THIS IS For OUR KIDS :)

Fish and Other Stuff

So far, a great weekend.
It feels like it should be Tuesday already, instead of Sunday morning. I guess thats what you get when you offer to drop one of the lads off for work in the morning, after you've watched a video late into the wee hours the night before! We have fitted in a fair bit so far. 
Anyway, Hes in the process of changing jobs, and this new one means he starts at 7am on a Sunday. I think Im going to become an early riser, Im the only one with a license as yet :)
Ive been enjoying the wet weather, weve been making dress-up dolls, baking muffins, making soup with our home-grown pumpkins, and doing those Autumn kind of things...
Long walks in the crunchy leaves, and fishing at the Groynes and other places around the city... this week G caught a trout, last week it was B's turn. They're doing very well.

Ive been making some lavender soap, which turned out not too bad. The longer is cures, the more I like the smell. It will be cool to use it, the kids are going to make a citrus blend next time, and theyve got a candle-making kit on their list of *nexts*. This one is soy, so it will extend their thinking beyond wrapping beeswax sheets around a wick, which was fun too.

Well, Im off to go out and enjoy my wee family and the bonus of sunshine!
Love to you,
EB
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Monday Stuff...

Weekend Harvest

Seems like ages since I wrote.
We have had a great week, and its hard to believe its Monday again.
We had the car lads here again this weekend. After lots of loud music and a couple of stray swear words, the new bumper looks good. There is no longer a leak somewhere...?  Theyre happy, and theres a lot worse places they could be!




I have a very nice 7lb brown trout in the freezer!

66cm 7lb weight... Put up a heck of a fight!

We headed to school for Certificate Assembly on Friday, then after morning tea in the Garden, I had some willing extra hands helping with the weeding. It was nice to be chatting and weeding as we went, and it rocks when you find someone who enjoys gardening as much as you do! We did four hours of weeding, and I must confess my muscles were aching today!

Have just discovered the Chilean Guava (NZ Cranberry) berries that were hiding beside the boysenberry- this awesome berry smells like *lollipops* and tastes sweet. Awesome!! Will take some cuttings and see if we cant make some more plants, they would go well in the School garden.

NEW FOR THE GARDEN - Tomatillo, New Cimmaron Lettuce (red) Cauliflower... Cabbage... Kale... all going in during the season, so hopefully new seeds to offer next year! :)

Thats all from me for now...
XX

Keeping On, Keeping on!

Hi from Sunny Christchurch.
Its hard to believe how different this year is from last year, weatherwise. I dont follow the weather too much, but I have a Mr 12 who likes looking ahead to see what will happen re the forecast. Its both a blessing and a curse... See Mum, I told you I didnt need a jacket, you wouldnt get the washing dry... etc.

So, is this Autumn yet? Im not a good Winter person, I dont like the cold, but Ive started mulching and composting, and bringing in the citrus trees. This year Ive made a little *hide* for them, with straw bales at each end, to protect them from the wind, and ... well, if we have snow. The white stuff... sigh. We just might?
I have a new blood orange to protect. The last thing I heard from the guy I got it from was... Dont forget to protect it from frost. Theyre worse than lemons... My lemon was in the snow in its first year and survived, but I dont want to chance it :)

Which reminds me, Snow...I need to get a new shovel. The handle  from the one I have... err,... had... was compromised. It had to go onto the new eel spear. You'd understand the necessity if you are a 16 yr old fishing nut who just *had* to try out the new spear right that night... And they caught three good-sized eels, which they baked and ate with the neighbours. We only catch what we can/will eat.

Have some new seeds for sale this year - Ladybird poppy, Flanders Poppy, Broad Beans, Fenugreek, Catnip, and a few others that still need to be sorted and packed. I have the most beautiful cobalt blue larkspur popping through, and have a new echinacea, (above - its called Tomato Soup).
I love echinacea, its one of my favourites, and Im hoping it will grow well so I can divide it up and have drifts of colour throughout the garden, because the bees need all the help they can get, and they LOVE my echinacea. Nearly as much as the Bumblebees do... Theres always a bumblebee asleep on, or slowly crooning into the flowers...

