Settling Down... Post-Christmas Blue Skies - Popular Poppies!

How are you doing where you are?
I hope youre enjoying the Holiday season, and getting a chance to spend time with those you love!
Here in Quake Central, we are very happy we are that things havent been too rocky today!
It seems Mother Nature has given us a day off for Good Behaviour... famous last words maybe?
Our day has been a bit windy, but hot hot hot! And the high blue skies make it so much easier to get on with the clean up after Christmas, and for us, the tidy up also involves settling down as the family goes their separate ways and it is back to just the three of us.
Its been nice having my big boys home for a while. I love the way theyve grown into their personalities, and they continue to surprise, amuse, delight and horrify me in equal amounts.

Now today, theres the new presents to find homes for, because of course, they cannot stay strewn across my front room floor. Honestly, its a mess. Miss 5 explored everything, tearing packets, opening boxes. The aftermath remains. The fond favourites from past years get pushed aside, and this year we seem to have an abundance of plastic fruit and vegetables, pots and pans, and to top it off, a very cute Tefal Kitchen arrived. Shes happy!

Also, the pre-teen now has a cell phone. Now thats an experience - he is learning about phone etiquette, though Im told Im ...*not even LAST century Mum* ... when I mention the word etiquette. But hes happy too. So are those he spams with Texts!!

My biggest surprise in the garden this morning
              was the sight of a mass of Poppies.

Six plants, all about 4 ft tall, and many heads forming, but until this morning, only one on each plant had flowered at any time. Weve had eleven, all passed on to seed pods now, all very fragile with the wind weve had, but this morning, seven new poppies were flowering together.

This evening, just five remained... One seccumbed to a soccer ball (I heard inside, from the garden. Uh-oh, Mums going to *spew*, but Mum didnt...) The other just did the usual, and the petals fell off one by one throughout the day... Gosh they look gorgeous in multiples.

I would love to see a field of big poppies flowering together... And at the rate they seed, it may happen - my neighbourhood will love it... or not??

Our pumpkins are flowering too. An interesting time, given there are five pumpkin plants, four of one type, and I had not anticipated such success with them. Theyre all starting to *run*
The Red Warren pumpkin I have planted under my bedroom window does not have full sun all day and is a bit behind the others, but I think it will catch up as I have cut away the shrubbery so it can *see the sun*... and given it a little bit *extra* - The cats latest rat is dug in beside it, so that will manure it beautifully :)

The carrot seeds we planted, St Valery, Paris Ball and Nutri-Red are all up and growing nicely. Not fast enough for inquisitive little people, Miss 5 is very keen to eat her way through the baby carrots again :) We are trying to coax the little girl across the road to follow Miss 5's lead with her love of vegetables, as she doesnt like to try new things... yet.
The red lettuce seeds have grown quickly, the radishes are up and away too. Its such a busy time of year. The best part is sitting out there and hearing the birds, seeing the busy little bumblebees, and hearing the buzzing of flies and bees. I dont see many bees, but I do see some. Its a start!

Have been rather lazy today, but now that the family are away, I will get back into a routine of sorts. It a bit hard not being able to water every day, but we are doing ok. A drop of rain would be wonderful, but I dont want to detract from the hot weather that is needed by the tomatoes to grow...

Well, thats us tonight.
We are watching  a Harry Potter DVD for the second time... It helps that its an interesting story, Im picking I ll get to know it very well in time, just as I have with the other Harry Potter books.

Love to All,
Blessings

E Butterfly
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