Rain, cold front coming, lots of pictures

 

Good afternoon Friends ~ We are having rain off and on as a cold front moves down over us. That is great as it was feeling too much like summer way too early.

Thank you for asking about me. I've been puttering around, taking things one day at a time. Had a really nice, but very emotionally draining visit with my SIL. Tears and more tears, they don't seem to run out, just build up to overflowing.  After our visit, we picked her husband up from the seminar he had been too, and we then looked for a restaurant to eat at. My BIL likes to find hole-in-the-wall little restaurants and we found one called Island Grill. It was Haitian and the food was delicious and plentiful.  Fern and I both had fried talapia with brown rice and beans and fried plantains too.  Pepe had oxtail soup which he said was delicious, and he had a small portion of the goat and I tried that too and it was oh so delicious but a little too chewy for me.

They gave me a wonderful comfort bag of goodies. In fact, I just finished a delightful cup of pomegranate, hibiscus, white tea, it is antioxidant and delicious.  Fern made homemade biscuit scones to be spread with clotted cream and strawberry preserves. Delicious! Also a yummy banana nut bread. Some butter shortbread cookies, a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio wine. Oh yes and a sweet little orchid. It was all a wonderful and comforting gift and I am thankful.

Now, on to what is going on and growing here at Plum Cottage gardens. Here is a wonderful plant that basically grows with little or no care. When it blooms a sweet, delicate scent fills the air.  The bees love this plant and so do I. It is Basket Plant of callisia fragrans. This plant spreads ridiculously easy.

I tried to get this iridescent green flying bug, which I think is a hover fly, buy I'm not sure.

I think this is some kind of wild petunia vine, it also grows like crazy with little or no care.

Clock vine or thunbergia.

Climbing Maman Cochet

Mm. Laurette Messimy

Raindrops on rose leaves

Louis Philippe

A lizard thinking he is hidden.

Miss Tork sleeping on the rocking footstool that DH used to use.

This is in the caravan garden area on the north end of my shed. I inched this 'faux bois' cement chair to this spot. (Faux bois is a French term meaning "fake wood" and pronounced "foe bwah".) This whole garden area needs work, this is just the start.

East half of the front main garden. I did more weeding, then laid a drip hose. I need to get another hose for the other side. This is for use with the rain barrel water.  One of the last projects my husband did last year, that and the new gutter around the front of our little cottage. I'll be planting things in the main garden both sides, and have seeds yet to get started. I'm behind. I seem to be moving in a fog most days.

This is our grotto area. I took the rubbermaid rake storage unit out of here and put this back the way it was before we got the unit, which I've still got to find the right place for. Here are some of the glass blocks I put to use for a shelving unit. I'll have most of my orchids back here.

This is the heart I made for my SIL Fern.  I am not satisfied with the embroidered fern, and will do better the next time.  This is the front.

Here is the back.

Now for a good laugh, enjoy this.

Look at each day as an adventure and a gift.

FlowerLady Lorraine