Spring/Koanga

 Spring has arrived, and big G had her birthday. She was a spring chicken, I was an autumn chick born at the wrong time of year. She gets blooming flowers, I get dead leaves. Echium always puts on a candle display for my sisters birthday and miraculously she is still here, though for only two more days before she flies back. 

Dad also took this photo of a Mummy Cat look-alike without the socks, could she possibly be related? I have nicknamed her Daughter Cat. 

Without a resident cat, the birds are having a field day in the garden, and the tuis have been drinking the kowhai flowers. I am seriously thinking of adopting another cat, but so far have been unable to make the trip out of the house to do so, as other family members need attention...

Mitre 10 had their annual Garden Evening showcasing their wares and I managed to score quite a bit of swag except I was luckless in the raffle draw, where hose reels, giant rakes and vege pods were up for grabs.  Too bad I was rejected from their work crew, same story with Kings Plant Barn. I guess they just don't need another COG (check-out girl) in their wheel. I bought flower seeds and a herd of ceramic sheep, three white and one black of course. Am still waiting on my ceramic shell, that was left behind at the studio while everyone else had theirs, Thera took pity on me and offered me her snail as consolation. 

Our garden club hosted a speaker from the Orchid Club, but I confess, it was not my cup of tea and doing a working bee down Taupo way to enthuse over native orchids is not my idea of a good time. I just haven't fallen for the whole Orchid buzz and become an orchid lover. Though I entered the produce table for the first time with rhubarb stalks and got second place! 

Otherwise things are looking up in New Gardenland, though surely there will be a time when Garden Planet becomes a reality. Of course you don't need to listen to me to talk about it when you are busy doing it yourself. Spring brings...onions, rolls, lambs, chickens, fever and cleaning.  Daylight saving,  flowers perfume the air, and everyone who timed it right has their babies. 

Beating the Winter Blues

Light bulbs

Early Spring has arrived with the tulips lighting up the driveway- red for stop and look at me, amber for slow dow - though there are no green tulips for GO - more and more flowers are appearing every day. Waking up from the winter slumber with chilly mornings hasn't been easy, especially in the valley in an uncarpeted, non-heat pumped home, but we survived. Or nearly all, mum was a bit touch and go and had a bout in the Wainamu Ward where at least it was warm and Daisy the cat was there.

My car battery died, but it got replaced, though I still haven't been able to get down to Woodside since its a bit of a trek in mud and cold to pick winter veges. Of which we have barely any in my garden since dad said no to any more garden space taking up room on the lawn. At most a sprinkling of chives but even parsley has struggled. The tangelos were sour this year, so I chucked them into the ball pit which was the bottom of the garden. I am planning on turning the compost down there to empty the bins and then level it. 

Brother Leyton arrived with brand-spanking new Stihl hedge trimmer, and left buxus trimmings all over the lawn on the weekend, though now our hedges are back to their lego-brick shape.

Early spring has meant I've been able to pull together a posy with mostly hellebores, forget me nots, camellias, grape muscari and freesias. No daffodils yet - all the narcissi have been eaten by slimy caterpillars now we no longer have a chicken. I've also had to oat mulch other bulbs to protect them from slugs. GardenPost had a $1 lily bulb sale so I'm waiting on more to add to the garden, my previous parcel is now sprouting in their pots.

The kaffir lime tree leaves turned yellow, a decidley un-lime colour! Even after feeding it sequestron, so am thinking it's too cold to absorb much nutrients at the moment. 

Good news though, the return of the Big G to New GardenLand means I have an extra helper and it will be the only time I have her for at least ten days in the garden and get to be the boss instead of the other way round. She'll boss me around in all other areas except the garden haha. 

Loretta and I went to another weekend art workshop where we poured acrylics on canvas to make flower paintings. Though nothing compares to the real thing. Roll on spring!