Nearly autumn

Most Gardening Gurus are talking about 'what to do in Autumn", but here in Perth we are just gently sliding away from the really hot days into the slightly cooler mornings. The day time is still quite warm though. A few exotic trees are beginning to look like they are thinking about changing the colour of their leaves. We had one brief shower of rain on Friday -I think it lasted three minutes!

So not really autumn yet, but it is on the way! I found this olive (above) in a garden when I was walking last weekend -I love the colour change as the berries go from green to that fantastic purple colour. I love the bougainvillea too -what fantastically generous plants. They are looking like this all around Perth at the moment.Native plants see Autumn in Perth as a kind of spring. They start to look healthy again after their summer 'shut down and survive' mode. Some are in flower and putting out wonderful new leaves like this Ficifolia:

I have been doing my own bit of creativity this week. I bought some styrofoam eggs and I have been painting them as part of my Easter decorative collection. My DH challenged me to put some effort into making the house look special for Easter, the way it does for Christmas.

Being interested in simplicity and thriftyness, the first thing I did was look at what I had in that could be used in new ways. I had some lovely tablecloths I had bought at Op Shops, and I had my ever-growing collection of religious icons (most in thrifted frames). The one which has special significance for Easter has Jesus rescuing Adam and Eve from hell -it is known as the Anastasis and means 'resurrection".

I had a little Easter Bunny with an egg, and I had some real bird nests I had found on my walks around the suburb. I think that new life is really the theme of Easter and that is what I am trying to show in the decorations.

I did indulge myself and buy one or two special things at my favourite store in Mandurah, though! In the market there is a store which has quite reasonably priced items and many of them are things that I can quite happily take home.

This is what I have in one corner of the loungeroom so far:


I have plans for an Easter Quilt, but the plans keep changing all the time! I want it to have the word "Alleluia" on it somewhere.

And I am in the middle of sewing cushion covers for the loungeroom and family room. I have been following some English blogs and finding so much inspiration. So much to do and so little time to do it. That is why I am looking forward to my Long Service Leave, which is not so far away now, and I have already made some plans and booked myself into some craft workshops.

What luxury it will be to have Three Months -getting paid and not going to work!