Busy, Busy, Busy...

A big hello! The last few weeks have been all go and no slow but I am back to show you what I have been up to. Today we had the most amazing thunder storm, forked lightning and heavy rain...it was beautiful! Long growly rumbles followed by deafening claps that shook my little house and then flashes of lightning...A symphony of nature at its best. Looking out to sea and right over the house were the most lovely blue/black/grey clouds...a sight in themselves, I love the skyline here it is always changing minute to minute, hour to hour. Sadly no photos of our impromptu show though, my camera objects to being taken out for a shower. Here are some photos of how well the garden is enjoying this crazy weather though...brrr, it’s getting chilly! The house looks like a Chinese laundry at the moment...

Last week I had two little guests stay for the week which meant Aunty was up extra early and then I was banished to my bedroom early, though once they were snoring their little heads off I could sneak out for a cuppa. Because it was such a busy week the poor gardens got neglected a little but it did them not harm them at all...in fact everything had gone nuts! The sunflowers are starting to really show themselves now and starting to be out of Sugars reach, I am going to have to put some longer stakes in to support them and remove the little ones to use for the gherkin and eggplants that need to go in.

The corn is coming along nicely though the second lot I put in only half a dozen grew but I am happy to see how it goes as this year is a year of learning  what varieties I like, what grows well here and the best times to grow and plant the seedlings being so close to the coast. The beans and peas and looking lovely and most are growing quite well (I did lose a couple), the spinach is looking so yummy I am planning on an omelette stuffed with spinach and cheese soon.

My biggest surprise was the Urenika which had grown to the top of the drum. I got some dirt quick smart to top it up but will need a few more buckets to get it all done. Did a good weed in there the other day and it is looking fabulous.

The new tub has two crown prince pumpkins in it, a gherkin plant (the only one that come up) and the eight or so bantam corn in it so far. The pumpkins which have been in longer are growing very happily and have quite a few leaves on them.

Here are the two luffa plants I put into the terracotta pipes in the hope I can train them to climb the balcony, they are slowly getting bigger but look healthy so I am not worried. The tomatoes in the garden under the stairs are so much bigger and healthier than the ones in the big garden which I am putting down to the dry windy weather we have been getting...they are rather exposed in their current positions. The tomatoes in the wire baskets are looking great and getting so much bigger, soon it will be time for a trimming.

The white sage has grown a lot in the last few weeks so I should be able to make some more smudge sticks soon. My other sage is growing much slower but hopefully once the weather picks up it will burst forth so I can sage the chook house. I went and picked them up two fresh bales of hay last week for their bedding, hopefully that will last a little while...and keep them happily laying lots of delicious eggs for me!

 

There are loads of red currants on my bushes at the moment, I have saved some of the seeds to see if I can raise some more. The raspberries and cranberry have lots of little flowers and berries starting so I am getting excited about scoffing those in a nice fruit salad. The seedlings I planted are slowly getting there...I have quite a few dragonfruit, two types of passionfruit, goji berry and at last, what seems to be a cape gooseberry. 

There are four more types of tomato to go in and some basil...tomatoes like basil. I do need to get some mix to repot the tamarillo and passionfruit this week, they loved the sunshine we had.

Now this I need to share just because it’s so cute. Mr found the shade sail...the perfect spot for sunning himself in the large hammock with bush and sea views I installed just for him...well, you would think so anyways! It seems to make the big lump quite frisky and he appears to quite enjoy swatting the dog as he walks past. Yesterday, while he was slothed out in it, the wind picked up and he was riding it like a wave. It looked so funny but Mr Cool just hung on and rolled with it...he is such a dude! 

Garden Rambles...

Today I pulled out the sleepers on the path and cleared out all the rubbish that has been collecting between there for years, not a hard job but took a little while to do. This is the before and after pics and what a difference!

I also got the tub ready and planted the pumpkin into it...just waiting for the corn to hurry up and it will go in there too.

The gardens are all weeded, most of the plants are in the garden now except the small seedlings which have a little bit more growing, I completely bombed out the back deck and it looks great...perfect for summer barbeques now and I can’t wait!

Eight Magic Words...

“Wanna go for a swim in your pool?” It was just so hot today I pulled Diesel’s pool out so he could cool down and burn off all the energy of which he has a constant supply. Here are some pics of him having a one dog party...

Snacks, Snacks And More Snacks...

Every morning I get up and load some fruit and vegetables onto their hangers and give them a serving of pellets in the trough I made for them. While Doris rules the roost and will peck at the others, I do make sure they all get their share. Their a ton of room for them to forage and plenty to scratch around in but when I pop in to get a drink, there they are waiting outside the window for afternoon treat, normally a couple of bits of bread, some fruit or left over baking. I am picking up their hay tomorrow which is good because I am on the last bit. They have also taken a shine to the little garden out the back I have been clearing, sun and sand. Today I planted two lavenders and a rosemary plant in there so I am hoping they don’t scratch them out having their sand bath!

The Funniest Looking Triangle I Have Ever Seen...

