Gardening and sewing

We've had beautiful autumn rain this weekend, I bet there are mushrooms popping up everywhere today. I have been pulling out tomatoes, beans and weeds. I uncovered the blueberries that had got a bit neglected in the last few months. I'm going to mulch them well with bark chips off our firewood. Hopefully this will give them a head start for a good crop in spring. I love autumn, getting the garden tidy again and noting what worked and what didn't over the season. I definitely planted too many tomatoes closely together. I think the lack of air flow made them go brown and mushy too quickly and it was too difficult to harvest them without standing on other plants. They did work well in this spot though and like to be in the same spot each year so that's easy for next year. Also they enjoyed being inter planted with beans, peppers and basil. Never really got on top of the stink bugs but in pulling out beans and weeds I'm destroying alot of their habitat for now. I intend to plant much better catch crops at opposite ends of the vege patch next year to try and keep them away longer. I noticed mustard and brassicas going to seed attracted them well.

I like the way the brassicas behave themselves in the garden, they don't wander all over the place and grow nice and fast keeping ahead of the weeds. I planted them a bit early though as some are already ready to eat. (Should get some more in) I've got spring onions, celery and peas companion planted with these and my colony of paper wasps are doing a pretty good job on the cabbage white butterflies.

Yesterday was productive. The market season is over so I sewed the "red head" some pairs of winter jarmies he's pretty pleased with them.I even sewed for the" teen" and the "skatey boy". Teen lost his pencil case last week, he was very cheesed off to have lost his beloved scientific calculator and highlighter pens and I was cheesed off to have to go and buy more. He really surprised me saying yes when I offered to sew him a pencil case. He complimented me by suggesting I make more to sell. Skatey boy nagged until I made him one too.

Plain gray denim, a coloured zip, matching top stitching and their name sewn on with my lovely new (pre-loved) Bernina.

Hope every one else had a lovely weekend.

Four things

Sally Ann tagged me awhile back to tell "four things". I was too busy with the Easter Fair preparations to do it at the time but I've been looking foward to it cos it's my first time being tagged.

Four movies I'd watch again

Shrek 1 and 2

Finding Nemo

Ice Age

Land before time

( I know I'll watch these again cos the "red head" watches these when I sew. We love the songs in Shrek)

Four places I've lived

Augathella, Australia

Masterton, NZ

Motueka, NZ

Queenstown, NZ

(wishing that read a lot more exotic)

Four TV shows (i'm embarrassed) I watch

Shortland street (I yelled at the TV the night Joey died)

Survivor - it gets worse.......

Americas next top model ( I'm cringing at what this reveals about me! My friends think I have the TV viewing maturity of a 16 yr old)

And because I'm a farm girl at heart Country Calender.

By the way don't ring me when any of these are on cos I won't be listening to you.

Four places I've been

Farewell spit

Fox Glacier

Castle point

Adelaide

Four people I email

Workmates and family who'd kill me if I named them here.

Four things I love to eat

Woodsmoke marinated mussels

Feta cheese

White bait

Anything from my garden especially pumpkin

Four places I'd rather be

In my garden

At my Grandmas house (now sold)

"Upperhale" the farm of my childhood

Motueka Valley River ( it's magic)

Four things to look forward to

Changing seasons

My children growing and being happy

Knitting shawls for my grandchildren

Living on a farm

Four people to tag

Anyone who wants to.

Two totally unrelated photos from our ramblings in the native bush

Do you see the weka?

Fresh breakfast

I was in a weedy, seedy part of the garden this morning because I needed bay leaves for dinner going into the slow cooker. Right over in the back corner of my garden I noticed my breakfast sitting waiting for me. (No I don't eat spiders) About half a dozen big figs, what surprised me was the fact the birds had not beaten me to them and that they were not at all dry given the fact they had no extra water this summer. Hooray for home gardening.

I have been chopping into that big fabric stash this weekend some beautiful wool fabric that was going to be trousers has become two new bags. It's got me thinking of appliqued cushions too. No time this week though. The teal coloured one with the odd design is supposed to be a paua (abalone) because the lining is the lovely paua print I won from Sally Ann. Here's where I should link to that. Sorry off to sew.

Collecting

Helen's collecting post looks like fun. L and I are collectors too, except our collections tend to turn into clutter!

Collecting now:
seeds and plants,
cook books ,
baskets,

kitchen stuff,

flowery fabric,
paisley fabric,

old bags,
Enid Gilchrest books,
thimbles, darning mushrooms and pin cushions,

teacups and flowery china,

our family stuff - bibles, postcards, pictures, stories, wedding dresses, baby clothes, books



Things we collected in the past and I'd love to get rid of: (L won't let me!)
Old tins,
old toys,
old sewing machines,
old cameras,
old pottery,



Things I'd love to collect more of:

1920's dresses and purses,
Floral teapots
vintage baby clothes
more family stuff, especially secrets!

heirloom fruit and veges

The bag goes to...

Shaken round in my peg basket, congratulations Helen.

Bags available for sale at Mapua Easter Fair and maybe online later in the year if I can get organised enough.

2008 Harvesting

The last two days have been lovely. I'm beginning to think staying home in the garden all day would be the best way for me to keep my emotions on an even keel because I feel relaxed and satisfied after doing it. It is hard to see all the goodies in the garden as they are getting overtaken by weeds and seeds but I know where to look and was thrilled to find all these chillies, tomatoes and peppers that were red and not rotten hiding under the rampant growth in the tunnel house. Now I just need to make the right contacts to be bartering these goodies with. When I was a teenager there was a green dollar system set up here in town. Wouldn't it be great to be able to use your sewing, baking and gardening skills to pay the plumber, Dr, mechanic etc. I suppose it would be a nightmare to administer and before any of you suggest it, no I'm not up to it at all!Look at that though, real milk with inches of cream on top. Guess what I bartered for this? Live rats! I know! Brilliant!

Keep the comments coming below to be in for a bag, remember to add your name/contact. I'll draw it sometime on the weekend. I'm quite excited.

Belated 100th post giveaway

I'd been looking forward to doing the 100th post giveaway but when I looked I was up to 105. I've really enjoyed sharing my garden, crafts and family challenges benefiting alot from the feedback I've been receiving. Bloggers are a great bunch. My favorites make me laugh, make me think, and inspire me often. Thanks so much.

The top bag is my current favorite and if I didn't already have about 10 bags I'd keep it for myself. I'd love to give it away instead of selling it. The handles and contrasts are made of leather, the fabric is old curtain fabric and it has a simple pocket inside. The bottom one is also old curtain fabric, another favorite because of the colours. I'm offering it as a vegetarian option cos I know not everyone approves of leather. (I use leather that would otherwise be going in the landfill though) The middle one I would have loved when I was 18 cos purple was my favorite colour, orange is now.
So please post a comment weather you've commented before or not. I'll draw one winner and they can pick the bag they like best. I'll send anywhere in the world.