The Force of Nature

While I was in England I was fortunate enough to stay in a lovely, very old house in the country. The house has lived in this spot for a long time, but I am afraid that nature has decided to reclaim the space for its own.

I am not sure if you can see from the next picture, but the Virginia Creeper is creeping in on the house...
In all the rooms, the windows were just unable to hold back the unrelenting advance of this intrepid plant. Yikes. Don't mess with Mother Nature.

Seed Pods from Abroad

On our first day in Athens, we climbed Likavitos. A tall hill behind our house in the center of Athens. From the top, there are spectacular views, but I enjoyed capturing the micro images more than the macro:

These little dried seeds are smaller than a dime in circumference, and were so enchantingly sweet. They reminded me of old coins one might dig out of an ancient archaeological site.
Then there were the Catherine Wheel seeds, which made me think of fireworks.
And finally my favourite, these tiny almost glass-like pods, which I had to bring home and photograph a multitude of times, but the little discs are so small, it was almost impossible to really get a good picture.
Each one of these is only about the size of a small lentil

It's Time to Say Goodbye

I said goodbye to the garden today. Tomorrow morning we depart on our nine month adventure to Greece. It is very hard to leave the plants, especially as they are struggling so much in the heat. Another surprise showed up in the form of this yellow wildflower (or weed), which I know I didn't plant, but which decided to join the garden somehow.

Before we left, I did an final mowing and weeding and watering, and the garden looked so serene in the early morning light.
I hope the young trees survive. The fig has completely leafed out again, and so has the pecan.
I keep telling myself that even if it gets totally over grown, or sun burnt and dry, I can't possibly have to start back at square one. Right? Right?? Surely not.

So now, while we are away, I will be using this blog to write about Greek gardens that we encounter during our stay. Stay Tuned! (For more of the day to day adventures of settling in to a life in Athens you can visit austintoathens.blogspot.com)

See Ya.

In Memoriam

On Sunday morning I went out to admire the garden in the early morning light, and was amazed to see that the whole garden had burst into bloom. Plants that had been struggling were now flowering. It was an amazing and beautiful sight and it filled me with awe and wonder. I found out shortly after that stroll that my father had died the evening before. I would like to dedicate these blooms to him, because certainly their colour and beauty will always remind me of him.

The Rock Rose was covered!

How splendid she looks!
Blue salvia,
Red salvia
and the longed for Pride of Barbadoes....


A surprising cluster of Blue Sky,
and the promise of more to come.
Even the seed pods of the Mimosa looked fabulous as they caught the early morning rays.
Forever in my heart, my dear old curmudgeon of the hills. xoxoxo

I'm On My Way...

I'm on my way, from misery to happiness today... uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh...

Oh yeah, oh yeah! I know you aren't supposed to count your chickens before they hatch...BUT, I am pretty sure that I am going to get some Pride of Barbados flowers soon. Please, PLEASE let them bloom before we leave!

Ruellia Bouquet

Nothing like a cluster of blossoms to cheer one up.

Ruellia blossoms are so chubby and cute and crinkly, and purple. And they are darker purple in the center.
From behind, the light shows us all the little veins and creases. The delight is in the detail.

Out of the depths of the drought...

When I first returned from Canada, I was distressed to see that parts of the garden looked like the deep mid-winter in July, Texas style. Our baby pecan tree had dropped its leaves onto the burnt grass, and so had the poor little fig tree.

But, these plants are INTREPID, and after some babying and A LOT of water for their parched little roots, they are gamely putting out new foliage. You Go little trees!!
See? Isn't that festive?
Happy days are here again.