mid-winter....really?

the rain and storms seem to have passed for now, leaving positively balmy sunshiney days, chilly and frosty first thing, clearing to pure warmth and light, around 13-14 degrees out of the wind. It's so warm on my sun-trap dck, sheltered from icy south-easterlies, that I have had to come in and cool down, i have been doing vitamin d therapy and i'm tanned i tell you, positively tanned! plants are loving it, growing heaps; nasturtiums have shot up and out to make a privacy bush on the deck trellis. Avocados are lapping up the rays, peas are sprouting up, tomatoes are hanging on in there, growing new shoots, and may well even make it to spring, won't that be interesting. The dog is sacked out in a patch of sun, and the cat is basking like all good cats should.

it's not always this warm at this time of year, and the other morning when we went out in the paddock for a kickabout, my toes were quite quite froze. it is unseasonable, and makes me wonder what kind of summer we will have, or whether it will turn real cold real fast, and leave us all shaking. meanwhile, the garden is making the most of it, and going nutso.

new donations to the garden, for which we are all extremely grateful, have been:
a beautiful red english rose
gardinia cuttings
several gooseberry bushes (some variety, not sure which, sweetish berries which grow in a kind of delicate lantern covering.. any ideas anyone? )
rosemary
a worm farm! yay
grass clippings from lawn mowing
orange fencing and chicken wire, fantastic
thank you to all kind donors, your donations live on happily and well-loved, in the garden. thanks to the new-ish horses in the next door paddock for eating heaps and pooing!

when i look around this tiny patch, here in aotearoa, i'm amazed at how many plants are here. my son and i counted and came up with about 25 different veges, herbs, and plants and trees which are mixed in together and thriving heaps. it's a pretty garden, and i feel so lucky to be the caretaker and grower of this garden, for as long as it is supposed to be.

the big vege garden is looking good, i will start levelling it and shaping it from next week, plenty of spade work to get me in good shape for the summer, nothing like a good set of muscles to make a t-shirt look good ;) who needs painful diets and punishing gym programmes when you have spade therapy.... i think that the bottom half will probably be planted with flax, to shelter the house and provide some privacy, and then herbs which enjoy a bit of shade, like a big fennel bush, and some fragrant ones such as rosemary and lavender. The lavender cuttings are growing well, in several different settings - what a miracle to be able to take cuttings, and make a whole garden from just one original plant! cool.

then the top half, perhaps, will have lots of sun-loving plants and herbs, short term ones like lettuces, and some tall ones that need to grow up trellis and wires, like runner beans, peas and cucumbers, again to provide a bit of shelter and privacy, and heaps of veges for summer.

and, with all these miracles happening in the garden, it is possible that i might learn how to photograph them and upload them onto this site, which would be another miracle in itself, so watch this space....

any donations are always gratefully received, and specific current requests include:
a garden shed
shadehouse
plastic corrugated sheeting
polytunnel
irrigation system
garden fork, loppers, scythe
goat (a hungry one)
llamas

labour is always welcome too, if you're in the area or heading this way. Accommodation is available in exchange for work, or bed and breakfast can be provided, like a farm stay. People have been staying here since easter, this is the first week i've been completely alone, and have found myself still cooking for three... so anyone who wants to swap some work for a good slice of steak and guinness pie should probably get in touch eh. get in touch too if you want a good healthy holiday with lots of exercise and chocolate cake....

music to garden to has taken on a very sunshiney theme, with all these unexpected rays to cheer us up. salmonella dub is keeping me company as i write this, and other good gardening toons have included the ever inimitable bob, good ol' barry, and a bit of morcheeba the other day. Any other gardening faves out there? what do you guys all listen to as you're tying up the beans or getting into a spot of espalier-ation?

have planted a lemon seed from a first lemon from my first lemon tree. i wonder if it will grow.

keep the faith, get in touch if you want, and carry on gardening
lou