Hello Smiley Face!
I planted sunflower seeds about a month ago and my first sunflower bloomed this week.
To get an idea of the size of it, you’ll see a black smudge just above it slightly to the left – that’s a bee.
Here’s a close-up for those who can’t see it
I’m taking a blogging break for the holidays and wish you all a happy, safe and loving season.
I also want to take this opportunity to give a big shout out to all of you who have read my books this year and written reviews. It takes a lot of energy to read and review a book and each review is very much appreciated.
Stay safe, have fun and I’ll see you all in 2015!
Love the sunflower. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your break and the holidays!
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Thank you. The sunflower is enormous and it’s head is now starting to droop. I might need to stake it 😉
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Love it! Have a wonderful break full of friends, family, and fab festive fun.
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You too, my friend! (but I’ll still be checking out your funnies) 😉
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What a great thing, to see a fresh faced sunflower from here, in the depths of winter.
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I’ve never grown them before and now I’ve got a tribe of them – they’re absolutely beautiful 🙂
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You cannot help but smile when you see a sunflower.
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Have a great holiday, Dianne and that is a monster flower!
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I love the monster flower, John and am glad you do too. Have a wonderful Christmas 😀
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Great pic! Have a happy and safe Holiday and New Years. See you next year! xxx
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You too, Jackie. Loads of hugs and love coming your way from me xxxxx
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That sunflower is exactly what I needed to see in my gray December. (Ohio is gorgeous in the fall, not so much in the winter…) Lovely! Happy Holidays to you, too!
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The sunflower is a freak and it puts a smile on my face every time I see it. Have a wonderful time with family and friends and a safe and happy new year xxxx
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Happy Christmas Dianne and a wonderful New Year. The Sunflower is magnificent.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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I just love your hugs, David 😀
Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you too, my friend xxxx
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Same to you! Enjoy the break and the holidays.
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Thank you and I wish you the very best for this silly season, Fen. Stay safe and enjoy xxx
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Gorgeous Dianne. Love a sunflower. Happy holiday season to you, all best for 2015. xx
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Happy holiday season to you too, Jenny! Stay safe and relax xxxx
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Gorgeous sunflower. Tiny wittle bee 😀 enjoy your break, well deserved. Wishing you your family and ‘mum’ a very special Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2015. Hugs 💙😘😘
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Awww thanks, Jen. You’re such a lovely soul xxx
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Ah PFFT 😀 take care and enjoy 🎄🎅🎁🎁🎄🎅
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I know everything is bigger and better in sunny Queensland but that sunflower is spectacular.
We’re taking a break too, and as we’ll be at TA it will also be a blogging break… no internet coverage.
Wishing you and yours all the best for happy holidays and good weather 🙂
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You too, my dear. Have a wonderful time at TA and ‘check the serenity’ 😀
Looking forward to e-catching up next year 😉
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Merry merry to you Diane!
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Thank you! – have a lovely time with the family and friends 😀
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That is a massive flower. That may be the biggest I’ve ever seen.
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HUGE. I smile every time I see it, Jacqui 😀
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Have a great christmas break Dianne! See you around in 2015
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Thank you! Stay safe and keep up the great work with all your reviews xxxx
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Wow Dianne that sunflower is magnificent. It is a tribute to your hot. rainy, tropical climate, and your tender care. I have carefully nurtured a packet of sunflower seeds from birth to all of 3inches in about a month. 😦 I urge them on each morning. I will tell them about yours and try to shame them into faster growth. Have a lovely holiday and I look forward to “seeing” you in 2015
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I’ll be wishing your sunflowers a burst of growth before Christmas! This is the first time I’ve grown them and they are doing much better than I thought they would 😀
Have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year 😉
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After all the rain and HOT weather they are now racing ahead. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to you too Dianne
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Have a good one Dianne… may all you wish yourself come true…
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Oh, that would be lovely, Rob 😀
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Have fun. Old slow poke me is still reading!!!!
