Catching Up!

Our Fur Pal, Pops

Long time, no write.
It seems like the past three months have sped by. Weve been on school trips and had visitors to stay which as been awesome - lots of fun, even if it was a bit squishy (See photo of one of the visitors).  EQC arrived, weve had some tentative repairs done... Still waiting for the Big Tick, but it is much warmer, and the new paint smell is fading. Loving my new outside lights!

The older lads are off doing their own things - One on a school tramp the week of the snow (brr!), and the other, to Rarotonga this week...
School Assessments happen soon, May went and with a hiss and a roar, June came and went, and July is busy tying up ends. I start at my new work in August! Just six months til Christmas ... gulp!

This week Im better able to take a breath and catch up with lots of things - and people... but the Mount Foldmore pile (washing) is waiting and so are the weeds. Yesterday I started on the weeds... a beautiful balmy day, slight breeze but warm ~ I like days like these! I finally planted some garlic... and tucked it down into a warm composty bed.

Today is Cultural Day at school. We are having shared lunch and I can hear the kids already.
They will LOVE getting outside after being cooped up while it is cold. I saw some bare feet before, more than one set!

Danebrog Poppy

Tomorrow we are continuing with the school Survival unit, the children will be weeding and planting... in the hope that when they return after the holidays, *something* will have grown! I sure hope it will :)

Have scattered some new flowers this year to attract more of the usual suspects - bees, butterflies, beneficial insects... Lots of blues - lobelia, forgetmenot, scabiosa, larkspur, delphiniums and cornflowers. I love cornflowers, theyre such a happy flower! Have short and tall sunflowers, also some lovely danebrog poppies and double opium poppies... cant wait to see them flower!

Well, break's over. Time to hit the ground running... Off to harvest some yams for dinner and cast an eye over the washing... sob. Might wait til later...

Have a happy day!
Plant something :)
EB
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High Tea and Birthday Cake - Spring Fling

It cant possibly be a week since we celebrated Arlais' 6th birthday surely?
The week has slid by very smoothly, and Missy is enjoying being six. She has asked constantly what she has to look forward to, being six now. What will happen in the next 12 months? Heck, I dont know... I ve stopped asking that myself... Apart from losing more front teeth, and learning how to read and write, what else happens habitually as you turn from six to seven? ...
We had cake, of course. We all love cake.

Thank Goodness for family - while some forgot, the others did her proud - they gave her some beautiful gifts, including a biscuit (cookie) maker. It wasnt about the gifts for Arlais, it was about the FOOD! Pink Lemonade, and High Tea in cups and saucers. Crackers and Dip, Chips and cheese.

Arlais' Lemon Cupcakes

Arlais made the perfect Hostess, she offered food around, and kept her visitors engaged with her excited chatter.
Missy chose her cake, and we had butterflies and big balloons.
Who doesnt love cocktail sausages  with their chocolate gateaux, topped with six pink and purple candles ?

The Birthday Girl was exhausted by seven oclock, and Im sure it was all the chasing of balloons.
The tea set gets carefully washed and packed away, and as long as there are no more big earthquakes, it will be brought out again next year for another round of High Tea.  Happy Birthday Darling Girl! You made a fantastic Five Year Old, and you make a Gorgeous Amazing Six Year Old! We love you so much!




As it gets lighter, at nights we have been going for bike rides - Arlais has a shiny new bigger bike, her birthday present from me. She isnt yet as confident as she was with the older one, but it wont take long Im sure, as this girl is an Amazon - tall, beautiful and fearless :) Blaise rides like he is master of the chariot, in fact I some times wonder if hes awake at all, he has a very relaxed pose on his bike :-)

Hmm, why dont I believe this?

She loves being out and about too, naturally curious, and absolutely loves being near the river and seeing what is happening in our neighbourhood. Of course, theres plenty happening, as usual!
It is *that* time of year when change happens - Spring brings new ducklings, goslings, cygnets, in the River.

Miners lettuce - Full of nutritional goodies!

