It’s almost done

At 9am this morning.

A little bit later

About 3pm – there’s a man up there somewhere.

 

Could be around 5pm now

The sun is on my veggies

The sun is blinding me! But there’s just the trunk left and it’s time to call it a day!

All the men are outside and I’ve only just found out that they are actually staying the night! They bought take away and I was starting to worry about the beer that they were drinking and then driving back to Hobart. So at 8.15pm M tells me that they’re going to camp in the garden. Sigh, I would have cooked dinner for all of us if I had known. Men!

There’ll be more pix tomorrow – of the pile of mulch which is growing very fast.

It’s just soooooooo good – the tree has gone – forever.

Jan

It's happening!

They're here! I have three extra men on site and one of them is up the tree. Limbs are coming down and the sound and smell of chainsaws are in the air.
No photo's yet, I'm not allowed near the event as I don't have a hard hat.

Hopefully M is remembering to take the odd photo for me ........

Stay tuned

Jan

Recovering Nicely

From this last week

 

 

 

 

To this today  

I just don’t know which tomato is which! I have put some more seeds in, labelled, so they had better hurry up and grow. Although we will be getting a large grow house once the pine tree is down.

Hopefully very soon.

Jan

Never count your chickens ……..

Yesterday I was excited because the sick old pine tree was coming down today.

We have been waiting a long time to get rid of this horrible tree and were excited to think of the new sunshine and grow house that we could finally erect. My little tomatoes are ready to move on to the garden.

And then, at 7.30pm last night the arborist called. They weren’t coming, he had been unable to hire the machinery needed to remove the branches up the garden to the mulching machine. “It’s a public holiday (Hobart Show Day) and they’re all out until next week”.

Some (private) expletives later M had pinned him down to maybe Tuesday/Wednesday next week. He also asked for a phone call to confirm – and not just the night before the event!

So we wait.

Jan

It’s coming down tomorrow!

This is the old, ugly and sick pine tree that blocks all the sunshine from my vegetable garden (and washing line) from about three o’clock every day. When we have sunshine that is.

 

Tomorrow the arborist is coming to take it down. We won’t be sorry to see it gone. It fills the gutters with pine needles and every time there is a strong wind I wonder if it’s going to still be there the next day. It has been a bit of a worry as it is pretty close to houses around it and it looks so sick I’m surprised it is still standing.

On the subject of trees – can anyone identify this one on the left? From bare branches in winter, the first thing to appear is this pretty pink foliage, which slowly turns to green. It’s quite small in our garden, it had been strangled by weeds when we moved in, but I have seen it quite tall around town. That’s the grand old oak tree in the background looking as beautiful as ever.

And to finish the post a shot of the pretty apple blossom on the Gravenstein tree.

We have some top weather coming up over the next few days so hopefully with the tree gone all my seedlings will burst into life. Fingers crossed everyone.

Jan

Babies and more babies

Rescued tomatoes, zucchini and beetroot (from the DISASTER)

Growing merrily in the cold frame

 

Lettuce seedlings (and my big foot) just peeking through outside

Pea seedlings that have grown in the kitchen

Teeny tiny strawberry seeds just turning green in the kitchen

Little baby pears on the tree.

Now for all of the above photographs, me being just a “point and take the photo” kind of person, will probably have to be clicked on to be able to see what I’m trying to show.

It’s these little seedlings that make me feel that perhaps Spring is here. And then I listen to the weather forecast – and guess what – more snow a-coming tonight!

Sigh,

Jan

Guilt can be a wonderful thing!

This is my new cold frame sitting in front of the chook shed. It has all my little seedlings inside and they are doing very, very well!

But where did it come from I hear you ask. After the DISASTER with the plastic grow house which I had tried to repair only to have the shelves collapse and pots fall on top of each other, I was miserable – big time. I might even have had a little bit of a sulk – maybe – perhaps. Particularly after a certain person who shall remain nameless (but He lives in this house) commented that “He told me that it wouldn’t work”. Even as I stood there numb!

The next day that certain person, who shall remain nameless, had to go up to Hobart for a vital screwdriver or some such tool. When he returned I was outside talking to a friend so I didn’t see him empty the boot – but she did. And of course I had already told her of the DISASTER and his reaction. So she dragged me around the corner of the house and there it was – beautiful.

Once more I was struck dumb. Twice in two days, most unusual. So it was quite a while before I remembered my manners and thanked him for thinking of me.

(But I still think guilt had a lot to do with this purchase though!)

Jan

ps. They’re doing so well I’ve had to remove the zucchini seedlings from the big pots and most of the tomatoes (mixed up as they are) are developing well too, yay!

Is this Hemlock?

I know it has to be a weed of sorts as it grows prolifically all over the garden without any attention at all! It doesn’t care if it’s clay or sand, rocky or loam, dry or wet – it just grows and grows.

