I'm Watching You...

[via]

And I'm lost for words....

Double Your Pleasure...

Hello Dhaarlings...

I don't know what is happening but I've been seeing double all day

Time to get my eyes checked....


I think....

Say G'Day to The Newest House Guest....

What is That Dhaaarling????

What on Earth?....

will you kindly desist from flitting all over... while I'm trying to snap you!

Ahhh... Almost got you!...

Now...That's much better...

Meet Marmaduke. My latest acquisition and house guest...

Yes He's another Siamese Fighting Fish but this time he is a different type to the other three... Mr Finn... Ralphie and Horace... that have already taken up residence... 

The breed is known as a "Betta" or Siamese Fighter and the ones I have already are all of the variety "Betta Splendens" 

Marmaduke however... is a "Betta Crown Tail" How fitting given that I am a Princess... 

Notice how his fins are split and fan out in different directions toward their ends. Sometimes he looks like he's doing a little fan dance!

How cute!...

"What's that Marmaduke?"... "Oh... You're ready for your arse shot now"...

OK..

He really is a beautiful blue in colour

Mostly cobalt blue with just a dash of red on his front fins...

This is Marmaduke when shot with a flash...

It makes him look like a totally different fish...

Washing out all the cobalt of his true colour... Making him look a sort of Aqua Green..... With a ginger head...

I much prefer his Cobalt Blue thank you...

Don't you Dhaaarlings?

Meet Aunt Shirley...

Compare and Contrast if you will...

Mellow Moments....

Time to Chill out with some Cello Dhaaarlings

Take a quiet moment to appreciate the musical styling's of  "Zoe Keating" 

Come sit with me by the lake while we watch the sun set on another busy day...

Monday Haiku....

 Hosted by "Chickory" 

This weeks Haiku theme is...

"Chicken"

The following are my entries

The first...

Bird industrious...

Feathered “egg-a-day” layer

Scratch me a living...

The Second...

Lily livered sap!...

Cowardice Protagonist...

Now run chicken… Run!

The Third...

Oak leaf scattered days…

Cold wind... chilled runny nose… cough

Time for chicken soup!

Gawd.... I Just love a good Grevillia....

And this Dhaarlings would have to be my absolute favourite...

of the over 360 types of "Grevillea"

Grevillea "Peaches and Cream"

I just adore the pale lemon and apricot blooms.

The form is of a more medium size and it responds well to a light pruning

The grevillea's are a wonderful addition to a garden... not only for the visual delight that they bring but also in their innate ability to attract bird life for both shelter and as a food source during the flowering season...

The range in flower colour shape and size is quite astonishing..

Check out the following feast for your tired old eyes dhaaarlings...

In recent years they have become popular as topiarised standards...

And some low growing ground cover types are great for that difficult spot!



A multitude of growth shapes and forms interesting foliage shapes and colours  and a range of flower colours to delight even the laziest of gardeners!

They are quite good as a cut flower too...

There you have it... my adoration for Grevillea's...

Morning Glory.....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

I have a day off so will be spending it lounging in my new "contraception wear" from "Chenille's Ainstitute de Boutay and House of Hair Removal"...


I can recommend their products, I've been using them for years...


My "Judy" has been indispensable... 


I have the "Glo-mesh lunch cutting lycra bodysuit" on order

A Hearty Update...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

The news is good. Younger Brother was released from hospital today.

Further testing shows that there has not been any permanent damage to his heart muscle following the 90% occlusion of the anterior coronary artery. (One of the main vessels supplying the heart muscle with oxygen)

He was extremely lucky in that the Hospital to which he was taken has only recently opened a chest pain Clinic and it would seem that it is fully staffed on Thursday's for procedure's with a full compliment of surgeons and theatre staff available. Any other day of the week may not have had the available staff required and the outcome may have been very very different.... and not in a good way.....

He had a forty minute trip via intensive care ambulance to the hospital from the small country town in which he lives.

Usually similar cases are assessed and then transferred to a larger hospital in the capital city of Melbourne, a 3 hour road trip away.

Had this been the situation in my brothers case it is unlikely that he would have survived the trip at all.

As it turns out he received initial treatment at home, was transferred to hospital and underwent surgery and was sitting up post operatively in recovery of the intensive care unit just a little over 3 hours later. 

I will continue helping to keep his business running for at least the next three weeks as he is to rest and recuperate for that length of time.

I am putting in long days at the moment with a 45 minute commute each way ready for opening at 8.30 am and closing a 6.30 pm. 7 days a week!

But it is nice to be able to be doing something practical to assist, even if the hours are almost doing me in!

Blogging will be taking a seat at the back of the room for a little while but I will continue to attempt to post some updates from time to time. And I will continue to attempt to pay you all a visit from time to time when time permits.

Anyway my darlings... Princess is feeling pretty knackered these days... and I can hear my bed calling... And It is only just after 10 pm! And the alarm will start screaming at 5.30 tomorrow morning so...

Bye bye for now... and thank you all for your concern, prayers and well wishes

At the moment it is all good news!

Lots of love... Princess XXX 

What's in Princess' Patch?.... Autumn Harvest Edition...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Summer... albeit an oddly warm, damp, humid and overcast one this year... has moved on...  and as the coolness of Autumn is well and truly upon us, I thought it time for an update on what's happening in Princesses Patch...

The raspberry canes that I planted early in Spring last year have been the real surprise!

