Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

A lovely welcome to all you lovely lovelies♥  It's been a month of Sundays (quite literally) since I last  beamed happy snaps of flowers to you up there in the land on snow and sleet and all things pertaining to the chilliest of seasons. Though, if I am  to be truthful, here in Tasmania summer hasn't really made an appearance as yet. Oh, the calendar has swooshed from September, October, November.....over to December, the first month of summer, but to be honest Ol' Man Sun has been missing in action more often than not this last little while. It seems to me that when he does appear he is playing catch and chase with winds that could quite possibly uproot my humble abode from it's foundations. Yes indeedy, it is decidedly chilly here. But.......being the eternal optimist that I am I do live in hope that days of warmth and sunshine will soon come aknocking on my bright pink, front door and I can swap my woolly aran jumpers for summer dresses. Though, while Tassie is shivering with icy temperatures, the rest of Australia is fainting and melting from extreme temperatures. A lot of Australia is experiencing dreadful wildfires with many, many homes being destroyed and people's lives thrown into chaos....so very sad.

The weather down here might be a little 'how's your mother' but the garden has sashayed to the dance of Mother Nature regardless of  the befuddlement of the seasons. As always, spring was a delight to all the senses with the daffodils, irises, granny bonnets, lilacs, forget-me-nots, bluebells, clematis...........all strutting their stuff in their allotted time, but now that Spring has passed the flowers of summer are beginning to parade.....foxgloves, love-in-the-mist, sweet peas, roses, and soon the glorious hydrangeas, gladdies, cosmos, anemones, zinnias and dahlias. Aah....yes the summer flowers always triumph.

Oh dear, I have got lost in the deliciousness of vase after vase of flowers, I forgot to mention that I have finished my little, flower-filled, quilt top. Yes indeedy....'tis true. All 120 little hexden flowers have been appliqued onto 120 little floralicious squares and each gorgeous square is playing ever so nicely with the others. This quilt is a  joy to my eyes. Every square is dancing with an explosion of floral pattern and colour. In theory a quilt with a 'cast of thousands' of floral fabrics shouldn't work, but somehow it does. Besides I have never been a gal who follows the quilting rules that are set in concrete, and I don't suppose I will start now.

For the backing I found a pretty fabric with flowers dancing all over. There wasn't a great selection of fabrics that I thought would play nicely with my quilt but I am happy with what I chose...AND....it was half price so I am beside myself with great joy. =)

May I say the backing fabric complements a vase or two of flowers perfectly as well. I am always up for a photo shoot overspilling with floralicous delight.......so, so sorry. =)

It is a lovely Sunday morning down here. Why, by all appearances it looks as if Ol' Man Sun is going to cast his happy beams on my humble abode and the winds have swirled away to annoy folk in another location. Could it possibly be that summer might take up residence at my happy place, for a little while??? With this thought uppermost in my muddly mind, this afternoon I will put my little quilt in the quilting hoop and begin the begin.......some enjoyment of a little hand quilting. But for now there is a small matter of a little tea drinking in a pretty teacup, whilst I sit in the swing seat overlooking the pond. May you all enjoy a lovely day sprinkled with smiles and beauty. Wish oh wish I could tap on each one of your doors and gift you with a fragrance-filled bunch of flowers.....but this post oozing with happy floraliciousness will just have to do.

Until the next time........

Linking this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.

One is never closer to God than in a garden

Thank you everyone for visiting my spring-filled place a little while ago and taking the time to leave such lovely comments. You always leave a smile in my heart.

The Lilacs have finished their flush of beautiful flowers, ever so gently making way for the other blossoms.

Spring is ever so slowly (nothing ever happens quickly here in Tassie) continuing the procession of floralicious delight, with each flower profusely blooming for a little while, then when finished, handing over the blossom baton to the next beautiful display. Cultivar after cultivar each showcasing their unique exquisiteness. Although the calendar reveals to me it is now the Summer month of December, Tassie hasn't looked at it's calendar of late. But that's okay, I am revelling in gorgeous bloom after gorgeous bloom. The most wonderful thing about a slow and deliberate warming up of the seasons here in Tassie, is we experience long and extended flowering seasons.

The beautiful Dutch Irises never fail to delight. The extravagance of that deep, purpley-blue colour is always a vision splendid.

Such a pretty outlook from the family room.

Azaleas abound!

The Clematis joyfully scrambling  over a rusty arch.

Aquilegias abound in our garden. Each year they drop seed whereupon the next year there always seems to be an explosion of these pretty granny bonnets.

Aah......the pretty Foxgloves. In my mind's eye I catch glimpses of tiny fairies peeking from within the tubular, little bells. I am quite certain Miss Maisie sees them!

The Rhododendrums, the Ixias.......

But.........then there are the Roses!! Now is the time for the Roses. The fragrance in the garden as each rose petal gently unfurls from it's bud is enchanting. The delicious scents of each different rose is truly exhilarative.

I cannot tell you how divine the heady scents of these roses are. They are truly intoxicating!! Each rose jostling to reveal the most ambrosial, scent-infused bouquet.

I have spent much time strolling in the garden these last weeks....and always my feet have led me to the pond. I have sat in my swing seat for many moments, contemplating the fragility of life. You see, a very dear friend of my husband and mine passed away suddenly a couple of weeks ago. It was a shock. He kissed his wife goodbye and set off with his teenage son to chop wood, experiencing a massive heart attack, never to return home to his lovely family again.

Our friend was a funny, loyal, honourable, honest and most marvellous man. There are not enough pages in a book to pen my thoughts on the eminent character of our friend. He was a much loved and respected member of this small community; whom will be sadly missed. His dependability, his keen intellect and clever mind, his organisational skills, his naughty sense of humour.............the attributes flow on and on.........will be irreplaceable. He adored his family and they adored him. Indeed, he was their world, and they his.

The pond is a place of refuge, a place which refreshes my soul. It is a paradise where the fish glide in the murmuring water surrounded by the blessings of nature. It is a place where I talk to my Heavenly Father. It is a place where He gently bends down to hear the whispers of my heart and comforts me. It is a place to..........just be. So, so many times, there is no other place I would rather be.

It is a place where I remember our dear friend. It is a place where I think upon the happy, memorable and fun times both my husband and I spent in the company of him. It is a place where my friend is never more than a thought away. It is a place where I pray for my friend's wife, who is also a very dear and much loved friend, and his four children and grandson. Their walk upon this new path will be a difficult one, filled with much heartache, without their wonderful husband, dad and grandad walking alongside them; missing him, wishing he was there with them. It will be a path filled with many moments of sadness, but maybe in time, there will again be happy strolls as they keep their precious  memories of their loved one ever so close to their hearts.

Indeed I find I am never closer to God than sitting in my swing seat, overlooking the pond, where every flower, every creature has been painted with the majestic brushstrokes of my Heavenly Father's paintbrush. If one looks closely, the intricate detail of each flower......of each creature......is wondrously complex. Some say there is no God.......incredible!!

Thank you for strolling along my garden path with me and resting awhile by the pond. If you think of it, please spare a thought, and if you are so inclined, a prayer for our friend's family over these coming days, months............indeed, they will need many a caring thought and hug during this unimaginable time of loss in their lives.

Until the next time..........