Have been so busy with spring that I had neglected to ramble in my diary about all that's going on!
Spring flowers blooming now include echium, which yielded six purple fat candle sticks flowers for church display, abutilon, in red and yellow, geranium, dutch iris, wisteria coming into bud, pink asters, tiny purple orchids, lavenders abuzz with bees...
And bright pink chinese toon. I found an empty birds nest hidden in my hardenbergia arch last week. Dad is chipping away at the red maple and it's now just a trunk and soon it will be gone with a few more saws. I am not sure if I can plant anything there or if the roots will still suck away the moisture but am hoping something will grow within the buxus.
Dad has retired which now means he can spend more time mowing lawns. Although I have tried to shrink that job down by planting more plants so when it comes to my turn to take over, I will have hardly any to do. He's very keen on photographing my spring flowers and took about a dozen of the echiums, in close ups, wideshot and different lighting, so, I think possibly I could employ him to take pictures for this blog? Are daughters meant to employ their Dads?
Buffie my garden tutor has also retired, I mean, left the Ranui Community Garden to do her own thing which is 'funk up my junk' making wooden planters, holding workshops, catering and other cool sustainable things. She's also entering the NZ Garden and Flower show this year with a food basket theme.
Today we had a parks consultation, for the Riverpark playground, I was brim bursting with ideas which included daffodils under the trees, more colourful flowers, a bbq, a shelter and seats, a water fountain, walking trail maps and milestones, a bike rack, a souped-upped playground with spinning wheels, climbing frames, flying fox, slides, mini skate ramps, giant swings, outdoor movie theatre, lantern festival, moving fitness gym set, kayaks for hire, animal mozaics, an arch, the works!
Here's hoping that something will happen soon, that everything will be signed off and work go ahead to completion so that by the time I have a family, my children can play in this playground! At this rate, am not going to be having any until well past the biological expiry date, simply because someone in power decided they were just not going to upgrade the Riverpark playground.
And I have garden leave next week so am excited, of all the things I am going to do on holiday. Am seriously thinking of extending this garden leave to the rest of the year.
