The Last Blush of Summer

I usually see this flower during late July or August. The blossom will last about 36 hours if the weather is perfect. The fragrance gets more intense during the middle hours and goes down hill fast. The fragrance would be the perfect perfume. Oh, how short the tome is to enjoy this lovely. It did not bloom until this week. I had almost missed the delight!

Bright Shiny Faces

These flowers greeted me this morning. They reminded me of Catholic school and the nun coming into the room and saying to us "What bright shiny faces we are this morning". When she said that I always felt a little perkier. So much for subtle suggestion.
These bulbs did not bloom last year and I was so happy to see them this morning. I don't know the name but I will make it a errand today to find out.

Homely Heart Warmers

Homely def: 1. Characteristic of the home or home life 2. Of a simple or unpretentious nature.
That is what I am showing today. These simple items give me great happiness. This top photo is my Hawaiian Bougainvillea.

This is Fat Willie Dixon. Mr Willie was named after a Blues singer. I do enjoy the Blues and this man was good, so is Willie. He looks like a fighter but he has an allergy to fleas and he like to really scratch. One flea will make him carry on fearfully. I have to put Advantage on him about every three weeks in summer. He is the sweetest of all my cats.

I took a slip of this Red Geranium from a bus stop. It is huge now and thankfully it is in a container. It is very dominant but I love red and it blossoms almost continually.

These are small pleasures but I find when I start to count my small pleasures, I have quite a long list.

Life in the Midst of......

I promise that this is not a rant but I miss my time when I don't sew. I have not had any time to proceed with my "book bag" for Lucy. And the hard part is that school is almost over. My work in the shop is all consuming and weekend time seems to be in the shop as well. However, last weekend we had a power surge and the phone line for the shop went out. It was blessedly silent. I had forgotten how nice it is not to anticipate the phone.

This morning I was thinking that sewing is an active sport. It is not like knitting, crocheting, or embroidery. I see those as a "put down when interrupted" craft. But for me, sewing is up, down, concentrate, don't interrupt me sport. Before I start sewing I need to get my thoughts together and see what the next step is and then take it. And the only way I can do that is to have time. That is a very precious commodity in my house.

These photos are from my daily walk. My dogs think that I take them for a walk but really I do it for me and they are my companions on the walk.

I tried taking both on a walk but the only time I did that Simon had an encounter (separated by a fence) with another large male. I could not control two large German Shepherds very easily and managed to drag myself back to a telephone pole and hung on till I could get verbal control over the dogs. It probably was very funny to watch but that ended the "two dog" walk.

The Jacaranda trees are now in bloom and they drop their petals all over and they are breathtakingly beautiful. When I look at the petals, the color fills my eyes and my mind. It is wonderful.