Also have some marigolds, the African ones, that grow a bit taller, and have the crinkly flowers. I dont like the smell much, but they are good for companion plants. Always cheerful are the orange and yellow calendulas or Pot Marigolds. Ive been sowing them with the children at school. Theyve been watching their swan plants being eaten up by the monarch caterpillars... and enjoying the opening of the chrysalis!

Not a lot of other news for now, things are ticking along. Im working on a few new things, hopefully one of them will develop into something wonderful....

As a companion to this blog, I have a new site now, which is organized to detail the seeds Im selling...

Youll find The Seedlist HERE

Im selling through TRADEME and my listings are HERE until I get sorted.
Ive got regular $1 reserves, so you might just get a bargain!
Can post throughout NZ for just 80c for up to five packets of seed (except beans, which are oversized)


Hope life is keeping you smiling,
~Take care~ 
From my Hearth to Yours

Earth Butterfly
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Wordless Wednesday - Garden, Harvest, Labyrinth and SHOW PICS

The Labyrinth

Borlotti Bean - Red Rooster

Home grown... Yum!

Echinacea Tomato Soup

Ellerslie Flower Show 2013

THIS is what its about! Awesome display, GREAT Concept!

 Black Cherry Toms

Nobody Drink My Wine...

Nobody Drink My Wine...
It sounds so wrong when your six year old daughter says it as shes going off to bed.
It isnt that bad - No, really it isnt :)
Tonight we juiced some grapes and some elderberries with some large Summer Apples. It was very purple in colour, so we added some to soda water. Yum! It isnt too bad, especially with ice! Miss six is calling it her  Elderberry Wine.

We rounded off the evening with some Banana Bread. Hot Banana bread with Elderberry *Wine* - yum!
Another Sunday evening coming to a close, and I dont appear to have achieved much. We had *The Boys* here with their noses under cars and in The Workshop. Its so nice to have some space in my garage... well, it was!. It has been a nice gardening weekend too, the kids have played outside and Mr 12 has learnt more this weekend than he ever has with anyone under a car... And hes loving it. More next weekend if the weather holds!

Have learnt so much about the tropical fish we are fish-sitting until their owner moves into his new home. We have seven large fish,(7ft tank!) two of which are very clever. Theyre Oscar cichlids, and they eat like horses! Premium food too, cunning things. They jump to get their food off my pink plastic fork if Im not fast enough, and are clever enough *seemingly* to recognize when the fork appears and wiggle at me, pleased to see me. It may be the hot pink colouring perhaps?
Theres another guy (Synodontis)  who spends half his time cruising around the tank upside down. I find him a bit worrying, theres many times I go past the tank and wait to see him move, as he plays dead very successfully!

Well back to work tomorrow, digging the school plot, then out to pot up some herbs.
Hope the weather holds, I like this time of year, not too hot!
Happy Gardening when you get there
Take care

Love,
EB
XX
PS Ive  made some clay seed balls this week to try... Watch this space for some feedback :)

Linky Link - Thinking Ahead to Easter...

Allergies and food preferences make it difficult sometimes to buy for Easter- now you can plan ahead!
For those who have diabetic, gluten or dairy free children/adults.
Check out ~
NATURALLY ORGANIC

Naturally Organic started by offering Organic Fruit & Veg baskets from a Warehouse in Albany in 1998 to a retail store, now bursting at the seams,in Rosedale Plaza Albany.

Old fashioned service is what to get when you visit our store, we will even take your groceries to your car!

Our Internet staff; Shannon our Team Leader with Pearl, Claire  Karen & Kyle work extremely hard to offer you a sameday delivery service. They are available between 6am to 2.30pm daily.

(Taken from their website)

Have a Happy Day!

EB
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