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Enjoy 😀 Have a wonderful Christmas xxxx
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What a huge and beautiful sunflower! A very smiley face indeed. Happy holidays to you and your family, Dianne. See you next year. xx 🙂
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You too, Sylvia. Take care and have fun with the family 😀
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We won’t be with family this year, but friends will do nicely. 🙂
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Lovely sunflower Dianne! I thoroughly enjoyed Souls Child and will write a review on it presently.
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That’s so nice of you. I really appreciate every review 🙂
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I love the sunflower! Maybe I’ll try to plant some in the spring 🙂 I hope your holidays are enjoyable and relaxing!
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You too, Janna! Have a lovely time, stay safe and enjoy xxxx
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That sunflower is gigantic! Love it! Happy Holidays to you, Dianne. Enjoy your time off. 🙂
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Thank you my sweet! Have a great time and enjoy! xxxx
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I love sunflowers! They seem like they’re smiling. Beautiful, Dianne!
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They just seem so happy, Jill. Every time I walk outside and see them I just want to smile! 😀
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No sadder sight in late summer than the last couple of sunflowers in a field refusing to die and bravely still turning their faces to the sun. Happy holidays to you and your family Dianne!
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Thank you, Roy. Have a lovely Christmas and safe and happy new year, my friend xxxx
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That’s amazing and I love how you captured a bee there! It makes me smile to think the creatures are alive and well and buzzing around there. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
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There were a lot of bees that day and I’m really glad I managed to capture one in that shot. I didn’t realise until after I’d taken it. Take care and have a wonderful Christmas, Sheila xxxx
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Enjoy the holidays, Dianne!
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Thank you, JM 😀
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Wishing you a very Merry Christmas Dianne and a New Year filled with love, laughter and happiness ❤ ps. love sunflowers we always had a few in our garden in Africa – they always make me smile 🙂
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That’s lovely, Yolanda. This is the first time I’ve grown them and I’m so glad I did. They really lift the spirits. You have a wonderful Christmas as well and a safe and happy New Year xxxx
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have a nice break D – and this coming year I plan to read at least one of your books – 🙂 it is going on my 2015 list and I look forward to it.
Happy Holidays and your gigantic sunflower is wonderful. 🙂
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I really hope you enjoy reading one of my books – I’m very flattered you’ve got that on your list for 2015 😀 Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday and a safe and happy New Year xxxx
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Hope you have a great holiday too
and some extra emots:
💞✌🎄🎍⛄❄💫
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Dianne My all time favourite things, a Bee and a Sunflower. It does not get any more gorgeous than that. Happy Christmas and enjoy the warmer weather up there. I will definitely be reading more of your books next year.
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I didn’t realise the bee was there until after I’d taken the shot, Kath – what a bonus! 😀
Have a wonderful Christmas with the family and I love the fact that you’ll be reading more of my books, you’ve made my day xxxx
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Our thoughts have been with our Australian sisters and brothers this past week – I like the sunflower image and would wish that renewing for you, your family and your nation as the New Year begins.
Our love to you all – Slow and Pretty and the Pack at Casa de Canterbury
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What a lovely group you are at Casa de Canterbury 🙂 I wanted to write something a little upbeat after the week we’ve all had here in Australia xxx
Have a wonderful holiday and a safe and happy New Year, my dear friends xxxxx
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Absolutely beautiful! So huge!!
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Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2015. I look forward to reading more of your posts next year Dianne.
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Thank you so much. I’m hoping next year is a little brighter for everyone (and the sunflower is a great sign for that!) 😀
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One of my favorite flowers…from one of my favorite people…happy and joyous holidays to you Dianne!
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Awww – thank you so much, Bonnie! Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year 😀
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Oh my goodness that is a HUGE flower! Merry Christmas!!
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Merry Christmas to you too, my friend! 😀
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I bet that means you’re about to become productive! Another book in the offing 🙂 Have a great Christmas, Dianne, and my very best wishes for 2015.
