I’m joining Becky in her February Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules of the challenge are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word Odd, referencing one of these definitions: different to what is usual or expected, or strange; a number of items, with one left over as a remainder when divided by two; happening or occurring infrequently and irregularly, or occasionally; separated from a usual pair or set and therefore out of place or mismatched. Look for #SquareOdds.
While we didn’t travel as much as usual in 2021, we were fortunate to enjoy several holidays in our home state of Queensland and one short trip over the border in New South Wales. Join me this month in a retrospective look at the very odd year of 2021.
Queens Park, Toowoomba QLD, September 2021
Each September, the Darling Downs city of Toowoomba lives up to its reputation as the “Garden City” by celebrating the annual Carnival of Flowers. The centrepiece of the 10 day floral extravaganza is the garden at Queens Park. Spread over 25 hectares, with broad expanses of lawn, mature trees and garden beds overflowing with blooms, the park is at its most beautiful in spring.
Council gardeners spend countless hours sowing and maintaining more than 150,000 plants in the lead up to the Carnival and almost as many people come to see the floral display. In 2020, the park hosted 116,039 admiring visitors and in 2021, with travel restrictions eased, that number would have been even larger.
Toowoomba is our home city and we’re lucky to have Queens Park to visit at any time of year. And we’re already looking forward to September, when we’ll join in the celebrations for the 73rd Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers at beautiful Queens Park.
It looks beautiful, Carol. Have a lovely weekend!
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The floral displays are always stunning, Jo. I’ll be having a very quiet weekend. We’ve had torrential rain for the last 24 hours and it’s going to continue overnight. More than 200mm in the last 24 hours in our backyard. The CBD is underwater and parts of Queens Park too. And many other locations are flooded too. A good weekend to stay home safe and dry.
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crikey that’s a lot of rain
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Yep, and it’s still falling.
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oh no 😦
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It’s finally stopped here but now Brisbane is feeling it, with many suburbs underwater and the river still rising.
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oh my that’s not so good 😦
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No. 😬
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That’s alot of rain in a short time. Stay dry.
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Even more in the last 24 hours. Many places have gone under.
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What next, eh?
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Some sunshine hopefully 🙂
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Oh, my! We are desperate for any you can spare.
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24 hours on and it’s still pouring down. I wish I could send it your way. We’re well up over 12 inches of rain now but other places have received more than 40 inches of rain. So much flooding. It’s a disaster. La Nina having her last fling.
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Sorry, Carol!
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Luckily we’re not personally affected. Except that the front yard is a swamp. 🙂
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oh these are stunning, and how wonderful the council still funds it. What a glorious festival to have in your own town
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The council does the gardens and local businesses sponsor different events. It’s a wonderful time of year.
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fantastic 🙂
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Now that’s a place I would love to visit, those flowers look stunning 🙂
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It’s gorgeous Eunice and it’s just one of many gardens to visit at Carnival time.
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A Carnival of Flowers would run my iPhone battery down to zero. Beautiful photos, and I can only imagine the joy of visiting in person. Thank you for sharing.
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Oh Judy, you would indeed love to see it all. There are several public gardens and then there are the private gardens which open specially for the Carnival. Some enter the garden competition and others are part of the open garden scheme. And then there are the displays by all the local groups, like the Rose Society etc. And there are several quilt and craft exhibitions too. You would be in your element!
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It looks stunning, but I’d prefer to visit without the crowds.
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You can easily do that in the weeks leading up to Carnival time or afterwards. Much nicer to go then.
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Yes, much nicer. And convenient if this is in your home town.
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Oh my goodness! Particularly stunning as I look out the window at our snowbanks. Gorgeous blooms.
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Just beautiful, there’s something about flowers that just lift spirits.
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Yes, and the spring annuals are always stunning.
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What a lovely display of flowers! Beautiful!
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And this is just one of many gardens to visit. Some are public and some are private gardens open just for the Carnival. It’s a nice time of year.
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They did a fabulous job. Were you one of the volunteer gardeners this year?
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They don’t use volunteers for the gardens. It’s all the work of the council gardeners. We just get to enjoy the results.
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