Ants marching suggest rain is coming

Rain, Rain – Go Away, or Stay?

This week we have had armies of black ants marching single file along the length of our verandah… Miss 4 was alarmed and interested as is often the case with inquisitive little people and I told her what I had been told when I was small. Today, I know it to be true from observations. The ants are a sign that rain is coming 🐜🐜🐜🌧🌧🌧

Many believe that a change in ants behaviour can indicate that the weather may also be changing. You may notice that ant mounds begin popping up all over your lawn, or that the mounds that were already there start getting bigger. You may simply observe the armies of ants running. Inevitably they are looking for clean, dry shelter, which sometimes means they come inside. They are searching for food, and water of course, and as they travel, they leave a scent along the path to ensure they will be able to find their way back to the nest once the sun has dried out all the rain. ☀️☀️☀️

 

The night blooming cactus in flower suggests rain is coming
Source; Bill Lane via ABC
Peruvian Apple cactus has some pretty impressive flowers
Source: Amazon

Similarly, a variety of cactus, found in Central Queensland but originally from Peru, has caught the attention of weather watchers and gardeners as it appears to have weather predicting abilities. It won’t replace the weather reporter anytime soon though, and has now been determined ‘a pest’ and ‘biosecurity risk’.

Earlier in the year, Bill Lane, from Emerald, a thriving rural service centre in the Central Highlands of Queensland, shared a picture of his cactus via social media which flowers before it rains. Well, obviously this sparked amazing interest from other gardeners who wanted to get a cutting of the plant, and see for themselves.

The ‘cereus uruguayanus’ is also known as Willow Cactus, night blooming cereus and the Peruvian Apple Cactus.

Dense crops of the Rain Cactus are throughout the Central Highlands of Queensland
Source: Central Highlands Regional Council
The night blooming cactus is said to predict rain when it flowers
Source: Amazon

But like other species of cactus with delicious fruit that birds enjoy, the thousands of seeds within are spread easily. Cactus are plants that are able to survive in the most arid conditions, where very little else can, so these tough little guys can pop up everywhere, and have been, causing farmers great difficulties. This plant can be devastating for farmers, and many are pleading for people to be mindful of the consequences of sharing this species around.

This particular species has been on the list of priority pests since 2015, and whilst they have had some success with stem injection, physically injecting each plant stem in dense crops proves time consuming.

The willow cactus is a priority pest
Source: Central Highlands Regional Council

This cactus, as pretty as it is, is something we should avoid. These clues from Mother Nature herself may help those (like me) who are struggling to know when to hang the washing out, and when to cut your losses and head straight to the laundromat 😉:

Frogs croaking in the evening suggests rain. The louder the frogs, the more rain. 🐸

Ants build the walls of their anthills steeper when rain is on the way.🐜

Spiders retreat from their webs when rain is imminent. 🕷🕸

Cats clean their ears when rain is coming. 🐈

If there is dew on the grass in the morning, there is unlikely to be rain that day. ⛅️

Cattle lie down in the field when a severe storm is on its way. 🐄

The scent of flowering plants is stronger when rain is coming 🌸

A Halo around the moon at night (caused by the refraction is ice crystals in the upper atmosphere) suggest rain is going to fall within 24 hours. 🌝 🌛

Fwf x

Featured image L Church on Flickr

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Meghan and Harry on tour in Australia 2018

The Royal Flower Tour

This week, Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle, arrived in Australia as part of their 18 day international tour; the first since they married in May. Add to that the fact that Kensington Palace also issued a statement just before they landed: “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.” The news that the Royal couple are expecting their first child together has of course only added to the excitement of them being here.

The trip is well timed, with the Invictus Games having kicked off in Sydney on October 20th. The couple will reportedly visit Dubbo, Sydney, Melbourne, Fraser Island, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand on this whirlwind trip. And while they take in the sights and fulfil their obligations on this tour, it seems as though Australian Flora is getting a free ride on this tour as well!