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Thank you, Jo! You have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year xxxx
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Wow. That’s incredible. The principal of my son’s school is also a farmer. He brought in one of his sunflowers that was over eight feet tall! Merry Christmas!
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Those sunflowers can grow really big! They’re amazing 😀 Merry Christmas to you too, Kate 😀
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Did I read that right? You just planted the seed a month ago?! Oh my! How amazing is that?
Enjoy your break and I wish you and your family health, peace, love and joy. :))
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I picked it yesterday and got all the seeds out so it’s now time to replant (although I may just eat some because they’re very yummy!) 😀
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Wow – it’s ginormous! My favourite flower of all. Happy Festive Season, Dianne. 🌻🌻🌻
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I’ve got all it’s seeds now and they’re huge. I’ll replant soon 😀 Happy New Year! xxxxx
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Happy holidays! That sunflower is huge! How does it not collapse under its own weight??
❤
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It did collapse – the head began to droop so I picked it and got all the seeds out yesterday. Now I’ll replant them 😀
Have a wonderful New Year, Mia! xxxxx
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Hoping 2015 is as cheery and bright as that sunflower! Happy New Year!
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Thank you so much, Renee! Happy New Year to you too, my friend xxxxx
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Wow that is one giant sunflower! Hope you had a great holiday. 🙂
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I did have a lovely holiday, Kourtney. Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year, my friend! xxxx
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What a treat to see, while we are in the midst of freezing cold!
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It’s amazing how the temperatures can be so different across the miles xxx
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Just Beautiful!
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Awww – thank you 😉
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I love sunflowers. I planted them in our backyard one year. At the end of the season, I brought a huge one into the house to harvest the seeds. I was completely horrified and freaked out by the number creeps to come out of that flower – earwigs, ants, spiders, worms … it was like something out of a sci-fi movie.
See you when you get back!!
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I have this thing with sunflowers where it takes me back to my childhood, to a murky association that I THINK is good. So, I like sunflowers even though they aren’t amazingly gorgeous to me. I don’t like yellow much but I find sunflowers beautiful because of what they mean to me.
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Come back to your blog!
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Be back soon, Luanne! 😀
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I think that’s the biggest sunflower I’ve ever seen! How lovely, to plant and see what you have sown. Like this blog – come on back!!! 🙂
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I’ll be back soon, my dear! I miss you and thanks so much for dropping by 😀
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Just touching base with you Dianne, I’ve been think of you and your sturdy RUC, hope the floods and storms have not caused you any damage. We’re all battened down for a severe weather occasion due to hit tomorrow. Oh well I guess that is Australia
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That’s so nice of you to ask about me! We did have some minor flooding last weekend, but the RUC is very high so we were all good. The creek is fantastic and flowing very swiftly! I hope you’re safe and battened down for Marcia. My son is a fireman in NT so he’s on alert at the moment as well. I find cyclones very scary and I’ll be thinking of you xxxx
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Pleased you are ok, we are not too bad at the moment, Marcia due here tomorrow. Have put all my pot plants in a safe place!!!
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You must be working hard, Dianne. 🙂 I’ve seen the occasional comment around the blogs when you’ve had a spare moment so just popped in to say hi and see if there was any news. Bye again! Take good care x
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I’ve been thinking about you too and I’m happy to hear you’ll be back soon! Hope you’re having fun with the creatures.
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We are all waiting for you Dianne…..
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I was also thinking of you dear writing gal Dianne – sending you a blog hello 🙂 ❤
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Well hello there! I need to get back into blogging – I’ve been very lazy with my writing lately 😀
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well I know you know this – but sometimes pauses are good – and I think of the analogy of flowers – some bloom longer – some are dormant longer – you know? and we we cannot always pour out – sometimes have to chill and compost the soil – or just endure a cold season – oh who knows. anyhow, with that – take your time coming back – and let it happen naturally (keeps us in for the long haul that way) but I was thinking about you this week (the dragonfly post actually – funny how that happens) and so thanks for the reply. ❤
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