Pottsville Caravan Trip & Garden Update.

 Well a lot has happened since my last post, the month has gone by so fast. Mainly I have been struggling with my health but getting it sorted slowly. I recently visited my rheumatologist, and went to Brisbane the night before but 7am. next day, appointment was cancelled, so had to go back home. Since then though have had a Telehealth one and he has the flu poor thing.  Have also had a dose of vertigo, never had it before and not very pleasant. It is easing off, although this makes it hard at the dentist which I have had to have 4 fillings. RA apparently can do that to teeth. Who Knew! 

We did take the caravan on a trip though.

We park at New Italy for Morning Tea.

Pottsville Caravan Park, we are at the end.

Mid July, we have spent a week at Pottsville, on the Gold Coast with the Caravan Club. Nice little caravan park but was very full, all those Victorians going North I guess, apparently it is hard to get a booking right up to Darwin.

 It is located on a river which goes out to sea, but all the huts are on that stretch of land. It had two camp kitchens which the club used for the happy hour. John went but I was notified that a friend had died, which really upset me, and wasn't into socialising at all, plus not feeling well so just stayed in the van.

I am not sure the Caravan Club is for me anymore, but will try and last the year being the Membership Officer and all, with two meetings a month.

Camp Kitchen One

The camp kitchens were very well set out, but smallish for a club. 9 Vans went this time.

Camp Kitchen Two which was on the river.

The town is roughly over 7,200 people, with a lovely small shopping centre of the basics. I noticed a few members enjoying coffee in the sun, when we were driving around.

One of two small groups of shops.

 I have also been getting the garden going for Spring. All the roses are now pruned. Wild tomatoes taken out except for a couple, so we still have tomatoes while new ones are growing everywhere which I will transplant a few.My seeds are coming up, and so far pumpkin, Poppies, beetroot and  rocket, also  Sweet Peas are just starting to flower, sign the warm weather is arriving.

Geranium cuttings for the Community Garden plant sales.

Pink Lady Sweet Peas, the smell is wonderful.

Cabbage growing strongly

More seeds coming along

Picking from my mesculan bowl and basil, which I will transplant to outside soon.

Coriander is everywhere as it self seeded.

The Community Garden now has a monthly stall at Centro, which was last Friday, and I try to send things in to sell. This time I picked all the sweet peas for a small bunch and some Pink daisies, plus 10 lemons of which 7 sold. Which means I made $17  for them, so I feel pleased about that. The stall is quite popular. Especially jams, chutneys and pickles. Succulents always sell as well.

The pink daisies and my friend A's Hollyhock, one of 2.

The back garden hasn't had a lot of work done, but John spent hours getting the nut grass out, as best he could down to a low level of soil. Cardboard will be placed on top, and we will fill it with a mushroom/Cow manure mix.

Turkeys love to dig in this soil also. They are a pest.

Opposite side

The opposite side in progress, a bit of wood is being added to the one you see to make it higher to take the soil due to the raised level of bricks. Long containers go in the gap behind, I usually put flowers or bulbs.

The view from my kitchen window. Pink Kalanchoe is blooming and the succulents are now filling the containers.

I will stop now as this is getting a little long, but August/September is going to get busy in the garden.

 

Till Next Time.

Garden News & 8 Years of Blogging,

Thank you for those who have been with me for the past 8 years ,  I never thought I would last this long. This is the 415th blog piece, if you had told me that in 2015 I would be writing so much, it would have been hard to visualize.

 I have decided now to  write monthly, and see how that goes. Hopefully I will have something to talk about other than the garden and beans, a case of slowing down and not being as active in the wider world..

At least with some spare time, I will try and get back to scrap booking.  Our eldest turns 50 next year and I really need to finish his scrapbook, I haven't done any work on them, for over a year. 

My birthday is Friday and we will celebrate it at Anchors Wharf  restaurant, for lunch. I haven't been for several years since mum died, but they also closed because of the flood we had last year.

Taken from the River Side

 Hasn't it been cold this last week, even in sub tropical we have had a couple of minus figures. Thank goodness for electric blankets, and my fire.

The mandarins have been changing colour, because of it, and I have watched them go from green to orange in June. Yesterday I picked one and it was very juicy, and sweet.

