Berry Christmas...

Finally we are getting some rain and I for one am appreciating every drop of it! Everything is looking fabulous and I can see the difference each day makes. I am getting so many bumbles and bees visiting now because of all the goodies in the garden but they keep getting themselves lost and accidentally coming inside. Poor Diesel sits with intent curiosity as if deciding whether he should be on the defence or just eyeball them until they leave...usually it ends up with me grabbing something to scoop them up and free them outdoors before he makes his decision.  I have to admit to a special fondness for the bumble bees, their big fluffy bodies are so cute...they are like the V8 of the vegetable garden. The sunflowers were getting far too tall for the window sill so yesterday I reluctantly planted them in the garden. I thought they would have looked so pretty out the back against the brick wall but no one would get to see them  there, so I decided to put them with the others out the front amongst the tomato and capsicum plants. There is quite a sizable difference between these ones and the other two but I am sure they will catch up in their own time. I dug up some of the new potatoes the other day and they were absolutely delicious though my plot is now half empty...the downfall of having a small garden. Still, I have enough for Christmas dinner if I choose to so it’s not all bad news.

A few days ago I had a nibble on the first of the raspberries...so sweet and juicy, they were just heavenly! I am waiting in anticipation for enough to ripen that I can devour a whole mouthful of them at once, one or two at a time is only but a taste. There are new berries growing on the strawberry plants so I might even get to make a summer berry dessert? Haven’t had any more currants but the plants are getting so bushy I’m thinking they will need to be repotted soon. The pak choi is doing really well, the lettuce has been a bit slower than I would have liked but I suppose I should be grateful as the seedlings I gave to a friend completely disappeared from their garden. One of my zucchini plants has had a whitish powder look to it which apparently can be a type of mildew problem common with these plants. After talking to some other green fingered people it has been suggested that the plants can be sprayed with milk. I’m not quite sure on the specifics because one person said undiluted milk while someone else posted that it should be a 10:1 mix, water to milk. So I will just experiment and see what happens. I have nothing to lose but a zucchini plant *grin*

Still waiting for the white sage to come up, maybe it’s just me but it seems to be taking forever! I think it’s the arty side of me that is impatiently waiting to cut, dry and wrap. On Sunday a friend and I took the train into Wellington to do some fundraising for the haven (which went very well) and on the way back I’m sure I could see a type of seaweed growing on the rocks near petone. One morning when it’s not too hot I will drive down and take Diesel for a walk and see if I can get some for the garden. Some people dig it in, some use it as mulch and some make a tea. I have never used it myself so it’s definitely worth experimenting with and seeing which method is more effective. It is also alot closer than having to drive all the way to the other side of Wellington to gather some...beach dwellers just don’t know how lucky they are.

Anyways, to all those who are reading, wherever you are...I hope you and yours have a safe and happy holidays. Take time to feel the wind on your face, the sun on your back and dig your fingers into the soil, it’s amazing just how healing it can be...Appreciate the little things, it’s usually those that mean the most. Merry Christmas!

Earth Love Live xx