Cluckky

The ladies at the op shop are just wonderful, I'm kind of a regular and they exclaimed "Gilly do you have some news?" when I picked this beautiful handmade baby gown out. No I don't have any exciting news but must admit I'm ever so cluckky. I'm sure it's a case of wanting what you can't have more than anything. I just can't resist handmade and antique baby clothes especially gowns. Before my Grandma died she and I would go through baby clothes she had made 60 years ago and choose things for my babies. When she died I picked out some items that were destined for the dump because they were falling apart, the buttons, smocking and embroidery inspire me and when I have the skills I want to create a memory quilt to remind me of our days spent waiting for my babies, knitting and talking. Marcie at the op shop said "what are you going to do with it?" Save it, hang it, show it. Maybe give it, one day when I let go of the thought of having any more babies. Talking about it to my friends, it's a hard phase of life to leave behind. A totally different kind of cluckky, mummy chook has nine babies. I still spend most of my free time visiting all the babies but have managed to pot up some seedlings and prune the hedge.

Piling up

Work is really piling up on me I noticed today. There is also a pile on my sewing table and I don't know which pile to start with. Often people ask how do you do it all? Well this is how it gets when I 'm sewing gardening and looking after 4 kids. To top it off, today just about everyone we know decided to visit, it was wonderful to see everyone even if I was a little self concious about my piles! I think the big attraction was puppies, kittens and 5 little chicks which started hatching yesterday. I won't get started on these piles yet as I'm knitting booties for my friend who still hasn't had her baby yet, then shopping tomorrow for my oldest who is starting high school this year. I can't believe how time has flown, I was 19 when I had him and lived in a cute little housebus, I couldn't drive or knit. I made my first bootie when I was pregnant with him and it fitted me when it was finished. I couldn't have imagined that I'd be doing this back then. This week I hope to get

through the first day back at school and playcentre, sew some booties and bags for their last trip to the nelson market and if I'm lucky prune a small hedge and pot up some seedlings. See you on the other side!

Tantalizing treats

For the last few months we have had treats available to eat anytime in the garden, mostly berries. Each morning as I hang out the washing I watch these nectarines growing, the temptation was too much today and I tested the first one, it was pretty good but the earwigs had beat me to the centre of it and I had to shake about 6 out. We have espaliered this tree as well as a Nashi because we don't have much space, I may need to read up on the pruning technique as this tree is now three years old and I would expect the crop to be getting a bit heavier from now on. Unfortunatley my planning of fruit tress wasn't so good because the nectarine, Golden Queen and Blackboy peach will all be ready at once. This winter I will use a gardening voucher I got for Christmas to buy an early peach and maybe some apricots because I don't have the patience to wait for the seedlings I have to produce. The finches that have so enjoyed our sunflowers have also eaten all my greengauge plums while my back was turned, nevermind the crop will be bigger next year. In the recent rain all the brassica, lettuce, pea and bean seeds I planted have sprouted it's awesome to wander around the garden and imagine the harvest in a few months. If any of my local gardening friends want to come and dig up beetroot "bulls blood" seedlings please do as I have hundreds popping up. Anyone have good beetroot or zucchini recipies?

Couldn't finish this post without a picture of the babies, they're all getting fat. Willow is a very good Mummy.

New additions

Willow had a pretty hard time with her babies. After going through the first stage of labour through the night she finally started having some action at 8.30 in the morning. I had been on the internet from 5am making sure everything was normal. I discovered a new blog after I'd assured myself everything was O.K.http://muppinstuff.typepad.com/my_weblog/ clicking here shold get you to it, there are some lovely garden photos you'll have to look for "rainy day gardening" as I havn't got the hang of linking to the right page. I was having a walk at the school when she popped out the first puppy, wishing I was still a smoker and enjoying a ciggerette to calm my nerves. I definatley wasn't a calm support person. She popped out 3 puppies o.k but was exhausted and rested for an hour then she got into trouble the vet was called (public holiday just my luck) and we raced her to town yelping. I think two were trying to come at once because she got one out at the vet then another one came 5 mins later. I nearly vomited and had to leave the scene. The X-ray revealed only one more to come and the cleaver wee girl did it on her own, despite it going blue all six of them survive at this stage. Whew. No more puppies my nerves can't handle it. What will I be like when my daughter has a baby? We're besotted with the babies and nothing much is getting done around here except baby gazing.