It looks very lush and quite pretty. I’ve had many a question from people visiting who think it’s carrots or asparagus! I know that it’s not and I had a look on the interweb but I’m still not sure.

If it is hemlock it’s supposed to be toxic to human and animals alike! The chickens aren’t the slightest interested and neither are the cat and dog.

There’s just so much of it around, if I do have to try and eradicate it I think it may take the rest of my life!

So any tips or even confirmation that it is this nasty toxic weed would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Jan

October Snow on Adamson’s Peak

This photo was taken on Wednesday. It looks bright and sunny but boy was it cold. The wind was icy. This was after a wonderful, warm weekend too.

You can never tell down here, just when you think it’s safe to plant seedlings, it changes. Everyone knows that you don’t plant until after Hobart Show Day, which is around the third week in October. It looks like they could be right!

I hope that you can see the snow on the peak. There’s not a lot but it’s there!

Jan

Room to let?

This is a little nest that has been in the Golden Delicious tree ever since we’ve been here. I think it was used the first spring, we weren’t living here then as M was still renovating, and I was busy pruning back the trees that had been neglected for many, many years. But last year and this it has remained empty.

I’ve tried not to disturb it but maybe because of the radical pruning it doesn’t give the same coverage or protection that it used to have. If it was a sparrow’s nest it’s not so bad as I think that they all like to hang out in the chook shed now! It’s not too bad in there at the moment but I don’t think that it’s due to Ron’s (the rooster) prowess as a defender of the girls, but more to the fact that the seasons are somewhat confusing at the moment.

After a number of beautiful, warm, sunny days we’re back to freezing winds, rain and possible snow today. I was just outside checking the girls and I can tell you I didn’t tarry long! I have to go back to work this morning, an extra task that the boss has asked me to do, and with the weather like this I don’t mind that much.

Little D is coming after school again today – it seems to have become a regular visit now which is nice for M. The weather like this though means that he is off the hook with regards to the fact that he hasn’t made the swing in the willow tree for her yet! It also means that he won’t have to take her outside so that she can practice her tightrope walking along the rope strung up between two fence posts! The first time I saw her doing it with Poppa M holding her hand I thought that if her mother ever sees this she’ll never be allowed to visit again! But little D has already told Mum that she is going to be a circus performer – or a hairdresser. My little 8 year old granddaughter A, in Adelaide is also going to be a hairdresser – or a police woman. The grandsons haven’t decided yet but I do think that motor bikes might come into the picture sometime. Unfortunately.

I’m, glad that I have left the tonic water bottles on the snow peas, sugar snap peas and squash for now. Even though the peas are growing so fast that I’m worried that they might grow right out of the top of the bottle. Hopefully by the weekend we can assume that this might be the last blast of winter – again - and I’ll be able to remove the covers.

Jan

Help – my cabbages have no hearts!

As can be seen from the photograph, there’s lots of lovely, large outer leaves but nothing firming up in the centre. They’re Savoy cabbages and they have been in the garden for a few months now but the inner circle of leaves are just loose.

Does this mean that they are never going to firm up? I will soon need the space for summer veggies but the cabbages look so healthy I’m putting off pulling them all up yet. The chooks love them as they have already had a few that have gone to seed and I will keep others for seed later, but I’d really like to have a good cabbage on my plate!

If they don’t get firmer can I just use the leaves as they are? (Boy that shows that I still have a lot to learn about gardening – and cooking!).

Any tips and hints will be greatly appreciated.

Jan

One Week Later

Last week I was saying that our oak trees were not even close to green. After a few days of a fair bit of rain and then four days of glorious sunshine we can see that it won’t be long until they’re in full bloom. If you click on the pictures you will see a clearer picture – I hope. I always seem to have the wrong glasses on when I go outside to take photographs.

The crab apple tree is blossoming well too. Last year there was hardly any blossom and no apples. I don’t know if that is normal for crab apple trees, one good year and then one bad – I’ve never had a crab apple tree before. The only trouble is that I still have a few jars of the crab apple jelly that I made a couple of years ago still in the pantry.

The pear tree is beautiful too. I’ve never had one pear off this tree. It has only ever had about six on the tree for the two summers that we have been here and they always fall off before they are anywhere near ripe. But this year I have pruned hard and cleared a lot of other useless, ugly shrubs away so there is more light and air. Maybe this year it will be different. I hope so as it has had it’s first warning already!

Whilst I was outside the chooks were having a wander (again). They do like to go as close to the road as I’ll let them. In this photo I’ve just given them a call to come back NOW!

I think we have a bit more sun tomorrow before the colder change arrives. But I have to go to work so I won’t be out in the garden tomorrow, bummer!

Oh well, I think the weekend is looking good…….

Jan