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After all the excitement has gone, there's been quite a lull. It's quiet...maybe too quiet. But I'm sitting here looking out of my window watching the branches of my tipu tree waving with the wind and I'm content. This is the way it is with us in the afternoon...I can hear Allan in his office delegating over the phone. Aidan is playing in the family room and I can hear him singing a lullaby ("Go to sleep and good night, go to sleep little sheep"). I'm taking a bit of respite from cooking and cleaning. I so enjoy my everyday life.

One of the things I'm happy about is watching my plants grow. Here are some pictures from my garden...

I bought this hibiscus without knowing what the flower would look like. I was elated when I saw this first bloom! It's coral and it's a double! The flower is so heavy that it's little stem can't even hold it up.

I thought this was a jasmine called Belle of India elongata, but I'm not sure what it is after all. But I love it, especially it's scent, and it's the only one I have. I will cry if I kill this one.

My only surviving zephyr lily out of three that I bought. I'm amazed that it flowered since I thought this flowered in the wintertime. I had one other in my backyard that was pulled out (likely mistaken for grass) when the trees were being planted. I was so disappointed when I saw all the little lily bulbs scattered about but I'm seeing a few survivors. A blade here, a blade there...