day forty seven

Some of the antique pansies - as always the purple ones do the best - that I grew from seed in the spring

day forty six

Geranium, well pelargonium really - grown from cutting two years ago and been overwintered in greenhouse twice! I don't really do many pot plants - don't have time for all the extra watering but I love red geraniums - remind me of the Mediterranean

day forty five

It's 8.30pm in the evening and it's the most beautiful evening you can imagine. It's warm and still - we have the radio on, enjoying a beer while we finally get some colour on the house

The yellow colour is the primer on the boards, we had to reclad the house and we are now painting it in a bluey-grey colour - I like to call it Nor' west grey with a touch of blue as I am hoping it won't show the dust after a nor'wester wind!

p.s. - DH is on far left still painting - we finally called it a day about 9.30pm

day forty four

Cornflowers and sweet peas - from Mother in laws garden.
The in-laws have moved heaven and earth - literally - to clear a garden that they can inject their own style into. And to get some colour into their otherwise green garden, of course MIL's first seeds were sweet peas

day forty three

Son's birthday - 16!! How did that happen

Cake was our take on Chocolate volcano

day forty two

Here is the alpaca I spun for a festival challenge, I was supplied with the three colours of Alpaca and have to make a neck warmer (not a scarf) by any means I like - I am planning to weave mine.
It has to be completed and submitted by the end of March
I like a deadline!

day forty one

The tomatoes are ripening rapidly, picked a few for tea - will soon be looking for tomato recipes - a glut is not far away I feel!

I wonder if they would make a dye? orange?

day forty

back to spinners today after the summer break
I finally finished the scarves I wove on the groups sample it loom in time to return the loom!

I used an old patons sock wool that I bought at a red cross shop in Rangiora and they came out quite well

day thirty nine

The garden is full of bears breeches, they seed readily! They are really scratchy too and yet I quite like them - they just need a firm hand!

 

day thirty eight

Penstemon are one of my favourite flowers, they are dainty, old fashioned, really tough and they flower for months and months - I don't know the names of these, I inherited them with the garden but this one reminds me of apple blossoms

and this one makes a real show as it is a big clump and brightens the border all summer

oops not great focus!

he he not much better - the bloomin thing keeps moving in the wind! I bet David Attenborough doesn't have these problems!

day thirty seven

5mm rain over night - woop woop
It must have been chilly in the hills though

Picture only taken on my camera so you will have to squint to see but there is the first snow of the year on the mountains!

day thirty six

I have been busy and turned my back on the runner beans for two days and they have gone mad.. For tea we will be having bean goulash with mashed beans and some beans on the side

day thirty five

I am particularly pleased with these pinks, now starting to flower, they are cuttings I took in the spring and they are bushing up nicely

day thirty four

The fennel has gone crazy, it's taller than me by some bit, I want to collect some of the seed as it is expensive to buy and we drink it as a tea - catching it just right will be fun- get it wrong and I am going to have a major forest of the stuff next year

day thity three

Beautiful little borage flowers, delicious in salads

day thirty two

 

The thyme is in full flower, it looks so summery

day thirty one

Turks head lilies are looking really sweet

day thirty

Not the most beautiful photo, sorry - but these berries from a little insignificant lily are really cheery under the hydrangae

day twenty nine

Drunken lady lettuces, looking fab and with a name like that they deserve an entry!

day twenty eight

 

The silver pear is lucky enough to sit on the edge of the water race so does well every year, it is a lovely elegant tree - somebody told me that you can make a jelly from the tiny fruit - need to google it!

day twenty seven

The jelly beans are looking very jelly beanish this year, I think it must be the dry

day twenty six

The bush beans or French beans are getting going. Even though I planted three different varieties  they all have pale mauve flowers - I planted borlotti, butter and a green bean that I can't remember the name!

day twenty five

My wee wild strawberries are a new addition to the garden this year and so far I have managed to keep them alive through the drought, I am hoping that they spread and naturalize, they already have sent out several pups

day twenty four

I love this rose, it is really dark pinky red and looks lovely against the blue of the hydrangae