Changing minds with blue twine

Potager planning

Actually this was take two.

Bill had already arranged the blue twine how he thought it should be when I was out one day......big mistake.

I changed my mind.

Then a quick look on Pinterest.....

......oh yes, I love this one. Let's do that fence. 

( audible groan from Bill.)

Luckily, only a couple of the posts were in and they were fine.

Today it looks like this......

And then on to the catmint walk.

I originally dug 80 holes.

Then changed my mind.....

Let's just go with 40. The line on the left and the line on the right and leave the middle beds for a mix of plantings.

Catmint ( nepeta) grows so easily and is pretty when covered in mauve flowers. We have it throughout the rose garden. It is easy to dig up and divide so a no-cost option. Got to love that!

Seed scattering.....

( Nature has a way of producing the perfect containers for it's seeds. )

These ones went in seed raising mix.

This delightful little posy of loveliness also came  from Viv. 

It was such hard work separating clumps of James Nottle kniphofia  ( yellow poker) but I'm sure it will be worth it.

I adore this plant in flower and now there'll be twice as many.

This photo was taken in January. 

Still in Bali........

Scrumptious little thing.

Amy spent a few days with Mum last week playing a board game marathon!

Amy..."Some people put flowers on graves. Me..? I put silverbeet."

There you go Pa. Hope you love your silver beet from your garden!!!!

 We are off to celebrate Mum's birthday next weekend. She turns 87.

Food for the soul

If gardening is food for the soul (as it is for me), then I have unashamedly been gorging myself over the last three beautiful days. 

It's when I see this native gorgeousness, that I sometimes think it would be good to grow more natives in our garden. This is a hakea called Burrendong Beauty. 
It's a bit of a sprawler but nothing that a trim can't fix. 

My propagating frenzy of a few weeks ago is showing amazing promise, especially since they have been placed in the mini hot house.
Look at this............!!!!!

I've been propagating, planting, re locating, mulching, potting up, potting out, digging up, digging out, weeding, watering in, re designing, thinking about, gazing at and wondering how all this will look in Spring.
I have been in seventh heaven in the sun and fresh air!

Bill has been out there too, soaking up the sun and  having the time of his life. Thank goodness there are always dead branches that he can attack with the chain saw or garden clippings that need to be mulched.
 Anything really, that involves starting a noisy motor! 

I collected these seeds from the lilium flowers that weren't picked and shoved them in a plastic bag in the potting shed. 
Lo and behold a few of them have started to shoot!
( forgot to take a photo in the excitement)
So I poked them in some potting mix.  
I can't believe that it would be that easy.......
Still nothing on the scales that were peeled off the bulbs a few weeks ago. 

It's been weeks since I sewed.

My little pile from today.

.......and then this arrived today in the mail.

On my bedside table at the moment....

Some more of Dad's creations.
I remember these being used as a child.
No open fires or ranges in the kitchen any more so they had been relegated to The Shed.
Bill gave them a spruce up and they now take pride of place in our lounge room next to our open fire.

And always not far from our minds.......
currently soaking up some sunshine in Bali with his Mum and Dad.

They are staying with some friends in a villa.
 They have their own pool ........and Flynn is contained.
We all took turns to chase after him this time last year! 
Hope everyone has received some rain. Our frog pond is filling as we speak.
Keep warm!

Soothing our souls

We have all been finding ways to soothe our souls these last couple of weeks.

There's been lots of comfort food.......

                                              ( thanks Heidi )

.....and wine.

( to be perfectly honest, we just like the label!!!)
No, we actually do like the wine too.

And just being together on Mother's Day while the boys cooked a beautiful roast lunch and Jake practised his skills at being Roof Man.

Amy has been planting some of Pa's seed collection.

And having cuddles with her little pooches.

I've been looking at what's been happening in my own backyard and being thankful for how the simplest of things can be so calming.

Dad made the watering can.
On top is a seedling planter, also one of Dad's cleverly crafted creations. 

Bill has been out in his shed......making things.
Another mini hot house, this time for Amy's seed plantings.   

We brought home some pieces of glass from the windows of an old van that Dad had fashioned into a mini hot house in the vegie garden.
We are going to use them in exactly the same way to get our seedlings going in Winter.

And of course there will always be flowers even when we think there is nothing worth picking.

Thank you for the potted plants Ruth and Ross. Can't wait to smell the rose flowers.

This little boy soothes our souls and makes our hearts sing.

 He is off to the toy room on his scooter to show us his motorbike and ninja turtle nunchukka (????)

We are bouncing around in the orange bag (on the ipad  having Facetime). 
Bless him.