Sunday Magic - The Day after the Election!

Springtime Sundays don't come better than today.  Perfect sunshine without the heat and no scheduled activities.  Now if i didn't have to open my morning paper to nothing but election news (I'm a bit over it), i guess it would have been perfect.  Probably would have been more appropriate to have thunder and lightening for all the pending doom that's been forecast but we had clear skies and along with it, lets hope that everyone will get some confidence back and start generating some economic growth.  As a manufacturer, my firm has been quoting and quoting. So many jobs are on hold, waiting for the election to be over. Like what did they think would happen?  Manna from heaven?  Either a job needs to be done or not.  So frustrating.  I still have to pay wages while everyone sits around waiting for the sun to rise and no doubt they'll wake up this week and realise that they need a 6 week job done in 4 and ill be scratching for the cashflow to pay OT rates.

So, to get my mind off all these accounting thoughts, i got stuck into doing my monthly cleanup of  The Girl's yard.  I normally sweep it out and replace the straw each week but once a month the whole yard gets swept (with all manure and food scraps going into the compost bin) and a pressure wash down.  This removes not only the stuck on bits from "The Girls" (goodness, its like superglue) but also the piles of poop from the visiting birds that love my windowsills, Tom's bike, and the railing on the fence.  Im thinking that if the big coop in the back yard doesnt get built by Christmas then this might be a fortnightly job to avoid smell.

The Chooks Yard

Oh how i wish that the edging project hadn't come to a stop.  Picture that line of bricks with a capping tile the colour of the red leaves and going all the way down to the gate.  Everyday the girls almost cover the path with dirt and poop from their scratchings and everyday i come home and sweep it off.  What is the definition of stupid and waste of time????  So why do i persist?  Well the house has floor to ceiling double windows  (hence the need for a pergola - its on the North side) and i don't think i could wake up looking at such a mess each day from my kitchen.  I might just put in some temporary edging and save some time.  The little pink tray is full of ash and they have just (after several weeks) worked this out and pop in for a dust bath.

Well all this pressure washing makes a lot of noise and its wet so the girls, like it or not, go out on the back grass around the veggies.  Goodness me, this has taken a while to achieve.  A few weeks ago i had to chase them out with a broom and they still aren't eating too many of my kitchen scraps but i think they must finally be starting to get the hang of it.  I actually got down on my tummy in amongst them and they didn't scatter so i guess the food lady must be OK..  Yep, you guessed it.  A freshy right on the front of my top.  Thanks Girls.

All 5 in the one shot is a miracle.  There are definitely two groups still and they are rarely all together.

My favourite - Lacy.
  I know Jess but with me she is an absolute angel.  You must have brought out her dark side.

This shot is for Allegra.  Honey is doing well and enjoying her time at the holiday resort.  

So, what else makes a good Sunday?  A visit to Bunnings to pick up a birthday gift for my sister (post later this week) and a browse around the garden section.  I had to buy something.  Jess from Rabidlittlehippy made me.  Honest, she literally did (via phone).  I thought it was too early for tomatoes and she tells me No, there are early varieties that crop in 8-10 weeks so they should be ready late spring.  These of course are heritage varieties so i just picked a couple of cherry ones to start with.  She also convinced me that i could put a passionfruit on my trellised wall that gets a bit of heat in summer.  I added some strawberries to the list and so i came home with an afternoon of planting ahead of me.

Turns out the purple planter boxes i was given are a bit on the shallow side for strawberries so i see some flower seedlings being planted instead.  Yes, they are gigantic spring onions next door.  They just get bigger and bigger and they have become quite a feature.

So far, its sounding like a sorta OK day but could it get better?  You bet.  With the teenager still asleep at home, at midday (how do they do that), Hubby and I went to take a look at a new cafe that opened across the road.  I mean, we were that close anyway, right?

Check them out here   .  They supply many of Melbourne's restaurants with deserts and they just opened a retail outlet in Werribee.  Woo Hoo!!!!!