Matt De Groop with the huge outlet from nova 969
Via News.com
Meghan accepts huge bouquet
Via News.com

Newsreader Matt De Groot, from Nova 969 was just one person in one of the crowds holding flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The difference was however, his gorgeous bouquet was worth $500, and the sheer size of the bouquet alone caught Meghan’s eye. Made with a stunning mix of flowers including roses and apricot Phaleonopsis orchids, the bouquet was a gift from radio hosts Witzy and Wippa.

Royal protocol suggests giving smaller bouquets as they can be easily handed directly to the recipient. Many gorgeous bouquets have been given to Meghan during her stay, including a stunning array of Australian Natives. Fresh cut grevillea, wattle blooms, banksias, tea tree, Geraldton wax, everlasting paper daisies and eucalyptus have all featured, as well as bouquets of fresh cut flowers in golds and green. There have also been petite bunches of scented spring blooms like lily of the valley and garden roses.

Meghan gets fresh flower bouquets
Source: Getty/ Peter Parks via popsugar
Source: Getty/ Dan Himbrechts via pop sugar
Meghan and Harry accepting floral gifts
Source : Getty/ Karwai Tang

 

Meghan flower gifts
Source: Getty / Samir Hussein via popsugar

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I think it’s pretty obvious that both Harry and Meghan have captured Australia’s heart, and is it any wonder? So I can understand why so many people make the effort to get out there for their glimpse. I’ve made flowers for many famous people throughout my career but so far Royalty has eluded me….fingers crossed I get a chance one day! 😉

Fwf

 

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Expectation Inflation

Do you find that in today’s world that is saturated with perfect Instagram images, you are more easily disappointed by reality? I’m not talking about your life, and your self worth on this occasion (though we all know that can take a bit of a beating also). I’m talking about purchases that you may have made online, infatuated with a sensational snap, only to find that the reality doesn’t match up.

I’m calling this new negative phenomenon ‘expectation inflation’ and I believe it is REAL! I also believe it is something that our industry and many others need to address, in order to move positively into the future.

Social media has turned everyday images into glamorous photo shoots, where angles, props and scenery are as important as your product. But this has also led us up the garden path to believing that we can achieve perfection, and becoming disappointed when something is anything but.

Perfection really doesn’t exist, does it? Things are perfect in their imperfection, well, certainly in the flower world. There is nothing a florist likes better than a ‘mutant’. Often this adds only more interest to the bloom, and the arrangement as a whole….but understandably is not able to be replicated.

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The difficulty is, the more we post, the more we put out there, the more we show off what is possible and showcase our skills and talent, the more the expectation grows. The expectation of perfection also grows when we only display what we deem perfect….

Yes, it only takes a second to take a snap of an arrangement….but it doesn’t take that long to take the perfect picture does it? Nope. And how many pictures were taken in order to just post one?📸🎞⏲

As a business these days, social media is incredibly important. The quality of images increases your profile and in turn your business’s reach.

I love drooling over beautiful pictures as much as the next person, but I really feel that society’s expectations are rising exponentially fast. As florists we are working with an ever changing product, cut fresh, and the maturing and blooming. Each bloom or branch is unique, making small changes to each arrangement that you create. The colours will differ ever so slightly, the way the branch curves is individual. There is no cookie cutter when you are working with nature, and a creative heart.👩🏻‍🎨🌺🌿

Florist with Flowers always aim to deliver fresh, beautiful arrangements that fulfil our clients requirements, and yes, sometimes that means that substitutions are required. But being a small, local business, means we really value our community and the loyalty they show us, so we go above and beyond to deliver the freshest cut flowers and arrangements. Big business sometimes lose sight of this, and that is what I found with the evidence below. Thought you might enjoy some of these dismal florist fails, where the expection and reality just weren’t on the same level ❌💣🤦‍♀️

I too, would be very disappointed upon receipt of any of these arrangements.

