Farmer Bren is laughing at me because I just left the room to write my blog somewhere quieter and told him I'd be back in ten minutes. He obviously doesn't believe me so I'm going to put a stop watch on.
GO!
Today, on the fourth day of the new year I got up really early and watered the garden. It was the most beautiful morning and I loved the time alone and the thought of setting the garden up for the day with a big drink.
Then our cousins from Melbourne came to visit and the skies opened up and it POURED!! It rained and rained and rained which was awesome because everything was so dry and the garden didn't mind a bit extra at all.
After the rains and after our cousins went home we went for a walk to admire how beautiful everything looked all soaking wet and lush. We had to take big, deep breaths of wet eucalyptus smell and walk around in wet, muddy boots, it was gorgeous.
First stop was the peas to pick a pocketful for the way.
Then we checked on the apricots, the plums, the potatoes, the berries, the pumpkins, the zucchini, the cucumbers, the beans and the sunflowers. We didn't get to the apples, under the nets in the background of this photo, but hopefully we will spend a bit of time in the orchard tomorrow covering more rows and checking on their progress.
Some of the sunflowers look ready to burst which is exciting. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll see some yellow action.
And then back up to the house to walk through the kitchen garden to pull a few weeds and tie a few trellises.
One of the old potato crates broke down recently, well actually I fell out of it while forking it and broke the side, leaving us a big pile of soil filled with potatoes. We ummed and ahhhhed for ages about how to manage the pile and in the end built a wall out of bricks. I don't love it as much as I love the crates in neat formation but it's growing on me. And the the spuds are growing really well in it.
A quick water of the hot house and a mental note to spend the next chance I get planting a lettuce succession and some winter veg.
And then home to do a few rows of my Artista shawl before the night time rituals begin. The Ravelry link to my Artista is here. My sweet instagram friend Lori sent me the yarn and the pattern so we could become shawl twins. I'm almost there, five rounds of pattern, then the tassels and I'll be wearing it.
How about yours? What did you get up to and what's the weather like there right now?
See you tomorrow.
Love Kate
xoxo
STOP!!!! So I already had the photos loaded but the words for this blog took me 16.55 minutes to write. Not that much longer than ten.
PS Big thanks for all of your gorgeous messages on my blog these past few days, I'm loving reading through them. I'm trying my hardest to reply to you in the comments but sometimes I run out of time.
PPS Indi is incredibly grateful for all the love you've been showing her, thank you. x
So lovely to see you Kate and to catch up on your news. I do realise I'm a few days late. xo
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous to have you here Julie, wishing you and your crew a wonderful 2016. xx
DeleteNo rain down this way today(Berwick).I love walking through the garden after it has rained,weeds are easier to pull out and everything smells so much better.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some over the next few days Judith, summer rain really changes the feel of everything. xx
Deletelove your garden!! have u bird baths? I just got one
ReplyDeleteoh no we don't have one but that is such a great idea. onto it, thanks. xx
DeleteHi Kate, can I ask a question? Is your kitchen garden in the raised beds for asthetic reasons or for practical purposes (soil quality/not having to bend down!) Purely just a question based on curiosity! I always love your garden posts/photos.
ReplyDeletehello! the main reason for them is drainage. we have VERY wet soggy winters here and the plants in the ground just sit in the wet soil. the other reasons are aesthetic and ease. i love them!
DeleteLovely that you are blogging everyday in January again as I loved it last year. I may not comment every day but I am reading it and seeing your lovely photos. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane
ReplyDeletethank you lovely Kathy x
Deleteloving the garden. I've spent hours fighting with gorgeous wool (trying to wind it and got in a major birds nest)and just threw it all out - divine Vintage Purls stuff too. Grrrrh.
ReplyDeleteOh no!! I read an article the other day about these women who LOVE untangling wool. They have a revelry group where they post before and after photos. If you could dig it out maybe you could send it to them. x
DeleteYou are so lucky to have had rain. Not a drop here in Melbourne
ReplyDeleteIt feels like a blessing. I hope you get some too. x
DeleteI'm not supposed to laugh at you falling out of the potato bed, am I? 😁😁
ReplyDeleteYay for blogging. I'm getting closer to getting back to it.....
Keep typing xx
You're so funny!!
DeleteI reckon I looked ridiculous too.
Can't wait to read your blog again. x
I love seeing a part of your farm that I havent seen before. I'm always intersted in how you do things & how much you grow & what you do with it!
