Wandering Foxglove...

I had the devils own job being a successful bidder on my foxglove seeds, which must mean theyre pretty awesome, being so popular. I sowed some seed last year. I dont know if youve sown Foxglove, but they are  so tiny! I got 50 seeds - Pams Choice - a showy one. All of a sudden, there are no plants growing, so Im thinking my bid was a donation to the cause rather than a purchase!
Yesterday we replaced a gas bottle, and just on a whim, I went down the back of the house to see if the native plants had self seeded - it seems they like to grow in the shade, and can be transplanted throughout the garden. No - no seedlings this time. BUT. To my surprise, I see four or five rather large clumps of FOXGLOVE. Uh huh. So that ends the mystery. They didnt like it out in full sun, theyve taken up residence down the back side.

Oh Lord - the heavens have just opened and it is raining slushy hail. Very thick. A nice day to be inside. We hadnt planned any gardening today, so I will research the next few steps instead. I have two sickies at home, so its a good day to stay in! It has changed so quickly, I was just sitting here admiring the sunrise. I could see the sun creeping its way into the sky, and a bit of blue sky. Now it looks like we may get the snow promised.
Such is this transitory weather into Spring eh?

Nearly all my excess crown pumpkin seeds are gone - I think I have about six packets left, and I started with 72... So somewhere in Christchurch there are people planning Pumpkins in their gardens which is cool.

Yesterday I planted my ulluco, who probably wonder what the heck happened given todays weather :) And two rows of later yams, and another 2 varieties of potatoes. Potato salad here we come! Its a Summer favourite here.

Well, back into it I guess, dishes to do, people to fuss over, and homework to complete...
Love to You

E BUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXXX

Diggin Deep... Dirt Flyin! Seed sowing begins...

Im delighted by the weather.
However as I write, it has changed drastically, the wind is blowing furiously out there and Im picking there will be rain to follow. But today was gorgeous... Oh wait, Ive sent Mr 12 out to check. No - no wet stuff, very cold though, and bright skies...It has to clear up quick cos the past couple of days have been awesome.

Blue Borage

Heading back into the garden has meant weeding ensued everywhere. Ive dug, weeded and shovelled, composted, weeded some more, and been covered from head to foot with goodness knows what - and I loved it :)
I can barely walk for sore muscles, of course, but its done.

Starting off... 

The final dose of horse poo has gone into the compost, the raggle-taggle ends of the spent tansy, echinacea (*Magnus*), stevia, borage costmary and anise hyssop are cut back, and Ive seen the first Spring bulbs burst into flower. Theyre brave. Im sure there will be a back-lash of cold stuff still to come, say mid September - lots of wet weather - is that Spring showers maybe?

Last year we had a couple of drops of snow about then too, didnt we? I cant remember exactly, but I know once I mention the seeds Ive sprinkled, the weather will hone in...

The lettuces will grow through the year and this year I have lots -  I have a mix of  Ice King, Canasta, Frilled Cos, Buttercrunch and Danyelle - oh and a red one - Red Flame.
I cant wait for the mesculun to spring up again. Missy cant wait for the new carrot seeds to arrive. Ive dug out all of our last years varieties (St Valery, Nutri Red and Paris Ball), and the onions (Purplette, Borettana and a bunching onion) will follow tomorrow.

*Pams Choice*



Ive found so many precious little sprigs of this and that throughout the garden. 

I sprinkled foxglove seed last year - *Pams Choice* and they have only now made themselves known. Theres red opium poppies self-sown everywhere, but thats hardly surprising given the number we had last year and they have a lot of seed per head, the bumblebees love them! and Im delighted that the Echinacea has successfully split into five parts, so I will encourage the honey bees everywhere with some pretty pink shows. I would like to add more blue borage to that, some orange and yellow calendulas that self seed, red french marigold for companion gardening, and ... oh so many other plants. I want drifts of colour this year. I worked on the vegetable garden last year, this year Im encouraging the flowers for bees, but also for picking.

Calendula - Pot Marigold

Berry Berry Nice... Oranges & lemons...
Lots of strawberries have self-sown, jumping from clump to clump as they do. Im quite fond of them, as there doesnt seem to be a lot to weed around them. We have some nodules on the sticks that are rumoured to be black currant bushes so I think thats great news...
We have three of those, and four blue berries. A couple of red currants and a zillion boysenberries and raspberries... Im cutting back some of the canes, so I can hand them on to others to enjoy and we can avoid looking like a bramble farm. The boysenberries take no prisoners. I keep reminding myself its the berries I want, so I have to bear with the scratches,  and boy they do scratch!

Hazelnut trees with buds!

I think the most astonishing thing Ive seen, is under cover, the mandarin fruits have coloured up, making a pretty show. We got 12 off one, and have about another 7 to come off another tree. Theyre rather small, but taste ok. Success :) The oranges are still small, and rather hard, and Im going to remove them so the goodness can go back into the plants. The lemons have got through the winter so far, so good, and Im pleased to say, theyre fruiting well. I have seen flowers on two of them. Yahoo!

Have a whole new pile of firewood to chop. Im sure thats what I have children for, no?
Oddly enough, theyre all busy when I mention firewood, so Im getting a man in to do it *evil grin*.
He may or may not know about it yet. Ok, so he will know once he reads this.

Leeks

Ive had a big crop of swedes this year, although I wasnt sure what it was that I was growing. Im not sure Im going to be so successful giving them away, as noone likes them. To some, theyre cattle fodder, to others, they have bad memories of how they were given swedes as a child - usually the method of cooking them was what was awful. Its a shame, the humble swede is a good base for stew or soup. Handy to have IF YOU LIKE THEM, not so easy to give away if you dont :)
The lesson there is - Grow what you will use. Got that. Tick!


Well thats about it from me for now...
Im going to go out and see if I can find my washing. Im picking it will be about three blocks away now with that wind.

Love to You
E Butterfly
XXXXXXX

The History of Carrots
- The carrot museum... Yes, theres a museum :)

This Old House... Clearing the Way... Spring Forward!

This Old house indeed...
It is full of cracks and this week, it seems to have developed a squeak - it now has an identifying squeak when theres a truck going past or theres an aftershock. Its been quite audible overnight and it sounds like we have mice. Better than Bats in the Belfry, I say :)
We are all concerned about the excessive speeds down our street of late, and I see one of the neighbours has sprayed big *30* signs on the road in spray paint,  to encourage people to slow down, but it doesnt seem to have worked. We have more traffic than ever before, given our main thoroughfare is blocked off and down to one way so crossing over our street, is like playing Chicken.
It isnt surprising, about the squeaky house, everywhere you look we have road works, diggers, noise, dust etc - on all sides at the moment, even our side road is blocked off with people rearranging road cones, leaning on shovels with their bright orange vests and hard hats on.
They may be filling in the crater that appeared after last weeks eq. Its quite an impressive size. With all this rain, it has filled with water, and I do wonder when we will get our own water feature. You know, you want what the neighbours have, right?... not so much, in this case :)
Its a familiar site around Christchurch though, those deep holes in the road, surrounded by road cones... theres no forgetting where you are, especially when you drive into one!

Things to be grateful for, there are a few - AWESOME WEATHER - it has taken on good form the past couple of days, and it is glorious to see the sun! We have got out and about, and taken advantage of the heat. It wont be long and it will be seed planting time again, how quickly it comes about.
I have started PLANNING THE GARDEN for this season. And clearing out the weeds that have grown over the cold snap. Im sure there will be other cold bits, but I might as well get ahead while I can.

Its nice to see some of the SEEDS COMING UP already. (self sown ones) We have a fine crop of 3 kinds of lettuce, some kind of onion and beans, and the silverbeet has survived well. I cant say the kids are keen about that :) but I am.
The berry plants have buds and are growing away quickly. Black currants, red currants, raspberries... We also have lots of self-sown plants, I love discovering them all. Strawberry, Borage, calendula and chamomile, marigold and some native trees. Ive also found some bits  I plucked off trees and bushes have grown, so  Ive got myself a fine start on a forest :)

We have been FEEDING THE BIRDS, and love watching them out the window. The bird feeders we made have been great, the birds come back again and again - carefully dodging our clumsy cats and their efforts to catch either a tasty bird treat, or climbing the tree to see if they can reach the fat with seeds in it... No luck, thank goodness theyre all far too well fed.  We have wax eyes, starlings and sparrows as usual, but also a family of three magpies, which have ventured over from the park. Theyre very polite, and wait up on the lines until Ive put the bread out before they come down.

