Black flowers, Pets, and Pottery.

G'Day,
Is it really 7 days since I have written in here? I am slipping aren't I.
I might write about my flowers tonight. Well Um!
I have been trying out different flowers for quite a while, trying to find something that has black in it's name and actually has a black flower. The poor straggly gladioli in the above picture is called black stallion. You can see how black it is. Most of the things I know of, that are said to have black flowers are darker shades of red or purple. I tried hellebore's, roses, gladiolus, and a black scabiosa or pincushion. I have seen black tulips that came close. I like Tulips when they flower but I reckon otherwise they are the biggest rip off out. You get one flower from one expensive bulb that might last a few days if you are lucky and it doesn't get too hot, then it is gone for another year. There is also a pittosporum that has tiny black/purple flowers on it with a yellow spot in the throat, I used to have one but it has gone to heaven now.
This is the first flower on one of the day lilies that I got at the Melbourne flower show. Pretty isn't it? I can't remember its proper name, lost the tag.
This is my acanthus in flower beside the cocky cage. Also known as oyster plant and bear's breeches. It is a pretty thing but it doesn't like the heat of summer so I cut it back then. It is at it's best in winter. I got it years ago at the Anglican church fete.
Here are Rufus and the kitten that we got for Michael (Annie's boyfriend) for Christmas. Annie named him cheese burger. Where does she think up these names from? He made friends with Rufus easily but our cat Boo wasn't going to put up with an intruder in her house and was very unhappy for the few days that we looked after the kitty. The wool you can see on the rug is from Rufus's tug of war toy. He had great fun shredding it. Cheese burger now rules Michael's house and terrorises his house mates.
This is a pic of the weird succulent thingy in flower at the side of the house. I don't think I have seen it flower so well in all the years I have had it. Why is it that you can water all you like but a few showers of rain can make a plant do what you have been struggling to do for ages and make it thrive. I don't know how to flip the picture around.
This is the black scabiosa or pincushion. It is the closest I've come to having a black flower. The bottom of the flower head is like black velvet, and tiny dark purple flowers come out of that. I love it, there is some measure of success here! The pot it is sitting in I made years ago, as a plant surround and is one of my favourites, it is about 60 cm tall. I filled it up with soil and the pincushion seems to like it. It has no bottom in it. It was made by rolling a large terracotta slab and decorating it with ball clay which gives a crackly pattern when stretched, then drawn on and bits of glass poked into it that melted down the sides. I remember writing a little poem for the pot when I made it. "Earth's Garden, Ancient, Trailed and Scarred, With Love and Water Blooms." I liked it anyway.
I spent most of today in my shed making a large flower pot. I used white stoneware clay and painted it with a slip made from frit, ball clay, manganese and red iron oxide in it, then cut into the slip to expose the white clay underneath. If it survives the drying and once firing it should look good. I retreated to my shed because I was sad. I had a fight with second son David yesterday. We went in to Wagga to have Annie's braces finally removed and had to go back later in the afternoon for the second appointment and had a few spare hours to kill. I decided to go up to David's place, and do some gardening. Mum always complains about the garden and that Dave isn't looking after it enough. Anyway he came home and went crook on me because he thought the fact that I had turned up to do the garden was an insult to him. We argued. As usual I bore the brunt of his anger. I left. Who wants to be a mother! I don't think I want to any more. It is too hard and I'm not good at it!
Back to work tomorrow for 4 days, after 2 days off, with a 6.30 start.
Tomorrow night I have a christmas party to go to for the stained glass group, I have to take something green (salad) . On saturday night it is the hospital christmas party, I have to take nibblies, and next wednesday is the hotel services department christmas party and I have to get looked after by the restuarant proprieters. Sounds Good. I went out for lunch yesterday with Edie and Kath, my 2 favourite potter friends, for christmas.
Next year Pete and I are thinking about moving to Canberra. Better employment opportunities, services and facilities, better mental health help for my son Michael, and better pottery for me. I am still changing my mind each day. One day liking the idea, the next day being scared of change and leaving what I have behind, starting out with a new group of people etc, which is not easy for me. I think Canberra is winning at the moment though. I have already started trying to de-clutter some of my cupboards in anticipation.
O.K. enough for tonight, I am going to get a cuppa and go to bed early. Goodnight.