Gardens & Dinosaurs!

I know that's an unusual pairing, but it sums up what's been happening here at the Meares' Madhouse over the last few days. We have never claimed to be normal! :0)

Remember I said we were planning on a slug day at home on Sunday to recover from Dad's birthday bash? (Lots of big squooshy bear hugs to everyone who sent Dad birthday greetings, by the way!) Well ... Sunday STARTED in sluggish fashion with a sleep in & yummy brekkie of mashed avo & fetta on toast with poached eggies ... Then the plan changed ... That could be the motto for my Beloved Geek Boy & me! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Whilst cruising around "The Dark Side" (according to Chookyblue!) I saw a reminder for the QLD Garden Expo, an event we've been talking about going to for some years, but somehow never quite got to. Well ... We're both keen gardeners, we had the time ... So we made a mad dash to get ready & hit the road for the two & a half hour drive to Nambour. 

We'd left it a bit later than most people would have to get going, so knew our time would be limited, but thought we could still see most displays. We headed straight off to find the display gardens, as one of the FB pages I follow (stalk seems like such a harsh word! Tee! Hee! Hee!) belongs to landscape architect Clint Kenny. Some of you may have seen one of his gardens which was featured on the ABC television series "Dream Gardens". It was my DREAM GARDEN, alright! When we win lotto & buy more land. :0) (you can find the ep HERE)

That's a long intro to Clint's display at the garden expo! :0)

A cool water feature with buckets & watering cans that are part of the feature but removable so you can give the plants a drink, then pop it back. And lots of hardy, dry weather tolerant but pretty flowering plants. I also loved ...

... This display. The 'shack' is set up as a rustic outdoor bar, but I would love to build a similar facade to hide our unattractive garage, as well as double as a potting bench. It's on the "To Do" list. :0) I also love the large rusty metal leaf sculpture. Gathering ideas was one of the reasons we wanted to visit the expo. This display was designed by Saul Johnson of SJ Landscapes. Then there were the community group displays ...

I liked that the pond of this feature mixed logs with rocks for a lovely natural look.

And this was a vege patch on steroids. :0) Each bed represented vege crops from different countries.

This herb garden was made into something grand with the addition of the huge arbour. Hmm ... Would you believe there had been nobody anywhere near the arbour in the ten minutes we were chatting to a vendor nearby about some organic weed control ... Then as soon as I turned around to take this photo, these ladies walked right into the middle & stood there for a lengthy discussion. GRRRR!

We didn't buy much (just a small bottle of the organic weed killer to try) as there weren't a lot of the cottage-y type of plants available that we're looking for to boost our garden, but it was worth the trip to gather some contacts & get some fresh ideas. We're off to the Toowoomba Camelia Show this weekend & I think we'll have better luck on the plant hunt. Stay tuned for garden updates. :0)

Now to the dinosaurs ... I shared a while back that I'd designed a new quilt for my brother' No. 3 son for his birthday. I was able to deliver it in person when my brother & his family came north for Grandm's funeral ... But Master Two (year old) wasn't sitting still for a pic at the time. However, I received a quick-click from my brother this week ...

You can see he's a bit of a cutie (not that Aunty Kris is at all biased! Tee! Hee! Hee!) & in the pic he's going "Ooh!" while pointing at the dinosaur. Love it! :0) The second version of this quilt is almost ready to be released as a Tag Along Teddies pattern ... I finished the instruction writing yesterday ... YAY! ... And just have to proof read the instructions & finalise the requirements list & get a good cover photo, then it will be good to go & available for sale at The Quilters Angel. The pattern is called "Dinosaurs Go RAAH!" . :0) The name came after a conversation on the phone with my brother. He was telling me he had taken his three boys to the museum & they'd loved the dinosaur display ... when in the background, a little voice said, "RAAH!" . My brother, unruffled, replied, "That's right, buddy, dinosaurs go RAAH!" It's now a standing joke in our family that when someone says dinosaur, someone else says "RAAH!". :0)

Right, so that's what's been happening here ... You're all caught up on our doings. :0) I hope you're all having a great week & that you're making sure your week includes doing things that make you smile. :0) Now I'm off to boil the kettle for a cuppa before I make dinner, then it's time to cheer the Mighty Maroons on in the big decider game of State Of Origin. Til next time ...

QUEENSLANDER!!

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS