I HAVE WEEDS !!!

I once heard someone say that a Weed is just a plant growing where it's not wanted.

Poor dears!!!

A walk around our Church Block & down the lane next to us on a beautiful sunny November day inspired me to find out whether the flowers I saw were Weeds or Flowers?

These beautiful yellow daisies grow as lawn all over the Northern side of the church.

 They are called Capeweed. 

Their botanical name is Arctotheca Calendula.

I absolutely love them but sadly I found out... They are a weed.

Just about everyone knows this as Paterson's Curse or Salvation Jane.  

It's botanical name is Echium Plantagineum. 

It may have pretty flowers & bees adore it, but it's definitely a Weed.

Here is a Mexican Poppy, officially known as Argemone Mexicana...unfortunately a Weed.

Rose Vervain, botanically known as Glandularia Canadensis...another weed.

I love the little purple flowers!

Orange Gazania.... some would say Weed but I'd say Flower.

Purple Poppy  ...getting ready to flower.
Soon it will have the most gorgeous light mauve flower with a darker centre.

Another Purple Poppy ready to flower, shame I wasn't there to photograph it. 

Maybe Next time!  

Botanically known as Papaver Somniferum... it's used as a medicinal herb.

A Pink Oleander Tree

Botanically known as Pink Oleander Nerium, a lovely tree but the sap is poisonous.

In the lane next to our Church I found a vine growing.

It is the most gorgeous vine covering the corrugated iron fence.  

  Commonly known as Honeysuckle or Japanese Honeysuckle, it's botanical name is Lonicera Japonica.

It has the most fragrant flowers ever!

The flowers are yellow & white.

 I'm looking forward to taking a cutting & having this grow in my own yard.

I'll class this as a Flower as it's far too beautiful to be a weed!

Grevillea ...probably the well known type of 'Robyn Gordon'.

Birds adore this.... so the status is definitely Flower!!!

This is Grevillea Robusta. 

One of the most beautiful trees I've seen when it flowers.

Birds love it....status is FLOWER!!!

Last but not least my beautiful Prunus Persica. 

Commonly known as a Peach Tree...aren't the flowers stunning!

I bet the fruit will be even better!!!

Our New Friend

We have a New Friend. 

He doesn't say much. He's very cute. He's very shy. He's  very green. He's very small. 

He eats bugs.

Our New Friend

He is an Australian Green Tree Frog,  his species name is Litoria Caerulea...fancy that!

Our Frog Friend

I found him on the front step of the Church, directly underneath the light.

He wasn't bothered by my presence, he was too busy waiting for a bug to show up so he could have it for dinner!

Our friend the Australian Green Tree Frog  (Litoria Caerulea)

He can grow up to 10 centimetres (4 inches)  and live up to 16 years in captivity !!!! WOW!

His type were first described here in Australia in 1790 & it is known that Sir Joseph Banks had a specimen in his collection.

Our Friend the Australian Green Tree Frog

Here he is on the wall of our Church, he has a bug in his sights !

Our friend The Australian Green Tree Frog

His dinner consisted of one Grasshopper. I left him there to digest his meal & when I came out again a few hours later, he was nowhere to be seen.

Hopefully he'll show up again sometime soon.... it will be nice to say hello to him again!

A COUNTRY SUNSET

In January,  when the weather was hot, I got a glimpse of some of the amazing sunsets that happen here in country NSW.

Here's one of them.........

Look at the reflection of light in the Church windows.

The sunset lent a glow to everything, 

even making the brickwork of the Church look redder than it really is.

How's this for a beautiful sky!!!

Or this?

Or this?  I love this one....

But I think the thing I love the most.... is the cross on top of our Church!

A COUNTRY STORM

I am always amazed at the colour of the sky here in the country. 

We've had two spectacular occurances whilst staying at the Church.

A storm brewing & a beautiful sunset. 

I felt obliged to take a couple of photos of both of them....now I'm glad I did.

There was a storm brewing in November 2010

My attention was caught by the lack of light inside the Church.

All the windows seemed to be glowing.

The whole Church was enveloped in the most beautiful yellow hue.

So I decided to go have a look outside

& this is what I saw.....

An amazing yellow sky !

The VESTRY ROOMS.

A Vestry Room is classed as a room where the Clergy put on their vestments 

& store their sacred vessels & records.

Our St Andrew's Presbyterian Church has two Vestry Rooms..
one on either side of the Chancel & Pulpit

The Rooms are joined by a raised floor of two steps..
which will be kept.

This Vestry Room on the southern side was used by the Children for Sunday School .

For now it's used as our bedroom.... 

only until the Renovation takes place.

It has a great view of the main hall, right through to the Vestibule,

with both Vestry Rooms having the same square windows made of gold lead light glass.

View to the Vestry room on the northern side,

which has a small kitchen installed,

with a cupboard & sink behind the door.

The shelf above could possibly be the bookcase that held the prayer books 

so we've taken it down & intend on fixing it to the wall in the vestibule.

There is a Nectre Baker's Oven which is a wood fire & Baker's Oven in one.

It is amazing to cook on, I love it.

The arched wooden Kitchen door which opens to the northern side of the Church, 

where the breezes come from,

so we put up a temporary fly screen which means we can leave the door open.

Both Vestry Rooms have the old bakelite light switches,

and the old style door knobs & fittings.

These will all be kept.

We put a few cube bookcases into the northern Vestry room 

to made it more of a kitchen,

 & my husband thinks there's nothing quite like sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter's day!