Deep Into the Darkness Peering

Top crops and flop crops

2012-01-23T15:24:00.004+13:00

This morning as I walked around the garden, I looked at my flowers and crops and realised it hasn't been the best season for a lot of things. It's been a cool and windy summer which, coupled with water restrictions, has been stressful for a lot of plants.

My biggest flops so far have been:

:: Tomatoes. Blossom end rot has struck in both the glasshouse and outside. I was expecting this to happen since I just haven't been able to water well and consistently, but it's still frustrating! The cool temperatures have meant they are also slow to ripen.

:: Rainbow carrots. I've had a low strike rate on all the ones I sowed. The few I've harvested were lovely though!

:: Outdoor chillis and peppers. Slow to grow and set fruit.

:: Leeks. I transplanted a punnet out a couple of weeks ago so they will have time to fatten up for winter. Some are ok but most of the smallest ones shrivelled in the hot sun. Guess I'll be buying a punnet after all to bulk up the stores!

:: Apple trees. Most of the trees (I have 4) decided to give themselves the year off by not setting fruit. The 2 that did then dropped most of it.

:: Blueberries. Again, not much fruit set, then the little that was set got eaten by birds.

:: Hollyhocks. I had 3 different kinds of seed to sow, and not one came up in spring! I'm trying again for autumn.

So, boo to the weather and the birds and the capriciousness of nature. Fortunately some things have been doing really well, including:

:: Brown Berry and Green Grape cherry tomatoes. These are in the glasshouse where it's warm, and haven't sustained any blossom end rot. They are also ripening quickly. Yay cherry tomatoes!

:: Spring onions. They are growing reliably well, what else can you ask for?

:: Strawberries. Also reliable. Also sweet and delicious.

:: Boysenberries. Doing good for their first year in production.

:: Dwarf lavender. The tray of seeds I sowed is loving life in the glasshouse. (I'm going to use these to edge the potager.)

:: The beans are all growing well and looking lush. I'm enjoying the green wall made by the runner beans.

One benefit of this cool season is that I haven't seen any caterpillars around, so that's definitely a plus!

The flower gardens are filling out, and I'm making the most of it, spending a lot of time just walking round looking at things. It's nice to just be in the garden.

These are my water storage bins, tucked in beside my homemade rustic bench. (Please ignore the crack in the wall... it's only from where our house has sunk a bit! EQC should have it fixed within the next decade!)

Due to damage sustained in the earthquakes to pipes and drains, and the water reservoirs, we have been on water restrictions since October. Sprinklers and unattended hoses are banned, and you are only allowed to hand water your garden from the tap on certain days. So for those days when I can't use the tap, I have these bins. We keep a bucket in the shower to fill up while the water warms, and I also use that cut down milk bottle you see there to hold under the pipes in the drain and scoop up washing machine rinse water. Yep, you bet that's a tedious job, and there really are a milllion other things I'd rather be doing. But one rinse cycle fills a bin about three quarters, so it's worth doing it. Then it's easy just to dunk my watering can in to fill it. Quicker than filling it from the tap actually! Still. I'm looking forward to the day that sprinkler comes back out.

January flowers

2012-01-15T19:45:00.000+13:00

Flowers and arrangements from January.

A special shout out to two of my new roses - Sexy Rexy (left) and Queen Elizabeth (right). Finally they have put their hearts into blooming! I sniffed them both and sadly couldn't detect much of a scent. The flowers are gorgeous though.

What is your favourite rose for fragrance?

In the back yard, I've been chipping away at the grass to make the curved bed. It's taking ages now because the ground is so hard. I also had to remove the sleepers which were edging the beds, and those things are h.e.a.v.y. But I need to keep going because I have a growing collection of pot-bound plants which need a place to go! The bed is edged with salvaged bricks from my friend's chimney.

This is the bed next to the patio. Petunias and godetia are going mad in this bed - pretty much stealing the show! (The blue daisy wind spinner in the background was a Christmas present, and it's been getting a good workout with our persistant winds this summer!)

Here is what I created with the salvaged sleepers - a bench seat. It's tucked around the side of the house - you can see it in the photo above. I just stacked the sleepers on some concrete blocks. Rustic right?

This is a nice little nook because it's sheltered from the easterly, and has a bit of shade till about 1pm. I'd like to get a table and some more chairs and an umbrella, and have a nice little eating area set up. Ideally I'd like a patio with french doors leading inside, but that will be far in the future if at all... we don't even know when the earthquake damage will be repaired yet. In the meantime I'm doing the best I can with what's on site, and I'm quite pleased with my recycling effort here.

(Linking up to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens)

Harvest

2012-01-13T21:32:00.000+13:00

The potager is in full on production mode right now. Here is my harvest basket from January 1st... rhubarb, baby rainbow carrots, spring onions, cabbage and Heather potatoes. In the glasshouse I've got strawberries and cucumbers. A few days late (as in, too late for Christmas) the boysenberries began to mature, so I've been making lots of desserts... crumble, clafoutis, and the good old berries and ice cream.

Yesterday I picked the first ripe tomato from the glasshouse. According to my garden diary from last season, the first tomato was December 19. Nearly a month later this year - shows what a different season we have had. It was a Brown Berry cherry tomato - small but delicious! I carved it into wafer thin slices so I could enjoy it in a sandwich - and even though the serving was small the homegrown taste was amazing.

Life is good when you can just walk outside and gather the ingredients for your meal.

The garlic was ready for harvest last weekend. I pulled it up and spread it on the grass to dry in the sun. Later I'll plait it. I had planted 3 shallot bulbs as well. One died, but the other two multiplied into four bulbs each. So I'll save four of those for replanting, and probably about 6 garlic cloves.

I had a punnet of leeks ready and waiting to fill the empty space in the potager. Leeks are one of my favourite winter veges so I need lots of them growing. And I'm going to sow one more batch of seeds to plant just for their flowers - the tall stems with the elegant pointed globe at the top are a great focal point!

Here is the potager in the midafternoon sun. I cut the chives back because they were getting a bit manky, and they've grown back all fresh and lush. They had a bit of an infestation of black bugs, but a quick spray with flyspray took care of that.

The rosemary in the four central beds is filling out. Each bed was meant to have a row of rainbow carrots around the curved edge, but the strike rate with those was extremely patchy. A shame, since they are such fun to harvest. At the back left, you can see the borlotti beans are doing well. They're covered in pretty pink flowers.

How is your vege garden doing?

Staycation

2012-01-03T17:44:00.000+13:00

I've been on holiday for the past week and a half and I've been LOVING IT. The weather hasn't been very summery and the aftershocks have been rolling through the night, but despite that I've managed to take it easy and relax as much as possible. A go-away holiday is great fun, but best of all I like to stay at home and enjoy my house and my garden.

I barely made a dint in my to-do list, but I've:

:: dug up ground for a new flower garden

:: dragged the wooden sleeper edging from the old garden,

and used it to create a bench seat in the sun

:: planted out the new bit of garden

:: cleared and planted the front garden

:: worked in the potager

:: visited the garden centre

:: spent time with friends and family

:: helped a friend set up a new garden

:: read books and magazines

:: watched episodes of my favourite tv shows

:: worked on crochet and embroidery

:: tidied the house, in a leisurely way

:: arranged vignettes on windowsills

:: sat in the sun

:: sat in the shade

:: hugged my cat

I wish I could stay on holiday forever, but it's back to the grind tomorrow. How are you enjoying your summer/winter break?

Flowers throughout the year

2012-01-01T19:09:00.000+13:00

Here's a selection of my Flowers Monthly post pictures. I only started doing this series in April, but it's interesting to see how things change as the seasons progress.

Happy new year everyone! xxx

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

The potager throughout the year

2011-12-30T19:31:00.001+13:00

I've been going through my garden photos today. I have a garden diary where I record the dates of things planted, harvests made, flowers blooming, etc. Then at the end of each year I print out my photos from each month and stick them in. I realised I have a good record of potager photos from this year. The potager was only properly finished in November 2010, so this has been it's first full year. And what a year it's been, full of crazy nature hijinks... There's not quite one photo for every month, but almost.

So, let's proceed...

January 2011

It was the summer of the potato in my garden. I grew Swift, Desiree, Heather and Karuparere.

February 2011

A lot of the back yard was swamped with sand and water after our mag 6.3 quake. Luckily there was no permanent damage to the potager.

March 2011

Most of the mud has been cleaned up, but dried on dust still coats the paths.

April 2011

All the spuds are gone and the beds are cleared out ready for winter crops.

June 2011

Frost rims the leaves, but the chillis stand tall and proud.

July 2011

The first of two freak snowstorms. Amazingly all the plants survived.

October 2011

The beds are now planted with summer crops. Everything is so green and lush and tidy!

November 2011

The salad greens are doing really well, and the last of the brassicas need picking to make way for heat loving summer plants.

December 2011

On a rainy summer's day, everything is starting to look a little overblown. Soon the potatoes will be flopping over the path, the tomatoes will be crowding out the beans, and the zucchinis and peppers will be duking it out. I feel a harvest coming on!

(You can read my post about the creation of the potager here)

Christmas fireplace and earthquake update

2011-12-23T21:19:00.000+13:00

I'm going ahead with this post because I already had the photos organised. Not feeling very Christmassy here though! We had another series of big aftershocks this afternoon. It began with a 5.8 which was followed a while later by a nasty 6.0. This is the fifth big quake event we've had since September 4th last year. Mother Nature, we get your point... you can stop now!

Small and not so small aftershocks followed throughout the afternoon. Malls and shops had to close, on one of the busiest days of the year. I'm so glad I was at home, not in a supermarket! I stayed home, rather than get stuck in traffic jams or risk encountering flooded roads or bridges that were out.

Our power was out for about three hours. My cellphone also chose that point to run low on both battery and credit. I was so relieved later when I could charge it and get online to buy more credit! (After the September quake I swore I would never let it get down to one bar again, but it still happened, of course.)

Lui went to ground for a while. I wasn't too worried because I knew he wouldn't go far, unlike the several scared dogs and cats I saw running down the street in various directions. I hope all the frightened pets are reunited with their people soon.

We had no liquefaction this time - BIG YAY! I'm so sorry for all the people who are cleaning up for in some cases the fourth time. That stuff really is nasty. We only got round to waterblasting the garage last month, so I'm grateful not to be doing that all over again.

I had some things I was meant to do to get ready for Christmas, but I didn't do them. Tomorrow is another day right? To be honest I forgot about Christmas today. Earthquake days just exist in a time of their own.

All these decorations are now all over the floor, and there seems no point to picking them up. The adrenaline is wearing off, and I'm getting tired. It will be a shakey night. I'll get through it though - there's nothing else to do. Hopefully tomorrow is a brighter, quieter day!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! xxx

Grainstore Gallery Oamaru

2011-12-22T21:23:00.001+13:00

If you are in Oamaru you absolutely must check out the Grainstore Gallery. It displays the work of the Whitestone Artists' Collective, including Donna Demente - she is known for winning one of the early Wearable Art Awards shows, back in its early days in Nelson.

Downstairs, a hand painted sign points the way.

You'll need to climb the steep staircase, pausing along the way to admire the art and posters displayed.

At the top, take a deep breath and gaze around. Then lose yourself in the delights beyond. I think these photos speak for themselves, so I'll let you browse at your own speed.

How was that? Now, don't look down if you're a little unsure of heights... this is a genuine grain store after all, and the floorboards don't always match up.

Hope you enjoyed this tour, ladies and gentlemen! I have one more post from enchanted Oamaru to show you, but I think that might wait till the lazy days after Christmas.

Steampunk in Oamaru

2011-12-21T20:28:00.003+13:00

While I was down south for the garden tours, we also took a day trip to Oamaru. Oamaru has proclaimed itself the steampunk capital of New Zealand, and they have a festival every year with a fashion show, exhibition and other fun activities. We went down to catch the last day of the exhibition, but while wandering around the town we came across this rather amazing sculpture.

Situated outside Steampunk HQ, the engine lurks in a sinister but silent fashion, until someone feeds it a $2 coin and it comes to life. It roars and whistles, lights flash inside, and flames shoot out the smokestack. It's really quite impressive.

See the little demon fellas on the engine? They seem to be enjoying their ride.

At the Forrester Gallery strange contraptions also abounded, like this Computational Steamputer.

Also the Tumeke Time Machine.

The show was called Tomorrow As It Used To Be, and you can see more of the exhibits here. I was also excited to catch the last day of Jason Greig's show The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The batteries in my camera died as we arrived in Oamaru, so I had to enlist my mum's iPod. It didn't really like the low light inside, so my apologies for the grainy photos. (It made a great backup though... I think this means I really need an iPod of my own...)

After the gallery we wandered down to the Historic Precinct, where the Sunday market was in full swing.

The Precinct is amazing... wonderfully preserved original limestone buildings, which have recently been converted into cafes and galleries and little shops. There were market stalls selling everything from veges to soap, and people wandering around in Victorian dress (Oamaru is known for this).

I love the festive bunting.

This would be a nice spot to sit a while and watch people.

We also visited Donna Demente's gallery - I'll show you that in the next post!

December Flowers

2011-12-15T20:35:00.001+13:00

There has been plenty of action in the flower garden this month. Plenty of weeds too, of course, but I've taken care not to photograph those! I'm enjoying watching my new roses, although only Sexy Rexy has really managed to bloom so far. There are some small buds on Claire Rose, but Queen Elizabeth has deigned it beneath her to flower just yet. Never mind, I have plenty of poppies and carnations to enjoy.

Petunias are brightening several spots in the garden. And graceful aquilegias flourish.

Here are the glorious Angel Wings poppies. It's actually past time for me to yank them out, before they self seed absolutely everywhere, and to let more light and air to the roses.

This month I'm syncing my monthly flowers post with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Timaru Garden Tour #8

2011-12-10T21:09:00.000+13:00

The last stop on our tour is the garden of Lillian and James Milne.

This is another 'normal' sized garden in a suburban street. (Smaller gardens often give me more hope, as the ideas seem like they will be more achievable in my own small space.)

I'd really like a stone-flanked terrace like this one. It's so sunny and private. I love the selection of treasures nestled under the conifer.

Happy pansies in a decorative barrow brighten this shady corner.

Rounding the corner of the house, you come upon the glasshouse. Concrete steps are set into the corner of the path.

Another view of the glasshouse, and the gently terraced vegetable garden.

The front garden is filled with sun loving plants. A small tree creates a focal point.

This pretty rose is tucked away under the tree. I don't know the variety but I thought it would be a good note to finish the tour on. Hope you've enjoyed taking a peek into these lovely gardens! Thanks to all the garden owners for creating and sharing such beauty.

Timaru Garden Tour #7

2011-12-08T20:24:00.000+13:00

Pictures from the garden of Mr and Mrs Forde.

Upon stepping through the gate, you are greeted with this beautiful wisteria covered pergola.

Which frames a secluded walled garden. I like the pencil conifers marking the gate.

I'm not sure what the trees are, but they must be stunning when in blossom! Small trees like this are great to provide interest in spring and shade in summer.

Tucked in under the trees are the obligatory peonies. In this sunny microclimate they've obviously been blooming for ages. Gorgeous!

I had to take a picture of this rambling rose on the way out. It's screening off the tennis court. I'd have it rambling all over the court if this was my house!

Intermission

2011-12-08T19:41:00.000+13:00

Time to interrupt the garden tours for a brief update on my garden. Look, I've got flowers on my peanut! I'd only recently transplanted it into a bigger planter and I wasn't expecting any action for ages.

The planter is rubbish though. I bought it from The Warehouse and it's basically this big bag with holes cut in the top. I thought it would be good for the peanut because I don't know how big it will get and I can cut more holes if it needs to spread, but ugh I hate this planter bag. It's ugly and flops everywhere, it's impossible to move when full, and when watering the water just runs off the top of the plastic and drains away outside - this is unacceptable waste under water restrictions!

I think I might carefully remove the peanut and capsicum and put them into pots this weekend. I'll probably have to slice up the bag to get the potting mix out.

Also, would anyone like to come and shoot blackbirds in my garden? You can use a shotgun or a guided missile, I don't really care, just take the buggers out. Look at the mess they've made. This was a carefully mulched area, and they've had a field day tossing it all over the paths. You can see that they have actually gone all around the edges making sure as much mess is spread over the paths as possible. They do this anywhere that I spread mulch. Sometimes I put down bird netting, but I have to take it up once the seedlings get big.

Looks like Mr Lui is failing in his duties... I better go have a word with him.

(The second last garden tour will be up later tonight!)

Timaru Garden Tour #6

2011-12-07T20:29:00.000+13:00

This is the garden of Jo and Corey Baxter.

Here's a cute little gazebo overlooking a waterfall. It looks so cool and sheltered tucked in behind the roses.

Metal herons bask in the sun.

The fluffy seedheads on this plant caught my eye as they swayed in the breeze. It might be pulsatilla? I'm not sure because I've never managed to keep one alive long enough for it to develop seedheads.

In this secluded courtyard, we met the boy of the house and a dog named Bonnie. Bonnie was a fat, old, lovely brown labrador. The boy showed us his favourite tree. Bonnie waddled off. As he was showing us some pruning he'd helped with, a truly awful smell drifted over. We looked over to see Bonnie, squatting with a grin on her face. "Awwwh!" cried the boy. "Bonnie dropped one!"

Fortunately she'd dropped it off the main track, and we were able to continue on.

See the little birdbath tucked away beside the conifers?

Small tree, big focal point.

This garden was also hosting Devonshire tea. There's nothing like a dainty teacup to make you feel ladylike.

The driveway was lined with rustic metal rose arches, and these Narnia-esque lamp posts. Magical!

Timaru Garden Tour #5

2011-12-04T20:13:00.000+13:00

This is the garden of Hamish and Anne Steele.

So many peonies in promising bud! There are also lots of delphiniums and lilies, hence the wire cages. These wouldn't be too hard to make and once the plants fill out you'd hardly notice them.

At the back of the border there must be a microclimate where everything has sprung into wonderful bloom.

A shady pergola leads from one part of the garden to another.

A bold primary planting scheme catches my eye.

The delphiniums make a gorgeous window screen.

What a lovely view to look out on from your living room. I like the box hedge too... trimming it is probably a pain, but at least it hides the weeds from view (not that there were any here!)

A special attraction at this property was plants for sale. They were from a nursery, not the property owners, and I beelined in on a saxifrage just like the one I showed you in the previous garden tour. I also got a dainty little dianthus - I didn't photograph it at the time, but I remembered seeing that in one of the previous gardens too. Do you think that planting those will make my garden look tour-worthy? I doubt it, but it made me feel better to purchase them anyway.

Timaru Garden Tour #4

2011-12-02T19:00:00.000+13:00

These pictures are from the country garden of Margaret and John Hepburn.

This garden looks out over paddocks and hills. A seat attached to a rustic cartwheel overlooks the vista. The red flowers are London's Pride, a form of heuchera.

Tucked in next to the seat we find this. A souvenir from a really good party perhaps?

Flowers in the birdbath are a really nice touch. I'll be stealing this idea, as soon as I get a birdbath!

Normally I'm a flowers, flowers, flowers kind of girl, but I really like the different textures happening here. I've been seeing ornamental grasses a lot in the magazines I read, and now here. They do look really lovely blowing in the wind. I also love the pencil conifers.

A happy planting combination that caught my eye. Violas really brighten up any situation don't they?

I initially thought this was erigeron (Mexican daisy) which is considered a weed in NZ so you can't buy it from garden centres. But it's actually an abundant saxifrage. It looks just lovely spilling over the low terrace wall.

And of course I had to photograph the vege plot. I like the tapestry effect achieved here by planting in rows. The nice wooden edge would be useful to balance your harvest basket on.

Timaru Garden Tour #3

2011-12-01T19:03:00.003+13:00

These pictures are from the totally charming garden of Mr and Mrs Emmerson. It's what I would call a "normal" sized section, but the space is so well used - not a square metre is wasted!

I noticed a great use of stepping stones in this garden. They've been placed to link to focal points, as well as providing access for weeding and tidying.

Stepping stones also help to ground this wheelbarrow planter.

A sweet little summerhouse has a harbour view from its back windows.

Facing away from the summerhouse, this narrow stretch of grass has a boat shaped central bed and sinuously curving paths. I love how there is so much movement in this small space.

This seems to be a garden for all seasons, with rhododendrons finishing off and roses and peonies waiting to take their place.

There is lots of whimsical garden art, but my absolute favourite is this stone cat riding a vintage tricycle. Oh, do you think Lui would like it if I got him a tricycle?

The garden walk was in some ways a week too early, at least if you wanted to see peonies. They were in all the gardens and they were mostly still all in bud. So when I saw one in flower, I photographed it madly! This is a tree peony - not sure if they flower earlier than regular peonies or if it was just in a good spot.

This property has three glasshouses (with a fourth looking like it was being built), two sheds and a summerhouse. They were all being put to excellent use.

There is also a thriving vege patch. I photographed the peas as a note to self - bent metal sticks will be a lot easier next time than tying up cane teepees.

I took away a lot of lessons in focal points from this garden.

Timaru Garden Tour #2

2011-11-30T19:56:00.001+13:00

This is the garden of Janet and Joe Young, and it is three years old.

The sunny vegetable garden overlooks strawberry cages and chicken coops.

This little arrangement caught my eye, in particular the fluffy pom pom aquilegia.

The garden has such a stunning backdrop. Mountains in the distance, a lovely pond and grazing sheep. You almost wouldn't want to let the roses get any bigger.

This flower garden is looking pretty established. I was especially taken with the drifts of snow in summer.

I sowed this as seeds this season and mine's nowhere near flowering, so I took this photo to remind myself what I have to look forward to. (A great groundcover for a hot dry area, like my front garden.)

This gazebo was a lovely spot to sit in for a few minutes and rest out of the sun. I wish I could fit one in my garden. I'd need to bring those mountains to look at too.

Timaru Garden Tour #1

2011-11-29T19:31:00.002+13:00

Here are some pictures from the lovely established garden of Jane and Tom Coughlan.

It is wide and sweeping, with gorgeous views over lush paddocks out to the sea in one direction and mountains in the other. Plenty of established trees provide shelter and shady nooks to sit in.

This elegant fountain is almost hidden by tall spires of foxgloves and roses. I like how the plants are asserting themselves here, not taking over but definitely making a statement.

I'd enjoy weeding the vegetable garden if this was the view!

A sweet little gate complete with climbing rose.

And a sweet rustic shed. I'm not sure what the climber is as it looks to have just finished flowering.

An avenue of white roses leads to the house.

You go away for one weekend...

2011-11-28T20:27:00.000+13:00

...and look what happens.

Sexy Rexy is the first of the new roses to flower. Only the one bloom, and it was almost overblown by the time I saw it, but I appreciate the effort.

I also spied one tiny bloom tucked away on Cecile Brunner. I cut this rose back hard every year (because she can take it!) so she takes a little longer to bloom than other people's.

I've been away this weekend doing garden tours for the Timaru Festival of Roses. Eight gardens were open to the public and I took pictures at each, so there will be plenty to show you over the next few days. I tell you what, my own garden looks shabby in comparison! Not to mention weedy. I got to work today with a big sprayer full of Roundup and felt slightly more on top of things. Slightly.

See you back here tomorrow for the first garden tour post!

November flowers

2011-11-15T20:45:00.001+13:00

I'm early with my monthly flowers post, because I thought this time I'd sync it with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. If you are curious to see what is flowering in gardens around the world, pop along to the post and take a look!

My garden is spilling over with lovely frothy blooms this month. I need to cut some back a bit, especially the borage which has turned into a big floppy monster, but the bees love it so much that I might leave it another week or two.

So far the only one of my new roses to make much of an effort is Sexy Rexy (left). This bud is very small, but at least it's there! The rose on the right is one that was already in the garden when we bought the house. I don't know the name of it, although it looks a bit like a peace rose (yellow petals edged with pink).

Outside the back door and it's a colourful clashing jungle. You'd never know this area was swamped with liquefaction for the second time just five months ago.

This is one of my favourite little groupings on my new patio. The heliotrope at the back in the blue pot smells just gorgeous. In the front three pots from left to right are pulsatilla, paper daisies and chocolate cosmos mixed with tiny violas.

And here's the pencil conifer, with a funny little petunia blooming in the front. I'm expecting to get my money's worth from the petunias again this year, they are such great little performers.

You might think this stylish beauty belongs to a clematis or other exotic climber, but actually it's my boysenberry vine. It's completely covered, so all going well there will be plenty of berries for the Christmas trifle!

Oh the cute!

2011-11-12T19:29:00.001+13:00

Lui and I have a cute new book to share with you today. Yes, you read the title right, it's called Crafting With Cat Hair. Yes, that does mean you use your kitty's excess fluff to make cute little things. Don't shave your cat though - the book's author expressly cautions against it.

The first project you can make is a cat hair finger puppet! Customise it using your cat's own colours of fur! I do think this is super cute, and I'd like to make a little mini Lui. Probably I would just use shop bought wool roving, since Lui's lovely black and shining white fur combines to a not very attractive grey mass.

Step by step instructions are included for collecting cat hair. My favourite is this: "Even if you usually forgive your cat for scratching you, you should still do your best not to get scratched in the first place." Good advice.

This book is translated from Japanese. Japanese craft books are the best! They have nice projects, cute turns of phrase, and beautiful photographs.

And at the back of the book are bios of all the kitties who contributed their hair for the projects!

Don't you think you should go and order this book right now?

A wander through the potager

2011-11-10T22:10:00.000+13:00

Here are some photos taken in the potager last weekend. As you can see the mizuna edge has grown nice and thick. I gave it a light trim to get rid of the flowers, which promptly started to grow back again. I've sown a row of phacelia behind it, which should bring in some beneficial insects.

Chives are also making a pretty edging. I'm still undecided about whether I should edge the entire garden with chives, but I'm definitely lining each side of the main pathway.

The potager is a circle divided into four sections. To help me keep track, I named each quarter - First, Second, Third, Fourth. Those are the back, half round sections - the four middle quarters don't have names because they are kind of decorative, and I'm trying to grow similar things in each one to keep the look cohesive.

I'll show you what's in each section...

Third quarter - potatoes. I've got the left side already planted with Heather, and I've got some Desiree sprouting for the rest. The rather wilted plants at the front edge are calendula, volunteer seedlings that I had to shift to make room for peas.

Fourth quarter - contains broccoli which I looked after all winter, and which rewarded me by going straight to seed. Its days are numbered now... I'll be ripping it out this weekend and preparing the bed for beans and tomatoes.

First quarter - I just put in the stakes for the peas. The wonky line of the top stakes makes me think of several people breakdancing and doing the arm wave. There are cosmos seedlings at the back, which will fill out and make a nice feathery backdrop. I still love my leek and cosmos combo from last year, so I'd like to do that again.

Second quarter - kind of has the leftovers that didn't fit anywhere else! From left to right - carrots, garlic, cabbages, leeks and broccoli. I don't think the broccoli will come to much, so I will probably pull it out and replace it with zucchini and peppers.

There's been plenty to harvest lately - peas, carrots, spring onions, lettuce, mizuna, rocket, silver beet, strawberries. I'm looking forward to plenty more to come.

How is your vege garden shaping up?

White butterflies

2011-11-08T21:15:00.000+13:00

White butterflies, the scourge of the summer garden. Everywhere I turn there is one flitting and fluttering, swooping down to drink the nectar of a flower before laying its eggs on anything green and leafy. Then the armies of green caterpillars appear, munching leaves and growing their fat bodies and forming their fuzzy white cocoons in nook and leaf and crevice.

You can spray, or dust, or squash, or, apparently, you can trick. I read recently that white butterflies are territorial, and can be fooled if you make a fake butterfly and stick it in the garden. Then they think that someone else is fluttering in that spot, and will take off over the fence and lay their eggs on your neighbour's cabbages.

I made my butterflies using a craft punch, and punched them from an empty cream cheese container. Then I glued them to a bamboo skewer.

They looked so pretty when I put them in a vase while the glue dried. I think they would make a pretty centrepiece for a summer gathering.

This geranium was looking quite sad after being feasted on by caterpillars all through winter. I've squashed all the buggers now, so it should be easy to see if the decoys work here. And if not, at least they make a nice decoration.

Focal points

2011-11-02T21:59:00.001+13:00

Now that the weather has warmed up, the flower garden is filling up fast. Plants that self seeded last autumn are expanding and putting out blooms. It's all starting to look rather full and luscious, a sea of purple catmint, silver lambs' ears and feathery gilia and linaria.

In the few gaps, I've added focal points. One is this log planter with chives and a little pot of rhodohypoxis which will shortly emerge.

I've also started more earthworks. I decided to curve the edge of the lawn, to echo the curve of the paths in the potager. First the layer of turf has to come up, then I'll remove the sleeper edging and dig over the ground. There's more digging still to do - I have to curve it out around the apple tree and back.

These two pencil conifers will mark the walkway through the garden, one on each side. One has been planted but as you can see, one is still in its pot until I finish the earthworks. The bit I've been digging is just out of shot to the left. The apple tree is Baujade, and I'm hoping it will spread to provide a bit of shade. I'd like to put a bench under it, maybe set back a little into the garden that will soon be there. I'm also considering an arch between the two conifers, maybe with a climbing rose. But that's in the future.

In the meantime, I put the conifer into a terracotta pot and popped it into the border. It looks great - a bit of height is just what this area needed. In fact I really like this tree there, and only the fact that I need a pair of trees to flank the walkway will make me remove it. But what to replace it with? Maybe a red Japanese maple? Or another almond tree? An obelisk for twining clematis?

As much as I love the look of a neat and tidy perennial border, I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of annuals. As long as they continue to self seed they will be welcome in my garden.

Anyway, I've got my work cut out over the next few months. It's lucky this is my idea of a weekend well spent!

October flowers

2011-10-30T21:30:00.000+13:00

It's October and things are starting to heat up... at least in colour, if not the weather! We've had a lot of rain, cool days and wind this month, but there must have been some sunshine in there somewhere, because everything is growing madly.

I am watering my neighbours' garden while they are away, and in return I get to pick the ranunculus. Such beautiful vibrant blooms, and they last a good week in the vase. I really need to remember to get some ranunculus bulbs of my own come February.

These are some primroses I picked up on sale in late winter. Actually, I don't think they were on sale, I think I just gave in to temptation and purchased them even though I didn't really need them. Aren't they beautiful though? The pink ones are so frilly. The colours remind me of hydrangeas. Hopefully they will sleep all summer without drying out, and pop back into life next winter. That will be something to look forward to.

What's blooming in your garden this month?

Clematis flowers

2011-10-27T22:36:00.000+13:00

My clematis burst into flower this month. It began as a cutting from my mum's garden, which I kept in water till its roots sprouted, then kept in a pot for a time while I dithered about where to put it. Eventually I decided on this driveway spot and put it in. It was too late for a show last year but the plant put out leaves and tendrils and finally, buds.

I didn't train it in this heart shape on purpose, but I'll certainly be doing my best to keep it that way!

The flowers are a lovely pale pink. We aren't sure of the variety but Mum thinks possibly Montana.

I also took cuttings of a lovely magenta pink one. It was kept pot bound even longer until I decided on this spot, just outside the kitchen window. I planted it and it put out some leaves... lovely tasty leaves which were quickly devoured by snails. These seem to be hardy plants though and I'm not writing it off just yet. Some snail bait put paid to the munching, and it's forming some more leaf buds. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there are some flower buds in there too.

Summer patchwork quilt blanket

2011-10-25T21:15:00.001+13:00

I've done a few more hexagons for my quilt.

They are very quick to make and join, so the blanket is growing quite noticeably. It's probably a third of the way finished. Being able to visualise the end of a project always helps me to finish it.

I'm still loving these summer colours, the bright fresh coral and peach and the beachy blue.

Yes, it's getting there.

Magazine inspiration

2011-10-21T19:30:00.000+13:00

I think I have mentioned before that I have a small problem when it comes to magazines. The problem is that I am addicted. The central library used to have a great selection of international gardening magazines, and I enjoyed making special trips into town to pile up as many as I could carry home, to feast my eyes over the gorgeous images. Unfortunately the central library has been a no go zone since the Feb 22 quake, and I have no idea what happened to their subscription magazines - they haven't come to my local library. So I'm having to buy magazines. (I'm not as sad about this as you might imagine.)

The good thing is that I'm amassing a good home library of beautiful pictures, and the bad thing is that international magazines are so damn expensive, and also the wrong season! But, by the time they hit the shops here, they are a couple of months out of date and therefore pretty much only a season ahead, if you think of it that way.

Anyway. This is the August issue of Gardens Illustrated, from the UK. I love the colours of the late summer plants pictured above... I really must get myself some honesty seeds. And I would love a bower like in the second picture - but I will settle for making myself a bench out of some rustic planks (got plenty of those lying around).

Now, get ready for something exciting. This is La Chatonniere in France - and check out that potager shaped like a rose leaf!!! I do think that is the most beautiful potager design I've ever seen. I'm just so excited by it. If I were starting my potager over again, I'd try to incorporate this design. Of course, I'd need a castle and a humongous estate to really do it properly.

There are several themed gardens throughout La Chatonniere and each has a name. The potager is the Garden of Abundance. My other favourite is the Garden of Dance - thousands of narcissi and other spring bulbs planted in this beautiful pattern, which sway and dance in the spring breeze. Have a look at the La Chatonniere website for more photos and information on the other gardens, including Intelligence, Romance, Luxuriance, Fragrance and Silence.

Weird cat behavoiur #6

2011-10-20T20:53:00.002+13:00

WEIRD CAT BEHAVIOUR #6

Rubbish bin diving.

This is a cartoon I drew for Jon to illustrate what I saw one night when I returned home, after dark, on rubbish bin night. In the beam of my torch were two sets of eyes and two furry faces. One was noshing down on some (fortunately unidentifiable) food scraps from someone's rubbish bin. The nosher was having a great time - he was chewing hard, licking his lips, and thoroughly enjoying his triumph. The onlooker was not so happy - he evidently did not possess the skills necessary to balance on the rim of a wheelie bin, get his paws under the lid, wiggle his shoulders under while clinging to the rim with his back claws, grab out the delicacy and gracefully leap to the ground with it. You could tell he desperately wished to be so skilled.

Lui has honed these skills after years of practice. We now keep bricks on the lids of the bins and our neighbours, after learning the hard way, do the same. It also pays to keep the bins a good distance apart on rubbish bin night, or stealthy food filchers will stand on one while rummaging through another.

For more Weird Cat Behaviour posts, go here.

Vintage linen

2011-10-17T19:51:00.000+13:00

I recently picked up some vintage linen at the local op shop. My idea was to use it as a base for embroidery so I was looking for plain, natural-coloured pieces. I found a few of those, and I even bought some which had flower patterns printed on them, with the idea that I could embellish the print. I also found lots of already embroidered pieces, and of course I couldn't just leave them behind.

It cost me $7.00 for the lot, which was great, but also sad, because there was an embroidered tablecloth with crochet edging which alone would have taken months to make. I know all crafters feel the pang when they see something sold so cheaply which has taken so much work to make, but the flip side is that at least it is coming home with me to be loved and cherished! And I can't help feeling pleased on the whole, because there is a lot of fabric there which would have cost a lot more than $7.00 to buy new.

A lot of the fabric was stained or yellowed, so my first task was to wash it. I asked google first and found that the first thing to try is soaking in vinegar, so I added half a cup to some warm water and put them in for a few hours. Then I rinsed them well and put them out in the sun. I was surprised at how well this technique worked - a lot of the lighter stains were gone. There were a few spots and darker ones left, so I'll try a dab of lemon juice next, then dry in the sun.

This is the tablecloth I was talking about. It probably had the worst staining, but I'm pretty confident I can get it out, and if not I'll embrace it as part of the character of the piece! I'd like to have an embroidered tablecloth for every season... this will be spring, with its soft pinks and greens.

This is one I already had, but it was in the cleaning pile because it had a tiny smear of printer ink on it. I'd been too scared to try and get it out before, but the vinegar soak faded it a lot, and I'm hoping lemon juice will finish it off. Hydrogen peroxide will be my last resort.

Now it's time to get the iron out (don't worry, I'm a freak who actually enjoys ironing). Then I have to finish my current embroidery project (only two lines of backstitch to go!) and then I'll have a play with all this lovely fabric.

Blossom in the potager

2011-10-16T19:14:00.000+13:00

Spring is definitely in the air - fortunately it's not making me sneeze too much! I spent a lot of time outside today weeding, and no doubt next week the weeds will just be back and laughing at me. It's lovely to be outside at the moment - there is blossom on the cherry tree, the grass is emerald green and lush, and flowers (particularly pansies) are blooming their hearts out all around the place. There is a heavy smell of blossom in the air, which doesn't come from the cherry tree but from the bushy green shrubbery along the fenceline. These enormous bushes are on the neighbour's side of the fence, but they are so tall that they've spread out over the fence to my side as well. It's the southern boundary so they don't block any sun, plus the birds nest in them. They also block the view of my neighbours' yard, as the fence is quite low and the palings are spaced far apart - a rather silly design really. So they have a function, I just wish they weren't so untidy in general.

This ballerina apple has also got her finery on. This is ballerina Bolero, and Waltz is not far behind.

The peas I planted in the glasshouse are thriving. I thought they were only supposed to grow to 45cm tall, which is why I put in short stakes, but as you can see they are well past that.

And it won't be long before I'm picking fresh peas for dinner.

Also not far away - fresh strawberries! Can't wait for these.

And the first bud on the pink rhododendron, promising a big display in the next few weeks.

Spring potager

2011-10-10T21:16:00.000+13:00

It's spring and the potager is looking lush. Mizuna is rapidly growing along the edges, carrots are feathering up, peas are sprouting and broccoli is... well, not heading but certainly forming lots of leaves. Weeds are of course growing madly so I spent some time this weekend weeding, as well as digging in compost and preparing a patch for potatoes. There's still so much to do... I wish the broccoli would hurry up and do its thing, because I want that space for beans and tomatoes.

I planted these from a punnet at easter so they should have been ready by now. I don't want to rip them out, such a waste! But I really do need this space in the next few weeks.

There's been plenty to harvest: spring onions, silver beet, lettuce, broad beans, early carrots, leeks and herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, golden marjoram, mint, basil mint, chives...) The winter garden did well this year.

However I have to change my strategy when it comes to watering. The city reservoirs sustained damage in the quakes, so we've now been hit with water restrictions for summer. No sprinklers or unattended hoses, and I'm only allowed to use the outdoor tap on certain days of the week. So hand watering it is.

It poured on Saturday so I set out buckets to catch the rain. I also put a bucket in the shower, and when the washing machine was going I waited out by the drain with yet more buckets to catch the runoff! That netted the most water, actually I was rather shocked at how much the washing machine goes through. I have two big plastic rubbish bins to store all the water in and when that was all over they were both full. So I should be ok, as long as it doesn't come to a complete hose ban! Tedious though, the thought of crouching by the drain every weekend siphoning water into buckets. Worth it to keep the tomatoes alive though I suppose.

Let's hope it's still as lush as this in a couple of months time!

Embroidery

2011-10-05T21:20:00.002+13:00

I've been playing with pretty threads this week. Gorgeous silk and cotton and rayon, and the loveliest textured linen to work on. I work back stitch and chain stitch and french knots and crosses. Tone on tone or bright splashes of colour.

This is a tapestry sampler - a little square worked on canvas that can be sewn into a pincushion or sachet. It came from the studio of Jane van Keulen - a textile artist who hand dyes a range of beautiful threads. She also has some lovely kits, and I stocked up on several - three different tapestry samplers, and a larger needlework piece, as well as some hand dyed threads and linen. So far all I've finished is the above piece, but I'm having fun with it. Embroidery is so lovely and tactile, the threads shimmer and shine and each different stitch provides a different texture.

Such a delightful way to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately I can hardly see to do it unless it's daylight, so luckily I still have my crochet patchwork blanket to occupy me in the evening. It's satisfying to be feathering my nest with such pretty things.

September flowers

2011-09-30T22:18:00.000+13:00

Pansies stole the show in the flower garden this month. I love how they mix and mingle between themselves to create new and beautiful colour strains with each new plant.

And lovely spring bulbs are blooming. I don't normally go for bright loud colours in the garden, but in spring it just happens and I don't really fight it. I need the hit after gloomy winter. These lovelies made such a gorgeous scented centrepiece, I had it on the kitchen windowsill, and it really cheered me when I drew back the curtains each morning. Such strength of colour and scent.

PS I cheated and backdated this post... I really did intend to put it up before September became October! Time is running away with me again.

Spring crochet

2011-09-23T20:43:00.000+12:00

Brighter days and warmer air is calling me to make something in light and summery colours. My latest crochet project was inspired by the gorgeous Beekeeper's Quilt knitting pattern. I just loved the idea of making little woollen hexagons, that from a distance look like a patchwork quilt. There is a great crochet version of the pattern here, which I tried, but I found it time consuming and the hexagons were going to turn out very large. So I decided to make a simple hexagon shape worked in the round, keeping it to 3 rounds so it would be small and sweet. I've tried to work in sock yarn or the equivalent, so it's woolly and warm and there will still be a bit of drape. All the yarn is from my stash, apart from the blue and the coral which I added to give it a bit of pop.

The great thing about simple 3 round hexies is that they work up really fast! I make 3-6 at a time, sew in all the ends, then sew them together into the blanket. This has worked to keep me interested so far as I can see the blanket growing. It only takes 10 minutes to make one hexie, so I can get a lot done in an evening.

I'm imagining this blanket spread out on the lawn holding a summertime picnic.

Are you working on any spring/summer projects?

Patio

2011-09-12T22:09:00.003+12:00

This weekend I finished laying the blocks for the patio.

Here it is, with some hastily arranged pots. I'll plant them up properly in the next few weeks... I'm thinking scented plants like lavender and heliotrope. We'll see, this is a shady spot so it might be ferns and hostas. I have a hydrangea to find a spot for too.

I'll probably change the furniture too as I raided this chair and table set from my other little sitting area. I'd quite like something rustic and timeworn so maybe I'll find something perfect at a market or second hand shop.

This was quite a full on job... the layout may be basic but those blocks are h.e.a.v.y. It took two weekends to finish. Hard to believe it went from this...

To this.

Just what I wanted.

More ATCs

2011-09-11T17:10:00.000+12:00

Tree of pearls

Tweeter bird

Woman with heart

Six down, six to go. Halfway there and I've run out of enthusiasm, as I thought I would. Good thing some more crap weather is on the way - it might be incentive to stay in and finish! I've got a wooden display frame to put them in, so that is also incentive. Lucky there's no deadline on this.

Garden dreaming

2011-09-03T17:45:00.000+12:00

Finally, spring is here. All the dreams and plans formed in winter can now be put into action. I've spent a lot of time reading magazines, browsing blogs, collecting images, and generally daydreaming. I look out the window and think about what I want to see out there. I imagine strolling through the potager on a warm summer evening, and think about what I want to be harvesting. Lest I forget, I jot down notes in my garden notebook.

High on my list of wants is a patio. I want somewhere to put a table and chairs where I can sit and eat and relax. I also want somewhere that's shady during the hottest part of the afternoon. We cleared a lot of shrubbery to make the back yard sunny which I love, but after working hard in the sun for a while I need somewhere to sit and cool off. On the south side of the house there is a concrete slab. It doesn't go anywhere so it's not a path, and it's not big enough to put chairs on, but I can fix it so it does the job! I have a pile of concrete blocks that my neighbour was giving away, so this weekend I've finally finished cleaning the old mortar off them, and started digging out the trench to lay them in. Brick laying is a horrible chore and such hard work, but I just keep in mind that image of my pretty patio... and hopefully it won't take me too long to get this job done.

Here are some sketches from my garden notebook. I like to plan out the potager, it rarely goes exactly according to plan but as long as I've allowed room for the staples like potatoes and tomatoes and the bean fence, then I can figure out what else goes where.

This is the plan from last spring/summer.

And the plan for winter. I try to rotate things around, or at least plant something from a different family in that space for a different season. It doesn't always work out, because I value form as well as function in vege gardening, but at least I can keep track of it this way!

This is the plan for spring/summer this year. Still in pencil because it changes depending on what I have to fit in. Having a drawing is no guarantee I won't impulsively buy a punnet of something I didn't plan for that I will have to shove in somewhere! That's half the fun though.

What are your plans for the garden this spring?

Goodbye winter!

2011-08-31T19:27:00.000+12:00

It's the first of spring tomorrow, hooray! Already the mornings are brightening and evenings are a fraction longer. I look forward to light and warmth, and the energy and motivation they bring me.

There are a few winter-only treats I enjoy...

:: coffee with a spoonful of milo stirred in

:: lovely cyclamen flowers

:: my cat snuggling in the bed at night

:: candlelight

:: sitting in full sunlight at lunchtime

:: wearing cozy knitted cardigans and knee high boots

But now it's time to bid those things farewell for another year, and look forward to the beauty of spring and the warmth of summer. Bring it on!

August flowers

2011-08-28T17:48:00.001+12:00

There's not as much going on in the August flower garden as in previous months, which is why I've had to feature some flowering broccoli! Well, it's bright and cheerful and I'll take that anywhere I can find it in winter. I also have some early miniature daffodils - which survived and thrived after being buried in deep snowdrifts, twice - and some pretty pink flowering rosemary.

On the 28th of August the first almond blossoms were out. I'll need to bust out the frost cloth. More hardy are the blue star flowers (triteleia) and the pansies, who are popping their little faces out all over the place.

Not too many indoor flower displays this month - but as I've mentioned before the hellebores last several weeks, and my indoor cyclamen have been delighting me since May. Not many days left of winter now... I'm counting down!

ATCs

2011-08-22T17:57:00.000+12:00

Tranquil Woman

Since it's winter and it's been snowy and cold, I've had to spend a lot of time indoors. In between reading, watching movies, and daydreaming about summer, I decided to make some ATCs. I thought I would make 12 in a similar colour scheme and then put them together in a frame.

Queen St John

ATCs (Artists Trading Cards) are small - only 64 x 80 mm - so they are nice and quick to finish. (Usually... sometimes I seem to be stuck for hours finding the perfect finishing touch.) This one has some of my favourite little vintage buttons.

Little House

There is a mix of collage, painting and drawing. It's been nice spending sunny afternoons working in my studio. I'm feeling the call of the outdoors though... it's only just over a month until daylight savings begins, yay!

On my reading table - Garden Spells

2011-08-16T19:14:00.002+12:00

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

How could I not love a book featuring a magic garden? In the small town of Bascom, everyone knows that if you eat an apple from the Waverleys' tree, it will show you a vision of the biggest thing to happen in your life. Claire Waverley is a caterer, creating wonderful dishes from the flowers in her garden, that affect the eater in curious ways. Claire's quiet life becomes a little more lively with the return of her sister Sydney, who has her own Waverley gift.

This is a beautiful book to read, full of quirky characters and imaginative descriptions. The magic is an everyday thing, it's not treated as anything unusual. The house and garden are sensitive, so when tensions rise flowers bloom at night, door handles shift from the left to the right, drinks freeze themselves... oh and did I mention the magic garden? I want a magic garden. The apple tree wants people to eat its visionary fruit, so it throws fruit or rolls them along the ground.

An easy and delightful read, perfect for snuggling in front of the fire with.

******** Edited 22 Jan 2012, to add to Holleygarden's Garden Book Review. **********

Weather watch

2011-08-15T19:03:00.000+12:00

More snow today. The newsreaders are trying to add excitement by calling it a "Perfect Storm" and a "Once in a Lifetime Event", but they've been unable to romanticize it for me. It just means cold fingers and wet feet and black ice on the road when I need to drive to work. I'm hoping it thaws and melts away as quickly as it did last time - three weeks ago - and then we really will have had enough snow to last at least 50 years.

On to more positive thoughts! I took a break from watching sleet blowing horizontally past the window to check on my seedlings, and was impressed at their progress. The orange cauliflower in particular are bursting forth, followed closely by the freckles lettuce. (Even the tiny seedlings have miniscule burgundy specks on the leaves - so cute!) The purple broccoli is also unfolding a bit more slowly, and I have noted movement in the sweet rocket and lavender areas too. The only slowpokes are the tomatoes, and I can't really say I blame them.

Lui got a bit stir crazy this afternoon and went outside for a play. There was a lot of leaping, scuffing the snow, pouncing in holes, and mad dashes for shelter. I played with him for a bit, then came back inside for a coffee and a muffin and a book beside the fire.

Head start

2011-08-08T17:10:00.002+12:00

My order from Kings Seeds arrived last week, just in time for the best sowing period this month (according to the moon). So I decided to sow a few things, even though it's early, just to see how they compare to the things I will sow later in the month. Usually I start sowing around the third week in August, which is still early, but fine if you have a glasshouse or sunny windowsill.

I was very restrained... I only sowed two kinds of tomato (Juliet and Brown Berry), lettuce (Freckles), cauliflower (purple and orange, and this will be my last sowing of brassicas until late summer), lavender (I got the dwarf variety, and I want to use it to edge borders and pathways asap), and sweet rocket (I don't know much about this one, but it is not edible and has sweetly scented flowers that bloom in spring and summer, so I thought I better get the seeds in asap).

I used my seedling potter to make some newspaper pots for the tomato seeds. The others went into plastic containers - one came from Bunnings on special with some tomato seeds, and the other came from the supermarket with yams in it - normally I never buy vegetables encased in plastic, but this time I knew the container would be as useful as the vege!

Then onto a sunny windowsill, which has become my little nursery. Two of the indoor cyclamens had little babies, to my intense delight as I've never had any luck trying to sow the seeds myself.

Over the next couple of months I'll be nurturing my little seeds - giving them water, moving them into the sunniest spot, and checking, checking every day for tiny changes.

Winter days

2011-08-07T19:14:00.000+12:00

Winter days are good for staying inside, snug in your little house. When the rain has stopped but the wind continues to howl a gale, put on a fire, light some candles, gather your blankets and settle in.

I spent a bit of time fiddling with my blog template today. I chose a new background and colours... it seemed appropriate, since I spend a lot of time with my head in the clouds anyway. I also widened the layout so I can now display my photos in a larger size. I work hard in Photoshop to make each picture look its best, and it always annoyed me how small they had to be to fit in my template. If you want to change yours, this is a helpful tutorial. I still need to make a new header image, but I've had enough Photoshopping for one day.

I found this sweet little house in a local op shop. A bargain at $4.00, and it supports the Cats Unloved charity, which I'm always happy to help. Best of all, you put a candle inside, and all the little windows glow. I'm already wondering how I can decorate this little house... some tiny flowerpots outside the front door, some little trees around, maybe some bunting...

Hope you're keeping snug and cozy. Today I noticed how bright it still was at 6pm... spring is almost on the horizon!

July flowers

2011-08-04T21:39:00.001+12:00

I'm a bit late with my July flowers post, but not due to lack of subject matter. There is still plenty of colour in the garden, to enjoy in the winter sunshine or pick and bring into the house.

Hellebores are my favourite vase flowers at the moment. When fresh-picked they wilt and droop in the vase, however they do straighten up over the next day or so. After that they last for weeks without much fading.

The white stuff

2011-07-25T11:23:00.000+12:00

Wow there is some crazy snow around today! Yesterday we had a few sleet showers, nothing to worry much about. Last night as I went to bed it was sleeting a little heavier. Then this morning I woke up and... wow. Heavy, thick, cold snow. This doesn't happen much in Canterbury, in fact the last heavy snow I remember was about 1992! I took these photos at about 8am this morning and it was already ankle deep. It's now 11am and it's been snowing nonstop since then.

Let's take a little wander around the garden shall we?

The paths have all disappeared. Doesn't the glasshouse look pretty all coated in white...

...until you see how thick that blanket is! I hope it can bear the weight.

Everything looks ok inside. Even the little tomato (although I expect this will be the final straw).

Here is the potager. Somewhere under that blanket is broccoli, spring onions, garlic, lettuce, rocket, pansies, leeks, and broad beans.

It looks so beautiful clinging to the wires and fence posts.

You can see how thick it is on the chairs.

The birds are still out foraging. I'll have to put some more food out later and top up their sugar water. At the moment it's ice water.

This is the front yard and a poor sagging olive tree to the left.

I'm sure the monster lemon tree will survive. Or at least I sure hope so, the neighbours will be mad if it dies!

The pots on the front steps got a good dusting.

Let's go back inside and sit by the fire. We can still watch it fall from the window.

I put my winter snowflake decorations up yesterday, not realising they would be quite so appropriate.

Well I'm off to make a cuppa now and sit by the window a bit more. Snow is lovely but it's much better enjoyed when you are warm and dry and watching it from the comfort of your fireside. Take care and stay warm, wherever you are.

Winter Wednesdays #3

2011-07-06T20:21:00.000+12:00

Possibly the only good thing about the early dark in winter is that you have plenty of time to get candles going. I do love the flickering light, sparkling glass holders and the reflections they cast, and let's face it, it's just not the same when it's not dark. Lighting scented candles is now part of my evening routine and makes the room feel much cosier.

This post is in conjunction with Hazel's Winter Wednesdays series. For more winter cheer see this post.

June flowers

2011-07-01T20:22:00.001+12:00

Flowers and arrangements from June.

Winter Wednesdays #2

2011-06-29T21:13:00.000+12:00

Sometimes I can't help thinking of that line from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: "it's always winter, but never Christmas". Living in the southern hemisphere where winter is June, July and August, it can be a long, dreary time with no festivities to break it up. Luckily in New Zealand we do have a midwinter festival: Matariki.

Also known as the Maori New Year, Matariki celebrates the reappearance of the Pleiades constellation in our skies, which heralds the coming of spring. It's time to get together with friends and family, celebrate the harvest and have a nice meal, and also time to plan your garden for the coming season and determine how your crops will grow.

There are many ways to celebrate Matariki. I chose to make some golden star decorations - seven of them, for the seven stars in the Pleiades constellation (also known as the Seven Sisters).

I made my stars by stamping and gold embossing onto clear heatproof acetate. Then I cut the star shape out with scissors, leaving a gap of about 1 mm because I found the embossing could flake off if bent. I added sparkle with some stick on rhinestones, and pierced a hole at the top for a thread (more embossing flaked off at this point, which annoyed me but I didn't have a punch tiny enough so had to use a pin). Then I threaded on some beads for more sparkle.

I hung the stars off my flower garland which is currently adorning this corner. They sway and catch the breeze, and reflect the sunlight - a small reminder that the days are now growing longer.

(Please ignore the giant crack in the wall - it's where our hot water cylinder tried to jump out.)

This was posted as a part of Hazel Dene's Winter Wednesdays series... for more ideas to celebrate winter, see this post!

Seeds to share

2011-06-28T18:15:00.003+12:00

I saved a few seeds from some of my tomatoes. Just cut a ripe tomato in half, scoop out the seeds, and spread them on a paper towel to dry. Don't forget to write the variety on the paper towel! I even made little paper envelopes for some of mine, but a paper bag would work just as well.

So I have some tomato seeds to share if anyone wants to try them. I'm happy to post them anywhere within NZ.

Abraham Lincoln

Large, firm red fruit.

Amazon Chocolate

Large brown beefsteak fruit, very tasty.

Brown Berry

Small brown cherry tomato, tangy savoury taste.

Sunset's Red Horizon

Red medium-large fruit, said to be frost resistant and resistant to cracking.

Yellow Pear

Small yellow, pear shaped fruit. Sweet and mild flavour. Plants tend to be very bushy.

Red Fig

Small red, pear shaped fruit. Vigorous and prolific, however the fruit were very quick to crack and split.

I also have some seeds of the pink Sunset Runner beans, these were just like normal runner beans but with pretty salmon pink flowers. (Note: these were grown next to white flowering cannelini beans, though according to Google they shouldn't have cross-pollinated.)

Just email me your address if you want some (it's on the left hand side of my profile page). It's hard to believe that the seed catalogues will be out next month... bring it on I say! Apparently King's Seeds will have a rainbow carrot mix, so that's definitely on my list! Along with some more mizuna for planting the potager edges. What's on your list this season?

Cozy cans

2011-06-26T21:15:00.000+12:00

Apparently we are having a mild start to winter. Not that I've really noticed; cold is cold and dark is dark and winter is winter, in my opinion. So I got out my hook and yarn and made a cozy wrap for this pink geranium who is overwintering inside. Actually, it was a new hook and this was a new crochet stitch for me: Tunisian. It has a finished look similar to knitting. It seemed to take foreeever to do, but I persevered and was pleased with the finished knit-look result - the one thing knitting has over crochet is that you can do ribs! (Oh and socks.)

A final row of single crochet in pink.

And some vintage buttons to finish it off.

I potted up my fibre optic plant in the other cozy. Here they are on the windowsill with their friend the red cyclamen, who is outgrowing his little terrarium. One more can cozy coming up...

Last week

2011-06-22T21:04:00.000+12:00

Last week began with more earthquakes, more liquefaction, more mess. We have learned how to deal with this situation and so we pick things up, clean up, and try to move on. The piles of sand and mud are collected that very evening by council trucks working long into the night.

Mud and muck is piled outside my back door. The cat walks through it and tracks mud through the house. I wipe the benches with paper towels, because the water supply is off for two days.

Last week Jon's dad passed away. It was unexpected and we grieve his loss.

Garden flowers are confused. Bulbs and spring-flowering shrubs are blooming. I wonder what will be left, come September.

Weird Cat Behaviour #5

2011-06-11T17:17:00.003+12:00

WEIRD CAT BEHAVIOUR #5

Couch diving.

Duck under the throw, grab the couch with your claws, and pull! Roll over, kick your legs out, get your claws into everything! Duck and dive, flip and skid. Grab the fabric in your mouth and make manic snarling, snuffling noises. Then get up, walk calmly away, and wash. Refuse to acknowledge the mess of throw rugs and shredded fabric left behind.

(Weird Cat Behaviour is an occasional series on this blog. For earlier posts, go here.)

Winter Wednesdays #1

2011-06-08T20:40:00.000+12:00

Here we are beginning another winter. Several dreary months ahead of cold weather, grey days, early dark, and did I mention the cold? Winter is not my favourite time, so I always make an effort to find and identify things I like about the season. I was thrilled to read on Hazel's blog last week that she is also attempting to find the joy in winter, by starting up a series of posts called Winter Wednesdays. So I thought I'd join in. I may not post every single Wednesday, but I'll definitely make an attempt to share some winter cheer!

This is my kitchen windowsill, decorated in whites and neutrals in honour of the season.

(Excuse the bad lighting in these photos... but hey, you know what time of year it is...)

Gorgeous wintersweet in a rustic cream-glazed vase.

These sweet little salt and pepper shakers were just $3 from Riccarton Market. I love the flower print and the coppery lids.

Chives for winter cooking (if they ever actually grow that is).

Seedheads and berries.

These are Starball Scabiosa. The seedheads make great decorations. They are a gorgeous parchment brown with a darker brown star shape in the middle of each floret. I grew them in the garden this year especially for winter decorating.

Not sure what these berries are, but I suspect the white rabbit knows. He looks like he's feasted on quite a few.

That's it for my first Winter Wednesdays post. Have a look at Hazel's post for more winter cheer!

Roses

2011-06-06T17:02:00.000+12:00

Today I spent a bit of time tidying the front garden in preparation for putting in some roses. I've never really known what to do with this bit of garden, it has two olive trees on either side and did have some ugly shrubbery filling it. I dug all the shrubbery out and removed the weedmat, then removed all the invasive grass that was growing through the weedmat (it's the kind that spreads by a long root).

Previously I'd planted bulbs under the olive trees, and freesias - they are all standing in a row like soldiers which suited last year's design, but when they've flowered I'll probably dig them up and distribute them a bit more randomly. There are also self-seeded poppies which might hide the roses while they get themselves established in spring. Eventually though, I will underplant them with catmint and pink carnations.

Meet the new ladies...

Queen Elizabeth

A Grandiflora rose, with large elegant flowers on long stems which are good for picking. It grows quite bushy and vigorous. Seems not too prone to black spot, and flowers are lightly fragranced.

Claire Rose

An Austin rose with large frilly flowers. Fragrant and good for picking.

Sexy Rexy

Apparently everyone who's serious about roses grows Sexy Rexy! Not that I consider myself a roseophile, but it met my criteria - pink, fragranced and good for picking. It's also won numerous awards so hopefully it's easy to grow and doesn't need too much attention!

It will be interesting to see about the fragrance of these roses. I made sure each one I bought had "fragrant" on it's description, but after googling it seems to be one of those personal things. Some people can smell it and some can't. I will keep you posted though...

May flowers

2011-05-29T20:31:00.002+12:00

Flowers and arrangements from the month of May.

A special shout out goes to the hyacinth in its cozy can, which flowered gloriously around the middle of the month. Hyacinths in May? It felt completely wrong, but I enjoyed it all the same, carrying it from room to room and positioning it where the scent would best waft toward my nose. A special mention also to the brave little rose, surely the last of her bush, who managed to unfurl and shine despite the chilly mornings.

Broccoli

2011-05-26T18:34:00.005+12:00

My broccoli is doing really well this season. Sometimes when I've grown it it's been small and spindly, or shot to seed, or not even had a head at all. I haven't been feeding anything special this time, or much at all really, so I'm going to presume this means I have the soil well fertilised with compost etc, and continue what I've been doing with home composting.

This green broccoli sprouts lots of little heads when you cut one off, a bit like Medusa. It's easy to harvest and an added bonus is that it rarely needs more chopping when you get it inside!

Broccoli is easy to freeze - I just chop it and put it in a ziplock bag. I don't worry about blanching. When I want to cook it I just tip it straight into the pan from the freezer, or you can put it in a sieve and run hot water over it to defrost it first.

This is italian broccoli. I had a really old packet of seeds that I tried once, back in the garden of the rental flat where the soil was stony and poor. I didn't have much success so the rest of the seeds didn't get used. But I discovered them recently and thought I'd have another go before I chucked the seeds out - looks like I've been more successful this time!

This is my old favourite - Violet Sicilian cauliflower, but called purple broccoli by me. It starts off looking like a cauliflower, but sprouts into more of a broccoli head before long. The purple colour is intensified by cold weather.

Late autumn bouquet

2011-05-24T18:19:00.000+12:00

Making the most of some late flowers - cosmos, carnations, lavender and chrysanthemums - with the first of the season's wintersweet.

Potting corner

2011-05-23T18:07:00.000+12:00

This weekend I continued with my autum clean up and moved onto the potting area. I'd always intended to put some more shelving in there, so I went to Bunnings and picked up this wooden kitset shelf. It wasn't too bad to put together actually - easier than those horrible galvanised shelves I've used in the past, and it can be painted - bonus! It has the holes for the shelves pre-drilled, but there are extra holes too, so you can customise it to a certain extent. I decided to leave the bottom shelf off so I could stack large pots underneath. I put the extra shelf in the middle of the unit for holding saucers and other small things.

So after a coat of my unifying dark green paint I put the shelf in its new home. The pots fitted under and around it nicely. To the right, under the piece of old carpet (and behind the vintage mirror that I still have to find a perfect garden spot for), is my worm farm. I thought all the worms had died but I had a quick look anyway, and to my surprise found several living worms. I put some more food scraps in for them, but they don't eat the food very quickly - I hadn't fed them for months prior.

Pots, punnets and plants. I have more punnets than I need and it's a waste to throw them out. I wonder if someone would come and take them if I put them on Trade Me for $1.00...

I was gutted to lose several aged terracotta pots in the quake. It takes about 3-4 years to get a good patina on there. The ones at the front are new, just starting the aging process. Winter weather helps!

These bags are holding unmatured compost. As I was tidying up it became clear that I would need to start another compost heap, so I emptied out one of the bins. I put it in these bags in the hope that it will break down just as well in them as in the bin.

For the new heap, I layered autumn leaves, grass clippings, old potting mix out of pots, and ash from the pellet fire. I haven't really made a proper layered heap before, as I usually just throw things in as I come across them. We'll see if it makes any difference!

Some of the last autumn flowers in reclaimed glass bottles brighten up the table.

Here's the just-a-tad-bit-wonky shelving on the fence. It makes a nice display area.

Some brave little bulbs making an early showing. The hoop petticoats in the blue pot put out lots of foliage every year, but I've only ever had one flower. I keep meaning to just chuck them in the garden somewhere and forget about them.

Well, glasshouse and potting corner are done. Next weekend is the shed, the worst of the lot. Can't wait.

On my reading table

2011-05-19T20:16:00.000+12:00

Dreamhunter and Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox

This gorgeously written "duet" by NZ author Elizabeth Knox deserves to be more widely known. It tells the story of the Place, a sort of no-man's-land where dreams can literally be caught as if catching a cold. Only dreamhunters can cross the border into the Place. There they camp, sleep, and if they are lucky and sleeping on the right spot, they will catch a wonderful (or frightening) dream. Once loaded with a dream, the dreamhunter will "perform" the dream nightly at one of the opulent dream palaces - these are where the rich and fabulous members of society go, clad in silk pyjamas and fashionable nightgowns, to retire to their private suites and be swept away in a dream not of their own making. Dreamhunters can become wealthy and famous, but they are also held in a superstitious awe, since not everyone can or wants to be able to enter the Place.

Cousins Laura and Rose come from the most famous dreamhunting family, and are awaiting their Try to discover if they have the ability to enter the Place. Set in a sort of alternate Edwardian era, the girls also attend school at Founderston Girls Academy, prepare for balls and have tea and cream cakes at Farry's Confectioners. The writing is lush and descriptive, and the story is intelligent and complex. It has some interesting twists and turns, but everything fits in somehow, somewhere. I've read this duet several times now for the beautiful visuals and the wonderful characters who now feel like old friends.

Good books.

The Supervisor

2011-05-17T18:15:00.001+12:00

He has his own chair - all the better for watching from.

And my chair too as soon as my back is half turned, for that all-important supervisory nap. We work hard around here!

In the glasshouse, and raindrops in the garden

2011-05-16T15:22:00.001+12:00

My number one chore for this weekend was cleaning out the glasshouse. Saturday was perfect weather-wise, so I dragged everything outside, got out the hose and let it rip. I washed down the walls, blasted the spiders and scrubbed away the cobwebs. (Fortunately there was no repeat of this incident.) Everything dried nicely in the sun, and I spent the rest of the afternoon putting it back in and arranging it. By the time I was done the light was no good for taking photos, so I took these on Sunday morning. Of course, by then it was raining, so just ignore the puddles on the floor and the foot and paw prints everywhere...

At the back left corner are two tomato plants, bravely struggling on. One is Juliet and one is Yellow Pear. Neither is particularly happy, they have both been stripped by caterpillars and I'm sure they will keel over when regular frosts set in. But in the meantime, they are producing fruit. It's a bit weak and watery but still beats a supermarket tomato!

At the back right is my mandarine, Clementine. I rather badly neglected her over summer and only recently realised (when her leaves turned black with mould) that she had a bad case of scale. So I cleaned her up and repotted her, and resolved to take better care in the future. I've also harvested two mandarins off her so far and there are about another three on there, so she is worth looking after!

Also in that corner is a chocolate cosmos, which is looking rather dead but I will trim it back, and it should emerge in spring again. And there is a pot with some tiny parsley seedlings, a pansy and a small bunch of spring onions (they are all found seedlings that were growing together in the same patch of the garden).

I built this bench out of some pallet wood and bricks. It's pretty sturdy so should withstand minor aftershocks, I think if we get another big one a toppled potting bench will be the last thing on my mind... Anyway, it is home to spare pots and saucers, a plastic bottle cloche, and some seedlings.

On the left are onions - I had two opened packets, one red and one white. I sowed the seed thickly because I read that onion seed needs to be fresh to germinate so I figured it may or may not work. Well, every single red seed germinated and none of the white. So I'll need to find homes for about a hundred red onions come spring. Next to them is a Sunset's Red Horizon tomato, my workmate sowed some seeds as an experiment to see if they really are frost resistant. So we'll see if it survives over winter. Next to that is some broccoli, again it was old seed and every single one sprouted. Must be 30-40 of them. And next to that is a Winter Savoury seedling, that's supposed to be a perennial herb that doesn't die off over winter, but this one doesn't really want to get going at all. It's been there for a couple of months. I had to prop it with a small stick because it kept falling over. Chin up little plant!

Here is the heliotrope, also frost tender so I bring her in as well. The vanilla scent is gorgeous. Soon I'll have to bring my geraniums in as well, I lost two last year to the frost so I'll look after them a bit more this year.

After all the hosing and scrubbing I hung my gloves out to dry. Then I forgot about them, and they got a second rinse overnight.

The rain made all the autumn colours pop! This purple broccoli will be ready soon. The sad little pumpkin next to it, not so much - it needs to be harvested now, but is nowhere near ripe.

I planted mizuna at the front of the middle quarter. I was trying to go for that classic potager look of the low hedge. The mizuna is working well - I also sowed corn salad in two of the beds, to compare which looks better, but it's growing much slower. It's possible that the mizuna could go to seed in the next couple of months, so the slower growing corn salad could still win the race. Each quarter bed has a small rosemary bush in the middle which should look lovely when in flower - I'll show you pics when that happens.

And a rainbow to finish on. Next weekend I have to tidy the potting area, and the one after that I will be tidying the garden shed. The fun never stops around here!

White rabbits

2011-05-11T21:16:00.000+12:00

2011 is the year of the rabbit. Apparently, it should be a quiet, restful year, after the ferociousness of the preceeding year of the tiger. It favours home, comfort, peace and quiet. Life is supposed to come easily this year, and progress at a calm and leisurely pace with no cares or worries. I think we can all say a resounding YEAH RIGHT to that! 5.3 aftershock at 3am the other night? That's not what I call relaxing! Not to mention that our homes are being slowly but surely shaken to pieces.

But anyway, let's not talk about that! Look at the lovely colours these chrysanthemums are turning. They start off peachy-apricot, fade to yellow, and then turn pink and mauve. Not to mention that they last a couple of weeks in the vase. Talk about good value.

Dianthus also last several weeks in the vase - I'll make better use of them next summer! And yes, you can see I started another crochet project and didn't finish it. And no I still haven't finished the skirt.

I'm also planning a new project in the garden - a blueberry bed. I want to do something to break up the huge expanse of lawn, and I thought a bed here might screen off the "ugly neccesities" like the clothesline a bit. The bed hasn't been dug yet - this is a simulation using prunings to work out the right location and size. I think it will work. Now the ground just needs to be dug up, what a good thing Jon is on holiday next week!

On my reading table

2011-05-05T18:16:00.000+12:00

Annnnd... it's another Country Living magazine! This is the March issue. I had to buy this one as well, giving myself a stern talking to all the time. You see, I have a bit of a magazine addiction. That is why the library is so great - I bring home as many as I can carry, they are free, and they don't sit around cluttering up my house for long. For I can never bring myself to throw away something that I spent so much money on, nor can I bear to rip out the pages. However it is nice to know they are there to go back to.

On the cover, it's spring! I love the terracotta pots, and the wicker basket with the spring flowers... pasque flowers if I'm not mistaken.

This vignette could be adapted to any season just by changing the flowers. The warm colours are quite autumnal.

I love open shelving in a kitchen, especially when your utensils are pretty as well as practical. I really want a woven mat like that one!

This lady makes limited edition prints from potatoes! Come on guys, we could all do that one. Look how cute her mice are though... I guess that takes a special kind of skill.

A cozy can

2011-05-03T18:44:00.001+12:00

There's something about being in the midst of a big crochet project, that makes me want to just put it aside and work on smaller projects for a while. Also I had this bulb, pre-sprouted, from the garden centre (because I'm nowhere near organised enough to do my own bulbs this year) and I needed something to put it in. And I realised a Whiskas jellimeat tin was the exact right size, only I would need to cover it with something.

I crocheted this as a rectangle shape that wraps around the tin. As it worked up it made me think of baby clothes - the soft, delicate shell texture. It's hard to keep from picking up the tin and giving it a cuddle, but I think it will be very warm this winter...

The pattern is Close Scallops, from The Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden. I finished with a row of single crochet along the top.

I did a row of sc along one edge, and made a loop of chains for each buttonhole. Then I just sewed some buttons on. It only took an afternoon to make this... I love projects that are this quick!

Congrats to Will & Kate

2011-05-01T18:29:00.001+12:00

To Will & Kate: Thanks for inviting me to your shindig! It was awesome to sit on the couch in my PJs and watch your splendidly well-coordinated event unfold. I certainly enjoyed the show, and hope you are as happy in the future together as you were on this day.

MY VERDICT

The bride - radiant. The dress - beautiful. The veil - gorgeous. The bouquet - could have been bigger.

The abbey - whimsical. The guests - fascinating. The hats - awe inspiring. The in-laws - frightening.

The prince - scrubbed up well. The groomsman - dashing. The train-carrier - stunning. The little bridesmaids - frilly.

The crowds - exciting. The horses - sleekly beautiful. The happiness - palpable. The kiss - a fairytale.

The hilight - the cartwheeling priest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFG5sDcv7bo

Oh and a big thumbs up to Beatrice's Philip Treacy hat! Why not have a little fun with it. I liked Posh's too and I wish I had a reason to wear a fascinator. I think Eugenie looked sloppy though.

Did you watch? What did you think?

April flowers

2011-04-29T20:01:00.001+12:00

Flowers and arrangements from the month of April.

On my reading table

2011-04-27T18:30:00.000+12:00

I've just finished the first three books in the True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris. I've been a fan of the True Blood TV show since it started, so reading the books is of course the next step. (If I watch a movie or TV show and find out it was based on a book, I always get a bit obsessed with finding and reading that book.) Luckily my very dear friend has the series and lent me the books, otherwise I would have been tearing my hair out trying to get them in order from the library - if there's one thing I hate it's reading a series out of order!

It's interesting how much the same and yet how different the two mediums are. TVBill is very much the gentleman, polite and chivalrous, while BookBill is quite feral and definitely unhuman. TVEric I found to be a rather cliched Lestat-like character, but BookEric is a lot more interesting. Pam I love in both TV and book.

Any other True Blood fans out there?

The latest NZ Gardener magazine popped up in my mailbox last week (I was lucky enough to get a subscription for Christmas). It's feeling very hello winter with stored spuds on the cover, and featuring tips on pruning and some recipes for home brewed booze.

There are some recipes for kumara and Maori potatoes.

And a feature on chrysanthemums, quintessential autumn flowers.

A gardening weekend

2011-04-25T17:25:00.000+12:00

We had beautiful weather this Easter weekend. I made the most of it with a big tidy up in the potager - pulling out the manky tomatoes and beans, weeding, and digging over the ground. I also planted out some more broccoli and silver beet, which maddeningly I had to buy as punnets. What with one thing and another I got out of the rhythm of sowing seed regularly, which means the broccoli I had previously planted was forming heads, and any seed I sow now won't be harvestable till spring. I did sow some anyway, but also had to go broccoli-hunting at the garden centres... and that stuff was scarce!

Here is the First Quarter looking luminous with the cosmos and calendula still flowering like mad. There is a valiant pumpkin struggling on, it has one fruit so we'll see how ripe that manages to get. Broad beans are at the back under the canes.

The Second Quarter is also full, mostly with broccoli which is forming heads (not very big ones unfortunately, they probably need more water than they got from me in late summer).

The Third Quarter still has capsicums and chillis along the right hand path. They are steadily ripening, I'll leave them there as long as possible until frosts take them out. The far edge of the garden is planted with a row of soldier-like spring onions. The curve of the path has been planted with calendula seedlings. They were sown in late Feb, about a month after the ones which are flowering so well now, but that month made all the difference as these tiny seedlings are refusing to do very much at all. I've made cloches out of plastic soft drink bottles to try and nurse them along a bit.

The Fourth Quarter is the one I cleared out and dug over. Since this photo was taken I've planted it with spring onions, broccoli and beet and there is room for some red lettuce too.

I had this post left over from the bean fence, and I thought it would be cute with some pots hanging off it. I made the hangers by wrapping some thin wire around terracotta pots, and twisting it to form handles. I'm thinking about putting a bird feeder on top of the post, probably just an old wicker basket.

I love pansies and violas. I love the way they self seed so freely - whenever I find a little seedling I transplant it to wherever needs brightening up. You never know what colour you're going to get - I've had some beautiful and unique (to my garden) colourings pop up!

Twilight and the lights come on. I can go inside and know I've done a good day's work.

Granny squares

2011-04-20T17:29:00.000+12:00

Ok, I've changed my mind on using the Daisy Chain square for the skirt. It's a pretty square and I'll definitely use it for something... maybe a bag?... but I've realised that the pattern designers were right and the plain granny works best in this case.

I made some quick mock-ups in Photoshop to decide if I should edge the squares in black, which seemed like a good idea while I was working the first ones. Black is always a tidy colour with which to frame things.

But once again I think the pattern designers were right, and using the same colour as the body of the skirt pulls it all together. Black just makes it look tacked on the bottom.

However... I do think I'll make mine a bit shorter than this one and have it above the knee (dare I say this, after all my deviations from the pattern so far have been disastrous?) Will I even finish it? Will I wear granny squares in public? Watch this space!

Whilst making one of the squares, I became enamoured with this combination of soft grey and white. It felt somehow magical, and when I put it down next to the book I'm reading, the connection became clear... it's the colour of moonbeams on clouds. How beautiful, I whispered, a moonlit night blanket...

So I made this mockup to check if I really really liked it, and I really really do. Especially when I thought of adding some shell buttons to alternate squares. I like it so much I want to start on it right away, but I need that yarn for the skirt project... must finish the skirt first!

On my reading table

2011-04-19T18:52:00.001+12:00

Oh library, I've been missing you. Most of the libraries around town are open again but not my local, which means I had to resort to actually buying magazines. The Mobile Library has been in the neighbourhood (this is a library in a bus - very cool and I'll see if I can get some photos when I go next weekend), but it is by nature small and rather heavily depleted at the moment.

So a couple of weeks ago I went to Borders and fulfilled my craving. Country Living (British edition) is my absolute favourite magazine, I love its seasonality and I usually get the issue that corresponds to what season we are in here in the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately I couldn't do that in the shop, so I got the January issue (which was cheaper, I guess because it was about due to be pulled from the shelf). Winter will be here soon enough, I figured. I also got Country Gardens (US edition - spring), it doesn't matter quite so much what the season is with this one as they always have beautiful photos.

As usual with Country Living, the most beautiful page is on the cover. I wish I could get my kitchen to be pretty and functional, unfortunately it tends to be just functional and completely messy.

Bright ideas for dark days - I like the hyacinth bulbs in the tin pots, and the bird feeder in the terracotta pot. I think I'll make some feeders like that.

Country Gardens has cute ideas for spring posies - my favourite is the ostrich egg vase in the lower left corner.

And a primula auricula theatre - apparently this used to be the way to display your primroses! "...the tradition dates to the 16th century in France and Belgium. Legend has it that Huguenot weavers carried their beloved auriculas with them when they fled to England. By century's end, primrose pandemonium was almost as hysterical as 17th-century Tulipmania with prized specimens going for small fortunes."

Can't say I'm all that keen on primroses, but maybe if I had a darling little theatre like that to display them in. Guess I've got all winter to construct one!

Red lentil lasagne

2011-04-18T18:23:00.001+12:00

There was an interesting discussion on Facebook this week, when I asked if anyone else is cooking more vegetarian meals due to the cost of meat. It turns out many people are - even the "cheap cuts" aren't that cheap these days, and personally I like to eat "happy" meat, which has been humanely raised (not what you typically get at Pak N Save).

So, bring on the lentils! I've experimented a bit with them and the texture when cooked is not that dissimilar to mince. I made a lentil dhal which was really good served with wedges, and this lasagne, and I'm going to try something like spaghetti bolognese or maybe tacos... I think I'll cook up a big batch, maybe in the slow cooker, and freeze it in portions. Then I can have quick easy meals after work. Here's what I did for the lasagne. Let me know if you try it!

RED LENTIL LASAGNE

Start off frying a chopped onion and 2-3 chopped garlic cloves. Rinse 1 cup red lentils and add to the pan with 2 cups of water and 1 can of chopped tomatoes. Add about 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, and any herbs you like such as basil, oregano or thyme (fresh or dried). Cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until lentils are tender. It's better to have it slightly runny - add a bit of water if you need to - so that the dry pasta sheets will soften and cook properly. (Or precook your sheets!)

Keep checking on the mixture while it cooks, it may need more water. Mine took quite some time to cook, probably because I didn't cover the pan.

While that's cooking, make a white sauce with 1 tbsp marg, 1 tbsp flour and 2 cups milk. (If yours turns into a lumpy mess like mine did, sieve it and thicken it with a bit of cornflour dissolved in milk. Then resolve to make it in the microwave next time because at least it won't burn on the bottom.)

Spray an oven dish with oil and layer up the mixture alternating with a packet of lasagne sheets. I layered thusly: lentils, lasagne, lentils, lasagne, white sauce, lentils, lasagne, white sauce, grated cheese. Then bake in the oven at 180 C for 35-40 mins.

Falling sunshine

2011-04-17T18:07:00.000+12:00

My favourite tree is doing its autumn thing. Even on a dull grey day it radiates golden light, and is a most beautiful thing to see from out the windows and when I'm pottering around outside.

The bird feeder is slowly being revealed as the leaves fall. Soon it will be time to mix up some birdseed cakes and see what wildlife I can attract this winter. I saw a fantail at the botanic gardens last weekend, so I'm hopeful that perhaps it may wander over to my side of town? And maybe bring some bellbirds with it? (Fat chance I think.)

I love the golden carpet on the grass. These leaves make a great mulch, so I got out my rake and raked them into piles. Then I put the piles into a wool bag. They'll break down over the next few months into leaf mould, and I'll use them on the garden in spring.

I love raking leaves, so I didn't even mind when a wind sprang up after I had cleared these away, and a new sprinkling appeared. I'll get them next weekend.

Fingers crossed for a lovely sunny Easter weekend, so I can get some more tidying up done.

Work in progress

2011-04-14T21:45:00.000+12:00

I've been busy these past few weeks harvesting and preserving food from the garden. I've made several batches of tomato relish, some stewed apples, plenty of chopped vegetables for the freezer, and now I've moved onto the dehydrator. This is on loan from Jon's mum, and it's been working hard on the bench this week. Dried apples = yum! Dried pears = yummer! Dried tomatoes with garlic and oil = I will eat these till I throw up.

Here's my current WIP. It's this pattern which I found through Ravelry. I never imagined myself crocheting a granny square skirt, and I'm not even sure I'll wear it once made, but I think the greys and black make a kitschy design a lot more elegant. Also, crochet is supposedly hot on the catwalk this season - it would be funny for me to be ahead of a trend!

I thought I would replace the standard granny sqaure with one a bit prettier - this is Daisy Chain from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans. It's definitely prettier, but not as pretty as a certain pink-nosed somebody.

Only thing is, I'm not sure if I like these squares anymore. I mean I like them, but do they look right on the skirt or are they a bit too busy? Maybe the appeal lies in the simplicity of the plain grannies.

I'm not sure and it's really too hard to decide right now, so I've put this to one side. I might make a couple of plain grannies on the weekend and see how I like them.

Autumn days

2011-04-04T20:05:00.000+12:00

The season has definitely changed. This morning was warm, sunny, beautiful. I went about the potager tidying, clearing away dead foliage and weeds, and dug over the middle quarters ready for the winter planting. It was so warm everything needed a drink of water. I spent a lot of time admiring this patch of cosmos - truly, every vege garden should have some, it makes such a lovely backdrop for leeks.

See how pretty?

I bought a set of solar lights (to help me find the lettuce on dark mornings) and I put them around the potager. As I did so the day began to cloud over, and not long after it was raining.

This is how the day ended... raindrops on the window and flowers drooping in the dusk. Thanks to daylight savings, dusk is now so much earlier. About four of my solar lights came on, the rest hadn't managed to charge enough.

But, this is the shape of things to come, and I have prepared. I've been crocheting myself some winter warmers, starting with these fingerless gloves. I pretty much live in fingerless gloves in winter, so I need a few pairs for variety. I found this pattern on Ravelry - it's called Firecracker Gloves. I enjoyed working them up, the pattern stitch made things interesting and they are well fitted.

I'd like to make more in different colours, I just need to find some more yarn. It needs quite a fine lace weight yarn, which is not that easy to find especially with Spotlight closed (not that they have lace yarn anyway!) This yarn is ok but I would prefer one without the slubbing.

I'd like to make some in grey, a soft fuzzy mohair type yarn (which I probably won't find, as actual mohair is too scratchy for me to wear around my wrists) and embroider the backs.

I have some more crochet projects to share, and will try to do that later in the week. Till then, enjoy your flower gardens and keep your fingers warm!

Harvest dinner

2011-03-20T20:26:00.000+13:00

This is the post I meant to share nearly a month ago, before the damn earthquake interrupted everything. Anyway, here are the results of a late summer harvest... Desiree potatoes, zucchini, red onion, carrots, basil, chilli and assorted tomatoes.

I chopped them and put them in a dish, then made up a white sauce and poured it over the top.

A bit of grated cheese, bake it in the oven and then... yum! I served it with some crumbed chicken and a tomato salad.

Remember those blueberries I picked one day? I did make friands and they were delicious too. The rest of the blueberries went into the freezer, although sadly I had to take them out when we lost power. I ended up taking them to my mum's so they weren't completely wasted, I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to use them myself but glad that they weren't just thrown out like some of our food had to be. Anyway, I know my mum will enjoy them and maybe there will be some yummy blueberry treats waiting for me next time I visit! Till then I'll be savouring the memory of that friand.

In Memoriam

2011-03-18T19:50:00.000+13:00

Today was the service in remembrance of the Christchurch earthquake. We went along, on bikes, and sat in Hagley Park with thousands of others. Thinking thoughts of sadness, loss, but also hope and unity. It felt right to be there. My city, I grieve for you but I also believe that we can rise up and, eventually, build you better and stronger than before. We just have to be strong till then.

I'm also thinking of Japan and the terrible events unfolding there. All around it has not been a good start to the year. So I do what I always do in such times and retreat to the garden, look at the flowers, and hope for a better day tomorrow. Kia kaha.

Sandy soil

2011-03-03T20:39:00.002+13:00

It's hard to believe that over a week has passed since the grey and dreadful day that changed the face of our city. Slowly, we pick up the pieces and try to move on. We are cheered by messages of support from all around the globe, comfort from neighbours, help from strangers. Kia kaha, they say. Be strong.

At home we have power, and a trickle of water that increased a bit in pressure today - enough to finally make it to the hot water heater. The irony was, when I turned on the shower and jumped in, there was not enough cold water pressure to temper the hot! So my shower was rather short and very hot. I'm sure it will improve over the coming days though, as people are working around the clock to rebuild the infrastructure. I am so grateful to them.

Above is the lake of silt and mud that poured into our backyard about 2 hours after the initial quake. It poured out from the corner of the house, flooded the garage, and raced down the drive.

A yummy mixture of sand and liquid clay.

Which left an extremely sticky yet slippery layer to navigate. (The wheelbarrow lies, useless, with its punctured tyre.)

The sand was almost 20 cm deep in places.

This is a video Jon shot of the liquefaction as it happened - gives you an idea of the powerful forces under the earth.

Here you can see it starting to drain away, leaving a thin layer of mud and a huge pile of sand... time to get those shovels out.

I was gutted when I saw the flooding in the potager. However, most of the water quickly drained away and there was not so much silt here, just a thin layer that will be easy to scrub off.

Here it is a week after the event. I really need to get out there and start weeding, some day when I have time! Luckily a lot of the plants are finishing off and don't need water. They do need harvesting though - tomatoes are actually rotting on the vines which is annoying! I also noticed the borlotti bean pods are dry and ready to split, and the spuds have needed digging up for a while now.

But lookie - I've finally got flowers in the vege garden! The cosmos is providing a beautiful backdrop to the elegant leeks, and the calendula Sunset Tones are opening their little faces. The yellow one is Common Calendula (horrors!), but the others have their bright tones muted by burgundy edging on the petals.

Pretty. And in other good gardening news, I won a competition on Flaming Petal for a new echinacea plant. It's called Pink Poodle and is covered with frilly pink petals, a bit like a dahlia. Looking forward to growing this new treasure!

So here we are with the sun setting over the potager, and the bright faces of the pansies reminding me that tomorrow is another day. Thanks for stopping by to visit me, and I hope that wherever you are in the world, someone is taking care of you. Kia kaha.

Earthquake update

2011-02-25T11:11:00.000+13:00

Just a quick update to let you all know I'm safe and well. Our house suffered a bit of damage in the form of cracks and jammed doors, as well as some liquefaction in the back yard which flooded the garage and dumped a huge amount of sand right outside the back door. The house is liveable though - amazingly our chimney is still standing!

I'm staying with family in Timaru at the moment, but hoping to return soon to begin the cleanup. Jon is still in Chch as he had to go to work. Power is now back on, but no water.

Thanks for all the messages and emails. I'm as well as can be, although heartbroken at the loss and destruction all around. We've had so much help from family, neighbours and strangers that I will be forever grateful for. Thanks again everyone, it's heartening to know you are thinking of me.

Take care
xx

Smelling the roses

2011-02-20T20:53:00.000+13:00

My climbing rose Cecile Brunner has been flowering for a couple of months. You'll see her in the background next to my shed in the previous potager post. She gets a bit unwieldy this time of year, so I usually give her a haircut to tidy things up and hopefully encourage some more flowers. Then I take all the little rose buds that were snipped off, and put them in my bubble vase.

So pretty, and they smell divine too. I love the perfection of these tiny blooms - almost too perfect to be real. I like to put the vase beside my bed, from which spot it will perfume the whole room. Instant well-being.

Today we went blueberry picking at Broadfield Berryfruit. It was the last day of the season, but we still managed to pick 1.2 kg of fruit. Then I spread them out on trays to freeze. Once frozen I scooped them into freezer bags. I'm looking forward to all kinds of blueberry baking... hotcakes, muffins, cakes, puddings... and after seeing this recipe on Bridget's blog, blueberry friands are also on the list!

I've always wanted a dollshouse with a miniature garden, and thanks to Tilt Shift Maker, this is what my potager would look like as a mini! Cute no? Lookit the teeny glasshouse! Bet there are no weeds to pull in a mini garden either...

Stages of a potager

2011-02-18T21:05:00.002+13:00

Hi again! I hadn't intended to be away for so long, in fact I had plenty of posts thought out. But when it came to actually writing them, I found I would rather be sitting in the sun, or reading a book, or working some crochet. The garden has been overwhelming me a bit too as it's growing like mad and seems like an overgrown jungle. The potatoes are manky and the tomatoes are gigantic flopsy triffids. Anyway, I decided it's time to pull together all the photos of the potager over the past year as it's developed, so at least I can remind myself that I have accomplished something, even if there's a lot more work still ahead.

January 2010 - This is how it looked before I started. Scruffy shrubs, dead grass, oxalis and a weedy vege patch were what I had to work with.

January 2010 - First I laid out stakes and planks and scraps of wood to work out the pattern and how things would fit. I laid out some bricks to work out the width of the path. Then it was dig, dig, dig.

28 March 2010 - I dug trenches for the paths and lined them with planks of wood for the edging. Then I laid down weed mat, and coarse builder's mix for the base. Then I laid the bricks, knocking them into place with a rubber hammer. Finally I brushed Pavelock sand between the bricks - this sand turns hard when sprinkled with water, so the weeds shouldn't grow through. My paths aren't perfect, and the width fluctuated a bit. In some parts I had to chip away at the bricks to get them to fit, and in other parts I had to pack extra sand around them. I just remind myself that the rustic look is what I am going for here!

23 May 2010 - Two months later and I've managed to finish the cross paths, work out the positioning of the bricks for the curved path and dig over most of the beds. You would not believe how much rubbish was under the top layer of dirt... bricks, broken glass, whole glass bottles, shards of pottery, coal, rusted metal and even a pair of rotted boots!

13 June 2010 - I wanted to plant my garlic, but I couldn't plant up that bed until the circle path was laid (or I'd just end up trampling on the bed while I did it). The circle path was the most important element of the design to me - I love the symmetry and strength of the lines. I'd have preferred not to have the straight paths crossing right through the centre - it would be nice if they stopped at the edge of the centre and I could have a sundial or something in the middle of a round bed. But that was not going to work for several reasons... firstly, I'm a building novice learning on the job, and it was just too damn hard for me to work out how to connect the paths at that stage. Secondly, I like to be able to dash in and out, bring the wheelbarrow through etc and though pretty, that layout would not have been especially practical. And thirdly, I like having my four little "quarter" beds - they are a great manageable size and good for planting with "little" crops such as lettuces.

3 October 2010 - I delayed laying the rest of the circle paths for as long as I could because believe me, I was well and truly over bricklaying by then! But I wanted to plant my spuds, so I needed to move onto the next quarter. I used recycled black plastic garden edging to line these paths, because it was the only thing I could think of that would curve. It worked, but presented its own set of problems, mostly because it would warp and buckle when I hammered the bricks in. So most of these curved paths do have wonky fluted edges if you look too closely... which is why I've since grown lettuces along the edges to hide all that!

5 November 2010 - the circle paths are finally finished! I just have to do the outer curved path, before it gets completely overgrown with grass.

10 January 2011 - One year later, and all the bricks are finally in! Not that you can see much because of all the monstrous vegetables, but I'm planning some more traditional potager style plantings for winter that might highlight it a bit better. I also want more flowers in there amongst the greenery! In the meantime, the harvest is coming in. This week I've brought in spuds, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, rocket, rosemary, thyme, spring onions, red onions, zucchini, chilli peppers (glasshouse), runner beans and strawberries.

Well, I've come a long way baby, but there's always more to do. It's taken me three nights to organise the photos and write this post, so maybe in a week I'll have another for you! In the meantime I'm going to browse through my folder of inspirational potager images and dream about next season's layout.

Tomatoes and garlic

2011-01-11T20:41:00.001+13:00

Sorry to keep you all in such suspense with this, I know you were dying to know. The first tomato of the season was... Juliet! Harvested on 30 Dec. I do like this variety - it is F1, so obviously bred to be reliable. It has lots of fruit which are a quirky oval shape. They are sweet and firm and, most importantly, quick to ripen!

Quickly following up were Brown Berry. I may have picked one before I left - can't quite remember - but I definitely picked them when I was home on the 7th of Jan. They are tasty little cherry tomatoes, but not too sweet (I'm not really that fond of super sweet tomatoes). And they ripen quickly too, yay.

This is Sunset's Red Horizon, which I thought would be the first pickings. I guess the size of the fruit is what's taking them so long to ripen - they are about the size of cricket balls now. Not far off tasting though!

Here is the garlic harvest, dug up on 27 Dec. I let it dry in the sun for several days and then plaited it using Gillybean's tutorial.

Then I hung it on my trellis to dry some more. ♥! I saved the five biggest bulbs for seed for next season and put them in a plait of their own. There's also a little plait of bulbs I had left over... the big one was getting unwieldy! Next time, I'll add flowers.