I have moved

I have moved to a new home for blogging, please come and visit me :

Ginger Can Sew

Iris

I learnt something this week...I have an interest in natural and herbal remedy's and have collected a small number of books on these subjects. I've not actually made any of the concoctions from these books as they usually have a range of wide and varied ingredient list - usually containing something a little out of the ordinary. I have been slowly adding to my collection of medicinal herbs in the garden with a view to collecting the varied ingredients over time. Things like chamomile flowers and dill seeds are fairly commonplace. I have become an expert in weed identification as things like Chickweed and Dandelion and nettle (as long as they have not been sprayed) are common ingredients.
One ingredient that comes up frequently is Orris root and I wasn't really sure what it was. Whilst reading a Jackie French gardening book (The Best of Jackie French) this week I discovered that it was the root of a specific type of Iris. Our yard is full of Iris - although I don't think we have that particular variety - Pity.

The recipe was for potpourri and it mentioned that Iris have an amazing scent. So today while I was weeding the front garden bed I stopped to smell the Iris...  and it's true - they do smell lovely!

I mulched all our vegie beds today with some Lucerne mulch - after much research this seems to be a good all round mulch for both vegies and Roses - both of which we have  a lot right now. Everything that I planted in the past few weeks is going brilliantly - although I have noticed more evidence of snail and slug attack since the weather has started to warm up. I am going to try the 'beer' method of trapping them. Apparently if you submerge a small container at ground level filled with a small amount of beer the snails and slugs fall in and die!

All of my seedlings have emerged except the Coriander - even the apparently difficult to grow Parsley has come up!

Now to keep them healthy until the threat of frost is gone!

Afternoon Tea and Friands

Blueberry and Lemon Friands and Moroccan Mint Tea

Still on the topic of tea, my favourite time of the day (apart from first thing in the morning before anyone else is awake) is in the afternoon when both children are asleep - if only for 15 minutes - at the same time. It doesn't happen everyday but it is blissful when it does.

I like to sit in the sun on our deck and have a cup of tea and look through a book, perhaps write a little bit.

My book of the moment is this beautiful coffee table book:

If you like Vege gardening then this is a gorgeous and inspirational book.

The friands were a result of my spontaneous purchase of the day - a Friand tin. I really like friands as an alternative to muffins - they are something different and a bit lighter. I know that you can cook them in a  muffin tin as well but I wanted the real cafe-like experience. Blueberry and Lemon is my favourite combination.

On that note... the big boy is awake. That was my 15 mins!

baby B at 4and a half months

How does my garden grow?

Spring is definitely starting - although I am trying not to get too complacent and am expecting it to get cold again before it finally warms up.  I have been busy planting things that I can, trying to get on top of the weeds and mulching.  We bought a worm farm a week or so ago and it will be a while before we see the benefits but it is great to be able to feed vegie scraps to something!
I got out in the garden this morning and took some pics because it it a lovely day. I have a number of things on the windowsill germinating away. The standout winners have been the lettuce which sprouted after just 2 days. Still waiting for most of the rest but I have Tomatos, Zucchini, Cucumber, Capsicum, Basil, Coriander, Parsley, Kale and a few other random things in so they will be ready to plant out after the frosts.

Lettuce Seedlings

I resurrected my pea trellis yesterday and moved it to a different part of the garden. I have never had much luck getting the seedlings to take before now so we will see how it goes in this new position.

Pea Ti-Pi

Freshly planted Pea Seedings

The garden is starting to brim over with flowers in anticipation of spring. We have a lot of Iris in our beds and they tend to make up the majority of our flowers but I do scatter some Pansy and viola around the place to fill in holes here and there. I need to plant some more bulbs but that can be a job for next year.

A Lonely Pansy - Blueberry in the foreground.

I bought a blueberry a few weeks ago and I'm not really sure where I want it to live so I am going to keep it in a pot for now until I decide. If it goes OK in the pot I might just leave it there. I also want to get a small patio lime. I planted some Mustard greens just for something different. By the time my rocket seeds sprout and the cut and come again lettuce gets going we should be right for salad season!
I was very excited this morning to see my Rhubarb crown had sprouted!

Mustard Greens with Curry plant in the foreground

We have a number of fruit trees in our garden, an old derelict Apricot which we never get many fruit from, a peach which has never fruited, an abundant plum and a Granny Smith apple which always gets coddling moth. I am going to try and combat the coddling moth this year and I have a few ideas up my sleeve.

Apricot

Peach

Plum

And last of all my favourite - the Jonquils.

Jonquil

on Mindfulness...

Source

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the

world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the

future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life."

Mindfulness can infuse everything we do, even if we tend toward doing.

Thich Nhat Hanh

A little getaway...

Chubby Baby Love

I didn't really understand the concept of chubby baby love before Baby B. You know some times when you hear people say things like "Look at those chubby legs... I could just eat them!". I just didn't get it. Perhaps H boy wasn't all that chubby?

Well Baby B is a different kettle of fish! He has these gorgeous rolls of baby fat on his legs and tummy - combine that with his beautiful soft baby skin and I could just eat him right up.

He is being exceptionally cute lately - all smiles and giggles and he is a very chatty baby.

I am really trying to make the most of this time with him - trying to live in the moment. I read a book once called "The Gift of an Ordinary Day" by Katrina Kennison about appreciating the everyday and remembering those moments that may not seem so special at the time but come together to form all the wonderful memories that make up a life lived. I think that is what is so special about blogs - they allow you to capture some of those ordinary everyday moments.