Sunday, April 19, 2009

From My Autumn Perfumed Garden

Anthurium, native Maiden Hair fern and a mixture of Calla lillies; Lilli Pilli with pale green fruits; strappy leaves of Cardamon Ginger and Thalia, a water plant; gray-green foliage of Coastal Rosemary andCorrea Alba; variegated foliage of Prostanthera Ovafolia; new growth tips from Backhousia Myrtifolia and Backhousia Citriodora which has a beautiful lemon scent, the lemon oil from its leaves is used for most perfumes and other commercial products where a lemon fragrance is required. Most of these leaves have their own special fragrance which is evident when you brush past them or the sunshine warms the oils and the scent is released...absolutely heavenly. ♥

A closer view of a vase containing native Maiden Hair fern which grows prolifically in shady spots in my garden, white plumbago blossoms, new growth from calistemon and a native vine, name unknown.

White flowering Anthurium otherwise known as Flamingo Flower...I havent removed the spent blooms as they have their own special beauty.


The warm glow and ambience from an aromatherapy candle...always romantic...

Hakea Salicifolia


Curious Bobcat with his beautiful green eyes, partially obscured by a green leaf...he is my floral assistant and advisor...he loves to help his Mummy. :-)


I didnt go for a walk today as it has been raining heavily on and off but it is very welcome, my garden loves it.
I have also overdone it with the walking and climbing over uneven rocks and have managed to flare up a painful knee injury from a fall I had about two years ago...I need to have surgery as I have done quite some damage...I hope to have that attended to sooner rather than later.

This was a comedy of errors, a French farce, call me Clousseau...it should have been filmed and put on youTube or Funniest Home videos, I can laugh about it now but it wasn't funny at the time. :-)
It was winter time and I was sitting on the sofa in the living room enjoying a hot cup of tea, the phone rang and I got up too quickly to answer it, tripped over, went lurching across the room... aerial ballet, tried to break my fall with my right knee...big mistake, landed with my ample boobs right on the electric heater which luckily had an automatic cut off switch, thank goodness as I was laying straight on it, went for a slide on the heater across the slippery floor and spilt hot tea all over myself.
Oh boy did it hurt, I couldn't move for a few moments and then I tried to get up, that's when I realised how much it did hurt and the damage I had done to my knee, not to mention the burns from the heater and the hot tea. I just layed there and cried until I could manage to crawl away and help myself up with the use of a chair. Ouch... I have had all kinds of treatments but now surgery is the only option.
Lesson everyone, don't lose your balance while carrying hot cups of tea near heaters. :/
Regrettably the heater didnt make it... :(

I love my garden and though I have many flowers in bloom such as my fragrant gardenias and white Autumn crocus with their bright yellow stamens, I thought I would show you some of the many foliage plants that I grow. This is only a small sample of what I have, there are so many more and it has taken me years to either propagate some from seeds, from cuttings or find them and buy them from the garden centre.

Which reminds me of another silly thing I did, I climbed out on a rock ledge and jumped over a ravine to another rock, I was trying to get some seeds from a native plant which grows in this area; it is a species of hakea, it has beautiful lime green leaves and creamy white flowers. It was not available in the garden centres then and since I was good friends with the girls from our local Native Plant nursery they suggested I collect some seeds and propagate them myself.

Well I got my seeds and then found I couldn't get back across the large space between the rocks, I thought I would be stuck there forever but thankfully my ex was with me then and he reached over and caught me as I jumped. I shudder to think where I would be had he not caught me.
Well I did manage to propagate the seeds and I had my beautiful trees for many years, they are not long lived usually about seven years at the most and they were a good reminder that you shouldn't be foolhardy and take risks to collect seeds...I am much more sensible now.
I have included a photo of the plant here as well.

Of course some of these flower in the Spring and Summer, but the many coloured greens, leaf shapes and textures I find are beautiful in their own way. Most have a beautiful fragrance all of their own from the spiciness of the cardamon ginger, the citrus scent of the Backhousia Citriodora and lemon scented tea tree to the almost sweet herbal scent of the Prostanthera... which is another delight for me and the trees and shrubs have that beautiful architectural look to them even when they are not in bud or flower.

I often pick a bunch of green foliage for a vase in the house, they look so fresh and green and the fragrance is delightful...just have to keep those curious kitties of mine away and I am careful not to bring anything into the house which would be harmful to them.
I hope you enjoy these photos and please click on the image for a larger view. ♥

27 comments:

puerileuwaite said...

I love the vivid imagery and am sorry about the mishaps ... um ... wait ... did you say AMPLE boobs?

dianne said...

Yes I did Puggles my sweet, very ample, firm and perky. ♡

Thanks for your comment my sweet. ♡

darkfoam said...

soooooo sorry to hear about your fall! a knee injury can be very hard to heal. sounds like something i would do actually .. :) i have 3 stitches on my left knee when i bumped it against the toilet .. a toilet with no sharp edges anywhere. but, leave it to me ...
that was a couple years ago. i blogged about it on my old blog.
love the colors of your plant photos. i enlarged every one of them ..
so, ample boobs you say? lol .. you tell 'em, dianne ..
make them drool ........................

Diane said...

Ouch, ouch, ouch, and OUCH! I feel your pain, though, as I'm suffering at the moment with heel and ankle pain. I look like I'm 95 when I get up in the morning. Actually, I FEEL like I'm 95 when I get up in the morning. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

i had
a real bad
feeling by the
time i got through
with the tea episode
and into the ravine scene,
but am amply relieved to hear you have ample assistance with your ample seed collection, dear <3

amply yours,

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

Diane said...

PS... we have the same name and the same boobs ;)

puerileuwaite said...

I'm off to look up the ample array of Dianes/Diannes in the phone book!

Corby said...

Good to know I am not the only one who is clumsy enough to injure myself in the comfort of my own home! Take care of yourself!

-Corby

The Phosgene Kid said...

I have plants in my backyard they're all volunteers. Not quite sure what they are, but they have spines so I just leave them be.

dianne said...

Thanks Foamie dear, yes knee injuries take ages to heal as we are always walking around, the movement just aggravates and causes pain.

I'm trying to find an orthopaedic guy who doesnt charge like a wounded bull but one who is a good surgeon.

Sorry about your knee, I think the skin is so stretched there it will tear very easily even if it is bumped on a blunt surface. I have a scar on my left knee from a cut.

Well yes my boobs are big, not huge, a lovely shape, perky as I have said, guys seem to like looking at them,not allowed touch though, I dont display them by wearing revealing clothes as I'm modest (most times) and if I dont promote myself no-one else is going to. :-) ♡

dianne said...

Ouch, Diane dear I'm so sorry, its awful to be in constant pain...have you injured it at all?

Have you seen a doctor, it could be something simple which could be treated easily with some physiotherapy or some simple heel and ankle exercises.
No wonder you have been feeling down, pain does that.

Yes we have the same name and the same boobs :-), mine are just perfect, how about yours? ;-)

I tell you I would never drown I have my own 'built in' buoys.

dianne said...

Lol /t. my dear

I thank you for your concern and ample comment and assure you I am amply endowed in the boob area and would never be in any danger of an 'accidental' drowning... I would never sink. ;-) ♡

Amply yours,

Dianne (. )( .) :-)

dianne said...

Oh Puggles my sweet, I just have to mention the words ample and boobs in the one sentence and Diane mentions her generous boobs and you are getting over-excited, why not just ask us for our phone numbers? ♡

dianne said...

Thanks Corby my dear, I went through an accident prone phase for a while, the problem is I try to do too many things at once, I should just slow down and take my time.

I'm a danger to myself,I slipped on the top stair of my staircase went for a few bumps on the stairs on by bottom, did a tumble halfway down and landed in a twisted heap on the hard floor downstairs. OUCH, bruised tush/fanny I believe you call them in the US, some skin off my back, arms, elbows and legs.

Thanks I will be careful, you as well. ♡

dianne said...

Hi Phossy dear, volunteer plants, thats an interesting concept, I guess they are all cacti so yes I would leave them alone as well. :-)

They do look nice though. ♡

Lily said...