Florist fail
Via Daily Mail UK
Florist failures
Via Bostons Floral (not their work)
Failure to deliver flowers as ordered
Via Cosmopolitan
Hilarious florist fail
Via Cheezburger

Fwf x

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Shelling peas

The Simple Things

I’m in the midst of school holidays, and if I’m really honest I looked forward to hiding myself away for a little while to write this very blog post just a touch toooo much. And it’s not because I don’t enjoy being with my kids….I certainly do. In fact this year my eldest started school and I miss her being around terribly. I do think however, that in an effort to give our children more, we give them less, and leave ourselves with nothing 🤔 So my quiet time tucked away working can be my salvation.

I started jotting down things they asked to do, or things I thought could be fun as the school term was coming to an end. Of course there is some expectation that we might see one movie, but they are pretty darn happy running through the sprinkler, or playing board games, or passing the time playing together and having conversations with each other (and me) about nothing and everything.

It’s true we all parent differently and we’ve all been parented differently, so sometimes the things we value and see as important, non negotiable or necessary are also very different.

Daisy chain
Gorgeous daisy chains via The Reluctant Migrant

If you think about the things you enjoyed most when you were growing up, what do you remember? I could bet that it wasn’t some elaborate play date – did they even exist as a ‘thing’ back then? Or full day excursions to a theme park or a play centre? I doubt it.

Our world was simpler, wasn’t it? Hours used to pass sitting and playing at the local park, which was nothing more than a swing set and a slide (probably metal 😂)…surrounded with plenty of wide open green space and trees. Endless possibilities.
We’d climb the trees of course, and swing and slide…and then we’d sit, picking out “lucky” four leafed clovers.
Only the other day I realised this was something I was yet to do with my children. We had discovered a new park full of clover and bees….LOTS of them. It was a welcome sight, and a brought with it a feeling of nostalgia.

We sat collecting the small white flowers and I demonstrated the way you could link them together. Slowly the girls copied and created crowns for their heads.

Lucky four leafed clover
Lucky one! Source; Wikipedia

So I guess this got me thinking about the simplest pleasures we can share with our children, that are inspired by nature’s plants and flowers.

Here’s my list of just some of the wonderful opportunities Mother Nature has gifted us with, that we may use to bond with, talk to and teach our children;

1. Daisy chains 🌼
2. “Lucky” Four leafed clover hunts ☘️☘️☘️🍀
3. Plucking petals from a flower head one by one…he loves me….he loves me not… until you are finally presented with the answer you desire. 🥀
4. Carefully picking Dandelions, and then blowing the seeds into the breeze, carrying with it all your hopes and dreams. 🌬
5. Collecting different coloured leaves 🍁
6. Collecting leaves from different trees- use them for ‘rubbings’, or paint on one side and make prints, or press them into clay to see the leaf’ structure. 👩🏻‍🎨
7. Shell peas fresh from the garden 👨‍🍳
8. Use white chrysanthemums stems placed in different food colourings to demonstrate the capillary network within the flower structure. 👨🏼‍🔬
9. Collect interesting flowers and sprigs to press. 🌾
10. Make a grass head 👨🏼‍🌾

a girl blowing on a dandelion done with a vintage retro instagram filter
a girl blowing on a dandelion. Source: Flower Meaning
Sage leaves pressed into clay for added texture
Sage leaves pressed into clay for added texture
Dying chrysanthemums with food colouring
Science experiment time with flowers and food colouring. Source: Laughing kids Learn

The beauty of all these activities is that children feel more connected to the world in which they live in, while you provide great opportunities for conversations and questions. Plus, things in nature just seem to take longer, so it helps develop patience. Spring is a beautiful time of the year to get out and enjoy the environment, with plenty of fresh flowers in bloom and great varieties of fresh cut flowers available in store to play with too! Teach them how to ‘arrange’ flowers by using a selection of our market fresh cut flower specials and a small glass bottle. It is easy to fill and will give them that feeling of achievement. Get them to help you water the garden; whether it is with a hose, watering can or old milk bottle, young ones love to be busy.

Fwf x

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