Gardening has not been cancelled

It's hard to know where to begin.

Life for all of us has changed in the last few weeks and I can't help thinking that it will never be quite the same again. And in many cases , that's going to be a good thing.

Mind you, we are the quintessential home bodies surrounded by space and with plenty of things to do that we enjoy. I know that many of you don't have that luxury so we are very grateful for what we have.

But this is what I am hoping is happening right now.....

So many conversations to be had.......

We were also grateful that we got to visit Mum a few weeks ago before the aged care facilities all went into lockdown.

Roses for Mum.....



Dennis was able to have a phone set up for in her room with a private number, so we've been able to make calls to her. 

We are very relieved and grateful that she is being cared for. 

We loved this simple act of kindness.....

The resident's names were all chalked on the paths for them to find on their walk.

Sue had been able to take Bill Senior for walks outside when she visited. He even became interested in taking photos out there.

Unfortunately that all came to an abrupt end when the doors of our aged care facilities became closed to visitors. We hope it gets to happen again as soon as it's safe to do so. 

Around our garden path.....no chalked names but lots of other stuff going on.

Bill has taken on the job of being our vegie provider.

Sam......"Oh great. All my favourites!"

My spring bulbs had been planted in the original vegie garden (my heavenly flower patch now ) so there was no other option but to create some new vegie beds.....two, in fact.

And because we needed more soil, Bill did some edging ( that's what we do here on the farm when more dirt is required)!

Sam has been growing things too. He and Bill are great chilli fans.

The girls have been eating their own home grown assortment for a while now. Helen is a gem at getting things to grow.

I've been collecting seeds from as many flowers as I can.

Poppies galore....

The solitary sunflower .....a branched variety and pollen free.

The tomatoes needed to be pulled out to make room for the bulbs. They were so disappointing. Definitely too late with planting the seedlings.

I'm hoping they might ripen up in the potting shed.

It was such a thrill to see some visitors curiously investigating the insect house. Many of the holes have been closed over so there are residents occupying some of the rooms. I wonder what they are.....

My surplus apples turned into apple cider.

The overwhelming verdict was ......." too clove-y". Mmmmm, and a bit sweet. I'll try another batch one day.

By chance, Amy and Helen visited us before travelling became " avoid if possible".

They made some pretty flower bunches to take home using their newly found posy making skills.

We raided Cara's pond for yabbies to use as bait for fishing at Coliban Res.

Poor Helen took her eyes off her fishing line at one stage and the next minute the whole rod, reel and line disappeared. Never to be seen again! 

Amy has been working from home.....mmmm, it must be lunchtime!

There's something to be said for having your pets with you at work.

I wonder whether it makes you more productive.

They keep sending us photos of their fishing prowess.

Helen was on a roll.....she was averaging a fish a day!

It's a five minute walk to the fish cleaning table at the beach.

They love their dark, stormy skies as much as I do.

My little Farmshop is up and running.

I'd forgotten how much time I spend on all the bits involved, but I love it.

Roses having their last hurrah....

A bit of making.....

Using bits and bobs for my coiled basket ( I'm going to keep it as flat as I can before the sides coil up ). I'm making it to "match" the rug in the lounge room.

Sam has been busy making plans.

Still making adjustments.....

No matter what else is happening in the world, the garden is as it should be.

Keep following the rules everyone when at all possible. "Stay at home" doesn't necessarily mean stay inside. Get out in your backyards and immerse yourselves in what's going on out there. 

Become a noticer.

 Pick a bunch of whatever you have growing and bring it inside. 

Stay well. Look after yourselves and each other.

This will pass.