Back to the Garden... Let is Spring, I say!
Thanks to some kind friends, I swapped some lavender for some vege seedlings, and I have a good bunch of seedlings and some mint to put in. Im going to isolate this mint, given it grows here like crazy, and we have some already that just takes over... it doesnt even mind the concrete, it just pops up through the cracks, but I have found that boiling water takes care of that. I also have an eau-de-cologne mint, which is lovely. I really like the smell of it, and have just recently been shown how to make a tea with lemon balm, the mint and honey. Very nice!

On My List of Must-haves this year - more carrots, more onions (more than I planted last year!) more potatoes in several varieties. Oh and Yams... Parsley, Basil and Coriander in successive plantings... and Im sure there will be other things later :)

Everyone is KEEPING WELL, despite the Winter chills. Its been a really crazy SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, but we are managing to use our time together wisely... Baking carrot cake, doing some art classes with Miss B, Reading, visiting, walking, taking some cool sea photos, packing some seeds, going to Kaikoura, going fishing (and catching a SALMON! wahoo!) and catching crabs on a handline. Lots of neat stuff. Making up for the time we spent last holidays in the hospital or at home, waiting for news.

Lots to get on with, and it looks like today might be another day outside, around in the garden.
Yes, thats why Im up early.
Roll on July!
Hope you are all safe and well,
Keep Warm
E Butterfly
XXXXXX

UPDATE on SNOW!!

I almost expect to see Santa...
Hehehe. You know how it feels when you crunch in hard pressed snow...?
Or walking outside while it snows - yanno, the flakes whizz past you, cover you, make you giggle?
Because it is SPECIAL MAGIC!
SNOW IS MAGIC!!! (only cos it happens so irregularly here in the city!)


So uhh...Hear that inane adult giggle outside?
You might live in our street... cos we LOVE snow... proper white thick, free falling snow!!! And I giggled like an idiot when I saw it... I went out and took photos... and it makes me feel very very childish, that young-at-heart kinda Good-Stuff-feeling.


Oophs Heres the Garden...



The Trees next to my bedroom...



Winter Wonderland...



Our Carebear Car under Snow Blankets!!

Hey Santa, Wheres ya Sack?

Letter Box with White Top!!

Mr almost-15 was on his way to bed when I heard the gasp... Mum, Mum, come and look, ITS REALLY SNOWING... so here are our updates on the previous post.

My poor, poor garden... My furr-babies are in the Garage, tucked up... And our street is quiet. All you can hear is the whizz of the falling snow, and some idiot giggling :-) *rolls eyes* yeah, thats me.

Uhuh, well Im up late, its Sunday, no school tomorrow thank goodness, cos there is NO way these two boys are going to sleep without another look at the Snow. Just in case it is gone by tomorrow (yeah right, like I needed convincing?)
So its off to dig out my winter-woolies, my hat, my boots and my Snow Board (grin) no, not a snow board...

But to be a Kill-Joy, they tell me its due to rain soon...

Magic, Its a Winter-Wonderland of Magic out there...

Skiing By Yours, dont forget to wave!!

Love

EB

xx

Well... THAT was something... Happy Queens Birthday to you, BUMPITY BUMP!

Something shaky woke me.
Ok I was awake, and not quite ready for the Shake That Was.
I ended up covered in children. One was Not Amused... the other, quite scared. Time to go back over the earthquake drill. They forgot to get into their safe corners... Thats ok. We can do that.
How dare Mother Nature have earthquakes on the Queens Birthday!... well, our public holiday anyway...
5.5 on the richter scale, noticeably long and rather rocky... No big damage here, but plenty of angst, a few more cracks and a quick flick onto Geonet. (http://www.geonet.co.nz/)

So, For a Monday, its FAB. For a Public Holiday, its PERFECT here in Canterbury...Its a high sky, blue with a few clouds flicking past. Light breeze. - What the heck happened to Winter? Not that Im complaining mind you. It is GORGEOUS. We are so lucky... for the weather, Id gladly suffer an eq or two, wouldnt I?

