Mother's Day 2023

Happy Mother's Day for all my mother readers. Having a quiet day as John has gone to the community gardens, as usual.

 My eldest daughter sent a lovely flower arrangement with some quite different flowers to the normal variety including what I think is the blue tall Larkspur, could be wrong though.

They actually came Friday, which was nice as I have been sick all week with a nasty flare up of Diverticulitis, and  is the first one since I was diagnosed last year. It has really taken a lot out of me, and spent most of the week with a hot water bottle for stomach pain, resting and sleeping. 

Did do some Zentangle Practice off  from You Tube. Takes a bit of concentration, and about 15mins., but fun to do. Squares are 2 inch and I did two at a time, for 3 days. Will keep this A5 book strictly for it and eventually do something for the front cover as only plain brown cardboard.

I also made the effort to go to art yesterday,  as missed last Saturday, having that meeting for the caravan club, and the following Sat. I will be at the Quilting Retreat, so glad I had a week between, did some watercolour practice of one of my online classes.

When I got home there was an enormous bunch of flowers from the youngest daughter in America.

I had to split it into 3 vases, so tried to match the flower theme, and now they are all over the main area.

 John had an injection in each shoulder for bursitis, last week, and can now move his arms so much better. He has had to wait quite a while for it to happen via the hospital, and ended up with a Trainee so was attended by 2 Drs. and a nurse.  I hope he doesn't over do it, as yesterday he was helping make up a Syntropic Garden for the Community Gardens, 3 beds in all.  Will write about it after it is all finished.

For now I am off to pack for the Quilting Retreat starting Friday to Sunday then we head off to Iluka Monday.

My Favorite Vase all the roses.

Till Next Time.

Big Cleanup Underway Finally

Here it is Mothers Day nearly half of the year gone and I have really tried hard these last two weeks to get the jungle of a garden cleaned up. This week as Miss P came over yesterday, she finished off what I had done in the back rose garden,  and planted some foxgloves and marigolds.

 We also wrangled some netting and covered the cabbages that we planted ages ago and are growing quite big now. 

The gardens were so overgrown, it has taken a lot of energy for me to tidy them up. I still have some mulch to put on, but at least they are in reasonable condition now. The tree arborists are due to come as well so making this area cleaner enables them to know where they are treading, so I am trying to make it easier for them, to also cart the branches away.

The false grass was covered in strawberry runners, sad I had to get rid of them.

A bit of an early pruning to tidy these roses up.

Tree at the end of the rose garden. Not sure what it is though, will be flowery.

Working on this area now and cut the Poinsettia in front of the geraniums, back to stick it was huge over the maple.

The tree that will be cut

The hay bales are in and we have started to treat them, I rubbed in some blood and bone, and sprinkled chicken manure over it and watered in. John next day punched holes in so it would work its way in. Today I will give it a watering can of liquid fertilizer. The glass house is maintaining its heat at 30C.

A trip around the garden starting with these African Marigolds

Nodding Violets

Carrot Bed with Snow Peas

The Snow Peas producing already.

While Miss P was here, taught her how to make a lemon meringue pie, all new to her, so love doing this, and it was delicious. Half went home with her but I got the rest and it was Yummy, my favorite.

While writing this some flowers arrived from our youngest daughter. They are lovely and unusual with Anthuriums in them. 

Happy Mothers Day everyone.

Till Next Time. 

Mothers Day 2021

 Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there. I always thought our 5 children would be close to home but unfortunately 4 of them are scattered far and wide, and visits few, but at least we have one local, our eldest and their 5 children, which I am thankful for. 

Today he decided he was my present, a rare event and gave me his time for some work. I chose the garden as it is getting out of control yet again. The twins also came and my lovely DIL.

Beyond me to clean up, needs a Whipper Snipper.

 This bridge has been sitting there for months as it was supposed to go to the Community Gardens. Just a few main beams now as floor has rotted, and will be pulled apart for easy carrying.

Wasn't Light to move either.

Yesterday I cut the hedge having got enthusiastic for the visit, it was well overdue.

Bridge gone, grass cut looking so much better. The next area was my not so new rose garden. 

What can I say there is a path under this.

Garden Area itself. Tree is a Mulberry and out it came.

Looking across the weed filled pond with Mulberry Tree.

