Thursday, December 28, 2017

Flowers & a ‘shark’

Good Thursday early evening. Supper is heating up, I’m sipping on a glass of wine & I am feeling thankful for so much.

I hope you all had nice times with family & friends. From what I’ve seen on blogs, you certainly did.  I had a very nice time with friends, love, laughter & good food. Prime rib, something I’ve never had before. I came home with some and found a couple of recipes for using it and am looking forward to that.

Before I left Plum Cottage Christmas morning, I went out to see what was blooming and below are the photos. Enjoy!

Azaleas

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Blue Lips

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Bougainvillea

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Cape Honeysuckle

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Native, coral honeysuckle

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Firecracker ~ have this in yellow too.

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Dwarf Poinciana ~ I also have this in yellow.

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Tropical hydrangea

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An unknown

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Another unknown that spreads by seeds shooting out from the spent flowers

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I think this is wild petunia and it spreads like crazy.

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Hibiscus in front of storage building. Looking at the faded paint makes me want to paint at least the front and the side that you can see.

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Blue butterfly blooms.

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Kathleen roses, one of my very first roses, the other is Louis Philippe. I love Kathleen’s delicate beauty and scent.

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I think this is a knock-out rose.

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Another knock-out.

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I loved the way the sunlight was hitting this dragonfly.

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When I went out to get in my van to leave, I saw this in the grass, brought from somewhere either by a cat or a racoon.

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This is a present I bought with a $ gift from friends. I had been doing research and finally chose this model. Bought it from Bed Bath & Beyond and had a 20% discount coupon. Yay! This model had GREAT reviews as did the professional model, but there was a $40 difference in price. I looked at the list of differences and there wasn’t much, so I went for the cheaper model. I had to laugh because it is a light purple in color. Smile It even has a little glitter in it. What a hoot. I didn’t choose this model because of the color,  it was the only color it came in.

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Putting it together was relatively easy after reading and looking at the instruction a couple of three times.

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I could NOT believe how much debris this vac sucked up, it was all hiding. I can hardly wait to get into some serious vacuuming and then keep on top of it all, this was just a test run. Miss Tork sheds her hair and I shed mine, plus there are ‘dust bunnies’ and this takes care of it all. Oh yea, my throw rugs are so much fluffier and colorful after vacuuming.  I really am thrilled with this purchase and thankful to N & J for their $ gift.

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I have an old hoover cannister model that I’ve had for years and years. It is not sealed like this one is and stuff was always shooting out and around. One of my friends said it was about time I got into the next century. We both laughed.

Another bonuse about this vacuum is that it is so much quieter than my old hoover. It is also light in weight, and I like that you can lift away the cannister part to carry it and vacuum areas. Cannister is very easy to empty also.

After I unboxed the parts, I saw that the pet power brush was missing. It did say it was supposed to be one of the included tools. I called up Shark and told them, and they are sending me the part and it should be here next week. The young man was very courteous and helpful.

Ok, that’s it from Plum Cottage. We are having a very light rain, it is warm, a.c. is on. I’m starting to feel like getting horizontal to read. I didn’t get to sleep last night until 1, I just couldn’t fall asleep, unusual for me. I was up a little after 6 this morning, & did take a nap but will be ready for sleep soon.

Enjoy these last few days of 2017 and have a wonderful 2018.

Let us all be thankful to God for the blessimgs we received this year, and for lessons learned.

FlowerLady

26 comments:

ellen b. said...

That's a lot of pretty flowers blooming. Now I'm wondering what region you live in. Glad you got to enjoy some Prime Rib! Woohoo for a lighter more efficient vacuum.

ellen b. said...

Okay...I see you live in Florida. :)

Nancy J said...

A gift for yourself, so useful, well done, Love the colour too.Your flowers, as always, a delight, and a day or so to rest before 2018 is heralded in with trumpets and no doubt fireworks. I am so glad you had time with friends, we did too on Christmas Night, I so enjoyed the meal, and as I just had to take a desert, so easy. Fondest Greetings Lorraine, and all wishes for 2018 to be full of love, laughter and happiness. XXX

lil red hen said...

Your flowers put some cheer into this cold, winter evening.
What a fabulous gift you bought with the $$$s! I could sure use something light weight; my old vacuum is so heavy!
Happy New Year and blessings!

Ruth Hiebert said...

I don't have a Shark,but have heard very good reviews on it.My next vacuum may well be a Shark.As usual,I love the flowers.No A/C needed here it's bitterly cold. Have a good sleep.

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

I'm so glad to hear that you had a nice Christmas! Always nice to see your lovely blooms, especially when it is cold and snowy here. Your vacuum looks nice and light-weight and easy to use. That's great that they are sending you the part that was missing, too. Hope your New Year is full of sweet blessings xo Karen

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

All those lovely flowers, wow, Lorraine! We have bitter cold temps here and snow everywhere...but that's to be expected at this time of the year. I used to have that same vacuum, until I got my Dyson. I gave that one to my daughter when she moved out, she was very grateful to have it! Happy New Year to you!

Terra said...

We had prime rib at my house too, the first time I prepared it. I did the salt encrusted method which keeps it tender and juicy. Love all your bright flowers and your new purple vacuum.

Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm said...

Family came to my house and brought food and we had an enjoyable Christmas Day. I'm past the hustle and bustle; when I read/hear folks say they want to slow down, I always wonder, "Then why don't you?" It's well within our power to control how and what we do. My family doesn't exchange gifts except we three siblings give Mom monthly fruit and I give Dad home made molasses. I'm all for peace and quiet Rainey; it's what makes Christmas special.
Happy and safe New Year and all of 2018.