 Then theres the bulbs - a whole band of new plantings along the Avonside area, the Red Zone - where all the houses are being pulled down. Someone has very thoughtfully planted daffodils and narcissus along the walkway. They are a beautiful memorial, and of course in September, we pass another memorial date.


Planting is underway here, Ive sprinkled seeds everywhere... Some more later in the month when things warm up a little. Even inside, Ive started my tomato seeds, with greater success now Ive done it before. Im so looking forward to eating fresh tomatoes. We have missed them!

Foxglove

Poppy  Seedlings

And Basil - nothing goes  with tomatoes as well as Basil. I love the smell, its lemony zing. Theres lettuces everywhere... Ive photographed everything as usual... Bear with me :-)

We have sprouting borage seedlings, some poppys self sown, foxgloves peeking from unusual places, violets creeping down bricks, and cats lying in the sun next to the catnip. Its my favourite time of the year because it brings with it, so much promise. Potential.

Loving My Garden
Love to You
E Butterfly
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Banana Bread Morning - Flooding - Road Work!

http://www.facebook.com/RumiQuotes

Another Mad Monday morning - its bitterly cold out there, the wind is whipping through and to top it off, its raining so hard, it is flooding in some parts of poor old Canterbury.  I cant believe how many places have surface water sitting on it. The parks around Avonside are soggy and very rice-paddy field-like. The gutters are all overflowing and the cars whoosh past. I dont mind the rain, in fact, I like walking in the rain, its the bitter wind that is with it this time that makes my eyes sting! Definitely hat & boots weather! The magpies were out this morning pecking for worms, but they didnt have to try hard, as the worms had made their way out onto the concrete path. 

Despite our energetic Family soccer game this weekend, we got up early and made Banana bread. Nothing better to use up the *tired* browning bananas that noone likes!
RECIPE HERE - easy!

No stiff limbs this week, just a yawn or two. It was toasty warm with the heat pump on and so banana bread just made getting up worthwhile. Little chick decided to snuggle in a bit later than usual, and it was only fleet footing that got us away on time. Cor, it was a different planet outside though... brrr.

We have a broken sewer main in the street, after another mid-street cave-in, we have our own bunch of fluro-vested Cave-in men to fix it... and their grotty caravan. It sits in the middle of the street - guess where - yeah, you got it, just opposite my drive way.

Our new purple sage

Have you been watching the Olympics? 

Its the closing ceremony today, and I think I might just get the chance to watch it. No point in going out to do much in the garden today... in fact, I see I have some surface flooding to deal with. I just might raise ducks... and if it continues, goldfish!  :) 

Tansy - the wandering companion to Raspberry

Popular Red Poppy

I have listed some more seeds, and we have made a whole lot more envelopes for the enslaught of new seeds that we are hoping to grow this season. I see the little poppies we grew last year successfully self-sowed, they were very pretty, white with deep crimson frilled edges. Fingers  xed I can get them through to seeding this year, and save some!

I have some deep purple Liriope growing now, and it will look lovely under the fruit trees.

The frilled Austrian lettuce are popping up now, and the buttercrunch are settling in. Our broad beans are almost 40cm high, and I see the boysenberry has curled itself around the stakes, so it is well over six foot tall now... gulp. Im always nervous about planting things that grow *crazy* so I hope I can contain it.

Hope youre safe and warm,

Bee Gardening Happy

Love,
EButterfly

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Cracking the Whip ... Sending Free Seeds!

Thanks to Sophie, Im just about to send the second wave of free SISTERHOOD seeds...
We still have lots left, so if you're reading this and you want some (NZ ONLY SORRY) We can send you a selection. You need to send us a wee note here DONT FORGET your address :)

Our seeds include vegetables, some herbs and a few companion plants...and the odd tree.
The list looks something like this ... Flax, Chamomile, Tansy, Sunflower, Poppy, Hollyhock, Pyrethrum, Echinacea, Broccolli, Capsicum, Kowhai, Tagaste, Chilli, Pumpkin (3 types) Squash (2 types) Angelica, Parsley, Carrot, Onion, Silverbeet, Radish, Lettuces (4 var)...Lg Marigold, French Marigold, Calendula, Tomatoes in 15 different varieties...
Im sending in lots of five pkts, and what you get is what the munchkins packaged this weekend, while I cracked the whip (made them a yummy pizza and supplied treats (bribery?). They even made the envelopes, bless them... So there you go, Cockeyed stamping, gluing and sticking all included, totally made with love and devotion... They did a fabulous job!