The label stated that they would not fruit until their second year of growth... Yet... they have continued to produce fruit right through the summer giving the Empress and I... enough to have a weekly sampling to add to our icecream or youghurt for summer desserts...

The Zucchini harvest has ended now but the last ones that were about 3lb in weight I turned into a relish...

The Zucchini, Apples, Onions, a little Lemon zest, a healthy handfull of dried sultanas, a sprinkling of Allspice, ground Cloves, ground White Pepper, Malt Vinegar, Brown Sugar and some Salt all cooked up in a pot eventually turned into  this....

Jars full of Zucchini Relish... 

Other things that have harvested well in the garden this year are the Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Climbing beans, both purple and green beans.

None of which we have had to purchase from the shops all summer...

But sadly have come to an end now...

The lemons are just coming into their own... while these are  last of the cherry tomatoes

The last of the Cucumbers and one sad little Zucchini

Now the Pumpkin/Butternut Squash are starting to ripen...
Looking at the quantity of ripening fruit we will not need to purchase any Pumpkin for winter...

There has been a large outbreak of "Powdery Mildew" which effects the leaves of the pumpkin vines but fortunately has not effected the devlopment of the fruit.

This has been due to the unseasonable heavy rains, levels of high humidity and overcast days during summer this year...

My brother has grown "Queensland Blue" and "Kent" varieties of Pumpkins this year (not pictured here) so we will be able to do a bit of trading...

The potatoes that I have not harvested yet are still in the ground underneath where the pumpkins hare currently growing

I'll be waiting for the leaves from the pumpkins to die off before I dig up the potato patch.

We have also had a reasonable crop of apples from the one established tree in the gaden. My friends with the orchard have also kept us in a supply of fresh apples and enough to preserve and freeze.

I have large quantities of continental/flat and curly parsley thriving througout the garden.

 I'm needing to get out and do some maintenence and preparation for the winter vegetables now.

I'll rip out the old tomato vines and  zucchini plants.
I have more Climbing beans planted that should continue on from the old struggling plants, they are in a fairly sheltered and sunny spot... so should produce through to the coldest part of winter...

I'll decide what to plant once I have the beds ready...
So...
Pop back in for an update at some stage over the next week or two...

It may be some time before I get the chance to post again as my younger brother suffered a heart attack Thursday. He was very lucky in that he has survived well and recieved excellent and rapid tretment, undergoing double shunt insertions to his coraonary artery which was 90% occluded. His prognisis is very good but until he is back on his feet I will be busy helping to run his small mixed business in his absence until he recouperates fully...

I will keep you posted when I can...

Love to you all... Princess XXX

A Singing Vajayjay?....

Via

Now Showing at "The Palais"....

Movie Clip Wednesday is again Hosted by Boxer  Who seems to be undergoing some site renovations and redevelopment at the moment...  I popped over to check out the theme for this week just to make sure I had it right... to find that the MCW shingle was not in sight... None the less I'm hoping that my memory isn't failing me and this weeks theme is...


"Favourite Movie Set in Outer-space"


A very topical theme.... given that this week is the anniversary of 
Russian Cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin's first journey into space.


Just a quick spin in a rocket around the globe was enough to kick off the space race.

I remember seeing this movie in my childhood... sat in front of the old Black and White TV... And some of the scenes frightened the willies out of me.
After this experience I was 5 or 6 years old I think
It was many years before I could watch a movie set in outer space again.
(I think it was Star Wars)


But imagine my amusement when searching for this movie and discovering the trailer to find that it was actually filmed in colour! For all these years I'd had only Black 'n White memories...The little mock up sets look so cute, the special effects made me giggle especially the laser guns.. and even the acting has it own flavour of melodrama and camp when seen through adult eyes.


To my amusement I also found the Theme Track which was released as a song...Not Quite a Bond chart topper or classic but a theme song never the less. All that 60's romance...


And I think it also helps to explain my later fascination with


Uranus (Your/ay/nus)


Princess Presents for your entertainment...

1962's

"Journey to the Seventh Planet"

(Clikerate on the title to go read more about the movie)

And now.... for a little musical interlude...

Happy Movie Clip Wednesday....

It's All Done In The Best Possible Taste....

Introducing...


"Miss Cupid Stunt"

Oh golly how how I miss his Talent!

Haiku Monday... Nature.

This weeks theme for Haiku Monday is Observations of Nature and is being hosted by


 "Troll"


This week I've had a go at three entries... and hope that they translate OK...

Deep within our heart

We know our inner nature

Worn upon a sleeve

photo by princess

Open like Flower

Waiting for the Sun's light kiss...

Embracing the new...

{via}

Dying frog asks "why"?

Scorpions' subtle reply...

"It's in my Nature".... 

Green Tomato Chutney...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

With Summer having left us... and Autumn bringing with it cooler days and even colder nights... My remaining tomatoes were looking a little worse for wear. I didn't hold out much hope for the remaining fruits ripening so I decided to rescue them and put them to good use by turning them into

 "Green Tomato Chutney". 

By roughly chopping them up with some green apples from the tree in the garden... Some thinly diced brown onions. Some allspice, white pepper,

salt, ground cloves, brown sugar, a couple of cups of white vinegar... All thrown into the pot with little heat added  they eventually turned into this...

Jars of Home-made Chutney

Great for giving a zing to your taste buds when used as a condiment with a meal or spread in sandwiches to spice up a boring old cheese or sliced meats...

  

I was pretty happy with the result... And so was the Empress!


It is one of her favourite chutney's...


I had to wrestle with her... just to keep a jar or two for myself!