My Mum's autumn garden

Hello!

A few weeks ago I took my camera on a visit to my Mum. While we were inspecting the garden, I snapped a few photos along the way. :-)  My Mum has an amazing garden on a half acre block. It is currently full of autumn colour.

Mum has the biggest collection of different coloured gazanias I've ever seen. I love them. Especially the cream and yellow ones.

The orange ones glow.

These pinky ones are pretty cute, too!

There are more colours, I just didn't capture them on my last visit.

As well as gazania's there are dahlias (I think that is what this next flower is...)

In the front garden, just in front of the "fairy garden" that Grandma created for my girls, is a seat, surrounded by my favourite caladiums (the ones with the bright red centres). I haven't sat here yet, but it is beckoning me.

In the backyard, my Mum grows a weed to attract the monarch butterflies. The weed plant is quite nice, it has pretty flowers and puffball seed pods. This  weed is MAGIC. It is always covered in monarch caterpillars!

When I was a kid, I used to collect these caterpillars and keep them while they created a crysalis and then emerged as butterflies.

I'm thinking of planting this weed in my own yard, just so that I can get these butterflies to move in. :-)

Also in the backyard are other bugs, that hang out on the citrus trees. Mum has lots of citrus to keep these bugs happy.

I don't know what this next flower is called. Mum, are you reading? What is it? It's super-pretty, regardless of its name.
Edit: Mum says this is a ginger.

While my Mum was calling me to take a photo of the stink bug, I was engrossed in capturing the raindrops on this leaf! It was glittering silver.

To finish up, I'll leave you with one of my fairies, who is happily making herself a fairy circle. It is lucky that Grandma doesn't mind her fairy princess beheading the flowers, LOL!

Thanks for visiting my Mum's garden with me!

:-)
Michelle

ANZAC Day 2013

Hello!

I'm a bit late with this post as a result of a three day internet outage. Thursday 25 April was ANZAC Day here in Australia. This is the day that we remember the service men and women who have served in the defence forces to protect our beautiful home. April 25 is the anniversary of the first landing at Gallipoli in 1915. On this day each year, I take my two girls down to our local march and service. There is always a large crowd, and all of the participants make me proud. Watching the old servicemen march brings tears to my eyes. My photos aren't fabulous this year, I had the dog pulling on the lead while I tried to focus, but I'll share a little of what I got.

Looking up the road, the Girl Guides and Scouts marching.

Looking down the road, the march goes to our local shopping centre, where the cenotaph stands in the carpark. 

One of the marching bands, leading the diggers (servicemen). The other band is the local highschool band, but I missed taking a photo of them. Both bands did a superb job.

The cenotaph. We got a pretty good spot this year - we could see and hear most of the service.

The laying of the wreaths by representatives of the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

My kids being very patient while the service was going. I was so proud that they stood at the right times, stayed quiet for the minute's silence, and were respectful and well-behaved the whole time.

Lest We Forget.

Michelle