ReplyDeleteA quick question- in your kitchen beds I spy tomatoes. It looks like you have one big stake in the middle of each plant & tie all branches to that.Is that right? I've been trying to figure out a better way to stake my tomatoes because if I keep buying a million stakes 1. I'l run out of money & 2. I'll run out space trying to keep all the branches staked . Unfortunatly the easterly winds are giving my poor plants a hiding these last few weeks & branches are snapping off left right & centre! I need a better staking method....
Hi Reannon, Kate is more of an expert than me, but one idea is to use branches that have fallen to the ground. You can find straightish branches or go for others for a more artistic effect. I just use as many sticks as I need to support the plants. Good luck. xo
DeleteGood thinking! We have HEAPS lying around the place so before throwing them in the bonfire pile I'll look more closely to see if any will work for me :)
DeleteI have used tree branches in the past but I find wooden stakes easier. I wrote you a little bit about it on today's blog. x
DeleteAnd yes, I do what Kate says in tomorrow's blog post unless I am unorganised and don't get the stakes in. That is when I put sticks in everywhere. xo
DeleteOh I love this blogpost ! And I am a bit jealous because of all the green over there. We have a warm winter this year ( in Belgium, it is abnormal warm for this time of year. Normally there would be some snow and it would be freezing but it didn't yet ) but the green is gone for a few months now. I'm looking forward to spring and the start of the growing season !
ReplyDeleteThanks lovely, I hope things start to green up over there soon. x
DeleteHi Kate, from England! Shall enjoy reading yr posts about summer in Oz as we wallow knee deep in the cold and mud! xxx Kate B (tho it'll come up as my husband Adrian as I'm not technological enough to know how to change that!)
ReplyDeleteHahaha it makes me happy that other people are as technologically challenged as I am. I hope your days are cold but filled with sunshine Kate x
DeleteHi Kate, from England! Shall enjoy reading yr posts about summer in Oz as we wallow knee deep in the cold and mud! xxx Kate B (tho it'll come up as my husband Adrian as I'm not technological enough to know how to change that!)
ReplyDeleteOh Kate, please please send us some of that lovely rain.... We're desperate here in South Africa. Happy New Year! xxx
ReplyDeleteIf only I could. Happy new year to you too lovely Laura xx
DeleteIt's so lovely to see veggies growing. When here (Southern US) the recent floods have destroyed our winter garden, gone are the cabbages, kale, peas and such. Can't wait for gardening season to be upon us again in a few months. Plans for some raised beds hopefully this year. Under 20 minutes not bad at all!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about your poor garden. We've been wiped out by floods here and it's the worst feeling. I highly recommend raised beds, ours have saved us in wet years. x
DeleteHello from the snowy northwestern United States! It's so refreshing to se GREEN on your blog and read about growing things. It gives me hope that summer will return to our snowy part of the world. I love your rescue of the potatoes. Very creative. Blessings, Betsy
ReplyDeleteHello Betsy, I hope some green returns to your world very soon. xx
DeleteSummer rain is always so welcome isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYES!!!! xx
DeleteIndi's voice reminds me of Alessi's Ark
ReplyDeleteoooooo i've never heard of her, i'll look her up now. x
DeleteHi Kate have missed your blog so glad you are back. I love, love, love that shawl so much that I have ordered the pattern hope it's not too difficult. Love Jackie
ReplyDeleteThat's great Jackie! The shawl is a lovely knit. Once you've done a few repeats of the pattern it's even easy. I hope you love it as much I am. x
DeleteSo lovely to see bright green growing veggies when it is wet and grey here in the UK. Looking forward to planting seeds again when Spring arrives.
ReplyDeleteI hope your spring comes soon, I know that yearning all too well. x
DeleteI am envious of your garden, I miss life in the country. It is pretty hot over here in WA at the moment so making use of our pool!
ReplyDeleteAren't rainy days the best? After a week of rain and overcast days, yesterday the sky was a brilliant blue with only a few clouds dotted about, like ones in a cartoon. The green growing grass is so vibrant that it made the whole day so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is wonderful! I actually like the bricks in among the wooden crates, but I generally like eclectic things :-)
Sarah x
I dream of having a garden like yours one day! Do you have problems with grasshoppers? Our two young apple trees have been completely eaten along with our cherry tree. So sad...
ReplyDeleteOh no, thankfully we haven't seen any grasshoppers around for years. I hope yours go off and leave yours alone. x
DeleteHi Kate, I have LOVED reading your blog for several years now, and it's wonderful to see you back doing it daily during this month. I live in suburban Melbourne, and live a life that is poles apart from yours. But there's something that touches my soul every single time I read your blog and see your photos - so, thank you. Sending you a BIG hug, Tracy
ReplyDeleteI feel like when it's really dry and it pours with rain that you can hear the garden do a big happy sigh of contentment. Xxx
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