THE EIGHTH MONTH COMES TO A CLOSE Wedding flowers, Garden Friends & A Fantail

In the Home - wedding flowers

It has been an eventful month, not only with the birth of a precious grand-daughter but also with the wedding of our youngest son. These lovely flowers were brought home from their wedding - having adorned one of the outdoor tables at their delightfully relaxed celebration. 

In the Garden - garden birds

The month started with a lone magpie lark who had no friend to share her life with. She made friends with this kookaburra, and regularly of an afternoon, they would sit together for at least 30 minutes, with the kookaburra keeping a close eye on our fishpond. I am very sorry to say that our fishpond has been almost depleted of fish, but a lone bird made a friend, and that is what it is all about!


In the Bushland

A fantail pauses briefly on a high branch

Several times this month I have walked down the Fantail Path in our local bushland. It was only when I walked this path with a lovely friend at sunrise, did we see and hear the tiny fantails for the first time as they flitted high above us. 
They were difficult to photograph!

She displays her fanned-out tail feathers.

Guest of the Month - Chris    Thank you Chris for sharing with us your enjoyment of your home, your "family", and your country. 

My house is 17 feet long.  It has two bench seats and a small table, a kitchen and a bed and two small wardrobes. It also has two wheels.  
You have probably guessed that my house is a caravan!  My husband and I have been living in our caravan since the middle of 2004.  We live and work around one another in this small space and find it works well for us.

Sometimes we have the pleasure of house-sitting for family or friends and that gives us the opportunity to live in a regular house and to enjoy a garden. 
It’s so therapeutic to get out in a garden and pull the weeds and rake the leaves.  Mowing the lawn is my favourite job!

But one of the special things we enjoy when travelling is the country in which we live.  How good it is to get out into our wonderful national parks, onto the beaches, to explore our towns and cities.  The scenery is amazing and the people welcoming.

Travelling around Australia is very special, but even more special for us is the fact that no matter where we go, we have a church family ready to embrace us and accept us as a part of their family.  We are very grateful to our Heavenly Father for giving us so many brothers and sisters in Christ.  We share our lives with them and are richer and better for the experience.

Whether in a caravan or a house, a garden or the bush, we feel very privileged to be a part of God’s creation and a part of His family.  

May we each find life and wonder in our surroundings  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

A Birthday Party, Pigeons & Wallabies

In the Home

Our Australian climate is such that many celebrations are held outdoors. 








Our family celebrations are important to us, and here we have a one year old grand-daughter celebrating her 1st birthday with a pink bear cake in their back garden on their farm at Dalby. 

                             In the Garden

This male pigeon is trying very hard to attract the female on the ground below him. 

The bowing and parading of the male does not impress the female,
who is more interested in a duck made of bronze.
The duck is much less demanding! 

So the male eventually has no choice but to fly off and try on another day!
If the lady decides she likes him, they will build a loose stick nest together
perhaps among some nearby bushy branches,
and together they will share the task of incubating the eggs and feeding their young.  

In the Bushland
These two young wallabies were inquisite enough to pause their grazing on a grassy patch in the bushland, to watch us for a few mintutes. 

May our minds be inquisitive and enquiring.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

A wall hanging, Carrots & a Brush Turkey

In the Home

Today I paused to remember a dear friend, Hedy, and her son Ben. I remembered also the other members of her family who after many years, still grieve the loss of a precious mother and son, who tragically died on one of our dangerous Queensland highways, where the road toll is far too high. 

This treasured wall hanging with dried flora from Hedy's garden is now somewhat faded, but still speaks out succinct words of the value of our children.  

"Children cost us nothing,  but are beyond value;

 The cost of bringing them up seems endless 

yet we are richer for it.

They challenge, yet reflect our values.

Their innocence makes us grow wiser.

We bring them up to give to someone else -

Yet they are always ours."

In the Garden


While a large carrot produces a flower stem to provide us with seeds for a new season, the tomatoes are dying off. I expect there will be lots of self-seeded tomato plants popping up in the soil when the weather warms up. 

In the Bushland

A brush turkey was camouflaged in dense undergrowth beside a cleared walkway in our local bushland. 

