by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Hi Cuties, another beautiful day down here in Launceston.

We were picked up by our driver and fortunately we were the only ones on the mini bus, but when we arrived there were quite a few people. The staff of the Bridestowe Lavender farm made sure we were all socially distanced and hand sanitiser was to be found everywhere. Fortunately for me I bring my own, as some of them are so astringent they make my hands crack!

It was cooler today and slightly overcast, but still a lovely day of travelling and smelling the Lavender. I bought some lovely hand and body lotion and some bags of fresh lavender to place under your pillows. Ophelie has trouble sleeping, so I thought it would be good for her.

We're off to the Gorge again tomorrow morning for breakfast, so I'll take some pictures of the rare fir tree copse that I didn't get to do yesterday.

We are off to a beautiful restaurant for dinner tonight where the food is absolutely magnificent. I'll try to remember to take some pictures.

I couldn't photograph the acres and acres of Lavender
and do them justice, so I took a video, but of course, can't upload it to Cute. The smell was absolutely delicious, it's all French Lavender, so not as strong as the English Lavender.

1. An oak tree that is about 150 years old.
2. A bank of Hydrangeas, I'm so green, 'cause I can't get the beautiful blue like they do down here. The soil is very volcanic.
3. A massive Bumble bee on one of the Hydrangea florets.

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Comments (9)

by dailylaundry 13 Jan 2021

Absolutely beautiful!! I love hydrangeas! I do not have a green thumb - for some reason - my hydrangeas flourish in the Spring. It must have been a wonderful trip - the lavender had to have smelled lovely!! Thanks for sharing! Hugs, Laura

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Hi Laura, yes, the trip has been fantastic. Looking forward to seeing what Hobart has in stall for us. Love Chris

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by hightechgrammy 13 Jan 2021

These are sooo beautiful!!! I can't even imagine the fragrances! Thank you for sharing these.

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Jan, I do wish you could smell the Lavender it's just beautiful. Love Chris

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by pennyhal2 13 Jan 2021

Those photos really cheered me up and that bee was the frosting on the cake!

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Penny, yes, he was a huge one. I can't get over the size of the bumble bees down here. We just get ordinary bees at home in Newcastle. Love Chris

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by crafter2243 Moderator 13 Jan 2021

Gorgeous. My Hydrangeas look pitiful right now. Can't wait for them to bloom again. Continue to enjoy your visit.

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Angie, mine are in full bloom, so we are lucky to have them flowering, but they must love the climate down here as they are enormous. Love Chris

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by 02kar Moderator 13 Jan 2021

I'm so glad you are enjoying yourself and thankful you are sharing such beautiful pictures. I like to use lavender essential oil in my diffuser at night to help me sleep.

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Yes, that's a great idea for an infuser. Our Amy has one and I'm sure she has Lavender oil in amongst her essential oils. Love Chris

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by sdrise 13 Jan 2021

So beautiful I only wish they had smell a vision where I could take in the lovely Lavender aroma... I love Lavender! Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures!

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Suzanna, yes, I do too. The smell is so very subtle. Love Chris

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by dragonflyer 13 Jan 2021

Gorgeous, Chris... What a treat for you that you are able to travel and eat out! I love lavender and hydrangeas...I have both growing in both front yard and back yard... Enjoy your holiday!

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Kim, it's been a wonderful trip and tomorrow we are off to the Capital city of Tasmania - Hobart. They have amazing markets at Salamanca not far from our motel. Can't wait to visit. There are so many places of interest in Hobart.
I've got Pink Hydrangeas out in a little boxed area in my back garden and for years had Lavender out on the front garden bed, but they went woody looking, so I pulled them up. Love Chris

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by asterixsew Moderator 13 Jan 2021

Chris thanks for the pictures. Enjoy your holiday. I think many of us would love a holiday being in my third lockdown so I’m enjoying yours via your pictures. Fields of lavender are so fragrant. The hydrangeas are lovely, I have a small one in my garden. Different soils produce the colours. In my last garden I had two, I had grown them from cuttings from the same bush, they were on opposite sides of the garden, one flowered blue, a very vivid blue and the other a lovely red. Keep enjoying yourselves and we here will enjoy your pictures

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by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Hi Caroline, it's amazing how they have different colours and all in the same bush. Trevor bought me one a few years ago and it's pink! I don't have anything pink, don't even wear the colour, unless it's in a multi coloured top.
I think I need to add some acidity to my soil.

I just found this on the internet - "Generally speaking, acidic soil, with a pH lower than 6.0, yields blue or lavender-blue hydrangea blooms. Alkaline soil, with a pH above 7.0, promotes pinks and reds. With a pH between 6 and 7, the blooms turn purple or bluish-pink. To lower your pH, add garden sulphur or aluminium sulphate to your soil." Love Chris

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by toogie 13 Jan 2021

Love seeing all your photos and reading about your travels. The hydrangeas are gorgeous! I have one in the back but not as big as this one. I planted one on each end of my back porch. The one on the north end is the one that lived. I planted twice on the south end but no luck, just won’t grow there. I would have loved the lavender fields. Have fun for all of us and glad to know y’all are taking precautions.

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by toogie 13 Jan 2021

ps. I looked back after hitting submit. My big toe was the color of the hydrangea, blue purple, when I got in the tub. it is cold here!

by pennifold 13 Jan 2021

Thanks Toogie, I would love the cold. I'm a winter person, I'm not a fan of our summers here in Australia. Fortunately today it was cooler about 20C, the past few days have been in the high 20's, 30's.
I was just reading Sandie's post and she and her husband have got the Corona virus against all odds of being so careful. It's such an insidious disease.
As I'm writing this answer it's 9.10 Wednesday evening and it's raining outside our bedroom window. You can smell the rain, which I love. Love Chris

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