otherwise preoccupied

I don’t know where to point the camera at the mess that is the tomatoes. We put in three different plants to see what grew best and one of them is a tree! The smallest plant is producing the best crop so far, but the bugs have devastated the leaves. Looks awful.

Apparently the best thing for spraying tomato dust on the undersides of leaves is a douche. Apart from rolling around laughing, I have done nothing about going and getting one. So the tops of leaves where the caterpillars do not live have been dusted but I haven’t got to the undersides. Hehe.

Meanwhile, cucumbers are gracing our table and something is very neatly biting the strawberries off. Just before they are ripe. Just before I deem them ready to pick. Annoying critter.

Overnight sensation

Black cicada

Because of all the rain, the cicadas are hatching en masse. The noise is unbearable. Our cat is often seen chasing the ones who’ve just got their wings crazily across the lawn until they crash into the side of the house. Then he pounces. We have been rescuing a few. The pole in the background is the new colour for the house. Goodbye purple.

first blush

So while I’m having a severe allergic reaction to privet, it looks like, the garden has gone into overdrive. Tomatoes are flourishing, rhubarb a riot, the cucumbers have appeared overnight and the strawberries look like they’re back in business. The lemon tree is the surprise though – so tiny and covered in beautiful little lemons. And all those beautifully scented flowers.

Lightning storms today – quite spectacular – but I didn’t take the tripod out with me and didn’t manage to capture the display.

Caterpillars love 'em too

baby bell peppers

Oh, and I pulled three large caterpillars off the cucumbers and had them in a plastic container waiting for boiling water – and the cat hooked his paws in and ATE THEM. Ick.

critters

I now have bronchitis. And a sinus infection. Antibiotics are slowly working. Generally feeling pretty low.

Garden has gone wild all of a sudden. Too much rain to blast all the bugs. They’re having a field day.

And then this flew in. A couple of them actually.

Cicada?

The rain has driven the spiders indoors as well. Found a large redback hanging out in the main bathroom. <Frown>. I’ve started saying Crikey! a lot. Our own little wildlife world.

snails and slugs

First there was a deluge. Constant rain for four or so days. Then it has been ultra warm, but I have been convalescing with flu and bronchitis and heaven knows what else. So it has all been minimal effort of late.

Sweet little peas

We’ve been eating lettuce and spinach. I have no idea what “bolted” looks like but I am pretty sure the spinach has bolted. Our little man is already enjoying the peas direct from the pod and is very excited by the cucumbers, capsicum, tomatoes and lemons that are all appearing. We can also see the baby carrots and beets are nearly ready as well.

pretty as a cucumber

Want to get beer traps into the garden beds to see if that takes care of the snails. I have an irrational fear that I will poison us all with the sprays and pellets… but it’s getting out of control now. Also been picking the bronze stink bugs (the little green babies tho) off the citrus. Peeked over the neighbours fence today and their lemon tree is covered in adult stink bugs and I have a suspicion they’ll be all over ours in a day or two.

desert heat

The mercury shot up to 34 degrees today. Around 2pm, I checked the garden and the spinach and beets were sad and sorry sights, wilting in the relentless sunshine. I pulled the shade cloth down, gave them some water and they seemed to perk up by day’s end.

Around front of the house, in the western sun, the burrow’s tails are happy as. Along with the aloe that a neighbour hacked off his plant while brandishing a weedeater and tossed over the fence for me to nurture. It’s come right.

irresistable to little fingers...

flexing my green thumb

The weather is being kind to  us and the garden has gone a bit crazy all of a sudden. We have tiny capsicums, little green tomatoes, peas are sprouting… a single beet is growing above ground (the rebel), basil is shooting up, rhubarb is flourishing, peas are appearing every day and the cucumbers are doing something. I think our shade cloth is a little low now, we need longer stakes to raise it all up.

beets glorious beets

lil green tomatoes

the state of the frangipani

To put the garden beds in, we had to move the frangipani. Except, TC just cut it up and we’re hoping it will retake. Stuff like this makes be breathe heavy, because I.have.no.idea.what.I.am.doing. At all.

Mixed the potting soil with a heck of a lot of sand, stood five tips upright and put them around front where they will be warm, pretty much all day. Dowsed them in water and now I have to NOT WATER THEM. For longer than I can bear not to water things. According to the guy at the garden centre. Fingers (and everything else) crossed. It was a beautiful plant…

In bloom

The cuttings

salad days

We have trellis

Lettuce and spinach are already begging to be picked. The red strawberries have proved irresistable to Daniel, but he’s now understanding that they have to be REALLY RED. Peas and cucumber are snaking up the trellis and my cottage garden flowers are poking their little heads through. Something is eating the capsicum, so I had better give them a closer inspection although the continuous wind is thwarting my plans to spray the feijoa.

But let the picking and eating begin.

On the flower front, the canna lillies are showstopping the entrance at the moment and the strawflowers have sprouted. It’s all so exciting.

inside stuff

Long weekend. Long WET weekend. We played with the Maisy farmhouse and the trains a whole lot. And some painting. And Wiggles.

I made a roast lamb for Sunday dinner. This is what it looked like going into the oven, apologies for the raw meat. As they know at Vogue Entertaining, cooked brown meat doesn’t photograph so well, and I was too busy getting everything onto plates etc that I forgot the finished shot. Seven hour lamb,  gleaned from my friend Kim’s blog on food over here  http://allconsumingfood.blogspot.com/. Search for lamb in the tag column.

Seven hour lamb

A whole bottle of white wine is in the marinade and it was divine. I pulled it out at six hours and (probably sacrilege) made a gravy as well. But heavenly.

I also finished a woolly scarf for me that I started at the beginning of winter. Just in time for a freezing cold weekend. Finally figured out how to make the little flowers.

Crochet red scarf

Monday cleared up and we got out into the garden. Climbing frames up for cucumber and peas, put in thyme, repotted mint and parsley, sowed seeds for strawflowers and a daisy I can’t quite recall right now. Pellets for snails and a spray for whatever is eating the baby leaves on the feijoa. I’m so excited about the feijoas – I know it could be three years before we have fruit, but I am looking for recipes already. Although I suspect the feasting on raw fruit will take care of the crop for a few years at least.

New growth on one of the feijoa trees

a rainy day afternoon

I can’t quite believe it, but it’s raining. From a moody drizzle to a persistent downpour. Expected to stay for three days. I think rain is the gardener’s friend… I’ve never been quite so excited to have grey skies and a soggy lawn. And green happy plants.

The other day I took some shots of the climbing roses that creep over the fence from our neighbour’s backyard. Put them in one of the string baskets I’ve crocheted to tidy away those annoying bits and pieces (like keys). More on those soon, when I have a complete set.

wish I knew their name