Golf and sunsets at Lady Bay #LinksLadyBay #Golf #Sunsets #LadyBay

Our view of a spectacular sunset at Lady Bay

A magic part of South Australia is the Fleurieu Peninsula and in particular the beaches at Normanville, Carrickalinga, Second Valley and Lady Bay.  Every year we try to spend the week between Christmas and New Year at Links Lady Bay, golfing, swimming, barbecuing and sipping great South Australian wine. Indeed there are a few good wineries in the area, expanding the reach beyond the McLaren Vale winery region just up the road.  In a future post I'll show you around Allusion Winery.  They make a great shiraz.

Wide sandy beaches, parts of which you are permitted to drive your car on, park and camp out on the beach to fish, swim, snorkel, scuber-dive or canoe... without having to cart everything from a car park.  How good is that?

The golf course is a traditional links course designed by Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spence and loosely modelled on St Andrews in Scotland.  According to the Links Lady Bay golf website it is currently ranked 52 in the top 100 golf courses in Australia.  It is easily the best regional course in South Australia.

The driving range overlooks farm land and ocean.

Between some of the fairways are large tracks of land, home-base to many dozens of kangaroos.

Just over a year ago the golf course was bought by Chinese businessman Feng Di, Chairman of Golden Horse Nine Dragon Lake Holdings, the owners of Links Hope Island and Noosa Springs Golf Courses in Queensland and 54 hole Dragon Lake Golf Resort in Guangzhou, China.

The course has improved dramatically under Chinese ownership.  The company has already spent over $1 million upgrading the course, especially its irrigation systems and water regime.  This part of the Fleurieu Peninsula has enormous potential but it is significantly under-developed and in desperate need of investment.  I hope they buy the resort, hotel and land - it would be great for the local economy, employment and the amenities in the area.  Let's hope! (no pun intended)

The fairways have never looked better.

And of course the sunsets in this part of the world are always magnificent.

The sky changes every few minutes and no two nights are the same.

How lucky are we to have this magnificent strip of coast on our doorstep.

A hot Australian Christmas #Christmas #garden time

Modest attempt at Christmas decoration, not to mention modest presents.

Now our child is all grown up (mostly), I find it hard getting into all the decoration thing at Christmas.   It feels a bit wasted.  Or maybe I feel a bit wasted.  It is 38 degrees (100F) and I've just finished playing 18 holes of golf and made a dash for a plunge in the pool before finishing off this post.

I will make up the table with bon bons tomorrow but that's about it. The Christmas grinch?

It seems a bit odd seeing reindeer decorations and Father Christmas rugged up when we are baking in the high 30s and early 40s heat.  I also find it exceedingly odd to walk into a store that is playing carols referencing a "white christmas".  While somewhat cheesey, I think Bucko and Champs have the idea for an Australian Christmas tune, referencing the pool, rusty holden utes and kangaroos. You must listen to it.  Bucko and Champs nail it. So Aussie.

The drooping red-bow tied around the plane trees in the high street just don't seem to cut it.

Poinsettias herald Christmas in Australia

Given we aren't knee deep in snow, for me Christmas means sprucing up the garden. Not that I have much room to garden nor am I very competent at keeping plants alive.  However, always optimistic, a couple of days ago I was off to my favourite nursery, The Conservatory.

Let's hope the mint does better in this hanging basket, despite the 39 degrees.  If anything I tend to overwater and kill plants with kindness.  I've already killed a fuschia and impatients in this basket through overwatering.  When it's stinking hot and plants visibly wilt I just have to water!  How can I not?

I bought this beautiful gardenia recently and already the leaves have started turning yellow. I've given the plant some gardenia fertiliser and tried not to over water, so fingers crossed.  I've been told you just need to lift the pot to check how heavy it is to determine whether or not to water.  Try lifting that baby.  I don't think so. Instead, I  use a combination of my finger and a moisture metre probe (other than my finger), although I've been told by experts that you can't trust the metal probes.

I've got a tricky area down one side of the house that only gets about 2 hours of sunshine a day.  I've tried mandevilla plants but they got too wet and died, even without watering!  I planted clematis a few weeks ago but already they are yellowing. I've sprayed them with a recommended fungicide spray  but it's not looking good.

This lemon tree on the terrace lost about half its leaves in the first two weeks in my care. I've tried to not over-water but perhaps I'm under watering? I re-potted it and the soil around the edge tends to stay damp while the root ball dries out.  It is a juggle.  It also gets very windy up on the terrace, so perhaps that is a factor?

I've tried planting some herbs and flowers around the edge to soak up some moisture. I'll let you know how it goes.

One plant that is positively thriving is the olive tree.  Nothing I do or don't do to it interferes with its rampant growth.  Perhaps I should just plant out olives everywhere?

For a bit of colour, I have planted some vinca or my preferred name for them, Madagascar periwinkles, below the olive tree... so we will see if it still thrives!

As for my bay tree, oh dear.  The heat of the sun is scorching the leaves.  Maybe I should put it in the shade?

However, the kaffir lime tree that I am espaliering is doing well.  And more of those great sounding Madagascar periwinkles. I've just planted them so I can tell people what they are.

I digress to tell you of these great outdoor cushions I had made-up by Living Vogue Furniture. They are made from marine-grade material and are completely water-proof. They have zippers so that you can remove the covers and throw them in the washing machine. Love them.

Something I am proud of is the magnolia tree.  When we returned from living in Brisbane earlier this year, there were exactly 23 leaves left on this tree. I have fertilised, watered and used wetting agents. I have brought it back to health!  Amazing. It hasn't flowered this year but that is understandable given the stress it must have been under.  There's always next year for those big creamy flowers.

Now I'm back to the pool to cool off.

Merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year where-ever you may be.  I hope 2016 brings you peace, contentment and happiness.

Endless Pleasure Exhibition - The Art of Gardens and Gardening #CarrickHill

Artist Dee Jones captures a northern aspect of the Carrick Hill garden

Following on from the post on Carrick Hill, the house; here is a glimpse of the "Endless Pleasures Exhibition - The art of gardens and gardening."

The exhibition attempts to trace various aspects of Australian gardening through-out the past two hundred years or so. 

A garden party at Government House around 1889

The exhibition uses garden guides, gardening tools, implements, arts and crafts, furniture and ornaments to  display Australian gardening styles and methods over time.

Cubby house features a miniature display.

The exhibition runs through to 31st January 2016.

The Carrick Hill Gardens showcase interesting garden design as well as various sculptures and artistic flourishes.

via

Noted South Australian gardener Trevor Nottle's book accompanies the exhibition and is available for purchase at the gift shop.

You might also like to stay for lunch or afternoon tea at the Carrick Hill Cafe. 

And for the kids there is a themed Children's Storybook Trail covering a half kilometre of the gardens.