Yeah, I also loved the "Volunteer plants"!!! because that's also what I should really call all that green stuff in our garden! well I usually say, I'm a lousy gardner, but at least it's all one natural ecological wilderness in which you can feel good!

Mind you I really loved those beautiful flower-pictures of yours! so full of positive energy and so pretty!

I was, however, really sorry to hear about your accident! terrible! and do you really want to see a doctor? I almost only have bad experiences with doctors. So usually I handle things myself, even if it's things that doctors wouldn't even do to themselves, but the result is good, whereas if I had listend and done what doctors said, I would have been dead many times so far this lifetime! No kidding!

Especially re knees, they really don't know what they are doing and with those treatments they were suggesting I would either have died of blood poisoning or kidney failure...

anyway, too long a story to tell, but here's anopther example:
http://ahealthierwayofliving.blogspot.com/2009/03/chiropractic-as-questionable-method.html

I hope, you will feel better soon and I also wanted to say how much I loved the pictures on your blog-entries below. wonderful nature and so very different to ours!

here's another blog-entry which might interest you:
http://livinginscandinavia.blogspot.com/2009/04/victims.html
A subject which means a lot to me and this sort if thing is what I fight in life: deveryday-suppression that the avarage people suffer from.

get well soon!
love, sarah sofia

Helene said...

Hi boobalicious Diane,
hehehehhe

OMG you actually had me giggling while reading your ballet move. I could almost see you there. I am soooo sorry for your pain. ugg! But you are still walking??

Love the hakea. I think I would still go out on a rock for the seeds. Its lovely. As I have gotten older I find I am more of a risk taker instead of less! I am regressing I think!

Hope you are having a good day and thanks for the view of the flowers! Being a gardener,I loved it!

dianne said...

Thanks dear Sarah Sofia , I'm so pleased you liked the photos and I saw the lovely photos of your garden, the Spring flowers are so pretty.
I love being in my garden its such a lovely space to spend some time.

Thanks for those links I will take a look at them, dont worry I never rush into any kind of surgery.
I have had many alternate treatments but it is getting to the stage where I dont think I have a choice. ♡

love Dianne X

dianne said...

Lol Helene dear,

Boobalicious for sure :-)

You have to laugh at the 'aerial ballet', I sure have laughed about the whole comedy of errors as that minute unfolded, one disaster after another.
The worst part was when I landed on my knee and I totally trashed the heater with my boobs and for a split second I though gosh I might get electrocuted as well. Ahhhh!!!
I am still walking; when it first happened I had to have my knee strapped it was very painful, I have chipped the knee cap and dislocated part of a tendon..yes ouch.

Yes I still take risks but I guage the situation more carefully now.

I'm so pleased you like the photos, actually I drove down to that very same spot yesterday as I need some more seed pods, its a beautiful plant and I think I can access the plants more easily now.

Thanks you have a good day as well, I have been enjoying your beautiful photos from your trip. ♡

ANNA-LYS said...

Thank You, dear Dianne!
Are You sure You are not a Norse?

;-)

<3 <3 <3

dianne said...

You are welcome Anna-Lys I am very sensitive to many things in nature...and I am fascinated by the calendar of the natural world, the origins of ancient customs and phases of the moon and stars... I dont know about Norse, could be, I have Celtic ancestry. ♡

ANNA-LYS said...

Celtic and Vikings are siblings.

Hello Sister !! ;-))

dianne said...

Yes Anna-Lys I know we are.
:-)) ♡

Big Hug Sister!! (( ))

The Mess said...

I have three black cats here. The old lady is about 25-years now. Perhaps I show them in some picture.

Leovi said...

Delicious plants, I guess that still preserves. Besos.

dianne said...

Dear M, I have just found this comment today and it is April, 2011.
Yes, you did post some photos of your beautiful cat on your blog and now sadly she has passed away, but what a remarkable age she was and a great life she had with you.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Leovi , yes they are lovely plants and some are still growing well.
Besos xoxoxo ♡