Quail Island Trip, More Maori Food and Gardens...

After a beautiful day out with my favourite little people, we are back into the last throes of school for the year. Tomorrow our little people meet their new teachers and see their class room for 2013. We went to Quail Island yesterday, walked for miles, ate lunch at the beach, dipped our toes in the waters of the harbour and had an awesome experience - got to see Hectors Dolphins, a little blue penguin, and some beautiful scenery... Its an awesome day out, the trip over to Quail Island. It is the Quarantine Island, in Lyttleton Harbour, where historically, there was a Leper Colony, and later where people coming into NZ were put until they were known to be *safe* to enter the country. They also used to train dogs for the Antarctic on the island... It is a hilly island full of walking tracks, beautiful mature trees and lots to see. Even true to its name, there are Quail.

Still reading. And enjoying learning something new!  Have been to the library to hunt for some books, but the internet has some good info. (if its on the internet its true so they say :-))
I have tried to imagine getting in a canoe and carrying  my most essential plants and trees across the sea to an unknown place, to live. How do you decide which you take?- not knowing what or who you might find there, not knowing the growing conditions - well, it must have been pretty nerve-racking!
From what I have read, yam and kumara (sweet potato) didnt grow so well in the South, and of course, Coconut didnt grow at all. The climate was difficult, and it took some time to get things growing.
Potatoes were introduced by Captain Cook, - they acclimatized  and grew well and were adapted to become a valuable resource. Taewa (maori potatoes) are a taonga, or treasure, with siginificant historical and cultural value.  There were also yam, gourd, cabbage tree and bracken to eat. Here in NZ there were native trees and bushes with berries, plants with tender roots to eat. Moa was hunted and eaten, leading to its extinction.


In this link here -Maori Agriculture it mentions just four food plants were brought over to NZ.
How incredible. It is also mentioned that the Maori found that their gardens needed more attention and cultivation here than in their hotter lands. We have it so much easier these days, with all the variety we have available.
But what if we didnt, or that choice was narrowed or  taken away from us? ... Its a scary future, with all the news articles about giant companies like Monsanto, and the bid to make seeds genetically modified by these giants who hold the monopoly over the small seed growers... Life could be so totally different if they succeed to push through their agendas...

For now, Im sticking to my open-pollinated, easy to grow varieties that are chosen by seeing what others can grow in our area. I think its great to be able to grow things that are *difficult* for our cold zone climate, but to feed people, you need to know what you put into the ground has been grown before with great success...

On with the reading...
EB
xxx
Interesting Link
TaewaCultural Value of Taewa

My Boy - HIS blog... Introducing Entering The Ring...

Hi Folks...

Im writing today, in the hope youll drop by to check out my sons new blog.
Its called ENTERING THE RING, and he is blogging so he can express how he feels about life in Christchurch, write some book reviews, (hes an avid reader), and lots more.
His blog begins with his autobiography, which he has done for part of his school homework... So please, if you get a chance, pop across to his blog and have a read. He has LOTS of photos to come, and hes an entertaining chap mostly *grin*... Ok, Im probably quite biased...But he really will appreciate your taking the time to have a look!

Sniffling...
Weve all got a rather nasty sneezy, snotty cold at the moment. It knocked us all for a six this weekend, but Im picking the worst is over for Mr 11 and he will be back into it tomorrow. Miss 5 slept for almost sixteen hours, and woke blocked up, so here we go again. Its a strange time of year to get sick, no?

Weird Weather
Weve had the weirdest weather in the past few days. Hot sun and singing cicadas, through to scared birds and very rumbly thunder and rain... Its a crazy Summer weve had, if thats it all over with. I sure hope not :)
The tomatoes are starting to colour up, slowly. We have big ones that are just starting to turn, so fingers xed we have enough warm days left to get them all through...

Weekend -We went to the Botanic Gardens to see the new Memorial Gardens and The Festival of Flowers that is on at the moment. Beautiful! We went on to the museum, and they have some awesome displays. Theres the Wearable Arts display which is gorgeous. Exquisite details that you just dont get to view from seeing the awards on TV. The intricate details and the colours and textures are amazing. Of course the touch screen monitors draw the children to them, as they are totally interactive and the interviews about what inspired the designers is really cool!!

