What happened to winter?

There was an article in the newspaper today about the warmer weather we have been having.  I was just commenting to some people last night that I don't think we have had much of a winter - we have some cold nights and mornings but the days are usually in the mid-teens.  I am sure I remember doing yard duty in below 10degrees.  Of course, that was in Lalor, where the flat land allows the wind to whistle through.  Some days doing PE was a real penance, especially as the teacher doesn't get to run around!

One of the things that has amazed me is the hollyhocks.  I posted about dyeing fabric, using the flowers, on Christmas day - and I was wondering if there would still be flowers left. Well ... a couple of weeks ago I took a photo of the hollyhocks flowering in another part of the garden.  They are still flowering!!!  The ones I used for the dyeing haven't had flowers for ages but the ones near the glasshouse (but outside, in the weather) have flowers and have had all year so far.  It is strange, the flowers bloom and seem to stay on the stem, drying out very slowly. I didn't bother taking another photo today, the same flowers are on the stem.

The jonquils and daffodils are out, the decorative blossom trees in the streets are starting to bloom.  I saw crows taking sticks to a nest in the city about a month ago.

Yesterday I went for a walk and took some photos of one of the gum trees and the various stages of its blossom, from buds to dry gumnuts.   It really seems like spring already.

I know there are a lot of winter flowers, it just feels like spring.

Oh, there was a rosella there too.