Quite Contrary

Yep...that's how my garden is growing right now.

The winter veges are on a super go slow. So far we have been living off spinach and silverbeet, but even they have slowed right down to a new leaf every now and then. Pak Choy has been a winner, well the ones that I bought as seedlings from the garden centre. All of my lovingly tended grown from seed brassicas are still teeny, weeny, but they are hanging on.

In the garden now...

Veges
Leeks, teeny
Brocolli, five with little heads growing and more still coming along.
Peas, flowering but I'm not expecting to see any fruit.
Carrots, teeny...and I have accidently weeded quite a few
Red cabbage, no sign of any heads yet
Kale, has disappeared, very strange
Brussel Sprouts, a couple of teeny plants grown from seed that may or may not come away, still hopeful.
Silverbeet, ordinary and rainbow varieties- enough to harvest for dinner most nights, but not flourishing.
Spinach, success. I plan to increase the number of plants as it grows so well, kids and I love it, J tolerates it.
New Zealand Spinach, starting to settle in.
Garlic, sprouted almost overnight
Shallots, ditto garlic

Herbs
Parsley
Lemonthyme
Sage, looking a bit worse for wear
Chamomile
Rosemary, groundcover, flowering and very pretty

Fruit
Cranberries, newly planted, trying different spots and when I find a good one will buy more plants
Meyer lemon, holding in there through the frosts, planted a month or so agao
Tahitian Lime, ditto lemon tree
Strawberries, bare crowns now have first leaves, only seven plants, hopefully will flourish and I can divide for next season

To do List for August
Frame up and fill raised beds around greenhouse - lavendar and chamomile bushes
Frame up raised bed on North side of house, start building up for summer planting around existing planter boxes.
Move camellia and put in apple tree to espalier on fence - still decidng on variety
Put in three-five feijoa trees to grow as a screeinign hedge on NorthEast fence.
Dig out dead and old trees on driveway garden and ponder what to plant instead.

I am also very excited because my wonderful mum gave me a subscription to NZ Gardener for my birthday. Thanks mum!

10 years on

Dear J,
Today is our 10th wedding anniversary. What a wonderful journey it has been together so far.

We have travelled to four continents together. You didn't get angry when I piked out of visitng Tijuana. You came to a lyriad of museums and art galleries with me even though you were bored silly. We walked up the Eiffel tower cos it was cheaper and took a 1 pound flight from Amsterdam to London. We rode rollercoasters, and you threw up. We walked and talked and laughed and made memories.

We have made four amazingly beautiful kiddoes together...despite us, they are truly gorgeously spunky. You are the most wonderful daddy. You keep us all sane. You willingly change hideously foul nappies You let me have weekends off and keep the washing up todate while I'm gone. You make wooden models with our sons...and daughter. You persevere in affection with Miss A even when she screams at you to go away. You have done many, many night shifts while I have stayed asleep and warm in bed. You didn't leave when I went psycho after the twins were born.

We have moved from a place of security and comfort to a new town and life together , and it has been such a wonderful move for us. We have both faced challenges and stresses, but I am glad to have taken the risk and make this step of faith. You let me buy a little old rundown character house and never roll your eyes (in my presence anyaway) when I greet you after you get home from work with another list of jobs for you to do around the house.

We have tolerated each others annoying habits and quirks. You are much more patient than I am in this area. At least when I am knitting I can't slurp on my fingers eh?

We truly enjoy being together... when we get the chance to just be! I am so looking forward to our little retreat next week, sleeping in, being able to hold your hand rather than two little kids for a couple of days, talking about other stuff beside who threw what tantrum and who learned which new or naughty word.

I love you...more.
K
xx

At the Library, the library...

there are lots of books from A to Z.

Everytime we go to the library we sing this song courtesy of Richard Scarry on DVD.

Today was an extra special library day because J was home and so we all went together. Extra special because I was actually able to get some books out for myself at leisure. Usually I spend most of the time corraling E23 months and shushing A and C.

My bounty of books today:

Keep Chickens - Barbara Kilarski Preparation for self sufficiency step two...got the vege garden, next the chickadees.
The Chook Book - Jackie French ditto above
The Homeschooling Handbook - Mary Griffith Looks a bit American and schooly, but we'll see.
Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons - Travels in Sicily on a Vespa - Matthew Fort Travel and history with lots of italian slow food recipes thrown in...bellissimo!
The Therapeutic Garden - Donald Norfolk "The history of horticulutre and the ancient wisdom of the poets and philosophers."
Cow Parade New York - This one I got so the kids and I can peruse the (family friendly) bovines and then have a go at decorating out own cows...starting with black outlines on paper and ending up with papier mache models.
Softies - Therese Laskey I have had this on my Amazon wishlist forever, so grabbed it when I spied it on the library shelf. Now I can grab the good ideas without spending my $$$.
So Simple Slipcovers - Gail Abbott I want to try and slipcover my lounge suite without it looking like something from a student flat.

Marshmallow Models

We made marshmallow creatures.

Can you guess what they are?

And how long it took us to gobble them up?

Fragile

Life is fragile
Everybody breaks so easily
Life is fragile
No one is immune

In the long run
Everyone must take their turn
With this lesson we don't wanna take
But we all have to learn

And I'll stay here with you
Knowing that Jesus is here to carry us through
And all through the night
I'll stay by your side
Until the morning appears
And the sun and moon collide
He'll carry us through

Lyrics by Phil Joel

My heart has been heavy over the last couple of weeks.

A precious little boy who I was privileged to meet as a wee babe in Starship two years ago succumbed to cancer and died in his mother's arms.

A 6 year old classmate of a friend's daughter died suddenly and unexpectedly two days ago.

I have ben holding my babies close as I consider the terrible grief and pain that these and many families go through upon losing a child.

Life is fragile.

Winter Days

Brrrrr!

C3 is convinced winter hasn't arrived yet because we haven't seen snow. We plan to take a drive to the snow sometime over the next few weeks. Although if we had gone yesterday we could have saved some petrol as it was only half an hour away.

We have been filling our time with lots of drawing, modelling, Fraggle Rock watching and when the frost melts after lunch, gardening.

The children made a "tree garden' with "safari sunset" fronds from a leucadendrum (sp??) we dug out of the garden. They are very happy with a patch of bare dirt to drive the diggers through, "plant" random things and dig up earthworms.

Once this cold snap is past we will be busy int eh glasshouse sowing seed and preparing for the spring planting... cos Spring is just around the corner dont'cha know?

Geography

I am a girly swot like many of my online friends...and I loved learning facts such as capitals of countries and highest waterfalls at school.

O6(and a half) is discovering the joys of geography. We have been playing The amazing Moa Hunt...and O6 often beats us, he even knows where Gore is!

O6 and I made a world map jigsaw puzzle again two days ago and spent ages looking for interesting places. O throught Christmas Island and the Sandwich Islands sounded pretty cool.

Our table cloth at the moment is a modified pvc shower curtain map of the world and at the Breakfast table O6 is very patient at explaining again and again to A3 and C3 that countries with other countries joining them are NOT islands, but that WE live on an island.

I have been reflecting again on just how organic learning is...provide the right environment and children (and adults) will learn, learn, learn.

You asked for it.

I have just begun a project that is right up my alley. I am part of a small team who are charged with improving the EOTC opportunities at my husband's work. It is a large camp that runs many different activities and camps, many of which are school camps. Myself and another teacher on staff are working to maximise the experieneces that are available for school groups in the EOTC area. We've just begun, but I am excited, I can do almost all of the work from hom via email/internet and phone and will have a one hour meeting each week for progress reports etc.

In an ideal world I would not have to work for pay at all, but with the current economic situation, world events and peak oil closing in, and the price of a pound of butter at $4... a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I'm thankful that I can be involved in something worthwhile, enjoyable and that fits around my family really well....and it is not minimum wage!

Hi!

Just popping in , we are still here...been lying low for a week with winter ails...nothing major just EVERYONE at once.

What's been happening?
C3 is awaiting bloodtest results for gluten allergy...if it is that it'll be a major PITA and also a relief to know how to help him not be sore all the time...cos his constant wailing is doing my head in
House renovations on a seemingly endless go slow due to sickies and consequently mummy flaking out in bed/in front of the telly once all are snuggled up in bed...doing my head in
First week for moi in paid part time employment ( from home even) 5 hours- not bad considering the abovementioned sickies...yaaay!
Conquered the overlocker threading and sewed up merino skivvies for the rapscallions...just need to hem them, or not bother and call them "trendy" with the overlocked edge showing...yaaay!
Been flicking between Jekyll and Hyde mummy today...yelled at C3, threw paper at O6 (yeah I know I am not 3) and threatened A3 (with what I can't recall)...but I also took everyone for a walk (with scooters and bikes even), sat at the table for ages drawing, cutting, pasting and so on and gave out iceblocks for dessert...I'm doing my own head in...how's that for ya?

All in all, pretty standard motherly kinda stuff going on in my world...what about yours?

What A Difference A Day Makes

Yesterday I was up and energised and had one of those wonderful days when lots gets done and noone falls by the wayside...probably helped that A3 and C3 were out for most of the day at Preschool eh?

I got 3 loads of washing out and in, weeded one of my garden beds, made some more progress on the sanding and painting in the laundry/kitchen, played board games with O6, read books with E21 months, made homemade vege pizza with A3 and even made a fire that took straight away.

However this morning I am on the go slow...it is chilly, but beautifully sunny outisde, C3 ended up in our bed all night with a temperature and a scratchy cough so I am bleary eyed, the kids are watching dvd's in the lounge with the fire on and it is only 10am!

About to push aside my funk...rug up the kiddlies with woolly socks and gumboots and go for a walk in the sunshine and then back home to bake some feijoa and coconut cake...or maybe Katie's Feijoa and chocolate cake. ..cos we got some of the last feijoas too.

Gettin' Up Close and Personal

A3 is our bug girl.

She is scared of dogs and terrified of cats...but spiders pfffft!

Random Thoughts

Long time...no blog...been doing lots of thinking and lots of living...and finally walking straight again...no more labyrinthitis!

Been reading too...
Finally caught up with the cool kids and read Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis...so much to read aloud to J that I ended up just giving him the entire book.
Read, enjopyed and passed Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma to my Dad to peruse and tracked down In Defence of Food at the local library...just starting that one.
Read the latest NZ Gardener mag from cover to cover...must actually subscribe!

Decided to take a leaf out of Sandra's book (or blog!) and try and get into my garden every day...even for a few minutes. This week I have weeded the front flower gardens and the whole vege patch (which aint that much...yet), supervised the installation of my new to me glasshouse giufted by my lovely brother, discovered we have orchids sitting next to the house still in a polybag, dug out more of the never ending oxalis, rescued countless brassicas from E21months attempts to help me weed and deadheaded the one lonely rosebush of its one lonely wilted rose.

Spent more time contemplating just what is truly necessary or will drive me absolutely batty if it doesn't get done on the house renovation. My list of wants is getting pared down very quickly as I consider the rising costs of day to day living and the ever decreaing $$$ in the savings account.

We are getting the floors polished, have bought two panel heaters for the kids room and for the dining room for the depths of winter, and have purchased paint to do most of the interior...oh the joys of stripping back five layers of old paint!

We will have to reline the shower cubicle and replace the bathroom vanity...but I am keeping the old bath and the old loo cos the are both in pretty good nick and reusing all of the old tapware cos it works great and reminds me of staying at my Oma's as a kid.

