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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Winter Again ... Gardening On The Inside

Its freezing cold today. Arlais has just told me the *Scary Sky* means the clouds are chasing one another, and I think, given the wind, she may be right. The grey/black clouds are chasing the big billowy snow clouds away. Its rained, hailed and blown all day.
It hasnt stopped The Process though!
Im having computer issues, and havent got a clue how to fix it, so I ll stick to what I think I know - Im Gardening On The Inside today - the dreaming, scheming, reading and planning... From the warmth of the lounge, with the awesome bank of knowledge I can find in others books, Mr Google and similar...
Real hard work I tell ya!

Ive also been checking the pots... We have some more little shoots rearing their heads... I feel like an expectant parent, but theyre making some good progress...

So Onward We Go - Snow if you will!
It wont stop the Creative Juices flowing.
Our fenugreek seedlings have set their next lot of leaves, the Tomato Gang - Albenga Oxheart, Black Zebra and Yellow Cocktail are going strong. No sign of Russian Red and his mates Bloody Butcher or Chocolate but Ive just noticed a little elecampane stretching up from its soily bed, - whose going to be next I wonder?

So Im going back to the gentle rest of my chair to sit and peruse the pages of someone else's wisdom
I have on my knee The NZ Organic Gardening Handbook by Brenda Little... so away I go.

Rest Easy,
Hope youre safe and warm

Love to All
E Butterfly
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Sunday for Thought...

Another Sunday almost biting the dust. Its been the coldest day weve had for a long time, and we arent happy. The kids are climbing over each other to get out, so out come the hats and jackets, and out they go... Except for the one who has to do homework... Lots of reading, murmurs and plans there...
But Wait Theres More! ...
We had a stellar day yesterday!
Saturday at its very best! Mr EB and Young Sir of 11yrs got down and did some carpentry. Chisel, hammer and nails and some boards, and Voila! If only I had a camera ... Will have to look into it, they have made me the most wonderful gardening boxes!!
Lots of nodding, measuring and the occasional dark cloud, but the results were fantastic! And they have plans to make more...
We bought our first Lemon (Meyer) and put it in a gro-bag so it can be moved, should we move...
Its awesome to have, it has some fruit on it too, which is kinda neat to see when you look out into the garden.

Seeds are IT at the moment - weve started sowing them for our new growing season.
Mostly tomatoes - Black Krim, Yellow Cocktail, Albenga Oxheart, Purple Calabash and Bloody Butcher so far...,



BASIL



Fenugreek

Some Basil - Red Rubin and Genovese, but also some fenugreek. It is growing nicely, so far so good.

Basil Red Rubin

Seven shoots of Rosemary have taken off nicely, theyve just been planted in Supa-grow after spending a few weeks growing roots in a glass of water... one is even flowering, the tiny little blue flowers lead me to think it might be similar to Rosemary *Tuscan Blue*

So thats it for now... Im hoping that for the start of the week, the wind may subside, it is bitterly cold with the wind today and makes working outside really unpleasant.
Or I may just have to make myself a warm hat :-P

Love to all
Keep Warm and Safe!

E Butterfly
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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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