So gardens have this great quality of getting on with doing stuff in between one's intervention. Unlike sewing, which only happens when you do it, even if one wishes for the sewing fairies to visit. As an example, while I wasn't paying much attention and the sky was doing my watering for me (we are going back a couple weeks here)

This


turned into this:



Which is now taller than me!

I was saying to mrsbrown that my vegetable growing is as much, if not more about learning how food plants grow as about growing food. This particular example has made much sense of the expression "bean stalk" = tall. Also the story of Jack and the bean stalk has new overtones! There are six plants in this skinny pyramid. Rather excitingly, they are supposed to grow purple beans which turn green when cooked. If they make the beans there will be pictures! The flowers and stalks are purple so that is a good start.

always have. These are the two I have. Both are grown from cuttings which I am quite proud of, even though this is notoriously easy to do with fuschias.

My favourite white dancer, cutting kindly given by friend J. I had always admired it at her place.



and this baby pink one. I claimed a cutting from someone's front fence, actually mama did. It was happily growing in full north sun so I though I would see how it does for me. I'd like a sun tolerant one. My dancer needs fairly full shade or it burns. These flowers are tiny! but very cute. They are only about a third the height of the dancers and so petite.



I managed half a day in the office yesterday. Was TIRED in the evening. Had cheese, bikkies and fruit for dinner. Cooking did so not happening. Neither did going out. Reading sexy vampire/werewolf book did, what fun.

Off to the office shortly, bit less sore today so hopefully that goes better. Besides with a forecast of 39, work can pay for the airconditioning.

Those radishes I posted about oh say 4 weeks ago? Well I have eaten one of the two rows over three meals.
( here is meal #1 )

well, more a small snack than a meal, combined with some free-range feral mint and plain yoghurt . They are very mild french radishes. Next time I buy seed I will get a stronger flavoured variety. I have lots of these left though. I'm a bit wierded out but how much of them grows above the ground. Wonder if they are meant to do that?

Be not a'feared. I didn't take pics of the other two meals.

I've been to see Mr Chiro again. So inevitably I feel worse now than before. I'm having a trial sit while posting this. Must get up soon though.

It is becoming a tradition to do the annual prune of my rosemary bush on the day of William Marshal. I certainly did last year. I might have the year before but perhaps I am mistaken. Anyway, see the globe shaped plant in the middle of this pic? well it was easily twice as wide about an hour ago. The lavender has had a severe haircut too. Hopefully the extra light will give the little chinese lantern a growth spurt. The flowering plum is looking robust and happy which doth please me.



See the length of the prunings I got. This lot is to be hung to dry* shortly, or possibly tomorrow. There is another bundle 2-3 times this big to take for feast decorations.


I'm rather looking forward to getting into a frock. I think it is the first time since midwinter, aren't I slack?

Still unwell but I think today a bit less so? Maybe company and overindulgence is good medicine? I went to my work Christmas party last night.


*I sort of wonder why. I dried a bunch last year, carefully stored the resulting leaves in jars, and then threw it all out 6mths later. Only now I have remembered what I was planning to do with it, so maybe I will have another go.

still sick and coughing but better enough that my body has remembered how to sleep after more than a week of not being able to work it out past the coughing. So sleeping I am doing a lot of.

I was in the office again today though I wonder whether I really should have been as I coughed away.

I'm having yet another completely unproductive Monday evening. Not unusual.

very shortly I will go do some more of that sleeping. I just need to observe that the germination of a seed is a very exciting thing. Is it sad that I think that or that I have only just figured that out? either or both. I need to take pics to compare the newly sprouted pumpkin and basil seelings, such a contrast.

sleep now though...

I do like it when bits of my house manage to look like something out of a style magazine. Never happens to the whole house at once.

I really did just hang the oregano cuttings up to dry on the string that has been there for a couple of years, often has cards of one sort or another hanging on it.

Doesn't it look nice? You can see the old wood stove that must have once seen a lot of use. I haven't tried it yet but might one day. Needs a clean up and a chimney sweep first though.



so does anyone actually want some home grown dried oregano?