 Took the lemons while I was at it. I keep wanting to make lemon butter but still haven't got around to it, so leaving them on the tree, until I work out what to do with them.

It hasn't rained at all, so after my caravan club social meeting yesterday, which I only went in to take the sign on forms and left after an hour, I decided to water the back area, and took more pictures of what is coming along.

Red Nasturiums

Jonquils

Taken up close this time the Poinsettia and Argave flowers.

The back roses need pruning and spraying, as have white powdery mildew on them, although I have finished all the front ones.

I really need to get down there and sort out the new configuration of the back, before the weeds really start growing. Lots of cardboard and mulch ready for the garden beds and then get some new plants for them, most likely flowery things. I was thinking of  working there today but it is windy and the "feels like" temperature of 11C is putting me off.

Snow drops starting to come out. Came from my parents house when we moved up here 40 years ago.

Our eldest daughter arrived yesterday from Sydney, and  I will give her a few days to catch up  on sleep, she hasn't been well with a flu bug, and is a special Ed Teacher, which is hard enough,  plus I have another dentist appointment Monday a third one, with one more to go as a result of a full mouth xray.

 There hasn't been one day I haven't had to travel into town this last week, so glad for today and no where to go.

 Tuesday she wants to check out the new small Mazdas, and test drive one, so I will join her at the resort for a couple of days then. I also would like a smaller car and interested to see what they are like. My Subaru is now 5 years old, but I would prefer something smaller like my old Mazda 323, but at the time they were noisy and not as modern with all the gadgets like being able to answer your phone while driving. 

Basil growing  wonderfully in the glasshouse because I was clever not to put it in the cold garden.

I have also started another paid online class with 50 videos mind you, on painting flowers and really loving it so far. It is very in depth and just what I need.

Lets see if I can do a 9th year

Till Next Time.

Garden and a Chat

 Next Sat. the Chilli Festival is on again and they are expecting 10,000 visitors this time "yikes".  Not sure I will go as have a meeting for the caravan club at 11am.

Normal looking crowd from past years, same on other side of street.

 It is also the day our eldest daughter arrives for a week's holiday, which is my birthday week, and also will be the end of my 8th year at blogging. If you are a regular reader you will know that I have been tossing up whether to give up blogging altogether.

 My life has slowed down to a point that finding something to talk about, that I haven't already done, is getting harder.  Last week there were 11 readers, on average though it is 20 - 25 unless it's some disaster or a holiday, then it increases. The blog Out Back Tania has a link to this blog and quite a few visit, so thank you to those readers, for taking an interest.

 I have decided to finish up next week being the last week of my birthday year, but then only blog if it is worth it, for family and friends to catch up with what I do, maybe monthly or so.

I am still getting the garden in order, at the moment,  and seeing the light of day finally. I finished half the side garden, this morning, which was hard work for a couple of weeks.

Mulched and ready with newly planted seedlings of marigold, alyssum, and stock.

Bank garden weeded end near window will be a succulent garden, still to mulch.

Picking up from last week, John finished the little shed and it is going to hold firewood. Most of the wood we use, is outside and absorbs the moisture and of course the rain, so it will make a big difference.

While I was down that area,took a photo of the avocado tree. This is the first year I have had them but they take a week to get soft, I think they are at the full size now.

This is also the area with the roses, and needs work on that too.

 

I have sort of finished a new painting, not sure about it, trying a new abstract style in acrylics, which is fun but a lot to learn to get the knack of it. With so much to do trying to keep the house and garden together, it is hard to find the time, to do my craft or painting. We really need a smaller home and garden, or a flat block in my case, caravan traveling would be so much easier as well, but John doesn't see the problem, and downsizing will be a nightmare in his case.

Till Next Time.

 

Time to Clean up the Garden

 We have been having some lovely weather here, cold in the morning then sunny and around then by lunchtime 20C mark give or take. Perfect for garden work. 

Flowers and Roses.

I started on the front first, 2 weeks ago,  pruning the roses, digging, weeding, fertilizing then finally some mulch. It is going to take a while, especially as I had a busy week with  the dentist twice, the chiropractor, and 2 art groups, this week. I last for about 2 to 3 hours, have lunch and then start organizing the house and getting it back to normal again, and re arranging everything as I go. My craft stuff is everywhere.

