We’re having the most unusual winter here in Sydney.
A couple of weeks ago we were deluged with rain – our garage flooded, our gutters overflowed and all the fish in our little backyard pond died from the sudden change in temperature. We had eleven inches (282mm) last month – the highest Sydney July rainfall since 1950.
A few days later we were in the midst of what appeared to be an early spring, with sunny days in the mid-20s (Celsius). And this combination of rain and sunshine has brought out the most glorious colours in our neighbourhood.
Our street is awash with pink magnolias (below) and camellias (above)…
Our dwarf peach and nectarine trees are covered in gorgeous pink blooms. Last year we harvested just one white peach, but it was memorably delicious…
A third of our garden beds are given over to growing chook food. This benefits both our girls and the garden, as much of what is grown are legumes that improve the soil. These ones grew from spilt grain mix, so we’re not sure what they are, but they’re very pretty…
Lavender was growing well in a neighbouring house…
…flowering kale from the same garden…
Bright red poinsettias can still be seen on the odd plant here and there…
Our rosemary is flowering, with tiny lilac blooms…
And remember my little friend Small Girl? She’s still visiting every few days, and last week I watched as she carefully rearranged her dynamic stone sculpture on the steps…
Hope you all have a lovely weekend – may your gardens and neighbourhoods be filled with colour and friends too!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
You really do have winter-lite don’t you!?
Or just very early spring! Whatever the season- it is beautiful where you live and I hope you can get out and soak up all the beauty there is!
Heidi, it really has been a gentle winter, although I have to say, it never really gets that cold here in Sydney. We never have snow, and hardly any frosts at all! Not quite as warm today, but the sun did peek out for a while…
Celia, I spent some time wandering around our garden yesterday (as I was trying to herd a couple of steers who had broken through the fence) and noticed that my plum tree branches are fat with buds. We’ve had a pretty harsh winter here this year- loads of rain and very cold – so it is great to see some signs of spring in the near future.
Amanda, I think the rain will bring lots of good stuff this spring. Hopefully it won’t be too far away for you in SA…
So lovely to see the spring flowers again, which were over months ago here. We are currently swamped with blackberries – however many we pick it doesn’t look as if we have touched them and I cannot get any more in the freezer. Hoping to find time to make your rhubarb and blackberry jam sometime soon, providing I can track down the rhubarb.
hopeeternal
‘Meanderings through my Cookbook’
Hope, you could make just straight blackberry jam – Pete makes a straight raspberry one and the recipe might adapt? We wrote it up ages ago here…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/07/25/raspberry-jam/
How wonderful to have more blackberries than you can eat and freeze!!
Thanks for the link Celia. I do make Blackberry Jam from time to time but much prefer Bramble Jelly (think it is a throw back to when I was small and grandma always had a pot on the table). I was particularly fancying the bb & rhubarb combo – sadly this morning there was no rhubarb available in our market (it was there last week, annoyingly!) I’ll have to keep looking.
h/e
Our magnolia tree just exploded with pink flowers as well. The hedge in the backyard with the camellias have come to life as well. Except the birds are pecking them off so all the flowers are dropping. There must have been a magnolia trend in my neighbourhood. So many of my neighbours have them.
Lien, how beautiful your neighbourhood must be! We have two or three magnolias on the street, and they have, as you say, exploded with flowers!
Oh, dear! You really have had some rain! We’ve had only half that in July but our June, July total was 479 mm. The flood damaged fences have been repaired but we still have some very wet spots in the paddocks.
Your garden is looking very good in spite of it all. I’m amazed that the lavender has survived. I was in Sydney on the weekend and really noticed how beautiful the magnolias and camellias were looking.
Liz, I’m astonished by the lavender too – that was in a neighbour’s front yard. My little lavender bush has been savaged by the rain, but they probably have better drainage than we do, and I don’t think the lavender likes having wet feet…
lovely images of spring..jane
Thanks Jane!
Such beautiful spring blossoms Celia – we could do with a goodly drop of rain in Brisbane. At the moment it’s extremely dry here which seems such an irony after the flooding rains earlier in the year. What treasure your little visitor leaves – I’m sure she is a fairy leaving a marker for other fairies – however, if you came scooting out of your front door and didn’t look at the steps you could well end up with a ‘fairy’ sore ankle (sorry, dreadful pun!)
Jan, the little piece of stone art sits on the steps which lead up to the garden, so thankfully not outside the backdoor, and her Uncle Peter has taught her to build it to the right-hand side of the steps, so that they’re not right in the middle where everyone walks. But still, you’re right, we do have to make sure not to trip on them! :)
we had the driest July ever and we are also having summer weather – until today that is. My garden is very confused as well. Have a great weekend Celia :)
Tandy, I hope the cold has brought a little rain with it for your garden! :) Have a good weekend too!
So pretty in pink and I’m crossing fingers for the peaches – gorgeous photos. Sorry to hear about the flooding and loss of fish though. Your unidentified plants are peas. We grew 6 varieties this year and two of them had those colour flowers – they are so attractive, friends have mistaken them for sweet peas.
Choc, we were so upset about the poor fish. Sigh. We’re going to wait a little while and see if we can get something a little more robust.
