Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day April 2013

As we enter into mid-Autumn here in Brisbane this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, there is not a great variety of blooms in the garden, but there is still plenty of colour. We are once again very much 'in the pink', courtesy of a new dahlia and those fabulous troopers, the cosmos.

Dahlia 'Araluen Katrina'

Love the pink of the cosmos with the slightly blue-toned foliage of aloe and Yucca 'Purple Royale'

Here is a better shot of the Yucca 'Purple Royale' (back right) with Tradescantia pallida or Purple Heart in the front.

I can't believe I still have a daylily blooming.

Daylily 'Passion for Life'

Here's the slightly chewed cosmos with variegated alstomeria and white ixora

Coleus, salvia 'Heatwave Sizzle ' and variegated alstomeria

One of the bromeliads on the driveway is out.

This little dahlia was bought last year as one in a punnet of seedlings.

Finally, one of the orchids is in bloom. This is an Oncidium.

There will be lots more to see over at May Dreams Gardens where Carol hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.

Easter Sunday Driving

Just a brief post today as the Easter break draws rapidly to a close here in Brisbane, and it's back to work for the salary slaves tomorrow. It has been a nice quiet Easter at home this year. The roads tend to be too crazy to head further afield, and it seems to me that, sadly for all the enthusiastic Easter campers, Easter is invariably wet.

Yesterday for change of scenery I headed out with a friend on a country drive to see some of the pretty towns in the Scenic Rim region to the south-west of Brisbane.

We called in at some of my favourite spots, the Art and Soul gallery at Boonah, which I have posted about previously - you can visit if you click here - the Kooroomba Winery and lavender farm at Mount Alford for morning tea, back to Boonah for lunch, followed by a drive though the mountains at Cunninghams Gap with a short stop at pretty Aratula on the way home.

Cattle at Mount Alford

This guy didn't seem to know what to make of me.

Kooroomba Winery and lavender Farm

Kangaroo on the move at the edge of the lavender.

This pristine farm house was part of a nearby winery.

Country church on the road from Mount Alford back to Boonah with flowering Cape Chestnut on the left.

Cape Chestnut

A great find this visit was Suzy Buhle's gorgeous gallery at Aratula.

Suzy with a work in progress

Loved these rustic birdhouses at the local antique store.

Finally,  a couple of the little churches in Aratula with their mountain backdrop

It seems an appropriate way to round up our Easter Sunday drive.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.