Garage sale day

Coming from a thrifty family I love a bargin. Saturday is garage sale day, I write a list and off I go early Sat morning, some weeks are very exciting but most are just average or humerous like today. There are garage sale regulars: the dealers, the fat sisters, the creepy couple and the market guy I wonder how they refer to me? I often drag the kids around and only garage sale when I have some change. About 10 cars drove up and down Kina beach road today looking for the deceased estate sale, when they finally put the signs out it was a real anti climax, a lounge suite priced at $300 and a dinner set At $200 not to metion a few dull books and glassware. It makes me crack up watching the regulars race each other to a sale, I bet the cops could make their quota if they sat on the garage sale route each saturday. We whizzed back to Mot where I got Willow The fat Jack Russel, a dog bed for $3 and an informative herb book for $3 not that I need any more herb books really I'm just a bit addicted. When the rain stopped I planted some new seeds from http://www.egmontseeds.co.nz mostly brassicas like savoy cabbage and cauli but I'm testing my seed raising ability with delphiniums and primulas too. I put vermiculite on top of the seeds it's probably not organic but a friend gave me some to try and it's very good at keeping things moist.

As you can see Willow hasn't had her babies yet but she's due next Saturday so I think it'll be a quiet weekend at home. A friend of mine is due too bets are on that Willow will be first.

Visitors

The Yellow Hammers and Finches are visiting the garden again, I hope they're getting a few bugs and not just eating all the sunflower seeds. They are very efficient at getting the seeds out of the shells and leave a big pile of shell under the plant and sometimes on top of the flower too, they're very bold too and don't mind us getting up quite close to watch them. The Tui in the flax are very suspicious by contrast and you have to sneak up to see them. Fortunatly it's far too hot for our lazy cats to do any hunting so the birds are quite safe.

Other visitors this week were friends who run a catering company they were having trouble sourcing fresh currants in town, I was delighted to pick for them the last of my black currants and some purple basil to compliment them. It's very flattering to have a chef ask for goodies from the garden. Hope the event went great guys.

Community Organic Garden

Well I finally got to the Motueka Community Organic garden yesterday. It reminded me of all the hard work that you must put in if you're developing a garden on bare land. They have laid out beautiffuly shaped garden beds including clover, horseshoe and mandala shapes. I think the pholosphy is that of no dig beds which take awhile to build up. There is a really good herb collection which was thriving in the hot weather. Unfortunatley the land is riddled with the pesky oxalis but they are tirelessly digging it up and mulching over it. It's a really easy place to find just nestled behind Toad Hall by the roundabout in Mot and I think their hours are 9-3 weekdays. They especially welcome new volenteers, perhaps people who have small sections or who are of no fixed abode or just wanting to learn some gardening skills. I like to donate any leftover seedlings to them because I hate seing plants go to waste. I imagine donations of organic manure or pea straw would be appreciated too. The garden is just new so they only have small amounts of produce for sale so far but at the moment you'd be able to get mesclun mix, zucchini, squash and maybe garlic and beans. There are quite a selection of plants available too. Ruth please post a comment if I've forgotton anything and Thank you so much for showing us round in that hot weather.
In the garden at the moment plant broccoli,cabbage, cauli, kohl rabi, celery, silverbeet,beetroot and lettuce. Water well to help them get established, I mulch with whatever is available ie grass clippings, pea straw or even wilted weeds. Seeds to sow are peas and beans if you like a bit of a gamble, alternativley you could sow covercrops onto bare patches, try peas, buckwheat or mustard,these will be dug into soil in late autumn. Think about the garlic beds and maybe pile them up with horse poo.

St John's wort oil

Driving around the Tasman district at the moment you'll see St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum ) in flower. It is classed as a noxious weed as it can cause poisioning of livestock so you are not supposed to propagate it in your garden. I collect it from the riverside to make herbal oil to treat hemmoroids, skin irritations and wounds. It is also reputed to help with burns. A few years ago it was popular as an antidepressant but I think the tea tastes like turpentine. Carefully identify plants before use, ragwort is also in flower at the moment and looks very similar, a good herbal will have accurate pictures, develop an eye for detail. To make the oil you pick flowers and buds on a dry day after the dew has dried, soak in oil, olive or almond for 6 weeks to 6 months then strain out flowers to reveal the lovely red oil, gently heat with other healing oils eg: calendula or comfrey in a double boiler and add a few shavings of natural beeswax to make a gentle healing ointment. I would suggest a healing prayer or karakia while combining ingredients, bottle in small glass jars, use within a year.

Melon update

Last year my watermelons got to about tennis ball size and stopped growing. I was so dissapointed. Here they are again at tennis ball stage and I'm holding my breath. The early ones I planted have already dissapointed me or maybe I dissapointed them because I think I over watered them and they got root rot. In a moment of desperation last week I gave them all a feed with liquid horse manure which I hope will do the trick. We may need some really warm nights too.

Stink Bugs

These are the little blighters on the beans. There are heaps of little groups hanging out like this lot. I think they're sucking insects, the beans look a bit mishapen and the adult bugs which are lime green, stink. Will have to spray with Pyrethrum I think. I have talked to heaps of folk about them and havn't had any joy finding out what their predators might be. I can't imagine any bird enjoying their flavour, I didn't look at a raspberry that I poped in my mouth the other day, it must've had a stink bug on it and the gross taste was there for ages. Note to self, inspect organic veges before putting in mouth!