May our lives not be hidden away from others! 

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Rhubarb & Ducks

In the Garden

A couple of months ago, I subdivided this rhubarb plant, and am happy to say that I now have three plants which should provide more rhubarb than the single plant. 

The sour stalks, stewed or steamed and sweetened, make a dessert which has a laxative effect. Nice cooked with apple! 

The compounds, emodin and rhein, in rhubarb, give it the ability to fight tumors. In Chinese medicine, it is used as a mild antibiotic. Rhubarb is recommended for people suffering from lack of appetite, liver problems and sluggish bowels. 

THE LEAVES ARE POISONOUS, so only the stem is used!

In the Bushland

In the evenings, when hubby and I 

go walking in our nearby bushland, we always see these two ducks together near a dam. 

I think they are bonded for life! 

May our lives show commitment to others.   

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

A Lampstand, Herb Robert & Bush Flowers

In the Home - a lampstand

Some of the items in our home have a special memory. This lampstand was hand-made by a friend of my mother and father for the occasion of their wedding nearly 70 years ago. 






In the Garden - Herb Robert

I was very excited this morning to see that a Herb Robert brought from our previous home, had produced its first flower. I know a man, whose name actually is Robert, who successfully used Herb Robert as a cancer cure - and so I feel an affinity with this delicate plant.  

Herbalist, Isabell Shipard's entry below, will show you why I am nurturing this wonderful

plant! 

(Geranium robertianum)

This is the most called for herb at the Herb Farm, and is a herb that I have come to revere.

I first heard about it about 30 years ago, when a man brought to the Herb Farm an article which was printed as a news item in Herald of Health, entitled
‘Geranium Robertainum, ancient herb used in the treatment of defeating cancer’.
The article gave details of how the herb was used and case histories of people who had complete remission from cancer.

It truly is a supreme herb, one that has helped many people to better health from numerous ailments, with its powerful antioxidant and immune enhancing properties. Research has shown that the plant is a source of the mineral ‘germanium’, a valuable element to the body, with the ability to make oxygen available to the cells. More oxygen at cell level means the body has the opportunity to fight disease by its own powers, and healing can take place. So many people have shared their experiences of returning to health when they used the herb for many conditions of the body.

Herb Robert is an annual that grows to 30-40cm and likes shade. The dainty 5 petalled pink flowers make it a very showy plant. The leaf stems are red, and leaves may also go red. This pigment has been shown to increase and normalise cell respiration - the oxygen-based energy production within cells. Grow this remarkable herb and use it daily, as it can help the body to heal, and also act as a preventative.

Isabell Shipard

https://herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/herb-robert-high-demand.html

In the Bushland - flowers
My soul is always stirred by the majesty of the trees in the bush, along with the songs and flights of the bush birds. However, I need to remember to cast my eyes downward to see and appreciate some of the tiny wild flowers that one can often miss underfoot. 

May we not miss those smaller blessings in life, those little things that may be hidden!  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Windows, Comfrey & Stinging Nettle

In the Home - windows

Windows are very important to me, as my heart constantly draws me to the outdoors. 

                 From the windows of our home, I like to see trees and sky.

I like to look out at something that is bigger than myself.

In the Garden - comfrey
A few months ago, I was regularly boiling beef bones for soup broth. I thought it was a shame to put the bones in the bin, so I buried them deeply and planted a small comfrey plant on top. I think the comfrey roots are already getting some nutrients from those bones! 

I learned to value comfrey after reading about this wonderful plant in Isabell Shipard's book How Can I Use Herbs in my Daily Life. Click on Isabell's links below to learn a little more about comfrey. When our comfrey is growing well, I will buy a few chickens, and will give them the leaves to eat. Hubby and I have eaten comfrey several times, after making sure that I wash the leaves well.  I don't feel comfortable about eating it raw, but am very happy to cook it. 
https://herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/comfrey-potential-to-knit-broken-bones.html
https://herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/comfrey-healing-remedy.html

In the Bushland - nettles
I knew from the stings on my legs that I had passed through some stinging nettles during an early evening stroll in the bush! I looked for these stinging nettles when I went back in daylight, and it is such an expanse of nettles, that I will return wearing gloves to pick a big bunch to make nettle soup. I was growing nettles in our last garden, just a few small plants, but this is the real thing! 

