Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  13 December Christmas Countdown #25envelopes - Family Christmas . Today was the Simmons Family Christmas get-together. This is an annual event - some would say a family tradition. This year, a slight change from the traditional party in someone's home, we had a picnic in the park under the shade of big fig trees on a mild summer’s day - perfect! Today’s envelope acknowledges the togetherness of this loving and supportive family with a stitched paper collage and a celebratory postage stamp

I have been spending a little more time in our garden lately, and have noticed that this week it is definitely showing signs of summer. This morning, I took a break from weeding and photographed  many bushes and trees with their flowers coming to an end after the Spring burst....  like the bottlebrushes (above), shedding their flower spikes; the last Kangaroo paw, waving in the breeze.... and the Dianella droppingtheir bright purple berries ....  but some are still in full bloom like the purple melaleuca.... and the 'Robyn Gordon' grevillea which seems to flower all year round   I want the Australian Christmas bush, with just a few buds opening now, to slow down so it will be beautiful for Christmas....  While most of our garden is native,  the little chameleon roses are blushingly beautiful,  but the summer aphids are also busy as you can see from this photo ... and this year, I planted a hydrangea cutting, and its ...