I'm still coughing. Not much else wrong with me except a lack of energy. I have vastly more inclination to do stuff than my energy levels allow. Thinking of you both splodgenoodle and  sjkasabi.   I am managing to do a few things

This pic shows my appreciation both to dear Papa for making the seed box- I'm finally using it! Also to splodgenoodles for the seeds. I have only used a small selection. I should have thought about planting things with similar germination time though- at least the fast ones and slow ones are vaguely grouped- a happy accident. I have also been brave or foolish and sown some more radishes after the last lovely lot were slaughtered by the heat. This time I don't plan to be away from home for 3 days of >30deg temps. I added some beets this time. Bold gardener I.



and here is a beautiful sight. My cherry tree is even less dead!



I think the rest of the day should contain more resting, possibly sewing and definitely less gardening. I want to fit some cooking in there too. Should try for some clean. I'd like to manage some visiting also but probably shouldn't.

I've just had a lovely girlie day out with giddyaunt. We went to the State Rose Garden. I have been wanting to go for ages. twas lovely but would have been nicer with less wind. I think we missed the best early flush of flowers but still plenty of blooms to admire. Not enough with scent. I would happily go back again. I'd like to sit for some time in the little David Austen garden. Oh so beautiful and the best scented roses there.

Then we toured the mansion, including paying extra for the treat of going up the tower. Lovely fun. VERY windy at the top. Most entertaining trying to descend the staircase whilst stoping my skirt from whipping about my ears. It was interesting to see the house from above, easier to see which parts are the original house. A confusing place to navigate inside.



Wonder what I shall do with the rest of my afternoon?

right. I'm feeling sad to not see people today but I did get a !#(*#(   load done

-rest of brick pile shifted away from fence wot is to be replaced
-repotted favourite dancer fuschia which had secured itself to the sleeper it was resting on by growing it's roots though it. I figured it that was a clear announcement that it needed a bigger pot.
-potted up the free (stolen) fuschia cutting which now has plenty of roots.
-pulled up chard that had gone to seed, gleaned leaves which I now have to find energy to cook for dinner.
-pulled up parsley (also gone to seed), this will give more light to my climbing beans which have all sprouted (thank you very much)
-put compost on exposed bits of garden + several pots including the lemon and lime which I am allowing to fruit this year. Probably a bit premature for the lime but this is year 4 for the lemon
-planted french radish and basil seeds- bought last summer, oops. If I'm lucky, they won't mind the wait.
-pruned the passionfruit vine front and back. I read that one is supposed to prune away a third each spring. I have, really. Wonder how much has escaped to the neighbour's yard? perhaps I should volunteer to prune that bit too?
-collected a bowl of partially ripe fruit, wonder if I will do anything with this? Any fruit left on the vine has chance to ripen further.
( passionfruit pics )
I have also
-finished the quilting on queen of hearts blankie
-cut and pressed the binding
-prepped a patch to fix my old charcoal work pants. Too precious to throw out if I can rescue them
-done yet more laundry, including my new gelati striped, pure cotton percale sheets!-bought yesterday for very little money. You'd never guess I was killing time in factory outlets?

Must go make dinner before I get to the immovable stage of Sunday evening.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Home grown, in a marinade on my steak for tonight. Amused I am. Pleased too. Smells fab.

If I had written this post when I got up, it would have been titled "Old, Fat, Tired, Hot and Grumpy".  I thought that sounded a bit too negative, as did most of the thoughts in my head. So I decided to try to ammend my mood before I posted.

A shower, restoring the kitchen to order, coffee and breakfast have helped. Also having a burbling budgie sitting on my arm. Friend T tells me she once wrote an essay or so on "Rituals of Cleanliness and Purity". I think I would like to read it. Somehow making things clean always makes me feel better. Though needing to make things clean does not.

My breakfast even contains a very positive and pleasing thing, this:



The passionfruit on my vine that set last summer are finally ripening! weird. They are supposed to do this in Summer. However the vine is only now heading into it's fourth Summer so it wasn't expected to bear properly until this year. The fruit is more acid than sweet still.  I think I should probably prune it nowish and cross my fingers that this year it figures out what it is supposed to do.

The fabric shopping excursion that was planned for this morning will be delayed until afternoon. I need more time for my brain to settle. Or something. Also to work on convincing my body that this weather is bearable. I am reading the current  moderate 22 degrees as a heat assault at the moment. I am well aware that in high summer this would be seen as a wonderfully cool day. However, only last Sunday, I had to wear a wooly jumper even through most of that brick shifting. I am so not acclimatised.

