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Note: I would like to share with you through these few words, photographs and hyperlinked websites, a 3 Dimensional experience as though you were actually there with us. Click on any photograph and it should enlarge to different size ….. at least half screen or size full screen. It will be clearer in detail than the photo on the post. It will be as if you were really there looking at the actual scene. You are an armchair traveller with us.
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…. The view from the arbour where you look down into a small amphitheatre. It has radiating stone seats with a central bonfire area. This was stone left over from building the internal house walls ….
stone from the Supreme Courthouse which was cut from the Kangaroo Pt. Cliffs in 1877. The seats are covered with foam cushions stored for the occasion. We use this area for large gatherings of people in the winter time when it is cold … see the photos below ……
….. It is 7.00 am in the morning in mid September 2015. It is the start of spring in Australia. I am sitting reading a book in the arbour and reflecting on life ….. I became retired when I had my severe brain injury twenty years ago in December 1995. I am just really enjoying the early morning sun shining through the dark green leaves of the native wisteria vine growing over the arbour. The sun shines through the abundance of white and mauve pea – like flowers from the wisteria vine … see photo above. I am looking out to my left and see the new cottage garden that Harriet and I have been establishing in the last few months. It is such a pleasure in seeing what new flowers are coming out this week. See the post: Cottage Garden Room with accompanying photos and words …..
….. Ken and Harriet having a coffee with friends in the arbour ….
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Storm Lilies out on our Garden and Land:
In December 2018, we had three days of heavy rain. We have many Storm Lilies planted in our garden around the house. Storm Lilies are a beautiful lily to about 300 mm high and have a sworl of dull green narrow leaves. During dry times of the season, the lilies are just a sworl of dull green narrow leaves.
They respond very quickly to rain and within two days send up swelling pink flower heads. Within two more days, the swelling pink flower heads burst out as open expanding tubes of pink lily flowers. Suddenly from nowhere, there will be hundreds of beautiful lily flowers throughout the garden and down our driveway.
When we built the house in 1981, I suddenly found these pink flowered lilies in a clump under some small trees coming down our extensive driveway. The lily bulbs are very easy to transplant into another location.
In December 2018, we had three days of heavy rain. We have many Storm Lilies planted in our garden around the house. Storm Lilies are a beautiful lily to about 300 mm high and have sworl of dull green narrow leaves. During dry times of the season, the lilies are just a sworl of dull green narrow leaves.
They respond very quickly to rain and within two days send up swelling pink flower heads. Within two more days, the swelling pink flower heads burst out as open expanding tubes of pink lily flowers. Suddenly from nowhere, there will be hundreds of beautiful lily flowers throughout the garden and down our driveway.
Within about a week of flowering, swelling heads of seeds develop which then break open to release many flat winged seeds within another week. These seeds then fall to ground or blown by the wind to more distant areas. This is why Storm Lilies are in small clumps or single lilies out the middle of the lawn.
In December after the rain, there were hundreds of pink lily flowers out every wherein our extensive garden and down our driveway. In the garden, they are everywhere whereas with our extensive driveway, I planted bulbs on either side of the driveway for viewing the flowers after rain.
Flowering can be several times a year after rain. It is wonderful when we come home or visitors come to our house and are greeted by hundreds of beautiful pink flowered lilies. Our house as a hand made house vs. machine built house is a very welcoming house. Our house as a hand-made house vs. machine built house is a very welcoming house. We have a huge community of people we relate to.
This photo shows an reddish shade umbrella in use over the outdoor eating table as in the photo above.
Big stone entry stairs provide progressive entry to the house and the arbour. With big square stone which has the metal solar light beside it, this is special stone from Boggo Rd. Gaol from 1883. I obtained ten of these stones in 1984 from my demolition friend Neil for A$34.00 each. Neil supplied the beams and posts in our house. See above. The 1800’s is very old in Australia as Captain Cook from England only came and discovered this new land in 1770. Cook was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy.
I found out these also had a history. The first gaol in Brisbane was established at Humpybong, Redcliffe in 1824. Then between 1860 and 1883 the gaol was in Petrie Terrace where the old Police barracks are. In 1883 the gaol was transferred to Boggo Rd. Gaol. Capital punishment (hanging) was abolished in 1922. Boggo Rd. Gaol was closed in the late 1970’s and is now used for periodic cultural functions. This finally means our ten stones date from 1883 …..
…. Old handmade bricks used as paving at the front door. This external paving picks up the internal swirl of the internal paving ….
…. Burning kerosene lighter being used at night. It gives a lovely flickering light in the garden when
we have groups of people over for a bonfire …..
… The amphitheatre in use at night. It gives a wonderful inclusive feeling …
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See the next post: Post 2: The Front Garden Room
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