I woke up this morning to an absolutely glorious day. After getting everybody breakfast I made a cuppa and wandered outside to soak up the morning sun. It didn’t take long for me to plan the first mission of the day so I slurped back my tea and got started. A little while later when the sun had moved around and I was just about to give up and forage for shade, I had an idea. About 18mths ago I nabbed a shade sail for a measly ten dollars on an auction site thinking “That will come in handy”. The advert said it was a triangle shape in excellent, new condition so I waited until near closing and BAM, it was mine. Now when I brought it I was living in Wellington and the wind at the time was rather...windy, so I packed it away until the weather got better and then moved up here and it got forgotten. 

So today I pulled it out and went to rummage in my “bits” box for some new hooks to secure it to the porch. Once I found the hooks and some stretchy cord for the other end I strolled out and started to unfold the sail. It must have been meant to be because the length between corner to corner on the sail (with no extra) fit exactly from one end of the porch to the other so I put up the hooks and hung it up. But hang on...there is an extra corner? How can there be four corners on a triangle? My shade sail was a large square...even better! Once I found a spot to attach my extra corner I went back down the steps and admired my handy work. A nice cool spot sit and have a drink without being scorched to a crisp and I did just that.

Patchwork Post...

I thought I would dedicate this post to all the little things I often forget to mention so expect a bit of everything and some random photos, just because I can. Now, where to start...?

Well, the gardens are doing fabulously...the sunflowers are getting noticeably bigger by the day and the Urenika are looking lovely. I have lots of new seedlings coming up, gherkin, dragon fruit, about four more different varieties of tomato, luffa, eggplant, cucumber, pumpkin, chilli and more bantam corn because the ones I planted a couple of weeks ago got nibbled by the chooks and then squished under my derriere whilst trying to wire the fence together. 

Speaking of chooks, I have broody girls. Doris spent most of last week in the nesting box, unwilling to move despite the temptation of treats. She is now back to her normal self but between the four girls I am only getting one, maybe two eggs per day. A neighbour down the road suggested maybe they are hiding them as a couple of his girls did the same but I have searched high and low and not an egg to be seen so I am not sure if they have stopped laying or if they are just very sneaky. They will soon have a new hut though as I have been watching them squash themselves into one nest box to lay despite there being four boxes...seems it’s just the one they like. When two of them get into one box at the same time to lay there is very little room so sometimes an egg will go astray. So I am going to design and build them a new hut with boxes all along the top and a roosting perch which I hope will encourage them to nest in their own “apartment”. This weekend I have two bales of hay to pick up for them so that should keep them happy.

I have another project to start shortly and the two bottles Andy and I polished off on Friday night will be perfect for my trial run. A couple of months ago I started researching how to cut the bottoms off glass bottles to use in the garden for watering the roots of the plants. The idea is to half bury the bottle in the soil so that the water, when put into the bottle, seeps down to the roots where it is needed most. That way there is very little water waste and you know how much water the plant is getting. Some people use plastic bottles but I like the idea of having pretty glass ones adorning my garden. I also have a glass grinder from my lead lighting days which will ensure nice clean edges on the cuts. First I need to find the best way to give them the chop and if you have a look on the net, there are a ton of tutorials on the subject so it might be a matter of trial and error.

Today I emptied out an old single concrete tub that was here when I arrived. It had these lovely tall succulents in it that I have now placed in the little garden around the back that I have slowly been clearing. I still have part of it to bomb out but what I have done so far looks so much nicer and tidy...there was so much rubbish in it!  The concrete tub was full of weeds as well, now it is empty and topped up with soil I will be able to put something in it...maybe the pumpkins or corn?

Oh and I pruned the olive tree...It looks so much better now. I chopped off alot of straggly, dead branches and gave it some shape. One chap said to prune it into a vase shape for easy picking but as much as I tried, a vase it was never going to be. Hopefully though, the trim it has had will bring on some good growth and maybe some yummy olives to process.

Our Weekend Visitor...

This weekend we had a visit from one of our favourite people...Andy. It was a great weekend full of fun, a couple of bottles of tasty wine, simple fare and tales of his travels across the globe. Friday night we relaxed in the garden with a few glasses of wine while I planted some seedlings and then we pondered (and oohed and ahhhed) over his collection of photos from his recent adventures. Whilst in the garden I mentioned that I needed to go and collect more bamboo to start putting around the new garden so I could keep Sugar and the chooks from demolishing my handy work. The first thing Andy said was “So is that’s tomorrow’s mission?” That is what I love about you Andy...your sense of adventure and always up for a mission...you are now officially my bamboo buddy!

Friday night the phone rang and a little voice asked “Aunty, can we come and stay with you for the day tomorrow?” So Saturday morning the four of us piled in my car, loppers, garden twine and secateurs in hand and toddled off to the bamboo forest. Sadly I forgot to take my camera but we did find our way and got enough sticks to do a good quarter fence panel. I will go and get some more tomorrow hopefully and then I will start wiring them together. Here is the first section ready to be wired together.