Lets not talk about work, or sleep patterns, or needing to find a pleasing outfit for next weekend.

Last night I went and saw "Trocks" which I had written in my diary as "Dudes enpoint". It was much fun and impressive. Maybe I'll write more on it later.

( See my path! )

I still need to do the sweeping of soil between the bricks but that can happen later.

I am lacking. The path is getting built but I can only work in short bursts. My brick handling muscles are rather feeble. Surprise! Yesterday morning I finished digging out the old 'grass'. Yesterday afternoon I levelled and tromped down the dirt as best I could. Only time lately I have had benefit from being heavier than I would prefer, found that quite amusing. Last night I started carting bricks and forming the actual path. Did that until I couldn't hold a brick up anymore.   I've done two ~30min stints this morning, now I need to rest again. I should manage a bit more today but I may not finish. Need to retain enough strength in my hands to drive across town.

In the middle of the day we helped launch a book. That was quite fun. We sang lots including a piece I barely know, grin. Turns out my little bit of note bashing while sick actually stuck. As usual I was disappointed with my own singing but I do think I am improving. I am starting to be able to actually support a note.

Then I had a mad attack and failed to have lunch with any of the 3 groups of friends I could have joined, nay, was invited to join. Instead I walked home all upset and made my feet very sore. I need to walk more but that was a bit much in one go.

Today I feel much more sane. Achey but sane.  I suspect hormones. So I should retain sanity for about the next 3 weeks. Though I do recognise that I cope much better with small groups of people than large ones. I

As a boring rat-race office worker, I ADORE daylight saving. Combined with actually working a rare 9-5 day has resulted in half the garden path being dug up!

Yes, my ambitious plan for this weekend is to build a brick path between my two street facing garden beds. I have wanted to do this for ages and have gleaned bricks from my neighbour's defunct chimney for the purpose. The reason I mean to build it now is that North neighbour and I have agreed to get the fence between us replaced. Thus I need to move anything near the fence so the workers can have access. This includes the pile of old chimney bricks. So rather than have to shift them all twice more, I shall try to get at least some of them to their intended home on the next shift. So what needs to happen?

-dig out the top layer of compacted weedy soil forming the current dirt path. I think this may have once been lawn
-barrow this away and dump in a corner
-get the remaining dirt level and smooth- spade, fork, scraping with length of wood or similar, tramping down, wish I had an old iron rake-anyone?
-shifting bricks, bashing off old mortar
-placing bricks, cutting bricks to fit perhaps?
-shovelling dirt around to reform the edges of garden beds
-also on top, then sweeping in to fill the gaps

I wonder what proportion of the bricks this will use? If I was friend R I would have calculated this! I thought I was analytical and accurate but not compared to some.

Well, do you think I will manage this? I wonder.

The seed packet said 7-10 days. It took more like 14-16 but my beans have sprouted! It's rather exciting. They are robust things next to the fragile little rocket seedlings (not pictured). The above pics are of three different seedlings but the arrangement  looks cunning eh? These are all dwarf green beans. Supposedly they grow full size green beans on a tiny plant that doesn't need staking. I noticed today that my climbing purple ones have finally also started to sprout (18 days). I'm looking forward to them.  Of course some random critter is already eating them. The insect hordes are ravenous in my garden. It's a constant fight to keep the munching flying beasties off my rosebuds and the baby chilli bushes have been chewed by tiny black crawlers. I haven't yet applied anything stronger than pyrethrum.

I am excited and relieved to report that my new morello cherry tree has two buds burst! or growing or whatever the term is. This is the first evidence I have that it is still alive. I don't know how alive or whether it will manage to grow from here. I was convinced it was dead as lots of other blossom trees have already done their thing. Below is a pic of my flowering (ornamental)plum taken a few weeks ago. So pretty. It has already lost the blossom but the spring leaves continue to grow.

I have spent this morning so far in the garden. Interestingly I didn't really want to. I wanted to SEW! I seem to find it hard to balance these two enthusiasms. However, I will spend all afternoon being crafty and I really wanted to get some stuff done outside so I have:
-distributed a bag of manure
-turned the compost and put some on the herb garden
-christened the beautiful new garden fork by turning this muck in.
-watered this muck in
-planted two kinds of beans- climbing purple and dwarf green. Do hope these come up and grow.
-sprinkled rocket seeds about.
-given the lemongrass it's annual haircut
-drunk lemongrass tea and cut some leaves to dry for later.
-fixed up the wheel barrow. Pumped it's tyre with my new bicycle pump. tightened a bunch of loose bolts.

