday.

The ancient Romans traditionally used the eight-day nundinal cycle, a market week, but in the time of Augustus, the seven-day week also came into use. The two weeks were used side-by-side until at least the Calendar of 354 and probably later, despite the official adoption of Sunday as a day of rest by Constantine in AD 321. 

Mithraism kept Sunday holy in honor of Mithras. On 7 March 321, Constantine I, Rome's first Christian Emperor  decreed that Sunday would be observed as the Roman day of rest:

On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.

More about Sunday  click here

Some excerpts from Wikipedia

Sepia Saturday; 146; Ships;

The fate of the Galileo Galilei;

Is it not bad Karma to change a ships name?

Galileo Galilei; 1974

5 weeks from Genoa to Sydney, supposed to be its  last voyage to Australia.

At that time  there were 1000 passengers  plus the crew on the ship.

I, thinking about  "Sepia Saturday 146";

SS Galileo Galilei was launched on 2 July 1961. 

On 23 March 1963, the ship entered service for Lloyd Triestino, doing Mediterranean cruises before departing on its official maiden voyage from Genoa, Italy to Sydney, Australia on 22 April 1963.  Originally the ships traveled to Australia via the eastern route, passing through Suez Canal in both directions, but in the later years the return trip to Europe was via the Panama Canal. They also routed to Australia via the Cape of Good Hope in the late 1960s and early 1970s

The ships were very successful until the 1973 oil crisis, which, combined with the increasing prevalence of airliners, contributed to the decline of ocean liners. Galileo Galilei returned to Genoa and repaired after she stuck a reef off coast of West Africa on 13 January 1975. 

It was thought her last trip to Australia was in October 1974.

 She  continued  to operate as a cruise ship. 1977 she was withdrawn from service. 

 Shortly after in October 1977 she returned to her builders for a lengthy reconstruction.  On 24 March 1979 the Galileo Galilei started cruise service with Italia Crociere (owned by Italia Navigazione, who also owned Lloyd Triestino.)

However, already in September of the same year the Galileo Galilei was withdrawn from service and laid up again.

 In 1983, the vessel was purchased by the Chandris Group. The ship was again rebuilt, this time with additional cabins on her forward deck. Her name shortened to Galileo. 

In 1984 the Galileo began cruising on the Caribbean under Chandris' Fantasy Cruises brand. After the collapse of Home Lines in 1988 Chandris' executives decided to create a new upmarket brand to take over the market segment occupied by Home Lines. With this in mind the Galileo sent to a multi-million dollar refit at Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany between October 1989 and February 1990. Most of her interiors were rebuilt, and externally her rear superstructure enlarged. On 1 March 1990 she emerged as the stylish SS Meridian, the first ship of the new Celebrity Cruises brand, cruising on the Caribbean and the Boston/New York–Bermuda service

In 1997, following Royal Caribbean International's acquisition of Celebrity Cruises, the ship was sold to Sun Cruises, which operated her as SS Sun Vista. On 20 May 1999, the vessel suffered an engine room fire, which cut all power and caused her to sink on 21 May 1999 at 0121 hrs. All 1,090 passengers and crew were safely evacuated

http://maritimematters.com/2010/02/a-cruise-to-remember-the-sinking-of-the-sun-vista

On the afternoon of May 20, 1999 the Luxury Cruise Ship the Sun Vista was returning to Singapore after a typical cruise to Phuket, Thailand when a malfunction in the engine room switchboard started a small fire. Due to factors yet explained, the fire could not be contained and spread throughout the ship. A distress call was finally sent about 6:30 PM. Meanwhile, the passengers were instructed to go up on deck and prepare to abandon ship. All 472 passengers and 672 crew managed to leave the ship. The Sun Vista slowly sank deeper and deeper by the stern for seven hours. Finally at 1:22 AM May 21, 1999 she died and sank about 60 nautical miles south of Penang Island and 50 nautical miles west of Port Weld in the Strait of Malacca in 200 feet of water. A passing freighter finally rescued the passengers after spending five to eight hours in the lifeboats. There were no fatalities and only minor injuries.