Yep, that's right, we had two salads and shared a bottle of diet coke.  Now, I'm about to show you what we didn't have.  Oh my my.  Its not like i didn't want to but i literally couldn't fit it in.  Next time, its skip lunch and go straight for the deserts.  They make all these on site - seriously - check out their site above.

Ready?

Have you seen Tiramisu looking like this?

This is the one i would have had - Passionfruit Delice

OK.  If you havent seen all the photos, as in, they are not there, i don't know what i am doing wrong.  I'm using Blogger via Chrome and it all looks OK on my phone and my PC.  I've gone back and gone through Internet Explorer and they are all there as well so perhaps its just a word press thingy.  So, I'm lost.  I know others are having problems with my photos.  Any idea's?

This is my 100th post - phew  and i havent run out of things to say, yet.

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land Of Oz

The Beginning of Spring - Garden Update

I've been reading all week about the exciting things happening in everyone's spring gardens.  All the work that's being done in preparing soil, planting seeds and seedling, bare rooted fruit trees and in some cases, major landscaping.  Such busy little bees out there.  I haven't had a lot of time but since the bones of my veggie garden were laid down last year there are no real major projects planned except the chicken coop later in the year.  I need to plant some radishes and lettuce and turn the bed in prep for tomatoes.

This photo was taken way back then when we first put the beds in Aug 12.  

I'm hoping that i can get some arches happening between the beds so i can utilise the space between the walkways.  There is a lot of air up there.   Imagine growing melons vertically???

So, this is what's growing at the moment.  Its all very green.....

Parsley is in overdrive.  Its taking over everything in one of the beds.  Time for a major trim.  

New shoots on my Trixi Pear.  I'm just letting it do its thing.  Apparently despite being miniature it will have full size fruit.  I put the wall tiles on the floor hoping that they will somehow make their way onto it some day.  

Lots and lots of little cumquats on my potted tree.   They are so pretty, i don't want to pick them.

Blossoms on the Blueberry Bush.   The sun was a real problem for getting clear photos today.

Pretty Borage flower (out of focus)

Beetroot - Wow, i think this one needs picking for a salad.  

The pea plants are finally growing.

Cabbages and Brussel Sprouts.  

Brussel Sprouts - i seem to have lots of leaves but no hearts yet.  

Companion Planting - Dill and Mint among the sprouts and cabbages

The little pansies are meant to distract the cabbage moth.  Apparently they think it is another moth and move on.

This perpetual spinach was planted last September in my first bed and it has been providing salad leaves ever since.

Chard still looking decorative in the garden, because we don't eat it.  

Peppers still growing on last summers bushes

Alyssum cascading over the raised beds.

Not the most attractive of beds.  Potatoes and garlic.   I threw this together quickly as it took off once the heat arrived.  Tomorrow i will cover all these up leaves and go higher.

Pineapple Feijoa Bush - with rosemary on the side.  

Strawberries - i didn't get any off these last year, so Ive got my fingers crossed.

Nasturtiums are going mad up the trellis.  

Clivia Lillies up the side .  These will soon be pulled out on the fence side (if you want them, say so) as i am going to string up the pergola frame for grape vines.   

Blasted Sun - the only good thing going on in the front yard are the Lilly Pillies on either side of the front door.  

Now, you know how our (not mine really but i have good job ownership - its all mine) factory has a sheet metal shop with powdercoating - well sometimes the clients make mistakes with measurements and we get a
 call saying - throw them out, we gave you the wrong measurements.  Well given that i had oooed and argghed at these when they were being made, i found them next to my desk in the morning.  What a nice surprise.  They are made of sheet steel, so they are very heavy.  They even drilled holes for me.

I'm thinking Strawberries or fancy lettuce. 

There's more to see but you must be getting bored by now, so I'll wrap this pictorial up.  Happy Gardening.

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz