Blue Mountains Journal

The holiday is well and truly over and I am still short of time so will not be continuing here at least for a while. I am however posting daily about my summer sojourns beyond the mountains at Sweet Wayfaring . This path is the street front of my garden. The fence is deliberatly low so passers strolling under the pines can look in and enjoy. You can too as I am starting a daily garden meditation . You may like to visit occasionally and reflect. Words to walk with: The Journey by Mary Oliver One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice– though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. Mend my life!” each voice cried. But you didn’t stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones. But little by littl...

Today the City Daily Photo bloggers are selecting their best picture for 2008. From my perspective 2008 has not been a good photographic year, too busy working. However, I think this photo of my front garden taken on Anzac Day in April is good one and a nice match with the summer photo at the back of the house in my last post. Notice the pine cones littering the path -- I just swept them up yesterday! So this brings to mind a few New Year Resolutions: 1. Clean up Autumn well before Summer 2. Take more photos of my lovely garden 3. Try to take life a little slower in 2009 and savour the ride -- mmm with recession looming the slow bit might be easy and the ride rough but that's the fun of each New Year. I hope you all have a good one. I am still on vacation from this blog for a while longer but have begun posting my recent seaside and country tour on my Sweet Wayfaring blog , please stop by and enjoy the holiday with me! I was too relaxed on holiday to register for the Theme Day but ...

Oh dear, I've left it too long to mow the grass. It's now so tall it needs reaping not mowing! On the weekend I did the lawn in the top garden but didn't have the heart to mow through the burgeoning forget-me-nots and violet clumps. Words to walk with: Even though it is entirely the wrong season, my dilemna reminded me of this stanza from To Autumn by John Keats "Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep, Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers"

This weekend -- cherry, peach and crab apple all at their best and my garden beds yearning to be tended. Words to walk with: June by Carl Sandberg "Paula is digging and shaping the loam of a salvia, Scarlet Chinese talker of summer. Two petals of crabapple blossom blow fallen in Paula's hair, And fluff of white from a cottonwood. "

The garden is bursting with spring energy, making me restless, thinking about transitions. Words to walk with: By Emily Dickinson "I cannot meet the Spring unmoved -- I feel the old desire -- A Hurry with a lingering, mixed, A Warrant to be fair -- A Competition in my sense With something hid in Her -- And as she vanishes, Remorse I saw no more of Her. "

My Mum, who came from the south, always spoke with nostalgia of a childhood home where she crunched through autumn leaves. The leaves took on a romance for her young Queensland brood who rarely saw a deciduous tree resplendent in autumn colour -- so much so I was gripped with the idea of living in a cooler climate from quite early on. It's interesting the ways our mother's influence our life choices-- even when they are gone. Photo: Begonia border with fallen maple leaves, my garden Last seen surrounded by hail. Words to walk with: From A Song For September by Thomas Parsons, 1880 "Sorrow and scarlet leaf, Sad thoughts and sunny weather. Ah me, this glory and this grief Agree not well together!"

Photos: Begonias, my garden (not a native plant) This Autumn I decided to enjoy the begonias in my own garden rather than looking with envy at the camillias over the neighbour's fence . It's interesting that I had decided to do this post today, which I planned a week ago. I notice that my friend at bitingmidge has chosen begonias for his Mother's Day post ... a shot I am sure was taken here. I love that fact that in this climate tuberous begonias can actually grow out in the garden, not just being mollycoddled in pots. I plant the tubers from last years pots out in the garden bed shaded by a tree and hey presto they give me joy again the next year. Words to walk with: From Proverbs 14:29-31 the Holy Bible New International Version. A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

The weather is continuing to be rather odd. Last week there was light snow in Katoomba and quite a big dump of it further afield. It's not meant to snow in April! Fortunately it has warmed up since. This flower is called Winter Iris but blooms throughout Autumn in grassy clumps dotted around my garden. Photo: Winter Iris, my garden (Not a native plant)

The visitors are gone at last. Autumn is in full swing. The air is chill. Liquid light pours golden through the leaves. And the tiny birds are on their seasonal migration through my garden. Photo: Silver Eye in maple, my garden Words to walk with: By Emily Dickinson "The morns are meeker than they were, The nuts are getting brown; The berry's cheek is plumper, The rose is out of town. The maple wears a gayer scarf, The field a scarlet gown. Lest I should be old-fashioned, I'll put a trinket on. "

I popped out to the garden to take this picture of the red autumn leaves -- my token of rememberence for the day. Because we have the remnants of the bug, today I am watching the Anzac march on TV rather than weathering the rain. Words to walk with: The sobering thought is that wars are always fought near someone's home. Range Finding by Robert Frost. "The battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung And cut a flower beside a ground bird's nest Before it stained a single human breast. The stricken flower bent double and so hung. And still the bird revisited her young. A butterfly its fall had dispossessed A moment sought in air his flower of rest, Then lightly stooped to it and fluttering clung. On the bare upland pasture there had spread O'ernight 'twixt mullein stalks a wheel of thread And straining cables wet with silver dew. A sudden passing bullet shook it dry. The indwelling spider ran to greet the fly, But finding nothing, sullenly withdrew."