Then theres the Christchurch Earthquake display. Wow. We were blown away by the coverage. Everything. From the dear old battered spire of the Christchurch cathedral that lies in state as you walk in, to the shoes that the Rescue Dogs wear, the boots that the Search guys wear, and everything in between. Theres a toilet bike (yes, really!) and so much info about the whys, the wheres, and the hows. There are again, touch screen monitors which allow access to lots of footage that wasnt seen, the Forensic examiner talks about their difficulties and findings, there are videos of when the eq happened, there is Police Comms coverage that you can listen to. All in all, we were really quite impressed... And rather subdued when we left...

The thing that helped us *Happy Up* was seeing the kids in the butterfly house. The ladies there are awesome, helping both kids hold monarch butterflies... Awesome. Our kids know the importance of butterflies, and they hold them in some reverance, knowing they need to be gentle with them, and they always comment when they see them... Here theres a room you can go in and watch the butterflies as they do their *thing*... Theyre raising awareness of the butterflies, which is so very cool... Youll find more information about them in the link below

THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY NZ TRUST

Out In The Garden...
Planting Winter crops like brassicas, more carrots and onion, we have a large group of cabbage and brocolli. I havent planted caulis because I know our dear Miss B from along the road has them covered, so we will swap. I have lettuces planned too, and I must remember to re sow the carrots and onions in a few weeks so we have continuous sowing before it gets too cold...

Raspberries that were cut back have gone mad. Suckers everywhere, some of which Im going to pot up to sell... That was always the intention, and we have many bushes now. Awesome. Some are Autumn fruiters, so it evens things out nicely. The tansy buttons look great, by way of companions to the raspberries, but they need to be kept an eye on as they grow so quick...

Well more from me when I get to lend a camera. I must buy myself one... I just dont seem to have any luck with them lasting more than six months, for some reason.

Love to All,
Keep Smiling
E BUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXXX 
PS Please... take a look
ENTERING THE RING by Taurus Hunter

Fishy Smarts... Fishy Tails - A Good Sunday

Watering day today, and its grey, cool and misty when I wake.
How did I know before I even opened my eyes?
A fluffy tail complete with raindrops and a wet cat-nose in the face let me know before I realized it was morning. She is very determined to be fed these mornings, is our Washington.
So, it was a good day to catch up on the housework, do the inside things, and perhaps take a wander. The boys were restless, so they wandered off to meet friends at the bridge around the corner to take in some fishing. The Avon isnt well known for its fishing. Its Whitebaiting maybe, but not in the past year or 18months, due to silt, sewerage and other nasties that poured in. Its ok, we wont be baiting our hooks and eating our catch...
Its just for the experience of doing something interesting and inexpensive, and the kids love it.

So off they go, theres a few regular fisher-guys who hang out on the bridge too, and Mr 11 is the youngest by far. The tales are colourful - almost as colourful as the language, but if you can get past that, its interesting to hear the Fishy Tales.
What made great sport, was a huge rainbow trout swimming below.

Fishy Smarts 
The Grandaddy, they reckon. The Guardian of the smaller fishes, I say. He wasnt being caught by anyone! In fact, he seemed to throw the smaller fish in front of him so they were caught in his stead.
Its obvious theyre all keen on the dangling bait but this fish has got to a very nice size by not being tempted, and again today, it seemed to use its innate sense of which pieces of bread werent on hooks to eat, very nicely Thank You, and escaped anyones hook! It will live to taunt exasperated fishermen another day. ( And to be killed when we catch it tomorrow says a very keen young Fisherman from behind me!) We also see big eels and tiny bait fish under the water, so there is plenty of life left in the Avon River, despite people saying otherwise.


Fishy Tails

The yellow-eyed mullet run in and out with the tides - we live in tidal Avonside, and the Avon goes in and out daily, swelling as the tide fills, and the boys hook the mullet on small hooks and sinkers, with bread for bait. Its exciting, when, from standing up on the Bridge, you see them nibbling your bait below... nibble, take and there you have them. They hit hard when theyre hungry and are taken up onto the bridge easily by the kids.

We dont eat these fish, they do however, provide a nutritious feed for our cats, and the guts/heads/fins etc are excellent in the garden. My new rose today got the benefits, a bucket of fish buried deep alongside its roots.