I have planted a few more winter veg. then covered them against the white moth.

Of course there is still plenty growing, beetroot,capsicum, parsley, bok choy, carrots, snow peas,cherry tomatoes, as well as all the seedlings from 2 weeks ago.

The blueberry patch now has a rhubarb transplanted from the back garden into one of the pots where a blueberry had died. I also put in various flowers around the spaces. I divided the rhubarb into 8 and another two are planted in the corner near the glass house, so 3 will be growing hopefully. The rest I sent to the Community Garden.

Blueberry and now Rhubarb Patch.

 The lemon and Mandarin trees are just about ripe, as we have had a few  2 - 7C degrees, very early in mornings, which is perfect for sweetening them. I am also still picking avocados off the tree out the back, there were 12 on it.

Mandarin

Lemon

 I am hoping to make lemon butter/curd, which I recently read freezes very well and is back to normal once it thaws. Wish I had known that when the kids were home. It only keeps 2 - 3 weeks in fridge due to the eggs. 

John has started putting together a new shed we have had for ages and never used. It is only very small. He also put together a new dresser for me. Everything seems to be in a Mecanno type set, these days.

The New Shed, maybe for fire wood or tools.

The Poinsettia as well as the Orange Agave plants are out.

 The top garden behind though is still a mess. Some of the soil has been moved. I will get on to this when the front is finished. As yet need to find a Landscape guy for the Artificial turf, and the Gazebo roof is still not done after 5 years of asking, as well as the pond and given up hope they will ever be done.

Artificial turf in the middle of all this, raised beds on sides.

My little tropical garden is doing well also.

Plus the Alexander Palms from Lord Howe Island are growing nicely. When they are big enough I will put 3 into a pot. They like to grow together.

I bought a Pink Chrysanthemum and put it where I sit for lunch if its not too cold. Eventually I will plant it out somewhere. The flowers are holding on for weeks.

The twins, our youngest grandchildren turned 10 yesterday, so I have been making them a card each, the years are certainly going fast,

  It is such a nice time of the year at the moment, and  I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather.

Till Next Time.

The Community Garden Update June 2023

 The Garden is looking lovely at the moment, and there have been quite a  few new members joining as well.

The installation of the Container has still not happened yet but the council has approved everything for it to do so. It is sitting at our sons' house just waiting. The other two that were put in originally didn't need any of this fuss that the council now needs. They were ordered and delivered no problem. All is ready and waiting for this one though. The beds run north to south.

These tanks are part of the pavilion.

The main happening is the Syntropic Gardens that have been put in at the back right hand side. This was an initiative of the Council and 3 full workshop  days have been spent on it. A coordinator was paid who has his own Syntropic farm not far away from Coffs Harbour. Basically it is a form of permaculture but keeping every tree low between 3 - 5 metres, and fruit and veg planted between, with loads of mulch. They have all been planted out, mangos, pinapples, bananas, strawberries, garlic, jabotica, is what I remember but lots of different things there. Most winter vegetables as well,  so now a wait and see what happens.

Soil was flattened around first, a very wet area though.

3 beds have been made so far and a forth when the hoops come out from the fruit trees which have died.

These next photos were taken at the end of May, but it had been raining.

Entrance from Pavilion

Walking past pavilion on left toward bush house.

From Pavilion Area Community Beds on right members on left.

Part of the Community Area

Most of the food in the Community Area is sold on the Market Stall.

Members area 20 beds in all.

Members Area looking towards original Container Sheds, and worm farms on right.

Licorice painted succulent stands.

Looking towards the back  LHS with Hanging Gardens.

White Poinsettia

 

  A few seats are starting to be put around as well. Yellow chrysanthemums that must be close to coming out now.

Towards the Pavilion from other side.

There are two thriving worm farms made from baths and a large compost and soil delivery area

Worm farm and Compost area.

 

 I hope you enjoyed the progress of this garden, it is now 5 years old. Still open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday Mornings.  Morning Tea at 10am. Visitors Welcome.

Till Next Time