 Once the Mulberry was cut, DIL cut all the branches up for twigs for next years fire, as they need to dry out,with the twins helping her fill up the containers for them. I normally do this every year, by cutting the tall branches, up a ladder as well. Sometimes making little twig fences with them, then breaking them up once summer was over. Getting to old now.

After the cleanup with a mulch  of pool weed.

What a difference, and the rubbish was all carted up by the twins to the rubbish bins. Lucky we had next doors as well, as by the end of the day filled that too. 

Good bye Mulberry which is sad but I can't keep the effect up, of cutting in half every year.

 So then we had lunch in the Gazebo just a simple Cold Roast Chicken with Salad and Banana Muffins,with cups of tea, as well as a much needed rest by the troops. The day was perfect with a threat of rain coming so not too hot in the sun, bit steamy but they all seemed to manage.

 First Mother's Day lunch I have given, in so, so long, a big treat for me to have the family around for a meal. 

Thinning out the Japanese Fishing Pole Plant. Note the children's feet, they got very wet "helping"

 So the two adults, hopped in to the pond to pull up the green plant that just loves it in the sub tropical and hard too keep under control as it takes root in the bottom sludge, a big mistake from 2004 when we changed everything. So thankful for their effort of pulling it up as best they could. Plants are very heavy as filled with water. 

It is raining now and 5pm but I dashed out to take the last photo.

 How different the pond  looks now. These two deserve a medal, with such a lot of heavy work. On the 12th they celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary

This is not to say it is finished. I will now weed the rose garden, and tidy up here and there, something I can actually cope with. 

My job I decided was to get the Gazebo back into order, between fetching water and lunch and morning teas, plus giving the twins little jobs here and there. They were earning pocket money you see.

I moved out quite a bit of stuff and swept the floor of blown in leaves then washed down all the posts, which had a fair bit of mould on them. Yesterday I also pulled out a lot of fish fern on two sides, which was growing every where under the hedge, and in the retaining wall, so that cleaned up that area, as well.  Made room for the 6 of us to have a wonderful lunch then stacked everything left, to paint the posts.

Liking the all white and will paint the beans above as well.

It is a start but still lots to do in there, hopefully we will get a ceiling fan put in, and hovering on surrounding it with flywire mesh, against mosquitoes, if it comes in a roller blind, so I can get to the hedge. We can then use it at night in the summer. I will also fix the clock and put in some batteries.

In the middle of all of  this I received some flowers from our daughter in America.

Such unusual chrysanthemums

All in all a great Mother's Day.

Till Next Time.

Mother's Day 2020

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums who read this. Hope despite the current problems that you manage to have a special day. John made me a breakfast tray and included some Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
I heard from No.2 son, and our youngest daughter in America sent me a Bunnings Voucher, she knows me well,  but as yet I haven't heard from any of the other 3 kids, but it is only mid morning and no doubt busy. We can not visit mum in the nursing home of course, and the rule now is to have a flu injection before we are allowed in, when it is open that is. I have not had one since 1970 when I got very, very sick after it as a young girl with my first job, it was given to all of us at work, and I am undecided at what to do.

Queen Elizabeth Roses from the Garden.

 It has been a difficult week with my back, I am trying not to take too many tablets and the tens machine and hot water bottles have been great. My right hip is now down to a constant ache and have done a little bit of gardening  and picked some roses as sitting in the sun has been lovely. I have to sit now as if I get down on my knees, can not get up anymore. I was hoping the infusions I get would fix that but still feeling the arthritis too much. We shall see what my specialist says in July.

Coleous overtaking the rose, one of them needs relocating.

John went to Bunnings so I asked for some Parsley and Rhubarb, the Parsley died and so did my wonderful front garden Rhubarb both rotted out at the base, and were close to each other. The trouble is you buy these in punnets of 6 and who needs 6 parsley plants, even that many rhubarb is a bit over the top. Although rhubarb I can give away so will plant them all. Parsley though will pot up spares and see who wants them.

The pumpkins are still not ready to pick, I am waiting for the stem to die back but they are really yellow now, also have two other Jap pumpkins growing.

I planted some Stocks in the front corner and John cleared the Elderberry out also as the suckers went all over the area. I would like to plant the yellow frangipani there but the other has gotten quite big so not sure about that either.