How will we make ends meet if our society changes?
What skills will our children need, that we have ourselves forgotten? This is why I have no objection to taking my children fishing - of course, theyre of an age where they can take themselves, but sometimes as parents, we need to make sure they are provided with the wherewithall to do these things easily... Learning is best done when its fun, before the need is there. Fishing experience is an excellent skill to have here in NZ because our landscape lends itself to us being able to use it for fishing for food.

So, for us its been a really Good Sunday. The Bestest Day of My Life, Miss 5 told me as we wandered home. So - Whats next?
Im in the process of planting out the cabbages and broccoli for Winter, sowing parsnip seed, and watching the pumpkins swell. I cant wait for the beets to do their thing, and I have potatoes to dig soon. The garlic has dried nicely, and the tomatoes are changing colour daily - slow, but getting there! Life is good.
I hope with fingers xed that Ive got it right for some continual harvesting later in the year, as with the climate changes, the good weather is pitifully absent, and we may incur some losses.

Heres hoping things in your garden are growing nicely, with abundance.
Love and Blessings
E Butterfly
XXXXXX

2011 leaves with a Shake... so what will 2012 begin with?...

2011 is leaving.
Well, ceasing. And The Bitch doesnt want to leave us without a decent farewell - We got that!
Today we had a 4.82 that the USGS recorded as a 5.2! Some serious shaking, more damage for some, liquefaction for others - us, the lucky ones, just a stern reminder that Mother Nature Lives Beneath.
After a drive yesterday, we realised sadly, that yes, there are changes being made in Canterbury, but our neighbourhood is now looking like a series of country lanes, empty houses on funny angles, broken bits and bumpy gravel roads and neglected spaces where gardens still bloom regardless. Sad and Forgotten for the most part. The people who drive by, are just there just to look, to Thank God, maybe, that it isnt them?  and then they drive back from whence they came.

Did the Mayans truly predict that The World Might End in 2012? Im sure the Mayan who was in charge of writing the numbers at the time, lost count of where he was, and then decided, he had to go to the bathroom. When he arrived back, he looked at what he was writing (The Calendar) and shrugged... Meh. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, but Im over it... and off he went to lunch. Never would he ever guess that he left us all hanging...
Ok, so thats not it at all, but we will never know :-)
Im picking The Changes that are spoke of,  have begun already. Theres an air of unrest right around the world.  Chaotic Economic changes, Natural Change, More water, less food, more people, Earthquakes, Floods, Famine. Civilization is Changing.
It is all part of an energy that means we MUST assimilate Change - Into our lives, our homes, the way we educate our children, technology, it all will change.
Change never happens without some sort of negativity or positivity to activate it. We need to get used to the changes, and its tough!
Its what they say - What doesnt Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger.
Im about as Strong as I can be. No - possibly not, but lets not push that to trial.

... Out with the Old, In With the New...I just want to cruise - no - sleep! through the end of 2011. I do not like New Years Eve at all.
My family are not entirely with me, and never are now theyre older and have Social committments. New Years Eve for me brings back sad memories of people dear who are no longer with us, of past Memories that bring home how much I miss the ones I love.
So Im a sad sack, and I ll be happy just chilling with the littles, watching some TV, then drifting off...

OR WILL I?
This year in Christchurch, it seems half the world wants a reason to celebrate... and why not?
Weve had some kind of wacky stuff to deal with  this year...
On with the good stuff - Celebrate Your New Year Cantabs~!
Parties on each side of the street here, and lots of music.
Someone was jamming on an electric guitar before - It sounded awesome, even from here, and Im picking it was a few houses down. The unfortunate thing, is that next door have Elton John on Replay, and the two playing alongside one another makes me want to run for cover :-)
Shouting can be heard, (the happy kind) and lots of families walking in the night air. It isnt dark or cooler yet, at 7.30pm its a nice time of night for a stroll around our neighbourhood...
Let the celebrating fill your heart, and let go of the fear - not just here, but whereever you are!
We got through, we will continue to make good.

Love, Light and Blessings
HAPPY FABULOUS NEW YEAR

Roll On 2012!!
Love
Earth Butterfly
XXXXXXXX

Tuesday already...Plans... Globe Trotting Teens... Bikkies for Breakfast.