Links

http://drmike.smugmug.com/gallery/1268825#!i=59665014&k=h6GMsX3 photos

http://maritimematters.com/2010/02/a-cruise-to-remember-the-sinking-of-the-sun-vista

http://www.sunvista.ukf.net/sunvista.htm

Perhaps you are ready for a cruise,  follow the Link  Sepia Saturday 146; and enjoy!

©Photos Ts

Friday; first...

Nectarines in the garden are ripening, the first is always the best!

Links

PoeticTakeaway's;

Lavender & Vanilla;

©Photo/Text Ts

Thursday.... waiting for the sun;

5.53 AM

5.57 AM

6.02 AM

6.03 AM  

©Photos/ Ts  Ballina, NSW, 28/08/2012  sunrise at 6.03 AM

Wednesday; Cherie;

Hello!

©Photo October 2012/ my garden, Ts

Tuesday; "a weird mob";

©Photo/ my garden;

A long and true story;

GOD and Grass: 

Frank you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

St. FRANCIS:

It's the tribes that settled there Lord.. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD:

Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies birds and bees only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS:

Apparently so Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.     

GOD:

The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast.  That must make the Suburbanites happy.     

ST.. FRANCIS:

Apparently not Lord. As soon as it grows a little they cut it, sometimes twice a week.     

GOD:

They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:

Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.     

GOD:

They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?     

ST. FRANCIS:

No Sir just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.     

GOD:
Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow.  And when it does grow they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS:

Yes Sir.     

GOD:

These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.     

ST. FRANCIS:

You aren't going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.     

GOD:

What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.     

ST. FRANCIS:

You better sit down Lord.. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.     

GOD:

No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?     

ST. FRANCIS:

After throwing away the leaves they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.    

GOD:

And where do they get this mulch?     

ST. FRANCIS:

They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.     

GOD:

Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore.

St. Catherine you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight     

ST. CATHERINE:

'Dumb and Dumber' Lord.. It's a story about....     

GOD:

Never mind I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

©?

  

   

Monday; pleasure;

© Photo/ this morning in my garden;  Roses are red...and my favourite poem...

Morning

♥  by: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

The mist has left the greening plain,

The dew-drops shine like fairy rain,

The coquette rose awakes again

Her lovely self adorning.

The wind is hiding in the trees,

A sighing, soothing, laughing tease,

Until the rose says "Kiss me, please,"

'Tis morning, 'tis morning.

With staff in hand and careless free,

The wanderer fares right jauntily,

For towns and houses are, thinks he,

For scorning, for scorning.

My soul is swift upon the wing,

And in its deeps a song I bring;

Come, Love, and we together sing,

"'Tis morning, 'tis morning."

Link  Poetic Takeaway's;

Friday; bye, bye...

Enjoy a nice weekend;

♥

Happiness can not be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute
with love, grace and gratitude.
Denis Waitley

©Photo Ts

Thursday; Satire; my stinging pen;

Nature and its extraordinary beauty;   Bud of Hippeastrum flower, my garden, September 2o12

♥

Oh, yes, my fingers are itching,  but trust me,  I am not to be taken seriously on Thursdays.

What shall it be today? The trash can is full and it should not be a problem to find a dirty deal to expose.

What about the crusades, they are in high favour with hoi oligoi.

The war drums are beating in high favour of invading an other country, the lies are  rampant, the noses are itching and growing every day.  

Hoi polloi has to be persuaded  to blow a fake  bugle and hate the “others”

The newest crusade is well on the way to conquer  what and whoever is in the way to the new world  order. Iraq and Afghanistan have already seen the power and violence of the crusaders riding on white phosphorus.  Even the little stretch of Gaza has seen the might of the crusaders, killing and destroying  to their hearts content. Go on you knights of  lust for oil, money, land, blood and power, sharpen your drones your nuclear warheads and prey to your gods to bless your hands dripping with blood of people who have not invaded your countries, killed your loved ones, stolen your land, your countries wealth, destroyed your countries ancient treasures. 
You have always stolen and plundered under a flag, called  for god and country, always send the poor lads to their death in the name of honour and democracy. There is no honour in warfare, in killing the other. There is no honour in dying for a country. The only honour is in peace and friendship.
 You have always lied and played the saviour when in fact you have been the destroyer.

1095 November 27 Pope Urban II called a great council of clergy and nobles to meet at Clermont in France called the Council of Clermont. He called for a crusade against the Infidels.

Now,  the pen is blunt, until next time.  Peace and Love, have a good Thursday.

©Text/Photo Ts


Link    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32469.htm

Wednesday; Seville Oranges;

I walked down into the wild garden and saw that the Seville Orange tree was full with fat, round oranges, ready to be picked. Next day Fabrizia and I went to harvest the golden orange bounty.

We filled 2 buckets and she insisted to carry them up the hill,  home.  Her little arms straining, but her stamina  and perseverance did not let her give up, at it is quite a steep way up,  until she had them right at the door. They were standing around a few days as other task were on the menu.   I juiced them and cooked them into Jelly instead of Marmalade.

the big ones weighed 400 g 

I made 2 liters of juice, these were quite juicy, as generally Sevilles are not as juicy. 

The jelly turned out well,  a tart sweetness with a hint of bitterness. 

2 liters Seville orange juice,
1,2 kg white sugar, cooking time about 40 minutes. I think if one used commercial pectin the cooking time  would be around 20 min.
A small bag filled with some pips from the oranges, the pips help to produce the pectin.
The jelly just got the right consistency , perfect....I am amazed myself!


©Text/Photos Ts


Link   Poetic Takeaway's; a trivial world of words.

Tuesday; the time has come..

Photo/ Hippeastrums from my garden;


To pick some of these...at this time of year they pop up everywhere in my garden,  velvet, dark red, pink and white, striped and plain, their flowering enthusiasm is enchanting.

©Photo/Text Ts

Link

Poetic Takeaway's;

Monday; I agree...

Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw.

Henry David Thoreau

©Photos/my garden;

Links

Lavender & Vanilla;

Poetic Takeaway's'

Sunday; super lemons;

Lemons from Diane's lemon tree; each weighed 400 g, super lemons! 

Diane said:" The tree had gall wasp infection and had to be pruned and cut down under the graft. Generally  after that the tree produces "Bush lemons" quite rough looking. The tree grew back as a bush lemon with long thorns on its branches, but with these smooth, huge lemons;  a wonder of nature!

I had not made a lemon cake for a long time, so  these lemons came just at the right time to  be used to bake a cake with fresh lemon peel and the juice.

Lemon peel;

The lemon skin was very smooth it could not be grated, but the bamix does it quickly  and finely, as the lemons could be peeled easily without the white membrane clinging to the skin.

I divided the amount between two 18 cm round cake tins and stuck the two together with a light lemony butter cream, the cake was also made "drunk" with some lemon juice and icing sugar.

The cake is very light and luscious, fragrant with lemon juice and lemon peel.

I never use the full amount of butter and sugar, so it is not overly sweet.

The recipe is from an old Betty Bossi Backbuch.

I changed the amount of the ingredients and the look of the cake; the original has no filling  and is baked in a long cake tin 28-30 cm long.

Here is the original recipe with the amount  I used in (  )

"Drunk" Lemon cake;
Ingredients;
250 g butter  (180) 
250 g sugar   (150)
5  eggs           (4)
3-4 tbl sp. lemon juice to make up for the fifth egg)
250 g plain flour
2 teasp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt 

mix butter and sugar until creamy, add eggs mix until light and fluffy, add plain flour and baking powder and pinch of salt. fill a long cake tin or divide mixture in two small round tins. The long tin needs about 50-60 min at 180 C, always check with a needle in the middle of the cake! The small tins need about 30 minutes together in the middle of the oven, also at 180 C.

"Drunk" ingredients
1 dl lemon 
juice
100 g icing sugar
mix well together

Butter cream;  about 100g unsalted, best butter, icing sugar and lemon juice, enough to make a spreadable mix.) 