Any questions about how to grow what you get, dont hesitate to write, I should be able to help, as Im growing most of what Ive sent myself or have done... Just remember, seeds need the soil to be warmed up a bit, and most like some kind of compost. Love em, and they will grow!

Hope youre keeping warm, its been a gorgeous sunny day, but the wind chills you to the bone.
I found my teeth chattering this morning, whilst waiting for things to happen...
Star Jumps... and warm coffee... that ll fix it :)

Love to You and Yours - Happy Growing,
E BUTTERFLY
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All Day Rain... Working Indoors

Rose Front Lawn. Not its name, its location ;-)

A brilliant wet Wednesday.
The Chance of All Day Rain is what Miss 5 told me she had heard on the news. Funnily enough, she was still snoozing when the weather forecast was on, but she is right so far... All Day Rain.
Which is a good thing, and a bad thing. The good thing is the garden gets a decent wash of rain. The bad of course, is that Im stuck inside having to attend to Housework and Other Inside Work.

Doesnt matter that Im procrastinating. This is the second coffee, Ive sat here and dawdled through the listings of plants & pots on Trademe. Ive checked in to Ooooby to see whose around. Ive read about when & how to harvest Garlic. Sigh. The dishes are half done.

Garlic On the Rise

Ive fed the cats, and the worms...

Odd isnt it, the cats do bugger all, nothing... and get fed twice a day and they whine about their food quality, quantity... the wind chill factor, anything at all.

The Worms... are far and away more productive, dont ask for a thing, and eat anything theyre given... and never say Boo... Which do I prefer? :-)
This is what I laid my eyes on first thing this morning. Im captivated.
Thank Nature! A truly beautiful thing!


Now to see if I can get a poppy head with viable seeds... I hope so. Theyre gorgeous :)

I snuck down this morning to check out the pumpkins.

Murphys Law, and I find myself putting compost around the base of the pumpkins, chocka block full of wormies. Nek minnit... Next minute, I see a big fat Lady Thrush pecking out the worms... Epic FAIL on the composting...

And WHERE on Gods Green Earth are my Furry Purries? Not doing their job, saving my worms from birds... Theyre all blobbing around the Catmint or lazing under my window  waiting for it to open so they can be fed... Theyre being fed too well!
Well enough of my chatter.

Today is the middle of the last week of school for my Mister 11 and Im so looking forward to having them all home... and picking our own tomatoes to eat, lettuce, onions, and all the rest...

Love,

E BUTTERFLY



LEST WE FORGET... and some links...

Ive been browsing, its Friday night, everyone is either off to bed or busy doing their own thing... *hears snoring in the chair*

Heres a link I found to a very interesting site that has old herb monographs... The information is older, but still relevant, especially for those interested in plants and herbal medicine... (I am!)
HERBDATA

Ive spent quite some time looking on this site, I love seeing the old hand drawn or painted pages that show the life cycle of herbs from seeds to plant, root system etc. If only I could paint/sketch like that! ...

An Ironic thing is, Ive just this week purchased a copy of Mrs Grieves *A Modern Herbal* and I see she is also *online* even though the book was first published in 1931 - see HERE
I cant wait to get my copy and have a good read!

Ive also been given a whole stack of Australian GRASS ROOTS magazines from the early seventies and eighties - theres a whole lot of reading in there, about self-sufficiency and doing-it-yourself, on the land mainly... very interesting reading, recipes and feedback. I do wonder if I could milk a goat, and be successful making cheese from said milk... what a challenge for this city gal!

HAPPY ANZAC DAY to those to whom it is relevant

-New Zealanders and Australians and those who lost loved ones...

The flower below is a poppy.

It's a traditional symbol of remembrance for the fallen.

LEST WE FORGET

"In Flanders field the poppies grow..."