Helga's Folly

Nestled like a pearl in Sri Lanka's lush green interior, the ancient city of Kandy completely captivated me on my first visit in 2004 - the year much of Sri Lanka's coastline was devastated by the terrible Boxing Day tsunami.

Since then I have dreamed of going back, but it was only in March that the opportunity to meet up with very dear friends from England finally stirred me into action.

Among the highlights - visiting the Bawa brothers' sensational gardens outside Bentota, which I will share with you another time - and a return visit to the truly unique Helga's Folly.

A veritable explosion of colour and creativity, Helga's Folly is a million miles away from the package holiday highrise and the oh-so-tastefully-neutral international resort style found in tropical locations around the world.  If you are bohemian at heart, I think you will love Helga's as much as I do.

Rather lewd monkeys adorn the balcony.

Not even the fairy at the bottom of Helga's garden is your regular 'garden' variety fairy!

Hot lips!

Despite being cut back ruthlessly at the tail end of Autumn, my Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' is already flowering lightly again, in Brisbane's midwinter.

I planted three along my front fence line about 12 months ago and they have flowered continually and garnered many compliments with the flowers varying from bi-colour to occasional all-white or all-red flushes. Seeing comments from other gardeners online today, it seems these single colour flushes are linked to the temperature, with white predominating in summer and red in winter.

Much as I love my red and white version, I was thrilled to read in April's Better Homes and Gardens that there will be new colour combinations to look for in my nursery next season. The bi-coloured pink one featured is a 'must-have'!

Green and Gold

Green and gold are Australia's national colours. It's a combination that doesn't always make for the most chic of national costumes. But, on a week when we experienced our coldest Brisbane day in 10 years, and have had grey skies and rain added into the equation for the Queens Birthday long weekend, the splashes of gold in the neighbouring bushland are a welcome break from bleak!

I have no idea what this plant is - some kind of daisy and probably a dreadful weed. It grows wild along the edges of the bushland and the creek. Some of the plants would reach 6-8 feet.

Roadside wattle

and just to make sure we get a double-dipping in gold, the wattle is out at the same time.

Meanwhile, back at Casa Bella, the Mexican Tarragon is repeating the theme; we are very patriotic!

Tiny beauties

Early winter in the garden, and there is not much in flower this week. The last flush of Angels Trumpet (Datura) is looking worst for wear, and it's a similar story with my Bird of Paradise. But, there are spikes on a couple of my aloes so I'm expecting 'showtime' from them anytime soon. It fact, it looks like most the action in the next week or so will be from the succulents, in what I very optimistically think of as my Mexican garden.

Echeveria 'Doris Taylor'

I spotted this dainty cluster of flowers hanging out of the strawberry pot where I have grouped a selection of succulents. And my flapjack Kalanchoe luciae is colouring up nicely, and has produced a huge spike with  tiny white flowers.

Brisbane's Government House

To mark Queensland Day, our own Government House 'Fernberg' was open to the public today, providing a wonderful opportunity to see inside the beautiful Victorian building and explore the surrounding gardens.

There were community stalls, entertainment and a vintage car display

from the days when a headlight

or a car wheel was a thing of beauty.

and there were the gardens... lots of winter colour, courtesy of the foliage plants and the bromelliads.

Background creeper is pothos Epipremnum aureum, I think

Crotons and coleus

From drab to fab!

Not quite in keeping with a garden theme, and not exactly an adventure, but the excitement levels were high at Casa Bella earlier this week when I had some of my paintings rehung above the staircase.

Some had been stored away for a while. They may not be the most perfectly coordinated collection, but they are all special to me in their own different ways - a tapa from Tonga, an antique still life that was my first art purchase more than 20 years ago, recent treasures from Sri Lanka, and watercolours from my wonderful Auntie Eil...

I've swapped a couple round already and am going to have great fun arranging and rearranging (and adding to the collection!)  I think it will look even better when I paint the walls, ceiling and banister railing white - but that's a project for another day.

I'm loving fiona sutherland's gorgeous redhead "Onwards" at the top of the stairs, looking down over us all! I bought her towards the end of last year becaue she reminds me of my gorgeous nieces, Bethany and Yazzi. I think I might just permanently close the door of the tv cabinet and feast my eyes on old friends and new.

Puppy love!

I was just catching up with a few of my favorite blogs and drooling over a wonderful villa in the Turks & Caicos on the House of Turquoise blog when I saw that Erin has a new puppy called Gertie.  Isn't she adorable?  I think Onslow would be smitten. Maybe he should should email her a photo. He is a very handsome boy and they would make a cute couple. Here he is when he was just a bit older than Gertie.