Here's the plan

The past two weekends I've been dragging the kids around to open gardens. Loads of garden inspiration, Spring is the perfect time to see other peoples garden in full glory.

It's given me grand ideas too, which I am sure will have my hubby asking "why?", and me saying, "Well you'll have less grass to mow".

I'm just gonna go ahead and do it. More room for roses, and other stuff.

There's three areas I have set my sights on reclaiming lawn for garden beds.

I'll poison the grass, which will take a couple of weeks after I spray. Dump some compost on and dig it through.

The first two beds will need more rocks for borders. I'll be the crazy lady on country back tracks putting rocks in my boot from the side of the road. Where there is a will there is a way ;)

Springtime at Canunda National Park

I want more garden, and roses

Someone asked me how many roses I had and I don't really know off the top of my head. Pondering it made me think of roses I don't have. It had me thinking of patches of lawn I could dig up for more space to put roses I don't have.  

The worst thing is, it has put the seed in my brain, the fire has been lit, and I am determined. It's not an if, it's a when. The idea will itch away until I mark out the lines and poison the patch of grass that will be new garden space. 

I've been around the open gardens the past two weekends. Beautiful gardens with lots of roses, lots of inspiration, which fuels my garden wants. I want more roses, I wont be thanking myself at pruning time.

It's like when someone asks the question, Who would you have(alive or dead) at your ultimate dinner table? Well this is a bit like that, except you're feeding them liquid fish emulsion and manure and they give you beautiful flowers in return.

Diana Princess of Wales

Mary MacKillop

Olivia Newton John

Pope John Paul II(I saw this one yesterday at a garden, it smells great)

Sir Donald Bradman

Slim Dusty

Sutters Gold(one from my childhood and a scent that is divine)

*All photos are from Treloar Roses website.

A few hours at the beach

Two weeks ago today I packed up the car and we ventured to the beach. What was forecast as a 32 degree day turned out to be not so warm, warm enough for Izzy to brave the water though. 

It was blowing a gale when we got there, but eased off after we ate our lunch and we had a very enjoyable and relaxing few hours. So glad I didn't procrastinate at home about the weather and just went for it. It wasn't perfect, but if I waited around for perfect, we wouldn't go anywhere or do anything. 

People playing sport #openslather

My place in time #15

 Saturday was a day for spectator sport. Me and the girls walked over to the tennis courts to watch Boggy and their cousin Bonnie play tennis. It was the first round for the season. Bonnie was just filling in, I was asked but gracefully said hell no! declined. 

Sitting on the bonnet of the car, watching Daddy play tennis

Later in the day we all headed to Bolton Oval to watch Bonnie's fiance Ben, play his second round of baseball for the 'Bandits'. They won.

I haven't played a team sport since Izzy was three months old, when I filled in at the end of the softball season that year. 

Maybe I should have taken up the opportunity for a quick couple games of tennis. 

Do I want them ringing me every other weekend to fill in? No.

Do I want to have my hubby as a doubles partner? No. I would never hear the end of his coaching advice, it would drive me nuts. No one wants to see me wrap a tennis racket around his head.

Are you playing any sport this season? 

If not, you must be a spectator, what do you like to watch?

'My place in time' is a local history project set by Kell at Blackcurrant Photography

Izzy goes to kindy

Yesterday Izzy had her first day at kindy. With the same day start policy in place, and her turning four after the end of April she won't start full time kindy until next year. So this last term she is attending a half day on a Wednesday as pre-entry.

I have no problems with her not starting full time until next year. She won't turn four until next month. But for some of her kindy mates, who turned four way back at the start of May, three days after the cut off, the long wait to start full time kindy seems a bit ridiculous to me. But the powers that be obviously know what they're doing, I hope.

Tuesday night Izzy was telling me we couldn't go anywhere the next day because she was sick. I think she was having some doubts about this kindy bizzo. She knows the kindy and the teachers, we've been going there for playgroup. She is fine about me leaving her for an hour at gym with the instructor. I was quietly confident that she would be ok.

On Wednesday morning, I was excited, trying to make her excited, it was kindy day!! She said she was sick and couldn't go anywhere.

She was so proud putting it on all by herself and then
pestering "Can we go, I want to go".

I'm not sure what I said, it might have been something about her new backpack, whatever it was, all of a sudden she was feeling better. 

Izzy helped pack her snack, an apple and some pizza shapes into her new lunch pack, made sure she had her hat and put it in her  backpack along with her new water bottle. This was a bargain set I picked up at a market for 5 bucks. No fancy Barbie, Billabong or Disney backpacks here, it's only kindy. I have many more years of mind numbing brand name nagging when she hits puberty, or possibly before, I don't want to start a trend.

Nag she did though, "I want to go to my kindy", "Can we go to kindy now?". This went on and on. I was so glad when 12 noon rolled around and I could go drop her off.

I did feel a pang of emotion as we got out the car, we found her bag locker and signed her in, I stayed with her until 12:15, when lunch finished and said goodbye. No fuss. No tears. Nothing. I walked out to the gate, Summer on my hip, got in the car and pulled out the car park. 

A rush of freedom swept over me, I smiled. I smiled because it was easy. Stress free. She handled it like a champion. I was so relieved, like a weight had been lifted. She's gonna be ok. It was a different story with Jake when he started kindy, different kid.

I went home and gardened, Summer my little shadow. She was happy. I was happy. I gardened without the interruption of Izzy needing help with anything, not having to go see who was crying, no fighting. It was awesome.

I can't wait until next Wednesday! 

First roses of spring

 Harry Wheatcroft

 Ebb Tide

 Double Delight

 Pierre de Ronsard

A miniature-name unknown

 Just Joey

Gold Bunny

 Chicago Peace

Seduction

........oOo........

.....and this is why I garden.....

...beauty all around...