No more Elderberry

Cleared weeds and old plants, bulbs coming up and planted Stocks.

Basically though I have just been sitting and making my dolls, really need to move faster with them, doing a bit of quilting, and listening to the audio books. Not a lot of housework either, everything just seems too hard at the moment.

Not finished need to add ribons in hair and shoes.

Till Next Time Stay Safe.

Autumn Harvest - Cabbages to Chow Mein

Underneath the net are 5 cabbages, 2 Vertus, which are the ones with a rough crinkly leaf, and 3 Greyhound. The Greyhound are the ones I picked.

Netted cabbage bed.

Greyhound Cabbages on show, 2 weeks before picking.

Last year I dehydrated some cabbage and it worked out great. Love adding it to crock pot meals, as it helps absorb the liquid. With this lot I made Chow Mein, with mince,onion,chicken noodle soup pack, teaspoon of curry powder and the cabbage.

Picking stage, few bugs attacking now.

This one weighed a kilo.

 I wanted to freeze a few meals, and this one is so easy and tastes the same after heating it up with a bit of water in the pot.

Nice and clean inside.

 Chow mein is a pretty common meal in my family, been around for years but should anyone want the recipe just ask, or google it. It is a great use of cabbage for those who don't like it. 

 

I managed to freeze 3 meals and we ate one that night. It has been a bit of a cooking week, as also did some more oat biscuits, this time with dried apricots, instead of sultanas and another boiled fruit cake, to use up the rest of the fruit mince.

Last Monday a nice surprise from our daughter in America arrived  for Mothers day.

So just in case she didn't get my message, here they are, and still going strong today. The buds  of the Lillies are opening and smelling the house out. Turned out to be pink.

My sister and I finalized Mum's pre arranged funeral, and I feel so much better to have it done. When the time comes it will be so much easier, than having to do it at the time. For those who don't know one basic plan simple wood coffin, (cardboard is more ) for 10 people and celebrant is $8,500.00, a lot of money, which fortunatly my father had saved enough to cover it. An eye opener though for pre planning for John and I, which is still an expected 20 years or more away, goodness knows how much a funeral then is.

That's it for this week, till next time.

Mother's Day 2018

I must admit, while the children were still at home Mother's Day was great, now a days it is a non event. I did get some flowers, but as there was no greeting on it I know not who from and if any of them ring, I shall ask. At 3pm though it is still a mystery.

My sister and I went and visited our mum last Thursday, with some slippers for her, but she didn't really know us and mumbles so we can't really understand what she says. So sad, a terrible way to get old.

I love the yellow, especially the roses.

In the meantime spent the morning as usual at the Community Garden. Not many turned up today and I watered every plant except the bank garden as I ran out of time. I also managed to plant several rows of turnips, beetroot and celeriac which is a new one for me. When we arrived home at lunchtime what a surprise to see the flowers on the verandah bench.

Having spent the last two days helping get our own new beds going, I am certainly feeling the tiredness now.



The first bed

The first wood bed is doing well, I have discovered that the black mesh still lets the white butterfly in so spending too much time looking for eggs and caterpillars. I have asked John to change over to vegenet instead. The ends are stapled on to pieces of wood, to the width of each section, and can be rolled up when not in use. The wood strip placed on the ledge and the fabric thrown over to the other side, with the 2nd. wood strip. A special one will be made for the ends.



The back bed

Three new beds.

This is how the three left hand side beds look now, middle one still being filled. The back one is half planted up with brassicas. The fence line ones still need more weeding and soil. The back right hand brick one is the new herb bed.

New Herb Bed

The herb bed I have transplanted what I need from across the path from the old one. Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, parsley, Chilli and Salad Burnet. I have still to plant Basil. Most likely I will also plant alyssum and maybe marigold in the spaces left.

Old Herb Bed

The old one was full of nut grass and couch and needed a good clean out, before we put good soil in. I don't  ever expect to get rid of the nut grass, but this will help. I am still working on this one.

Well another knock at the door with a delivery of more flowers, this time with a greeting from our eldest daughter, so I suspect the first one is from our youngest in America. The three boys most likely will ring tonight.

More pink in this one.

With the weather being so cold at night there has been some fantastic sunsets, this is two of some  I took last week, off the back verandah.



Distance



A bit closer

Hope all the mothers had a lovely day.

Till Next Time.