Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Dear Autumn

Dear Autumn...
I wish you could stay around a bit longer.
 

 
We're just not ready for Winter.
We adore the colours of Autumn and couldn't resist adding to our collection of  deciduous  trees.
These smaller treelings are a perfect size for planting. Our local nurseries don't seem to stock such small pots of ornamental trees so these were purchased online from the Diggers Club. Five of them for $68 including $10 postage.
They arrived within three days.
 
 

A red maple (Acer rubrum), a maidenhair tree ( ginkgo biloba)and a linden tree( tilia cordata) for their autumn colour.
 

A scarlet oak ( quercus coccinea) for its drought tolerance, colour and fire-retardant  qualities.
 



And the Australian rain forest tree Red Cedar (toona ciliata) that is fast growing, evergreen and survives droughts.
 

Planting day today. 
How hard could it be.....!
Five trees, five holes, plant, water, repeat.
It shouldn't have taken all afternoon.....but it did! 

Fungi finds at Frog Pond farm.
 

 
We seem to have our own little fungi heaven in the garden at the moment. I'm never quite sure about eating them though. Pity really. I love mushrooms.
Back in the olden days we would have frequent trips out on the back roads at home with our buckets and knives.
There were only ever two types. 
Those you could eat...... and puff balls that you couldn't!!! So where have all these new poisonous ones come from?
Dad always loved a feast of mushies made with a thickened sauce and covered in salt!

One week on and not a skerrick of germination to be seen in our newly planted lawn in spite of watering several times a day, ( taking an hour each time - my job happily accepted ) and odd bursts of sunshine.
The green you can see is grass that was already there. 
I need to walk the plank to get to all the spots with the hose ( all tank water so far with odd sprinklings of rain).
 

The seed is called....
 

Our littlest loves.
 

 

 

Thank goodness for FaceTime.
 

Amy had a second X-ray on her ankle and no fractures were found. 
It will take some time to mend properly but she is now mobile.
She is currently on a school placement being addressed by the students as Miss White....a title that makes her chuckle, but she is embracing the whole experience.

Still sewing....nearly done then three layers together for quilting.
( Mmmmm, that sounded easy didn't it!)
 

Bill has been commissioned  to build a compost structure for Jamesy.
Job#1 Find a pile of pallets. 
It might be a good rainy day project this week.


I am really looking forward to ........
........seeing the jonquil geraniums flowering in Dad's tin things.
 

.......watching these ten ( even though I can only see nine right now) hellebores come into flower so that I can say names like double primrose picotee.
I purchased and planted them all last Winter and haven't seen them in flower yet. Can't wait.  I fear that under the big apple tree out the front may have been too hot for them during the summer so they may need to be relocated.
 I'll just think about that for now.
 

Today's message from the BOM.
""Make the most of some sunshine today Victorians. Plenty of rain, showers, snow on alps for the next week or so.""
Oh really?? Now I'll be worried that the lawn seed floats away or rots!
I knew we should have planted it four weeks ago!

 

Have a great week everyone. 
Hope you all get some rain.