BeachGypsy said...

Hi there Lorraine, so glad to see you had stopped in to read about the old plantation. I love traipsing about them, so much history and so much to learn. Enjoyed seeing all your pretty blossoms in bloom and I also like how you make it "snow" on your blog...that is pretty. Your new Shark looks like it works really well! We battle the pet hair here as well, both dogs shed. Glad to see you are doing well and glad we became friends this year and wow!--it's almost a new year already!

Melanie said...

I'm glad you had a nice Christmas. It seems so foreign to me to be looking at photos of beautiful flowers in December when here in IL it is frigidly cold (-22 with the wind chill factor right now) and a layer of snow on the ground. Glad you like your new Shark vacuum. We have one, too - the Rocket Deluxe. Have been very happy with it. It works great on both hardwood floors and rugs (thick and thin).

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I have a Shark mop but didn't realize they made a vacuum.

So many gorgeous blooms in your garden!

HERE it is bitter cold and snowing. It's about 10 degrees and dropping, and we had around 5 inches of snow this morning, and then it was SUPPOSED to all clear out. Low and behold the weather guys are wrong again. It's snowing right now again and the roads are covered, there's another inch or so out there and no signs of stopping.

It is pretty though, and I can enjoy it since I stocked up on groceries yesterday and don't have to go out ! :) Except to shovel :)

Happy New Year ! :)

Janneke said...

Your colorful tropical flowers cheer me up on our gloomy last days of the years. Flowers in our gardens we have to look for with a flashlight in this time of year.
Wish you all The Best for 2018 Flower Lady!

jerilanders said...

Gosh, what's it like to have flowers blooming all year long?! I have to force bulbs in the windowsill. Just wanted to send you a Happy New Years greeting from the bitter cold in East Tennessee. Hoping you will have much satisfaction and joy in the coming year...and a sumptuous garden too!

Rebecca said...

How beautiful your flowers are!
Do you have a favorite? (If you've said so, I have forgotten.)
I need a new vacuum. Your Shark sounds like just the "thing"!
Happy New Year, Lorraine.
I look forward to more many visits to your lovely cottage in 2018.

M.K. said...

I am just astounded at all the blooms you have, at the end of December! Wow -- any place with hibiscus and roses right now is quite verdant, and it reminds me of how HARD you must work in the warmer months, just to keep ahead of everything growing!
Well ... I also have a 10 year old hoover Mach 5 (or something like that). It's a big, heavy, loud, dust-spewing machine, but it does still run. So I've put off getting a new one, but i also had read and asked and found out I wanted a Shark. And I plan to get it at BBB too, with a coupon ... one of these days. I do put of purchases like that. But your results sound so impressive. I'm tempted! Maybe after we pay for Christmas, and the bank account recovers, I'll think about it :)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh how I love seeing all of your gorgeous flowers--especially this time of year.... WOW!!!!

Congrats on your new purple "Shark".... Fits perfectly at the Plum Cottage....You'll have to name her!!!!!

Happy New Year.
Hugs,
Betsy

Terry said...

Hi Lorraine,

Happy New Year! Your flowers are beautiful! Were your ears ringing last night? I gave a copy of Hinds' Feet on High Places to my best friend, and I was telling her how I discovered this wonderful book through your blog. I hope you have a wonderful 2018!

Terry

Deborah Montgomery said...

It's hard to believe there are flowers blooming like this anywhere right now with our freezing single-digit temperatures! Everything looks so lovely. We just got a Shark vacuum too, and I was amazed at how much cat hair and dirt it has pulled up. Much more than my old vacuum! I love the canister because I can see how much "work" I did, haha! Always amazing how two people and one cat can cause so much dust and hair.
A Happy New Year to you, and praying for a good year for all of us. xo Deborah

L. D. said...

Happy New Year. You flowers are doing so good out in that tropical garden. We bought a small vacuum for my wife's retirement apartment. I put it together ahead of time of her and tried it out. I liked the light weight one that I just went back and bought another one for me.

crafty cat corner said...

Hi Lorraine, there's nothing like a new hoover to get the work done, shame the novelty doesn't last for long though, lol
We have the same problem with 5 of them here, I find hair where I didn't expect to find it, lol
Thankyou for your good wishes for Tom. We were so frightened to begin with but a lot of chin wagging and we have come to terms with things now. After all we none of us know how long before we meet our maker do we?
One day at a time and lots of relaxation and positivity and I hope we have a good while together yet.
Hugs
Briony
x

A Joyful Cottage said...

Isn't it funny how something simple like a new vacuum cleaner can give us so much joy? Your flowers, as always, are gorgeous, Lorraine. Happy New Year! Hugs.

Cheryl said...

I am catching up on my blog reading this morning (afternoon now!), Lorraine! I am so happy to read that you had a lovely Christmas!

So much fun to learn that your new vacuum is in your favorite color! Yes, a delightful bonus! :)

Stacey said...

Happy New Year, Lorraine. It makes me smile to see your beautiful flowers this time of year!

You're going to love that vacuum. Shark always has such good ratings. We have a Dyson with a tank like that. It fills up almost every time I vacuum. It's kind of gross and miraculous all at the same time. Also, the pleasure I get from watching it fill up is probably silly. :)

Can't wait to see what happens in this new year. Great things to come!

Art and Sand said...

First of all, WOW to all your gorgeous photos and your lovely flowers.

I wish I had read your post earlier because I just bought a new vacuum. I am going to research the Shark because the one I ordered won't arrive for a few days and I can return it on Amazon.

Katie Mansfield said...

Great review. I'd love a new canister vacuum to do the stairs.