Cant believe it is  Tuesday already. I know, its Tuesday every week, but this Tuesday has come around so quick. Think about what you were doing last Tuesday. To be honest, Im not sure I can remember the details. It involved reenactment of the chicken with its head cut off, panic, frenzied shopping and Lists. Ahh. Thank Goodness that is over!
This Tuesday Im planning. Ive just bought another red currant. And an Autumn Bliss Raspberry that fruits late Summer/Autumn. I think it is the wrong time of year to buy things like this, but they are On The List of Wanted Plants, and they can sit until the beds are ready to go in. Im planning next years garden already.

My list of Wanted Plants is extensive. I think Dwarf Comfrey sounds good. The blue variety. To put right along my fenceless edge that I share with our neighbours. Theres a huge *hedge* of Flax and Bears Breeches, and Im thinking some dwarf comfrey along underneath might encourage some good soil eventually.
It is very dense soil out there, and it has been sorely neglected.

Also, I have a list of herbs Id like to have access to. Not all for culinary purposes, but medicinal too.
Some of the herbs have the most romantic names - Pellitory-of-the-wall, Alexanders, Skullcap and Lovage...
Watch this space, Ive not made my selection yet, still in the Learning stages - ie, Im reading up on things.
Thank Goodness for my aged copy of A Modern Herbal by Ms Grieve. It is great for reading up on herbs...
Yes, this book information IS ONLINE!

So the Pre-teen with the Cellphone has spent the morning catching up with his brothers. Theyre the Globe Trotting Teens that have this morning, hit Auckland and are looking to see as much as possible while theyre at a Family Function. Its awesome theyve had the chance to go, their Dad is very brave taking two unruly teens on holiday with him and his wife, for a week... I hope Auckland looks after them - if youre up that way and you see one very bedraggled, tired looking man and two perky looking teenagers, its them...  :) I hope they have a blast! Its not often they all get away together.

And Im picking Im in line for Bad Mother of The Year award given this mornings fare for breakfast. We have eaten so much of late, and there was a dearth of goodies left, or given... It was bananas this morning, that took their fancy, and shrewsbury biscuits, with milk and shortbread afterwards... Oophs!!

After watching Harry Potter (Deathly Hallows 1) last night, this morning I have the pleasure of watching The Muppets Take Manhattan, with Miss 5. She loves it. The rats are so funny, and she giggles her way through it all... I get more pleasure out of watching her reaction, than the actual movie.

Well thats us.
I hope youre all doing fine, and enjoying the sun if you have it. Remember to Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap if youre in the sun!

Thinking of You,
Love,

E BUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXXX

Catching Up on the Inside...

Ahh well, I guess the rain and cool weather had to catch up on us eventually. And sickness! This week both kids have had sore tummies and all that goes with it. Fingers xed, not me as yet...
So there we are, a week without use of an oven... and no sign of the blimmen electrician, who was due last FRIDAY. Seven days. Hmmpfff. He is *due* today, and is late. Not impressed, of course the landlord is laxadasical too, but as usual, he doesnt have to live with it. End of Rant... What doesnt kill us makes us stronger ;-) We DO have the use of a bbq... its just a bit cold out there for that this week! Im sure the Heat pump has made us lazy!

So! We gathered our seedlings into the warmth of the front room for better growing conditions hopefully. A good decision! We decided to log which seeds came up (or didnt) and I feel very impatient waiting... but I didnt have to wait too long!
Three days after planting, we had two Yellow Cocktail Tomatoes up. Now we have seven, but one looks particularly *munted* Im not sure why.
Yesterday I noticed an Albenga Oxheart seedling just barely poking its head up, today there are three of the much-awaited little fellas... And one of our Meyer Lemon seeds looks like it might be doing something. Growing I hope.
Its funny how basil seeds swell and go blue. I had noticed this last year, and again this year. My first thought was they were moulding! (see, ignorance is bliss!)

Ive just joined a very informative website/forum for Tomato growers. HERE- Tomatoville 
Ive spent the past two days reading the boards and learning a lot about all manner of gardening things...
Because the growing season in the US is at a different stage to us, it gives me impetus to get growing again... Already Ive added CUCUMBER to my list of Things I must Grow!