Im in de-clutter mode. As I get rid of it, Im packing the other stuff. On the offchance we decide to bog off.
It has been an odd weekend, the Sundayitus was bad this week, but cruising on into Monday, I can see its going to be a good week. I have sold two packets of my Earth Butterfly seeds on Trademe, and Im grateful that people have paid - the energy is flowing nicely...

Not a lot of piccies today, but Im going to take the camera out later in search of butterflies... Its that time of year at the park...

Love This Weather,
Take care,
My heart to yours <3

EBUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXXX

Settling In...and Happy Easter, Anzac Day and All!

A new hollyhock colour sprouted from seed! Already flowering too.

An Easter Hello! to you all out there who are waiting for the Easter Bunny...I hope he has a good map marked with a big X for your place...
Not us, the Easter Bunny forgot this year, but has been busy collecting knitting - gloves and legwarmers and hats, so maybe there will be some hidden chocolate goodies somewhere amongst the wool :)
So not like us, not to have chocolate at Easter, and we didnt even have Hot X buns this year... I dont know why we missed the usual traditions, perhaps it was budget related, more than likely it was because weve been busier this week than most. Or so it seems...

Flowering Basil plants, smell heavenly!

Dill, has rallied beautifully since planted

Dear little fluffy lettuce seed heads wait to be plucked...

Its rained ALOT. The kids have been cooped up and are obviously sick of it, and today it was gorgeous weather, and they still stayed inside - TV had all the kids movies on, and they moseyed between being in the Garden playing and lying out on the bed in my room, watching cartoons and movies, culminating in watching our favourite Forest Gump tonight. Love it. Coffee, Bikkies and Forest Gump.
This week Ive been knitting, and Im enjoying getting some practical use out of my creative ends. Arlais has some new Easter mittens, Im doing some leg warmers to match and the boys have put orders in for balaclavas each...

Still plenty of tomatoes tucked away, growing nicely, still colouring up for picking...

Not a lot to report, we ate Butter chicken tonight, inside I snuck our own veges - still lots growing out there, to my amazement... Some peas, silver beet, some basil and some parsley, and our own tomatoes too.


One Plane, Some Planks and our favourite PJs complete with Gummies = FUN!


Well I hope things settle down weatherwise. It is so nice to be able to go and stroll around the garden and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine... I love these last sunny stretches in between the lumps of rain and wind, soon to be snowy sleet...

Love them!

Thats all for now. Not alot of news to be had.
Easter is for Family here, so from my Family to Yours,
Happy Easter,
Thinking of you on ANZAC DAY too.

Love,
EButterfly
XXXXXXXXXX

Was it really FOUR weeks ago TODAY? - One Month Anniversary -

Hard to believe that it was a month, four weeks ago today, that the Earthquake happened. Crazy how those first days were so long, everything so manual. Then there was a period of tiredness and lull, and then it sped up a little, clean up and getting sorted... Its just amazing.
How far weve come. Today, travelling through the city in search of food meant we went around the city centre. Today the cordon was opened so some people could retrieve their cars. It meant the traffic was crazy, and the sight of the broken buildings near the centre of town made us sober with disbelief. It is one thing to see the brick piles on TV, but when you see the devastation firsthand, it simply adds up. The Cost. Not only the Human cost, but the time it will take to bring us back to something. Not as it was, obviously. There is no way Christchurch will ever be the same again, but... it is exciting to ponder the possibilities of the new beginnings, the progressive changes... that will follow when the time is right.
We passed by the funeral procession of one of the ladies who was killed in the CTV building today. Many Cars followed the hearse, I feel for all the families of those who were killed. It really has been such a big event, without the loss of loved ones, and there are families who have lost friends and colleagues as well as family members, this has touched so many... I hope they have support when they need it. Sunny days when theyre ready for them, love and cuddles if required...
The sun made an appearance today.
Weve had quite determined rain for a couple of days, but it was nice to see some sunlight, heat and somehow things seem happier. Theres been a few little aftershocks, nothing much here, but I see on Geonet the wee stars are everywhere again, signalling other earthquakes in other parts of our beautiful country. Today, Tauranga was the lucky city...
We are put on notice, I think.
No more Mrs Mother-Earth Nice-Gal. Its about Change.
Now we live in a country that is going to shake. We have to learn to deal with it, to live with it, and endure through it. Things are just not going to be as easy as they were, but with our experiences and our knowledge at the forefront, we will do okay.

