Mancathalon

My son is a member of a wolfpack.  It's a group of guys he grew up with and they are really close friends.  They even have matching t-shirts.  Here is a photo from one of the wolfpack members recent wedding.  

A nice group of guys. 

Some of these guys recently got together for the second annual mancathalon.  

One of the Mancathalon Scorekeepers

 I'd never heard of such a festivity but the participants spent the weekend competing in the following: 

Hot Dog Eating Contest

Beer Tasting - 12 Beers, Name That Beer

Go Cart Races

Horse Shoes

Guess the Song

Video Game Play-off

The Battle of the go carts

Final Rounds of the Competitions

So as I was thinking about the mancathalon and I was thinking how much fun it would be to have a Woman-athalon, Femalathon or a She-athalon.  What competitions could we hold?  The whole event got me thinking about a fun girl's weekend!!!

This week I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

Jumping weather…

The wind was whistling…

the temp was close to 100

what else to do but jump some bushes and walls

right?

well...so said child number 4...who happens to fear nothing and is preparing for a three day eventing show.

At a stunning barn here in Vero Beach

Sawgrass farms

where the horses are happy….ish I threw in the ish cause nessie aint looking so happy

You can literally eat off the beautiful brick floors

…if you so choose

A chatting room in the barn for discussing your course

evah so comfy!

A wash rack as good as any outdoor shower….yes please.

The money shot…yep.

What did you do while the wind was whistling?

Hoping you held onto your hats and stayed safe from Irene!

"We Love Aphids!"

I went to the seaside last week but never saw the sea - instead I went to Southport to the annual Southport Flower Show. I was in the company of a good friend, the forecasted heavy rain never materialised and there was much to see so all in all a perfect recipe for a grand day out. Whilst Southport is primarily a flower show there plenty of other non - horticultural attractions and displays. This year though as I was in the company of a  keen gardener I did not get to see any of them but I am not complaining.  Instead we spent the day permabulating at a gentle and leisurely pace, spending the morning in the busy but uncrowded floral marquee, halting only to sit down at noon to listen to a most thought provoking talk by Matthew Wilson, who managed to persuade his audience that they loved aphids! We even stood up at one point to chant "We love aphids!" in unison. Matthew's logic being that if there were no aphids that there would be no goodies such as ladybirds etc, etc. Then onwards again, making a few purchases as we went along before a late but well deserved lunch. Onto the show gardens before rounding up the day with a reccie of the marquee which housed the plant, garden and horticultural societies in addition to the splendid entries from amateur growers.

Above you can see part of the stand from Bluebell Cottage Gardens . The display was awarded a silver medail. Sue Beesley has described her show experience here on her blog, but I think she is being rather modest about her achievement. Not only did she put some most attractive planting together but I thought that she interpreted the show's theme of vintage most thoughtfully. Sue's stand along with the display from the Hardy Plant Society were amongst my highlights of the show.

Below glimpses of the Hardy Plant Society stand which won a gold medal and best in show ~

and finally some of the contents of the most perfect basket of vegetables you could possibly imagine ~

Now why don't mine look like that ?

P.S. For those of you who do not know Southport actually seeing the sea there seems to be a rare occurence - the tide is usually out so vast expanses of beach instead.

Stop Press - I have just noticed that 'Gardeners Question Time' was recorded last Friday at the show. The programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday 26th August at 3.00 pm and then again on Sunday 28th August at 2.00pm. Well worth a listen to.

Simply Scentsational

F IS FOR?

FRAGRANCE!
"Every two or three days though July and August the house has been refreshed with little pots and odd jars of sweet peas here and there on shelves, by stairs or bookcases, by doors. Their smell fades after a day or two but, of course, the more you cut the more they come, in this case the more you give away the more you get" ~ extract from 'Led By The Nose' by Jenny Joseph.

Well that was my flight of fancy back in February but it did not come to fruition this year. My sweet peas plants planted out in that dry April spell never flourished. So this year for the first times in years I am without one of my favourite flowers. However allotment friends have fared better than me and I have been invited to feel free to snip. This floriferous bunch is flooding my kitchen with their fabulous fragrance today. The fearful fencing installed by the council earlier this year, has provided the ideal framework for them to cling to and fare fantastically well.

Now with a fanfare here is a link to ABC Wednesday where you will find fun, fiction, fables and fantasy all featuring the letter F!

From Sunflowers to Moon Blooms

I planted sunflowers next to moon vine seeds so it's exciting to look out the window right now.  Morning or night there are beautiful blossoms.   The one mistake I made was planting the moon vine seeds so that they would climb on my Carolina Sapphires because the incredible fragrance of the cypress trees overpowers the lovely frangrance of the moon vine blooms.  

Have you ever seen a moon vine in bloom?   The flowers are so fragrant and the blooms are about six inches across.  As the sun begins to set if you are watching the vine, you can actually see the blooms open.  It happens in about 120 seconds!  

I'll stop carrying on about the flowers and let you see them for yourself.  In just a few minutes I'll be going out for a moon walk...just to enjoy the flowers.  

When it rains it pours….

…And when it pours

green stuff grows…

like crazy.

Crinum lily flower

Purple queen growing out oh it’s huge pot, shared with an adonidia palm…

Now a “hobbit entrance” you almost need to duck to get through the gate below.

geesch.

Jasmine vine intertwined with purple heart vine

foxtail asparagus fern…grew a few more tails this past few weeks

Pancake plant Kalanchoe reaching toward the sky.

Crazy bromeliad and orchid growing on an oak tree...notice anything strange??

not that I am complaining or anything…

The elusive blue ginger

Jathropa

Any one wanna help with a machete???

~And a HUGE thanks to the in house IT person who fixed the computer. He knows who he is!~

Take that retrograde!

Dayum you…Mercury.

So I was all set to post pretties and changes at the ole’ casa

After cleaning the contacts on my malfunctioning camera....and

Screeeeeeeech.

Computer upgrades itself, and I lose everything That I know.

Tears ensue.

They Don’t work.

Lost all photos, all faves and the ability to post photos.

Cry with me.

So…they say… Mercury is in retrograde until August 26th.

Get it together Mercury, Ya giant creep.

I’m pissed…

At 03:50 UT (Universal Time) Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turns retrograde at 1°12' Virgo in the sign of the Virgin, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! The retro period begins some days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until August 26, 2011, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac

sigh.