Just imagine how much nettle tea and nettle soup I will be able to make!  
This ready supply is in our nearby bushland at Picnic Point, Toowoomba! 

Nettle provides one of the richest sources of chlorophyll and is a valuable blood builder. It is one of the most powerful iron sources in the vegetable kingdom. Therefore, it is a valuable aid for anemia, during menstruation to build up iron, for fatigue or whenever you feel run down or tired & think of nettles. As nettle is high in iodine it is beneficial for the thyroid gland.

Leaves are a source of histamine, which helps to reduce the symptoms in any allergic response, including hay fever, asthma and sinus. Also, serotonin, which acts as a neuro-transmitter to the central nervous system and is helpful for relieving stress, fear, nervousness, depression, insomnia, and eating disorders; and melatonin, an antioxidant sometimes referred to as an anti-ageing hormone , that may give relief from chronic fatigue syndrome, seasonal effect disorder, depression and sleeplessness.

Drink nettle as a tea to stimulate the digestive system and encourage weight-loss, to stop haemorrhaging (including excess menstruation); to treat ulcers, kidney, bladder and liver ailments; and to promote milk flow for nursing mothers. Nettle is valuable for strengthening the adrenals. Eating nettles or drinking the tea has been a folk custom to make hair brighter, thicker and shinier and the skin clearer and healthier. A healing ointment is prepared by steeping cut nettle leaves in oil.

Use nettle tea for its metal chelating action to remove heavy metals and to detox the body. Sip nettle tea for its benefits as a mild diuretic to relieve fluid retention, and to stimulate the lymphatic system. It is also known to eliminate bad breath. Nettles increase excretion of uric acid through the kidneys, making them an excellent remedy for gout and all other arthritic conditions. The herb is used to reduce blood sugar, and a tincture of the seed is found to raise thyroid function and reduce goiter.

Use nettle and get the nutrient-rich benefits: protein 21%, polysaccharides, vitamins A, B complex, C, D, E and K; and minerals, iron (41.8mg per 100 g), calcium (2,900mg), magnesium (860mg), potassium (1,750mg); chromium, iodine, silica, silicon, selenium and sulphur.

This wonderful "nettle info" is from Queensland herbalist - Isabell Shipard.          https://herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/nettle-many-uses-many-benefits.html

The following link will take you to an earlier blog entry 

which I wrote on the value and uses of nettles. 

http://houseandgardenplus.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/nettle-emergency-blanket.html

Things that sting or hurt us in life can at times be of great value!


from Robyn 

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

A CUCKOO CLOCK, A Kockatoo & A Cloudy Sky

In the Home

The cuckoo clock, bought during a visit to Switzerland, is a "favourite" with some of the grand-children, one of whom will stand patiently - up to 15 minutes! - waiting for the activity of this delightful clock. The music plays to the tune of I love to go a Wandering or Edilweis; the door opens with the bird popping his head out to cuckoo; the dancers go round and round; the waterwheel turns and the little boy and girl kiss - all at the same time! This little grandson thinks it well worth the wait. 

In the Garden



An enormous gum tree grows in the garden behind our home. A Sulphur Crested Cockatoo rests in the branches of that gum tree. These birds love to eat seeds and can be a pest to crop farmers, arriving in noisy flocks that can number in the hundreds.  

In the Bushland

A cloudy sky 

hovers above 

Tabletop Mountain 

framed by gums

which are silhouetted 

in the evening light. 

May our lives be enriched by our own times and seasons.   

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Photo BLOCKS, The Vege Garden & A Sunrise

In the Home

There is a photo block here for each of our children, showing photos of their young growing families. One morning, grandson Ben was helping me label his and  Pa's lunch, as they were going on an excursion. He wrote his name on his own lunch, but couldn't spell "Pa", but off he ran to get his Family Block, coming back with it, so he could copy Pa's name onto his lunch!