Make many holes into the cake with a knitting needle and pour the juice slowly over the cake to absorb.
It sounds a lot of work but it is actually easy and quickly done. 

©photo/text Ts

Sepia Saturday 144; many small arms;

As far as I know and I could not find any old family photos of convicts or people with missing heads or limbs in my family album; I admit perhaps the odd one got to much to the  side and  an arm or leg  is missing, but the heads are all there! No  convicts in my family .Many Australians are very proud  to have some, even if the ancestor just snatched a fine hanky she was transported  as the colony needed people! For the men a hanky was not enough, they poached a hare or snatched a horse and the result was transportation for seven years, but for most there was no return!  

I had to settle for some small innocents who were a little bothered by the sun while the photo was taken.Up went the little arms for protection. I think it is rather sweet.

I do not know who these children are.  I don't know who made the photo or where it was taken. The tiny girl  on the right with the spotted dress is Peter's youngest sister, Marianne; it is probably around 1943. There are six boys and two girls, perhaps  Kindergarten in the village.

Link

Sepia Saturday 144;

Friday; for the birds...

New Grevillias for my garden;

When I planted my first grevillias there were not so many hybrids available. Some last long and some don't.

Yesterday I bought

Yamba Sunshine, an open, tall shrub 3m  yellow flowers,

Lady O,  short red flowers pointing downwards, quite exquisite,  1.5 m,

Sandra Gordon, with long, brilliant yellow flowers tall up to 3m, was always a favourite,

Coloundra Gem, salmon flowers 2m,  hope it will do well,

Honeybird pink, shrub to 1.5 m

When freshly planted they need  to be looked after and watered, once they start to grow well they will be quite drought resistant and just need a little pruning from time to time to keep them compact.

I also bought a Rose  for my tiny rose garden; "Love Potion"  has a wonderful fragrance. I grew this rose before.

A couple of punnets of miniature Zinnias for the herb garden, which will be flowering in the summer's heat  as well, while the Petunias have packed up and gone home!

©Photo/Text Ts

Link Poetic Takeaway's;

Thursday; blogging;

Dampiera stricta; Australian perennial; 

Yesterday I met Diane and Bill, blogger friends from some years back.  Link Adventure before Dementia;   We had lots to talk and laugh about. It was so nice to meet you; thank you for this lovely plant.

Today I am going up to Redland to a nursery. I have to replace some of my native plants in the garden. I will get a bigger pot for this one, as it likes to spread its roots! 

©Text/Photos Ts

Monday; a furry visitor;

Sunday morning,  eating breakfast I saw something  disappearing very very fast up  a palm tree. Billy was rummaging around, luckily he leaves the animals alone. When he was a puppy he took  small lizards in his mouth  but let them unharmed out again. This behaviour is unusual with a Jack Russel. But he has always been an unusual fellow.

Anyway, I went and had a look, I thought it was a Pheasant, as they always stick around  to look for nests with baby birds. When I looked up I saw a Koala  sitting on a palm leaf and holding on to the next.

At around lunchtime I returned to the palm tree but the Koala had disappeared. 

A little later I saw it going up a paperbark, but did not feel comfortable and left...

 walked all the way to the end of the garden and quickly climbed a  frangipane tree, which gave me an opportunity to snap a few photos.

It looked at me and then decided...

to climb over the fence into my neighbours garden, where it very fast climbed up a very high gum tree and disappeared  high up in the branches. Generally they live there and feed on the leaves.  But it was nice to see this  furry visitor. Usually they are very high up and it is hard to see them as they blend so well with the colours of the gum trees.

©Photos/Text Ts

Links
 Poetic Takeaway's; a trivial world of words;

Lavender & Vanilla;

Sepia Saturday 143; Confiteria;

Sevilla, Andalucia; Confiteria Filella; I don't have to explain what they are selling!

The Confiteria is located in this Moorish style building. 

To wet your appetite for these...

Tempting in the food hall at

Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

Please visit 

Sepia Saturday 143;

©Photos Ts