Everyone in the household has the cold and flu bug that's going around. It's slowing us down a bit. I spotted this lovely bug in the garbage bin when I was taking out the rubbish. There's lots of rubbish because we're still entertaining hordes of visitors -- certainly not being treated like Typhoid Mary (see today's Words below) Words to walk with: From Winter Complaint by Ogden Nash "Now when I have a cold I am careful with my cold, I consult a physician And I do as I am told. I muffle up my torso In woolly woolly garb, And I quaff great flagons Of sodium bicarb. I munch on aspirin, I lunch on water, And I wouldn’t dream of osculating Anybody’s daughter, And to anybody’s son I wouldn’t say howdy, For I am a sufferer Magna cum laude. I don’t like germs, But I’ll keep the germs I’ve got. Will I take a chance of spreading them? Definitely not. I sneeze out the window And I cough up the flue, And I live like a hermit Till the germs get through. And because I’m co...

The rain we were waiting for came and washed the yellow brick road and my car clean. Then, with a final puff of yellow, the pine cones dropped to the ground ... yes it is pine cones, not a plague of caterpillers. Words to walk with: From A Litany in Time of Plague by Thomas Nash (1567-1601) "Adieu, farewell, earth's bliss; This world uncertain is; Fond are life's lustful joys; Death proves them all but toys; None from his darts can fly; I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! ... Haste, therefore, each degree, To welcome destiny; Heaven is our heritage, Earth but a player's stage; Mount we unto the sky. I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us!"

At this time of year our pines puff pollen. The driveway becomes a yellow brick road. The plants, cars -- everything -- are covered in gold dust. We are waiting for rain to wash it off. Photo: Pine trees, my garden (not a native plant) Words to walk with: The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy's travels along the Yellow Brick Road, who concludes on her return, "I learned that, if I ever go looking for my hearts desire again... I shouldn't look any further than my own back yard."

The jewel of my early Autumn garden are the tiny cyclamen flowers that flower under the pine tree. Photo: Cyclamen, my garden (not a native plant)

Its raining again, thank goodness. After a run of unseasonably warm sunny days, the garden was beginning to gasp. Before the big drought we just let the automated sprinkler system pour water on the garden regardless of the weather. Such prolifigate water use has gone forever. Despite the strange weather patterns everything is happening on cue in the garden. The first flush of Autumn colour is always from the Virginia Creeper which is turning scarlet right now. Photo: Virginia Creeper, my garden (not a native plant) Words to walk with: Tomorrow we celebrate Easter Day, when Jesus rose from the dead, right on cue. From the Holy Bible Matthew 17:22-23 "When they came together in Galilee, he[Jesus] said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life."

Palm trees aren't exactly cold climate plants but there are very old palms in Honour Gardens in Lawson - a symbol of remembrance for the men who fought during World War 1. There are more recently placed palms along the highway at Blaxland. These caused a furour for being ill-placed trees more reminiscent of a Sydney beachside suburb than a town in the Blue Mountains. I even have a tall skinny, and probably old, specimen in my garden with a small top-knot of fronds popping out above the dense twine of mature trees. Photo: Palm, Honour Gardens Lawson Words to walk with: The Donkey by G.K. Chesterton "When forests walked and fishes flew And figs grew upon thorn, Some moment when the moon was blood, Then, surely, I was born. With monstrous head and sickening bray And ears like errant wings— The devil's walking parody Of all four-footed things: The battered outlaw of the earth Of ancient crooked will; Scourge, beat, deride me—I am dumb— I keep my secret still. Fools! For I a...

As I often wonder if it's just my poor memory when I say things like, "I've been here for 15 years and we've never lit a fire in February," I am pleased to report that the cold wet summer was not a figment of my imagination. The Blue Mountains Gazette , the source of all news Blue Mountains, had an article this week confirming that we had rain on 62 days compared to our usual 32 days. Yes, 2 out of every 3 days rained this summer! And the temperature was on average 2 degrees colder with a mere 2 days over 30 degrees centigrade. My garden likes it. Photo: Dainty fushia dancing out of the drought Words to walk with: By Emily Dickinson "I cannot dance upon my Toes -- No Man instructed me -- But oftentimes, among my mind, A Glee possesseth me"

Dark clouds obscured the midday sun, then this rattling torrent. Photo: Hailstones, my garden . In the evening the great grey clouds gathered again, lightning slashed the sky and huge buckets of rain pelted down. Then darkness descended. The power was off for hours (hence this late posting).

Christmas is a time of feasting. With us having so much rain lately the snails are out partying too. My freshly planted Basil was gone in a gulp ... sigh. Words to walk with The Snail by Charles Lamb The frugal snail, with fore-cast of repose, Carries his house with him, where'er he goes; Peeps out--and if there comes a shower of rain, Retreats to his small domicile amain. Touch but a tip of him, a horn--'tis well-- He curls up in his sanctuary shell. He's his own landlord, his own tenant; stay Long as he will, he dreads no Quarter Day. Himself he boards and lodges; both invites, And feasts, himself; sleeps with himself o' nights. He spares the upholsterer trouble to procure Chattels; himself is his own furniture, And his sole riches. Wheresoe'er he roam-- Knock when you will--he's sure to be at home."

Photo: Agapanthus from my garden (not a native plant) I didn't go walking today, I decided to do more weeding in the garden instead. The agapanthus are in flower now. They make a pretty cut flower but are close to being a weed in my garden. It amuses me to see them selling for $12 a pot in the garden centre.