Thank God for Spongebob and The Simpsons.
The kids have really enjoyed watching the cartoons this week...
Hoping things are happiest where you are.
Love and Light,
Take care of You and Yours,


E BUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXX
PS Glad to see, the BIRDS are BACK in my yard, eating BREAD and chirping beautifully!

So, what about Tsunami?... Mini-post

Have been listening to the news, even Campbell live have been talking to Scientists and such about what will happen and when, and what can we predict, what do we need to watch for... Very interesting. Basically, the end story is the same - BE PREPARED.

So... What about Tsunami?
Have a look at this - if youre a Kiwi, this is a start to useful info.
http://www.prepare.co.nz/disasters_tsunami.asp

And I find this a good start to Info to File Away -

The three types of Tsunami 
There are three distinct types of tsunami.
The type you encounter depends on the distance you are from the place where it is generated.
Distant tsunami are generated from a long way away, such as from across the Pacific in Chile.
In this case, we will have more than three hours warning time for New Zealand.
Regional tsunami are generated between one and three hours travel time away from their destination.
An eruption from an underwater volcano in the Kermadec Trench to the north of New Zealand, could generate a regional tsunami.
Local tsunami are generated very close to New Zealand.
This type of tsunami is very dangerous because we may only have a few minutes warning.

As you were... Just a Mini-Note tonight.
Hope youre all enjoying the fine Chch weather, and keeping busy.
Some of our children are back at school for an hour tomorrow to pick up their bags and see their classmates.
Not starting in earnest til next week. Its nice to know theyre happy to go back and get into routine again!

Love to You
EButterfly
Information Searcher-Upperer.
 PS Enjoying the stillness - not a lot of shaky shaky today! Dare I say it!?

We are ROCKIN' Again! Christchurch Earthquake Aftershocks...

Aon Celtic Graphics

Not big 'uns, We check HERE at GEONET, but enough to let you know that Mother Earth Rules... Ok?!
Some a a rumble and a shake, some are like a quick rough shake, others a light sway... Odd and disconcerting after getting used to it not happening for a while. How quick we forget?
We have had four *small* (under 4.0) aftershocks since half past eleven last night, and quite frankly... Im over it.
No damage done here, but today is Kitchen De-clutter, a timely reminder that theres a lot of things that could be broken amongst a whole lotta things I really no longer need, or even dont use at all. Theyve gone.  Ive noticed the china moving along the shelves, so its gone too... either packed away or chucked. Just in case...Ya know - Murphys Law and all that... Just in Case!
Its quite disconcerting, wondering if theres another big one coming...
There has to be, maybe Mother Earth just wants to roll over in her bed.
Im picking, in my unscholarly manner, that next month - March, may be a very interesting time.
Im replacing our water and tucking it away, checking the bbq, getting things sorted, just in case... there we go again... Just in Case! Will.Not.Go.Unprepared.

Lots is changing, seasonal pulls and tugs, into the seriousness of Autumn. I must say, I dislike watching the throes of Autumn take hold, trees and plants shedding, dying, changing. Ahh such is life I guess, I dont have to like it, but I do have to embrace it.

Well, we are all on our way out the door to step into the garden. I have found some squirty bottles. Im thinking Water Fight. I heard on the radio this morning we are due for some showers... the kids havent seen me coming, I have showers of their very own in my mind... I of course have a bottle too. Boy its HOT :) Must go and find a bucket...







Love to all.
Having Fun in the very hot SUN~
Shaking and Rocking it~! 

Quick Post... A Quote...

Someone just whispered something I need to remember...
What better place, than to put it on my blog?

*If you want to enjoy the Rainbows, 

Youve got to put up with the Rain...*