In the Garden

After hubby finishes those 100 jobs on his list, and after his dodgy knee gets better, he will give the vege patch a "make-over". In the meantime, there are herbs and veges growing in other corners of the garden. 

In the Bushland

At last I got myself out of bed before sunrise so I could photograph that amazing transition from dark to light. The birds of the bush were in celebration mode, welcoming the new day even before the sun was peeping over the horizon! 

May we be willing to make that extra effort to appreciate the sights of nature.   from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

GRANDCHILDREN'S PHOTOS, Garden Ornaments & Living Naturally

In the Home
I have a challenge this month - to print photos of our lovely grand-children, frame them and put them on the wall in the hallway. I must prioritize before the month is ended as I have intended for a long time to do this task.   


In the Garden

On moving to our new home in Toowoomba, we found delightful garden ornaments hidden here and there under shrubs and ferns. These inherited treasures are waiting patiently by the pond for a "make-over" - just a little colour to brighten their lives. 

In the Bushland
When our Australian fauna are seen in the heart of the natural bushland, they exude a quality that surpasses what one sees in the home garden or in a zoo. 

May our lives be lived "naturally".                                 from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

TEDDIES, Portraits & Wattle

In the Home
I have a growing collection of teddies of all sizes, most of them from a second hand shop. Probably the teddies have each been loved at one time, but not loved enough to be kept by their previous owners! I decided to name them one by one after our grand-children - and  make name & birth date labels to tie around the teddies' necks with ribbon.  


In the Garden

It was "portrait time" in the garden!
Here I am about to start a new part-time job as a teacher-aide helping some young migrant children to learn English. Thanks to my older sister, I had just the right handbag for the job. Some years ago, my sister gave me this special bag with a cat on it to remind me of my much treasured kindergarten cloth bag which my mother had embroidered a cat on. So, it is off to Grade 1 for me, for a fun day at school with my treasured bag!

It wasn't long before a young kookaburra visited the garden, 
also wanting his portrait taken. 

You will probably agree with me that for the kookaburra it most definitely was a "bad hair day"!


In the Bushland

The flowering wattle trees are adding their golden glory to our bushland. Australia has nearly 1000 species of acacia, and this beautiful flower has become our Australian national flower.

May our lives be blessed with sunshine.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum 

A Sewing Machine, Potato Peelings and a Staghorn

In the Home
My singer tredle sewing machine sadly no longer houses the old machine. What a shame that 30 years ago, I did not value its uniqueness, and instead, put an electric machine inside the wooden cabinet. My sewing machine reminds me of  the clothes I used to make for our young children, before those more affordable clothes from overseas were sold in our shops.  

In the Garden

potato peelings ready for planting 

Some of the potatoes from the shop were a bit green  - hence not so safe for eating! Off came the green bits and a few "eyes", and these peelings will be planted. Some whole potatoes planted a month or so ago are now sprouting nicely. I have been totally relying on the rain, the sunshine, and the excellent Darling Downs soil - some of Australia's best soil - to grow our vege garden, and so far, all is going well. 

In the Bushland

We were surprised to find a beautiful staghorn attached to a eucalypt tree in the bush! Staghorns usually grow in warm humid forests, and not in the cool mountain bushland such as that on our doorstep.  

May our eyes be ever-seeing so that we do not miss the beauty around us.   

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda

A KITCHEN DRESSER, A Fishpond & A Tree Hollow

In the Home
Our lovely kitchen dresser was bought from a second hand shop almost 40 years ago. We actually painted it orange and cream when brightly painted furniture was popular!! It was a lot of work stripping off that paint! It's not used as a typical kitchen dresser - it holds my arts and crafts materials - so there are many years of potential creativity tucked away behind those closed doors. 


In the Garden

The delicate water-lilies have stopped flowering, but the small colourful fish are delighting the grand-children who like to feed them.

In the Bushland

Tree hollows provide homes and nests for our Australian fauna. 17% of bird species, 42% or mammals and 28% of reptiles in Australia live and breed in tree hollows. 
Here is one of those safe hollows in an old tree in our local bushland.  http://www.wombatforestcare.org.au/index.php?page=Tree_Hollows

May each one of us help to create homes where we feel safe and secure.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum