Unidentified no longer......

Yesterday we took a cutting of The Pretty Purple Thing to a local nursery and were told it is an Australian native plant, Prostanthera Ovalifolia Variegata or Variegated Mint Bush. I had a feeling it was Aussie! I had a very small prostanthera back in Sydney but it hadn't flowered yet, so inheriting this large shrub already growing and blooming is wonderful.

We also took along another cutting and found out that we have a port wine magnolia. Kevin has been told he is not to hack it again (he did so soon after we moved here as he wanted to park the caravan alongside) but a careful pruning is allowed. Fortunately he didn't do much damage and it will grow out in a couple of seasons. The scent is heavenly, very fruity, the piece I cut yesterday is on the benchtop perfuming the kitchen.

We also have a large clump of iris - is the plural irises or just iris? anyway we have a lot - which are starting to bloom in a soft creamy pale peach. The garden surprises keep coming. And last weekend the palm tree was chopped down, yay! This is not the coastal tropics. This is inland. If you want to grow cocos palms then you move to Cairns. One house between here and town has 18 cocos palms in their front yard.

This morning just after 2.30am we were rudely awakened by some local lads slowly wandering past, swearing loudly as they went....my tender ears blushed at the language......we turned on the exterior lights in case they had any silly ideas but they continued on. We have a street light at our driveway and I suppose they stopped under it to open another can of alcohol, or light up another ciggie, or both. Because this is such a quiet area it probably sounded louder than it was. Fortunately our neighbour arrived home just then, he is a paramedic who brings an ambulance home when he is on call, so he radioed the police who came quickly. I don't know if they caught up with the lads, but seeing the ambulance arrive was enough for them as they melted away very soon after that. So having missed out on some well-needed beauty sleep I am slightly fuzzy today and am not at my usual brilliant best, whatever that is.

So I am joining pieces of fabric to make the back for my challenge quilt because that's a pretty mindless activity. Horizontal half and quarter metre pieces make a very quick back when joined in a strip! It won't be quite wide enough so I will add side borders, then Bob's yer uncle as they say. It has to be finished soon as I am pinning it on the large high table at a local quilt shop on Tuesday.

Survived my trip to the hairdresser yesterday and my locks are now about three inches shorter than they were, but as it was past my bra strap that means I still have long hair. But it looks better as it's all one length again....like the garden, it had grown a bit wild over the past several months and benefited from its trim. It was nice being pampered.

This is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada, so best wishes to my Canadian family and friends - last year we were there sharing in the feasting and fun. Turkey.....pumpkin pie.....family and friends....wonderful.

"Good manners are only acquired by education and observation, followed up by habitual practice at home and in society, and good manners reveal to us the lady and gentleman. He who does not possess them, though he bear the highest title of nobility, cannot expect to be called a gentleman; nor can a woman, without good manners, aspire to be considered a lady by ladies."

I have a blogging question: how does one sign off one's words of wisdom with a really cool signature? Does one find something fantastic on the web and save it as a picture then add it to each post, or is there another way? One has decided that one need a flash ending to one's posts.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer