Golden summer days

Hello again.

I know it has been far too long since I last posted.  Work has eaten me up and I haven’t had much time to garden or do much else, aside from catching up on housework & laundry on my days off.  I also left our old faithful digital camera outside during a fine, misty rain a few months back and my phone’s camera is not as good as that one.  So my photographs have all been very fuzzy and not post-worthy.

On the garden front, not much is happening because I have no time!  It’s been a tad disappointing to have let my veggie garden get completely overgrown, but one day I’ll have it weed-free again.

Finally caught up on laundry today so I harvested our two tubs of Agria potatoes.  They are so golden.

Picture of this year's Agria potato harvest

The summer is flying by- we’ve been to the beautiful beach a few times and have had very lovely sunny days here.

My succulents on the porch are all very happy and low maintenance, which is awesome.  Finally found the name of my favorite one!  It’s a sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’.   Very happy flowers :)

Secum rupestre 'Angelina' bloom

Also, the first tree in our backyard that flowered this spring is a plum tree.  I’m not sure what kind though, but  the fruit is small and sweet, with red flesh.  Unfortunately it’s up on a ridge so I can’t really get to it.  I’ve only eaten a few windfall plums that the birds & bugs didn’t get to.  The back yard smells like fermenting plum wine at the moment, and I have to clear them in order to get to my clothes line.  YUM!

There are also heaps of blackberries taunting me from up on the ridge.  I wonder if I can talk Ben into climbing up there & picking some.

Hope your gardens are going well if you’re down under!  And if you’re up North, stay warm!  Lots of snow pictures circulating through my Facebook feed at the moment.

How is your season going?

Snapshot sort of Sunday

Hey again!  Slowly getting back into things.  Two posts in one week is an improvement, at least in my mind.  Blessed Ostara to friends here in the southern hemisphere and happy Mabon to you folks up North!

Even though I haven’t been posting much, I’ve still been taking some snapshots here and there over the past few months.

One of the lions at Wellington Zoo.  I was lucky enough to go twice last month, as they had $5 Wednesdays in August.  It was nice, but I couldn’t help feeling bad for some of the animals there — some of the enclosures were pretty small.

There are so many honey bees here in compared to our last house.  I stood very still beneath this tree at the top of our driveway and could hear them buzzing away.

Does anyone know what kind of tree this might be? We have two like this on the property.

This is one of my favorite plants — our friends Anthony & Alicia gave Ben and I this planter full of succulents they picked out as a wedding present.  Unfortunately the largest plant in the middle of the planter was damaged during the move, but I think part of it will recover.  Succulents are amazingly resilient!

Random garden update:  I’ve popped some spinach, lettuce, and kale seedlings into the back garden bed.  The days are getting warmer here, and although the nights are still pretty nippy, they haven’t died yet.  First time growing spinach or kale, so I hope they go well!  I read that you can grow them in spots even if it doesn’t get full sun.  The placement of the garden bed is on the south side of the house, so it doesn’t get full sun.  Hopefully it gets enough to give me some salads!

How are things going in your garden?

Another beginning

It was around this time last year that I began my blogging  journey that led me to meet all of you.  I thought about not renewing my domain, but I’ve decided I need to make time for myself, and I want to spend that time blogging.  I want to get back to posting daily.  This could prove to be slightly boring for you readers, but it’s more of a therapy for me, so deal with it!

I know the past few posts I’ve made have mentioned my lack of posts, and my intentions to write more.  I have to say that sometimes life gets in the way.  The last few months have been a whirlwind.

Ben and I have landed in the North Island and are settling into our new home and trying to find a new routine.  We absolutely love it up here.  The neighborhood is beautiful, and the people up this way are even lovelier.  Ben was very surprised, on his motorcycle ride up, at how friendly the locals were to him.  At that point, he looked like someone out of Sons of Anarchy — bushy beard, leather jacket, black beanie, sunglasses.  He had three people in the supermarket ask him if they could help him find things on his first trip there.  I know that Christchurch folks are just as lovely…but honestly I think they’re all a bit tired, and they’ve been through hell.  It’s been a long two years in Christchurch, and that sometimes showed.

It could be that I’m looking at things from the eyes of an outsider up here at the moment.  Only noting the differences.  Although I really do like it up here, my heart is still in Christchurch.

The cats did really well with the move.  They had to go into a cattery while we emptied the old house and then I flew up with them after Ben drove up from Christchurch.  Moose decided to pee in my empty suitcases the first week we were here.  I realized that he didn’t want to use the litter box, so I made the decision to let the big cats outside earlier than I wanted to.  I was afraid they’d go missing, but I guess with the lack of aftershocks this time around, I didn’t have as much to worry about.  As soon as I let them out, Moose stopped peeing in the suitcases.  I really expected at least one of the cats to end up with a urinary tract infection (Leon was the most prone) after all the stress from the cattery and the flight and then the new house, but luckily nobody developed one.

I admit to completely underestimating how stressful and tiring this move would be.  Almost all of the plants I brought up got badly damaged during the move, and more than a few household items broke. There are still a few boxes left to unpack in our spare bedroom.  I’ve been avoiding them.  I didn’t get my office set up in a way I liked until last week.