Thanks for the headsup about the peas, although we can’t figure out what sort they are. They’re growing from the chook feed, and I thought they might be a mung bean or something, but I had a look on google and the mung bean flowers are a different colour…
What lovely pinky happenings in your garden Celia! When do you usually get your spring weather? Ours is triggered by the lengthening hours of daylight as well as the rise in temperature. I am going to go and gen up on some Sydney climate/weather stuff as it does seem unusual! No floods with all that rain? Makes our week of downpours sound like nothing much at all :)
Jo, we’re coming out of years and years of drought and water restrictions, and now there’s just bucketloads of rain and floods etc. I’m always reminded of the Monty Python (I think) skit.. “the dams are overflowing, quick, turn on your taps!!”. :)
How lovely the flowers are Celia! We’re just starting to get blossom around here in Canberra, but we have such lovely ornamental plums planted all over the city that it’s gorgeous for a couple of weeks or so. We’ve had wattle out for a while though, which seems really early and all the magpies are busy collecting beakfuls of stuff for nesting, so maybe we’re in for an early spring? Minus 8* last week, and then a 21* day, so go figure!
Becca, the weather truly is bonkers, isn’t it? Very pretty though as a result, and such a nice change after all the dry of the previous few years…
I could have sworn I smelled jasmine in the air which always signals spring to me! :P
We’re growing star jasmine, but I don’t think ours is flowering just yet… :)
How lovely :) They’re not pink, but I had to smile as I saw the first Freesia blooms in our garden this week.
ps, Small Girl sounds so superly cute!!!
Hwa, she’s seriously cute, you’d like her! :)
I am really sorry to hear about your fish. :( I imagine they would have been quite useful at keeping the mosquito population down, not to mention relaxing to watch swim around the pond.
Thank you for the lovely photos. I hope you also have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks Kate, yes, we were pretty upset too. Poor little things. It’s not a huge pond, and they just couldn’t manage the change in temp. I’m a bit worried about the mozzies, to be honest, I’ve been nagging Pete to get more fish, but he doesn’t want to until he’s sure they’ll survive (which really is fair enough)..
It’s very strange that sydney had such a wet month and it was so dry here in Brisbane. There certainly are some beautiful colours around.
Claire, as I said above, the weather has been bonkers. And Brisbane has been dry after soooo much rain!
How beautiful! Spring is on its way.
Thanks Deb! It is on its way, and quite early at that!
Too much nice garden – you need a possum. Can I mail you one?
Oh aren’t you sweet? It could keep the wallaby company… ;-)
How very blessed you are. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks Norma! Hope you have a fabulous weekend too!
What a lovely post Celia and I am so pleased that Small Girl is still visiting and that you are all still enjoying her sculptures.
Have happy weekend.
:-) Mandy
Mandy, she’s such a treasure, albeit quite a bossy one lately. :) She certainly knows her own mind, and is most displeased if anyone messes with her artwork.. ;-)
This will be a fantastic year for growing pumpkins!
Frances, I bought seeds for baby pumpkins this year, but I just have to convince Pete to let them into the garden – he’s very possessive of his beds and the thought of having them overrun with pumpkins isn’t making him happy.. ;-)
Hi Celia!
Sorry to hear about your fish and all the rain, after the drought the rain feels nice though, I suppose. We’ve had lots of rain this year as well, but we can use it as last year we had a drought! At least it stopped and we have nice weather now for making hay. Hopefully it’ll stay until we get the grain combined and off the fields.
The flowers are beautiful. I have a variety of peas that blooms the same as the purple one that’s in your garden. Mine is an heirloom Russian Sugar Pea, but I doubt that your’s is the same variety! Some of my neighbors also have purple blossomed peas, but I don’t know the variety. The blossoms are pretty though.
Have a great weekend!
Manuela, hope you have a great weekend too, and that the hay making goes well. Your Russian Sugar peas sound wonderful! We’re already eating the first peas of the season, and they have been like candy. I keep reminding Pete that we have to save some for seed – I think it’s too easy to scoff them all and end up with none for next year!
Our summer has been remarkably cool. I’m not complaining, I hate hot weather.
Maz, I’m glad you’ve had a mild one! Hope we’re in for one too.. :)
GORGEOUS blooms! I’m so envious of your sunshine! Melbourne is being typically grey. Those look like purple podded peas…or maybe golden podded peas? I’ve got pea flowers the same colour. Gorgeous. How lovely your peach blossom is!
Thanks Mrs Bok – the dwarf peach is so pretty, I just hope it fruits this year! :)
Oh, how beautiful, Celia. I adore magnolias in flower and pink blossom of any kind! How lucky you are to live in such a colourful neighbourhood.
Chris, thank you, it really is gorgeous around here at the moment!
So very pretty, thanks for sharing. Johannesburg is beginning to thaw, slowly, thank heavens!
Good to hear that, Cindy, hope the sun comes out for you today. :)
Such beautiful colours Celia. It really has been funny weather we have been having hasn’t it. I’m ready for more greenery in my little garden pots though…hopefully!
Brydie, I think spring might be here to stay.. :)
Hey, there are my stones at Aunty Celia’s house! Where’s Petey? (translated)
Small Girl, you’ll have to come over for more choc-lat soon.. :)