J and I have decided to cut back on TV and only turn it on for those shows we really can't live without...y'know like Project Runway and ANTM for me...Boston Legal and Top Gear for both of us and the occasional Sports News for J. Already feeling more refreshed and getting other stuff done...like scraping off old paint!

I have been trying to spend more time one on one with each of the kiddoes...I have played computer Battleships with O, glued and coloured with A, listened to C's imaginary stories and played Thomas Trains with E. I am not naturally a very playful mummy...but I want to build relationship with each of them. Pondering what it means to truly be involved in their lives. Ditto Sharon-my mind twin...even read The Creative Family last month too!

Okay...now my brain is tired...off to read the papaer and then curl up in bed with Michael Pollan and my hot water bottle...well actually, my electric blanket...having a hard time giving it up when the weather turns cooler.

Labyrinthitis

As much as I wish my post title meant I had been reliving my youth by watching loads of old movies with David Bowie as the Goblin King...alas it is not so.

Instead I have been battling with an inner ear infection for the last week. I do like the name though...Labyrinthitis sounds so much more exciting than inner ear infection.

I thought I had come down with gastro/rotavirus when I started puking and couldn't get out of bed for almost four days...but it is likely that it was all down to the pesky virus making my inner ear munted!

I can now get up and about but feel like I have been on a boat for a month or have had too many wines. The room is spinning and swaying constantly and I cannot concentrate on anything for very long.

Blessing number one is that fortunately I hardly ever get sick, so when I do I get to make the most of my wonderful hubby's concern...and the kids revel in watching almost unlimited dvd's while mummy has another nap.

Blessing number two is that I am not preggie...the first few days felt suspiciously familiar...now that would have thrown a spanner in the works!

Blessing number three...due to being basically unable to eat much for a week I have finally got back to my goal weight...now to keep it off once the hunger kicks back in. I am even comfortably wearing the size ten jeans I had given up for lost.

Hopefully I'llbe back to normal soon...as we have a winter of renovation preparation to do, then a spring of painting and polishing...then a summer of relaxing in our freshly updated home.

Autumn Leaves

When out walking we had much fun crunching the first of the autumn leaves.

We collected fallen acorns and their caps.

At the greengrocer's (love that word!) we bought a tiny wee little squash.

We got out oil pastels and black card and created autumn leaves to tape to the window.

Country Girls

Eat your heart out Nellie Oleson. These country girls have style and class.

I splurged and ordered the country doll kit from Alicia. Four of the girls are nestled next to the kids sewing and knitting baskets out of reach of little sticky fingers.

There is one more little sweetie who is just waiting for the finishing touches on her apron.

Anybody care to take a guess as to their names?

Hint #1 Little redhead should be easy for those who know my family ;)

Hint #2 A city girl who makes an alpine friend.

Hint #3 She's not so plain and ended up mistress of the manor.

Hint #4 Aqua girl is loverly.

Quotable

"Charlotte is a spider and Laura's doll"

C3's random comment while we were reading neither of the abovementioned novels on the couch today.

Choccy fish for correct ID of the novels...and while I'm at it I MIGHT remember to finally send the choccy fish for Kate and Sharon from last year!

Garden Diary #1

The sun was shining, the air was clear.
We spent the day in the yard. A very productive day was had by all:

J and O6 concreted in the fenceposts for our "Keep E20 months from escaping" fence.

All four kiddoes grabbed their kid sized gardening tools and helped dig/weed/ transplant etc.

I decided that the flower garden really was getting past its prime...dug out the summer annuals and dug in the winter colour.

O6 and J found all manner of weird and wonderful bugs/larvae and other slimy things hidden in the freshly tilled soil and pondered together whether the white grub was an earwig larvae or some kind of insect queen.

