Weekly Winners :

I must be feeling better ... there are lots of photos this week ... !!!!!!

.. from buzzing bees in warm winter sunshine ..

... sipping nectar ....

... and gathering pollen from Hypoestes aristata (Ribbon Bush) ...

... one bright white Namaqualand daisy ...

... an orange clivia sparkling in the sunlight ..

... all this/the above/warm winter days ... before the heavy frost appeared ....

.... not just ordinary frost ... but 'black frost' ....

.... touching the leaves and flowers, turning them black overnight ....

..... and brown ...

... and droopy and withered ...

... and sad ...

But we were warm inside the other evening ... watching our boys - Bafana Bafana - play soccer against Uruguay .... sadly they lost :(

Zakumi and Bradley seeing eye to eye ...

... with Connor preferring to cuddle the soccer mascot Zakumi, which stands at OR Tambo International Airport, here in Johannesburg ...

.. where Jeanette, the boys and I went on our first time jaunt on the newly launched Gautrain which runs from Sandton to the airport ...

Had to add these last two photos of Jeanette and her two sons while we waited for the train to take us back to Sandton .... a first world experience .. and so exciting for the boys, their first train ride ...

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus' blog

Wordless Wednesday :

... I am getting better ... things are looking up !! :)

For more Wordless Wednesday contributions go here and here

Weekly Winners :

The weekend started with a grey, heavy mist on Friday morning, most unusual for our area ...


.. and then everything turned pink on Saturday ...



.. when Erin came to stay with us for the weekend ... (she just LOVES pink !)



... she was absolutely delighted when I took out two of Elaine's Barbies ...

.. perfectly posed for the photo shoot ...

.. "Barbie ... you WILL fit into the Barbie car ..."

... "B A A A R R B I E E E S" !!!

... " he he he " !!! Happy girl !!!

Then Erin got hold of my camera and started snapping away .... that's hubby and I !!

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' blog

Skywatch Friday :

Not at all spectacular but this is what our garden is looking like right now - 7.00 am (Friday)...


... very very unusual for this area, this part of Johannesburg, to be shrouded in thick mist ...


.. put's a kind-of romantic feel to the garden that I see every single day !!!!

Photo below is taken from the dining room window toward the back garden (for those who have seen my garden photos before - look at the height of the hydrangeas - closest to camera on right .. they are mid-window height!) They never cease to amaze me .. how they grow out of their very old gnarled base into specimens of grandeur! :)


For spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

Weekly Winners :

Monday - better late than never, for my Weekly Winners !!!! The heavens have opened again this morning .. it's dark and rainy ... again !!! When will it stop? Very unusual for this time of year .. lovely for the garden except some plants think it's spring or mid summer and are sprouting new leaves ... which will get zapped when the frosts come ....

One plant that should be flowering at this time of year, and is flourishing, is the indigenous yellow Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) ...

... the cluster of buds open up ...

.. to reveal tubular shaped flowers which die off quite quickly with others to follow ..

.. another autumn special are the roses with their last blooms for the season .. like the white Icebergs ..

Delicate pink Queen Elizabeth looks rather shy and hides her face under a patch of bright sunlight ...

Autumn blues of the hydrangea ..

A prickly aloe slipped/gate crashed into the 'autumn collection' ..

I have never grown tulips .. must give it try one year ... I have to buy them ...

.. love their perfect form and striking colour ...

Elaine and Bryan went off to a friend's wedding on Saturday where Jeanette was the wedding photographer ... I took a few of my own pics before they left .. "Ahh .. mom .. that's enough ! " says she ...

Weekly Winners without grandchildren is rather dull .. here is Bradley in his 'Soccer Friday' t'shirt ... everyone is encouraged to wear 'soccer' shirts on Friday's including the school children .. they love it .. no uniforms for one day a week !!!

.. just smile for Granny, pleeeease !!

Captured Connor counting/collecting leaves ..

"Can I put it through the window" is what he was saying ... odd child !!! No .. you cannot !

Ok .. will play tennis instead ... yikes .. great shot, Granny, did you see ? ..

"Watch this ... are you ready, Granny .. "

" Phew ... that was a good game " ..

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus here

Weekly Winners : 17 - 24 April

Monday : Had a very busy day yesterday ... houseful of family !!! .. and wasn't able to finish putting up my Weekly Winners .. not that there are many photos .... 'cos ... the week started with lovely warm blue skies ...


... and then the wind blew ... scattering more leaves around the garden and pool ...


.. then the rain came ... and stayed ... and stayed

.... lovely weather for a good glass of Pinotage from Doolhof Wine Estates in Wellington ... "A burst of chocolate/mocha aromas, rich black cherries, coffee and almonds" .. now how can you resist ? !!! ... especially with an alluring label like this one ..


A week's worth of photos wouldn't be the same without one of our gorgeous grandchildren even though he is one tooth less !!

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus' blog