Dreams and Aspirations...

Night Light

Im grumpy.
Ive just spent the past day trying to organize my thoughts into an online forum for self reliant gardeners. It didnt work, and Im annoyed with my lack of skill, and that I spent so much time to amount to nothing much at all. Oh it looks pretty. Thats it. I cant decide where I have gone wrong.

So... Scrap that idea for now.
Ill continue when Ive done a bit more learning. Im quite keen to have a NZ based board to network with other gardeners who want to get some self sufficiency going. Know any? ... Id love to hear from you. I want to network with other people who are struggling to make their food budget stretch. Those who eat from their gardens... any tips, ideas, sharing experiences would be fantastic. Theres a growing trend of people going *back* or moving forward towards utilizing their gardens again. Fruit and vegetables are so expensive. Amongst us gardening folk, that doesnt have to be so. We gather seed, we could share it. We can share our bounty, or perhaps take a look to guide the hand of a new gardener... It doesnt take much to share your expertise, your skills to help someone who isnt so sure of whats what.

The library is a good place to start if youre a newbie to gardening, but then, so is the internet these days...
I love reading other peoples blogs about their gardening passions. It can be a small garden plot in the back yard that they pluck their herbs from, or a self-made brewery that makes cider from their own apple trees they propagated and grew themselves. It is all awesome, and its exciting to see the progress. We can empathise and commiserate in the losses, but celebrate in the successes! Nothing like watching your own sown seed grow into something you can harvest, or drink, or bottle, dry or sell... Or donate, bake, cook... The list goes on.
Ok, so now Im finished my bleat, and now that I have *talked it through* I dont feel so bad about my lack of success. Perhaps I ll stick to Gardening in the Real World, instead of trying to take it into the Cyber World. 

I love my garden. Oh wait, you knew that.

But I do.

Peas (Easy Peasy)  and Beans (Borlotti *Red Rooster*)

Seedlings - Radish, Beet, Carrots & Lettuce

Onion, Coloured Chard & Lemon Balm

It is still in its infancy, but it is starting to take shape. Not a definitive one yet, it would probably be classified as a Blob. Not a Square or a Circle yet. I still have to shape it to perfection. But I think that is the goodness of gardening, it is always small snippets of perfection - never the entirety, just glimpses... that make you want more...

Garlic on the Up!

New Raspberry Cane

Rhubarb

Roll on Spring, we have daylight saving which turns the bodyclock topsy turvy for a week
Then Wha-lah!! Time for planting, long days, crisp mornings... sunny skies.

Red Currant

Alpine Strawberry - Yellow Fruits

Rhubarb

So there we be.
Tomorrow is the start of another week. We are counting down til school holidays again...
I hope all your plans are fruitful, and you are keeping safe and well,

Til next time!
Love and Violets
EButterfly