Bit shaky Saturday... Lights and Things

Its been a bit shaky this week. Two of significance, but not huge ones, just little wobbly shakes to remind us we are still in Christchurch I think!
Its been a busy week. Classes finished for us almost - one more child to finish, and then we are off on holiday. It is a good feeling to almost be there :) We are all really excited about getting away for Christmas day. We have always been home, but this year we arent tied at home with visitors. Of course, with the older children doing their own thing, this could change!

Last night the children got to go into town with some friends to visit the Christmas Grotto. They came home well after dark (10.45pm) and the Littles were well and truly tired but soooo happy! Apparently it was awesome. Music, bright colourful sparkly lights and lots of Christmas things from blow up sleighs to Santa himself! What more could you ask for at this time of the year when you are six and twelve!
Weve had a day of laziness, just catching up after our late night at the disco - a good success - 70 kids and around 30 adults. It was so much fun - the dj was awesome, the music really went down well, and the kids were well behaved generally. My baking even worked, and the star shaped cookies we took lasted all of three minutes.

Have had a very good crop of strawberries this year (*Chandler* variety). Once the birds knew they had to move along, and the wind chimes were put in place, weve been taking between 20-50 off the plants every couple of days. Ive started giving them to the neighbours, no complaints there :) The Alpine strawberries are not as good this year, and I dont think I ll give them much room next year.

I have fresh swede, mesculun, foxglove, aquilegia, calendula, marigold, parsley and red kale seed. The black kale is still drying, as is the red cabbage. I have had a lot of fun trying to figure out the easiest winnowing method, and will keep working on it.
Have lost a lot of my taller plants this year to the mighty winds we have had.  I need to investigate adding further wind breaks, despite putting two new breaks up this year. I guess this is something we have happen every year in between spring and summer. I just have to work around it.
Because of the constant mulching, I seem to have found a good medium - the ground retains the water better than last year, and the strawberries and their solid growth is an indication of this. I will be mulching furiously again once the growing season has slowed a little.
The comfrey has gone native, and Im pulling leaves off to add to the main compost pile almost daily. It responds really well to the night showers we have had!

Ive realized this month, after watching things in the garden go from small to tall, neat and tidy to sprawling and untidy, that collecting seed means untidy mostly!
There are always going to be things that look untidy... none of that clipped manicured look of gardening here!
Still, it is colourful this year, theres a lot of places to hide (ask Miss 6 who loves hide and seek amongst things!) and Im loving it.

More later, once things get less crazy :)

Seasons Greetings to You and Yours
From my Garden to Yours
EBUTTERFLY
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Early Morning Shake Awake!

Time for an Update.
It seems like ages since I sat down to write...
And why not write now --- I cant sleep. I dream of Gardens lately, but this morning my dreams came to a standstill by way of a 4.3 that just seemed to go on for a while, and Im not good at settling again. I tossed and turned, but meh. Im up now. Early Bird, ME!!
Things have gotten quite busy, and we are making good progress with the new garden and other things.
Since the EQC people put us on the *Critical Fix* list, we have had a few visits from people doing things. First it was the Landlord putting in new curtains and filling in holes and gaps... Then the Heat Pump was installed. Ahh, instant heat!
Well, we have since had two or three visits, and we now have no chimneys, just the spaces where they were. Yesterday and today saw our second chimney being taken out, giving us back the corner of a room and soon our second heat pump will be installed. We have a big *gap* where the old fireplace/wetback was, and our room looks so much bigger! Theyve gibbed it all, and are replacing the tiles in the roof and its hard to imagine there was ever a fireplace in the corner at all...
The front room too, is quite appealing now with the extra warmth, the kids love it.
We also have a new instant hot water unit, thats powered by gas! The landlord put it in, and changed the size of the pipes, so we have added pressure in the shower, which is like hot massage needles... Awesome when you get in from the Garden in the evenings!!
So thats inside.
Outside...Another gorgeous block of Winter weather here in Canterbury.
We got through the snow, and came out the other side with gorgeous days full of high blue skies, no cloud, but frrrreeezing cold frost in the mornings.
Almost like Spring in fact! Wheres the rain gone? I dont know, but I hope it catches up soon. We need the cold snap to help kill off the bugs in the soil, so towards the Spring, the plants can grow furiously... In my new Garden!!!!!!

Im going to take photos *of course*, but for now, just imagine bricks. Lots of them. All lined up in rows ... beds of soil... full of Compost, Mulch and other good growing stuff...
Canterbury has a dearth of bricks at present, given all the chimneys that have been removed! We have edged our gardens, and it looks nice... but will look better when things start growing over the edges of the bricks...
Ive started some seeds off. Planning beds of herbs and flowers like Parsley, Marigold, Calendula, Basil and Heirloom Tomatoes... Some wildflower mix in the front garden will add colour to our bland expanse at the front
Amazingly enough, after me thinking it was too early, the seeds I have sown are already poking through the soil mix at four days old! Maybe theyre just really keen to be here, or my luck is changing!

Have had a wonderful week, a bit stiff in the shoulders, have raked, bricked, dug, weeded, planted, sown, sighed, slept, and thunked about Gardening... and really enjoyed it all.
Even the kids got in on the act yesterday, out there with shovels and forks... Giggling and helping.
Nice family unit we have going on there...
I love it. This is definitely where I belong.
What is it they say --- *Bloom Where Youre Planted*
Im glad I was planted here. Im grateful for what I have.
I love them all.
Just been reminded of where I belong.
Firmly planted with my family, which is where my home is.

Keep Safe and Warm
Love til next time,
E Butterfly
Gardener!
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