117

The Bougainvillea's are looking spectacular at present, a real summer flowerer - here are some of the lovely colours I've seen around my neighbourhood whilst doing my morning walks. Reading up on them, I see where the plant was named after a French explorer, scientist, Louis Antoine de Bougianville and the plant is originally from South America.
I remember when everyone used to have a Bougainvillea growing around the tank stand at the back of the house, or at the side ... now when you go driving you will see a large bougainvillea in the middle of a paddock & you know that was where the old farm house used to be ... sometimes the old tank stand is still standing minus the tank & it is totally covered by the plant. They do have dreadfully sharp thorns on them & one must be very careful with the disposal of the trimmed branches as I really don't think the thorns ever disintegrate - they will even penetrate right through your rubber thongs & if the tip should break-off in your foot it will fester for sure so no wonder they are left to do their own thing. These days they have bred them down to a pot-plant size plant[dwarf] but the flowers/leaves are still the same size as the mother plant & I think they are called bougainvillea bambinos & they come in all the lovely colours but I can't find if they still have thorns...
Thankful... for having eye-sight to see such beauty...

My Mum ...

I've shown this piece of Canvas Art before, it is only a 5" X 7" canvas, showing Mum in the heart [taken 50years ago at my sister's wedding], Mum and her children at her 90th Birthday and Mum with us when we were much younger and the top is Mum & Dad when they got engaged around 1934, I guess. I made it for my Mum's 91st birthday back in June. Poor Mum had a bad fall back in July where she broke her arm at the shoulder joint and then another mishap a week later and gashed her leg open very badly.


I've had my Mum staying with me for the last month while she is recovering. What a trouper she is - here she is walking around the paths in our garden - arm still in sling - leg still not healed, using her wooden leg [walking stick] but there she goes doing her exercise ... puts me to shame, still doing walking exercises in her 90's ... One of our daughters, who lives in New Zealand, and is over on holidays calls her the Exercise Queen and that she is. Mum says there is nothing like being in the out of doors getting some fresh air and sunshine to brighten ones spirits.... Go Mum this could be the answer to a good long life... We took her to the doctors yesterday and she got a good report - no more sling, arm is nearly all healed now just to get the wound healed on her leg and she hopes to go back to her own home where she has been living independently until this happen but until such times we will take it in turns to care for her ... so if your having a bad day get out there and go for a walk in the out of doors, your local park or even your local shopping centre - it's sure to put you in a much better frame of mind...
Care for our Mental Health as well.