Weve enjoyed the days out in the Garden, Blaise planted his Nepeta (catmint) plant he bought with his own pocket money... Of course the funniest thing, is watching the cats trying to paw through the sticks we made into a tripod to stop them clawing at the plant. They rub and smooch everywhere.
It doesnt stop the Tribal Cat Wars we are having at the moment. We have two boys and two girls. All are fixed. One of the girls is quite indifferent to the other cats, but her brother, is a black and white Tom who just wants to fight everyone else. It is mayhem, the other cats are just not allowed to go anywhere near him. The neighbours cat has been badly beaten twice, and Ive been told to *do something* - Im not sure how we will resolve this issue... any ideas, Id love to hear please! My father always used to kid our Family Cat that he would go *Under The Grapevine* if he misbehaved. I have a grapevine... and that is where our dearly departed cat went several years ago... sigh.

Back to the Garden...
Weve been making growing boxes out of pallets. It seems the most economical way of getting what we need for what we can afford. The soil weve been using is bolstered with pig pooh, dryed and sieved, and some Supa-Grow. I think that has a bit of everything, and is quite mulched already. And then topped off with some peastraw.  We are getting there slowly...
And then it rains.

But this is good things, and it gives me a bit of time for reading, researching and getting ready.
Everyone seems to be so excited about the Rugby World Cup this year... I couldnt care less, Im excited about seeing what grows in my garden :-)

Hope youre keeping warm, - I hear theyre predicting SNOW again next week!! Hmm, it was fun the first time... not sure Im quite ready to do that again :-)

Love to all
E Butterfly
XXXXXXXXXXX

Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot! ...

So hot here today, in the late 30s. 
Everyone is remarking upon it, and some of us are hiding inside, trying to avoid a good dose of sunstroke or sunburn as the temperature soars.
And It is Sunday Again! So quickly the week went, and we are back to our own routines as if the holidays and Christmas were a month or so ago... Wait! It WAS a month or so ago!
Whodve thunk it?
Im waiting for the heat to subside overnight so I can become animated about the things I should really be doing, although I seem to have become quite soggy and not at my best :)
 
Off we trudged to the local swimming hole - a Christchurch Council pool in the garden park just around the road. It was GOOD. Apart from the pretty trees, the expansive green things, the flowers and the sweet scents, it was really nice to be out... We shared the pool with lots of other young children and their families, and I watched the boys and Miss 4 enjoy the shallow but goodly sized pool...

I wrote to Mr EB, who is away on the farm...
  *Well we went, we conquered and we are ALL wet.

Even me*... (which wasnt by design, but by the kids good management. I was on a hiding to nothing)...

On reflection, Arent people are funny, there were so many possibilities for the kids to make new friends at a local swimming pool, but apart from the very dark sunglasses that say NO because you cant see peoples eyes, today made me very aware of how people shield their kids from interactions with anyone they do not know, making the generation of up and coming kids possibly unable to socialize effectively, or even fearful of interaction. Meh. Im definitely guilty of it myself, but after today, and the looks the children got when trying to be friendly to others, Im more open now than ever to rectify this. I think Stranger Danger has got mixed up with the *I am* energy, topped off with Politically Correctness gone mad... Our kids are on a hiding to nothing :)

 

Hmm, so here I am. The children are in bed, but in no way asleep as it is still hot out there. Im praying for a slight cool breeze... The doors are open, and my delicious longhaired persian pussycat who has so many factors against her in this heat, is nowhere to be seen. Im picking she is somewhere safe under something dark and cool... her long black fur must be hotter than ever today!
Our other (new) black cat, Zander, has been spotted - lying stretched flat out on the concrete. He has short fur, and it doesnt seem to bother him as much. He doesnt go far, apart from loving food and being handfed, he also loves smooches and head rubs. He is very easy to find...

 

Well thats all that is happening here at present...

Im hoping youre all surviving the heat, I enjoy watching the peas and beans spring up with some water in the mornings and evenings.

How great is it, that they grow so much every day in this weather!!?

Zander the Soldier Cat

 

Happy Living,

Blessings and Love

From Our Hearth to Yours.

 EB