Basketball and more pizzas 7 & 8 September 2013

Spring is certainly in the air with the gazanias bright and cheery out the front, and some fruit blossoms in the garden.  It's also back to sunny weather and blue skies.

Cheery gazanias

gazanias and some type of wattle

euphorbias

fruit blossoms

looking quite nice

I also found some grape hyacinths that had managed to survive Gordon's lawn mowing.  I subsequently transplanted them to an actual flower bed

grape hyacinths

As you can see, it's still nice and green

plum tree and well

So of course I had to finish the weeding out the front

me - taking a break from weeding

Justin inspecting the flowers

And Justin & A did some whipper-snippering around the yuccas and other trees etc.  J had got a new petrol whipper snipper as the electric one didn't cut the mustard for the country.

setting up the petrol whipper snipper

whipper-snippering

I was pleased to see that some of the raspberry cuttings that I had planted had taken off

raspberry cane cuttings

And the rocket in the vegie patch was certainly going to seed - although we ate some on the top of our gourmet pizzas

me and rocket

Brian from up the road came and trimmed the front palm again - he uses the fronds for his parrots.

Brian trimming the palm #1

Brian trimming the palm #2

I also planted some geranium cuttings which Cheryl had given me.  Hopefully they'll survive

geranium cuttings

We weren't just in the garden, we played a bit of basketball too.  Although finding an actual basketball court proved elusive; we ended up playing on a netball court

Unfortunately, I was dressed for gardening, complete with steel capped boots, which are not the best for basketball.  That coupled with a warm sun, soon saw me on the bench for a breather

And I wasn't the only one...

Now, getting the kids out for some exercise is good, having them play basketball inside is less so....Fraser was enjoying playing with the basketball, and so continued with it in the back hallway, which wasn't a good idea.  Justin caught him and told him 3 times not to use it inside.  Pity he didn't tell him 4 times, or that Fraser took no notice.  As he knocked the light shade off its cotton wiring.  He protested it was an accident, we maintained that it wasn't....given the prior instructions

this is the light shade that was knocked off

this is what was left

Obviously we weren't happy, as we have few enough electric lights as it is.  I've called up the electrician to come and fix it, and to also see if he can install the brass light fitting that Justin's Dad gave us for the front hall, and even to see about re-wiring the crappy light fitting in the other front downstairs room

front hallway light fitting - which will hopefully be fitted

bare bulb in front hallway

It was also a very social weekend, as I chanced upon lots of Inglewood people - of course, Denise, Steven and David.  James the butcher and Brian doing some metal work out the front of Jame's shop.  Ros, Grant, & Mark all at the IGA.  I invited Jill Mc from Passing Clouds to come and have afternoon tea, and we enjoyed my Anzac biscuits which I'd made here last time. I saw Jan at the Inglewood Emporium who informed me that the curry night was on, and Damien dropped by also to give me more details as he & Nicole, and Justin & I were doing the cooking for this gala night! Now we just have to decide whats on the menu, and work out the logistics of cooking fro about 40 people!

Of course cooking for 6 is infinitely easier, and dinner on Saturday night was pizzas again, I made 6 this time - and they all pretty much went.  Hungry hordes!  And Justin of course played guitar after dinner

And we even got the kids to wash up...with a few high jinks and high kicks thrown in

karate kid #1?

karate kid #2?

karate kid #3?

man about town with a tea towel scarf 

getting down to business

blurry photo bomb?

got rid  of him

I think Basil gets the last word, quietly surveying the surrounds.  At one stage the kids were frantically trying to find him, we now assume that he must have been behind the curtain up there

good view

close up of good view