We walked to our local garden centre...500 metres down the road, got the third batch of winter vegeseedlings to plant out, identified that yes indeed the flower gardens were full of self seeded Calendula and that the huge glossy fronds under the neighbours rimu trees were not weeds and could be rightly considered an ornamental plant....and began to make decisions about the fruit tree plantathon happening next weekend.

So far we have decided upon:
Feijoas- 3 different varieties which will double as a hedge to screen the neighbour's driveway.
A range of berries- and over winter we will design and build a netting thingymabob to cover them when they start fruiting.
Lemon, lime and mandarin trees.
An Apple tree which I am going to attempt to espalier on the fence.
I would like to put in some olive trees and a plum tree
J really wants a nashi tree also.

Lavender (already planted) with random leftover brassicas filling the gaps until the lavender grow. I resisted buying a cushioned kneeler pad and found a cardboard box works just fine.
My herb/salad garden with flourishing rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley and perpetual spinach, getting there mesclun (under the netting at the end) and barely-hanging-on-cos-it-has-been-ripped-out-by-the-E-monster-numerous-times basil. New plantings to fill gaps of Pak Choi, and silverbeet.
The square foot garden with established silverbeet, small broad beans growing, carrots just beginning to show, last minute hopeful peas and some grimly determined brassicas that I grew from seed and planted out a bit too early. New plantings of bigger brassicas to fill the gap until the seeded ones take off, more silverbeet and New Zealand spinach.
Flower grden at the front of the house. Calendula which self-seeded, transplanted to one area by the step. New plantings of violas, primula and polyanthus for winter colour.
The leftover patch... J dug out a very sad looking carpet rose and I dug over the empty spot and threw in all of the leftover brassicas to fill the space that I am still deciding what to plant out with permanently.

Now if only gardening were a once every few months all out endeavur rather than a daily tending and nurturing I'd be set. I can do the gung-ho get it all planted bit great...still working on the ins and outs!

P.S. If anyone has an organic, no dig way of getting rid of every kind of broad leaf oxalis you can think of pleeeeaaaase let me in on the secret!

Are You Being Served?

Grab some play money, a few Op Shop baskets and lots of random toys and books artfully displayed...and voila you have O6's wonderful store.

J got the bargain of the century when O6 sold him C3 and E20 months for $5 the pair.

I thought I was doing well when I got $100 change on my $50 purchase!

Balloons Over Waikato

We didn't brave the chilly Autumn air to go down the road at 6 am to see the Balloons...but we did watch out of the windows and don slippers and go out on the porch to watch the Balloons sail past on their adventures.

The kids loved the Pirate Balloon best of course.

O6 taught the Science lesson for the day by informing the littlies that the fire makes the air in the ballooon hotter, and hot air rises so the balloon goes up. When they turn the fire down the air gets colder and the balloon floats downwards. I chimed in with the info that when Hot Air Balloons were invented some of the first apassengers were a chicken and a dog ( I think!)...but Mummy is not so interesting a teacher as O6...so I quickly stopped trying to "make everything a teachable situation" and left O6 to it.

Eeeking Out the Last Days of Summer

For the third year running I have spent an entire day getting grumpy and frazzled packing the whanau up for a holiday at the beach. Once the gear and kids are squeezed ino the car, the trailer is filled to the brim and the house is sparkly clean (cos you can't come back to a messy house!) I relax and let J drive!

We met up with our fave family at our fave beach, Whangamata for five days of beach bliss



What...you don't think 8 kids under 6 is bliss?



Highlights...



*Having my first ocean swim in about 5 years...loved it...forgot how much I love it...bobbing out past the breakers!

*Five kiddoes bunking in together and (mostly) settling off to sleep without any nonsense!

*Catching up with good friends and old friends.

*Going out with the girls for dessert and forgetting to pay, feeling very happy when the restauarant was surprised we came back to confess and pay up!

*Talking with J in the car to and from.

*O having a go at riding his bike with no trainer wheels.

*A riding her bike all the way to the dairy and back ( with trainers ;) )



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