I haven't
-repotted or planted out a bunch of stuff wot needs it.
-hacked back the passionfruit vine

I think I might have lost the morello cherry. It's making no spring like movements. I'm sad about that. Particularly after last year's almond tree died too. The little native bush isn't looking happy either. The two new roses are still doing well though even after ongoing caterpillar attack. The convulvulous' are going mad and the poppies have started flowering.

I could go on about how amazingly warm it was yesterday and how I wonder how I will get enough water to the garden this year. Though how nice it is to get about in a t-shirt.

Just about time now to get myself tidy for this afternoon's outing.

when you pour washing powder from one container to another, I recommend outside and downwind of your nose. Not inside, just under your nose. I did the latter about an hour ago and am still a bit uncomfortable.

Am feeling much more healthy and cheerful than when writing my last post. It's not that I hate Mondays, they just beat me about the head. Literally it feels like.

I went to Tues craftiness for the first time in a month and had a lovely low key time. Can't go for the next two weeks due to parents in residence. That's just fine.

Spring she is a sprunging. Freesias and jasmine have started blooming. My primula seedlings are all flowering and looking fine. The two new roses are still looking good and producing lots of leaves. All good. The caterpillars are still marauding, less good, battle continues. I can't post pics 'cause I have neglected to aquire batteries for the camera. Must do that. Want more rechargeable ones.

I'm off to find a drink and make more pinwheels

Later:
pinwheels made. All blocks now constructed for Master T quilt MKII. Just needs joining with sashing strips etc. Now I wonder if it will be too big? 112x128cm

see, the freesias are budding!



more fun to have a pic with violets in too.

HP marathon went well yesterday. I would have liked to invite more peeps but I was worried about space. It turns out we can comfortably/bit squishily sit 10 in my lounge for movie watching. That did require furniture shifting though. Food was all good, I like it when people enjoy my cooking. I had fun playing hostess. Was a bit annoying to have to drive out to purchase the last (available) film though- had to try three shops before I found a copy.  Doushkasmum's latest cider is great- even I like it. mrsbrown's homemade breadrolls were fab. Actually a nice range of food. We had treats but didn't overdo it or eat junk.

Now the house is pretty much back to rights. Well, as right as it usually is. furniture is back in place, dishes are washed.  Thanks to Erudito for shifting assistance pre and post.

Tea clipper rose is planted. Looks like this was dug up and shoved in the nursery pot fairly recently. So not quite bare rooted but not far off, whereas Martine was settled in her pot. They have gone in with cow manure and quite a bit of commercial compost- "fud". Time will tell, I will be watching hopefully.

Now what to do this afternoon? I think I have mostly lost that exhausted/ill post party feeling. Still not up for much more energetic endeavour. I'll get this last load of laundry out, then see.

couple of hours in the garden and there is now
- a new rose! Martinne Guillot- palest pink french rose, bred for fragrance.
- a winter flowering native shrub-looks like a cross between diosma and Geraldton wax, pink flowers
- poppy seedlings
- one less old pink rose bush-and then there were 2.
- dirt enriched and ready for the other new rose to be planted next weekend
- sorrel and perpetual spinach in the herb garden
- several plants in different places- a yellow daisy, two hyacinth bulbs, a tuft of pink armeria.

Next weekend I shall plant the other new rose- "Tea Clipper"- orange/apricot David Austen. The strongest looking David Austen on offer that wasn't pink. Also the two tuberose bulbs that I forgot this morning.

Oh I so have my fingers crossed for the new things, especially the roses. I don't have a good record with new roses yet. I have tried harder this time with the dirt prep. Must keep food and water up to them. Here are the labels for what they should look like eventually! hope, hope.



Also I have
- turned the heel of stripey sock #2
- made my part of the blah blah seekrit plan!- i so want to post a picture but not yet, not yet.
- Walked to lunch and ate way too much Yum Cha.We must have finished around 3hrs ago and I'm still full.

Now I am allowed a beer while I sort my plant labels into those that are alive and those that didn't make it.