The house is still a bit empty in some places because this house is the biggest we’ve ever lived in and we don’t have a huge amount of furniture.  I’m not in love with everything about it, but I don’t hate it. Some parts just look funny to me.  It really could be worse, considering we didn’t even do a walk through before we moved in!

I didn’t think I’d have the energy or time to garden this year because I’m back working in an office now, with a long commute to and from work. I’m not home as much.  That contemplation was part of the reason I haven’t made any posts since June.

I was just so overwhelmed with everything, and I think part of me was mourning the garden I left in Christchurch.  I spent so much time and money getting that how I wanted it.

But, with the lack of rain today on my day off, I managed to get the garden bed on the side of the house weeded finally.  I’ve decided to begin again, and am now ready to see what I can make happen here.  It’s a totally different climate here, though.  And so much windier than Christchurch.  Even if it’s not windy during the day, the nightfall always seems to bring strong winds.  I’m trying to work out where I can plant things so I won’t lose them to those.

On the bright side,  I have no doubt that I will be able to enjoy the full glutton of my courgette plant this year.  There will be no plantnapping happening in my garden!  I’ve already got one waiting to be transplanted.  Ben made sure I bought one on our first trip to the gardening center.  It’s not quite big enough to withstand the wind here yet

I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things now that Spring is finally here, both in the garden and in blogging.  I’ve missed reading your blogs and writing here.  I hope I haven’t missed too much.

Expect to see more of me!

Snapshot sort of Sunday

I finally got all my pictures on to one computer — having a bit of computer dramas here and having to reformat!

I thought I’d show some of the small end harvest I had at the end of this summer and this autumn.

Some of the pictures were taken on my phone, so apologies for poor quality!

My purple dragon carrots were awesome.  I will be growing these again.

Still orange on the inside! :)

A couple of the pear tomatoes that were in my tomato mix

Harvested scarlet runner beans and green beans to dry out

Crystal apple cucumber (this one was pretty bitter and it was early on in the season.  The last couple I harvested were really nice, but the skin is a bit thick and they have so many seeds.  Probably won’t grow them again.

The raised garden bed next to the fence still has plenty of spring onions left in it — I try to use them as much as I can when cooking, but there’s still a lot! I’ll have to give some away to neighbors this week.  I’ve decided to let these marigolds go on their own for a bit so I can save some seed heads to take with us when we move.

Yep, we are moving.  To Wellington!  More on that in a future post.

How are your gardens looking?

A snapshot sort of Sunday

It’s raining again, but I’m not complaining! :) Less water I need to use, I guess!

The past couple of weeks have been really mild — so much so that I’m not sure I’ll ever get ripe tomatoes!  There are plenty growing now, but none are anywhere near ripe.

These photos have been taken over the past month (usually they’re photos from the last week, but I’ve proven to be a slacker this month at posting).

I ordered the rainbow mix of tomatoes from someone on Trademe, who I’m sure orders her seeds from Kings Seeds…and it looks like at least three of what should be full sized tomato plants are turning out to be some smaller variety.  Either cherry or small roma? Time will tell!

Scarlet runner beans are finally catching up to King of Blues.  I really like King of Blues beans better — even the smaller scarlet runner beans are a bit furry. They taste wonderful when cooked, but I think I’ll be better off letting them get really large and then shelling them, like lima beans.

Ignore the rogue weed in there!

Funky rock plant pictures!  I could photograph these all day.  Especially in the bright afternoon sun — the result is awesome.

And the lemon blossoms finally opened!  The day after Bloom Day, of course.  They’re so pretty.

Hoping you’re having a wonderful weekend! :)

January 2012 Bloom Day

It’s the 15th!  For some folks, it’s pay-day.  For me, it’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, kindly hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens :)

This is the most exciting Bloom Day I’ve ever experienced!

Some things are coming to an end in the raised garden beds — the peas look like they’re about done, and the marigolds are being heavily deadheaded, but other things are still on the up and go.  It’s been pretty warm here (for New Zealand, anyway) so trying to keep on top of the watering with the water restrictions we’ve got in Christchurch have been hard on everyone.

Fiery marigolds

More marigolds

Lemon blooms

The new lemon tree Ben’s parents gave me has so many blooms on it! They smell so good!  I’m not sure whether to leave them or to pinch them off though.  There are so many, and it already has fruit as well.

Meyer lemons

My coriander’s going to seed! Will plant some more shortly.  It’s so easy to grow, and even easier to eat! :)

I spotted the first flower on my capsicums!  Exciting.  I wonder what kind it will be — I ordered a ‘rainbow mix’ of tomatoes and capsicums.

I know he’s not a bloom, but I thought he was pretty, so Sir Jumpsalot gets to be in this post.  I thought he was going to jump on me several times — he kept following my movements and then turning towards me lol.

Some kind of cute bug in a rose! :) Some weird things have been popping up in Ms. Chameleon’s foliage lately…

And that’s why today has been so exciting! :) Ben finally asked me to marry him.  Or in his words, “make it official,” because he’s considered me his wife for quite some time already.

What’s blooming in your garden (or life)?

Summer holiday

I’ve taken some annual leave, so I might not post as much for this week & next week!  I know I haven’t posted horribly much yet this month, but I’ll get back into the swing of things very soon, I swear :)

I want to use this time to establish some new habits, like making use of the Wii Ben got me for Christmas, and walking everyday, if the weather permits (when it doesn’t, I can use The Beast instead).

I’m also taking some time to notice the small things again — it was much too easy in December to rush around trying to get a million and one things done.

Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses.

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Ms. Chameleon is in her third batch of flowers now, and putting on a spectacular show.  I could take pictures of them all day.

Have you noticed any small things today? I hope you have! <3

New Year’s wishes

I can’t believe this year is over.

It’s gone amazingly fast (most of it), except for when I was waiting for seeds to grow and moaning on here about that!

We’ve had some awesome things happen in our lives this year, for better and for worse.  I’m hoping 2012 brings more happiness for the now & gwen house, and that the ground stops moving in Christchurch.  I already have new ideas for the garden next spring if we’re still in this house by then.  I guess only time will tell :)

Starting this blog is probably one of the best things I’ve done for myself in ages.   I never really expect people to read it, but it’s always a blessing to receive lovely comments from you, and it’s been awfully therapeutic for me.  I’ve needed an outlet for a while and gardening, while quickly becoming my most favorite hobby, is quite a solitary experience for me.  It’s been wonderful reading so many blogs and (e)meeting so many lovely bloggers out there!

Things are still full steam ahead outside!  I picked my first King of Blues beans today and blanched them in some salt water.  They tasted amazing, and were longer than my hand — I wasn’t expecting them to grow so long!  The kittens had to inspect them before cooking, of course.  In the picture, I’d snapped all of then in half, so picture them twice as long as that.

I think this variety of beans would be really great to grow if you have kids.  Watching them turn from a dark, purple-black to green while they blanch is lots of fun!  The magic happens very fast. :)

I also tied up the peas a bit more today, and pushed them over the top of the fence so they’ll grow in that direction instead of flopping over.  Some of them have started to yellow.  I’m not sure why exactly!  I’ve always read that peas don’t need much fertilizing/feeding, so I haven’t really feed them in a while.  I’m wondering if it’s a deficiency or if they just really dislike being so close to spring onions.

I picked a bunch of sugar snap pods and lots of huge snow peas that I’ll be eating for dinner tonight!  I’ve found that the pea pods have a really sweet smell when you pick them, even though the flower has dropped off of it days before then.  It lingers on your fingers like marigolds do when you’re deadheading them.

I moved the red sail lettuces from bed #2 to bed #1 to make room for all the tomatoes and capsicum plants.  They were touch and go for the first day, but they’re settling in nicely and look like they’ll be bolting this week.  We had some really hot days last week that made my green lettuces bolt, so I pulled them from bed #1.

I spotted our first tomato today as well and let out a little cheer!  Nearly all the full-sized tomato plants and pear tomato plants have flowers on them now.  In a few weeks I think we’ll get a lovely first crop!  I can hardly wait :)  We’re going to attempt making our own chutney & tomato sauce with what we harvest in 2012.

The nemophilia is looking as lovely as ever, with the white snowstorm poking up through the baby blue-eyes.  I think this flower will be a keeper for me.  I’m going to look forward to growing them every year.

Best wishes from now & gwen to you and yours! :) See you in 2012!

Leon & Damara’s first Christmas

We needed a pick-me-up after the plantnappers hit again, so Santa came on Christmas Eve for Leon & Damara…

What did Santa leave for Leon & Damara?

What is this thing?  What do we do with it?

Hmm...what is it?

It smells really interesting.  Let’s see what’s inside!

Damara always lets Leon do the hard work.

I can help with the twine, Mom.

Damara finally decides to help

Maybe if we both pull on it…

I need to floss anyway!

Maybe if I pull on this one…

It's green!

Wow, it’s fluffy, like us!

How... exciting.

Thanks, Santa!

Thanks to Ben for taking pictures!

Did Santa leave anything for your pets?

December 2011 Bloom Day

Yesterday was the Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! I had this post ready to go and then my internet went down. *shakes fist* Every month on the 15th, GBBD is hosted over at May Dreams’ Gardens! :) You should definitely click through to see what’s blooming all over the world today.

Crystal apple cucumber flower

My cyrstal apple cucumbers are putting out flowers left and right! They’re still only babies, though, so I might pinch them off.

Snow pea flower

Snow peas are out of control!  My tummy likes it. :)

English thyme flower

Some thyme flowering beside my little sage plant! :) Cute flowers.

Scarlet runner bean flower

My scarlet runner beans! Lovely color against the green!  Very festive.

Nemophilia baby blue eyes flower

My nemophilia flowers are going crazy, too.  They’re funny, floppy little things and I’m really loving them!  So are the bees.  Lots of bumble bees and honey bees out on sunny days!  Unfortunately it’s going to rain the next five days or so. Sigh.

What’s blooming in your garden?  Or in your house? :)

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