There’s a riot of green in the veggie patch just now, plants are falling all over each other as they jostle for space. Even though I expanded the food garden last year it’s currently more crowded than an Auckland motorway at… Continue Reading
Ah well, here I am picking the last of the basil. The plants might stagger on for another few weeks yet, but as the nights get cooler their leaves are dropping and turning brown. It’s only a matter of time… Continue Reading
Here we are in autumn again. The nights are getting nippier and the ponies are getting fluffier. Summer grows a coat that is plush like a teddy bear. Bonnie just goes all Hairy Maclary on us. In the garden our summer veggie and fruit… Continue Reading
It’s that time. Time to harvest the farmlet vampire deterrent crop. From the original 22 cloves, I harvested 17 bulbs. What happened to the other five is a mystery. Should I be looking for a crucifix wielding hedgehog nicknamed Buffy? Or just a… Continue Reading
I like to think I’m a believer in the permaculture ethic of fair share, but really, enough is enough. Since my autumn planting of kale, the humans in this ecosystem have managed to scrounge only two meals from 12 plants. The rest was gobbled by gastropods. Northland snails… Continue Reading
Look what we found in the study this morning. How it got into the house is a complete mystery (surely not the cat door?), but its presence certainly explains why Maisie was so restless at 3am. I think it’s just… Continue Reading
Yesterday was so warm and sunny here that it felt like spring. I was out working in the veggie garden, and so were the bees. It’s the first time I’ve seen them this far from the bee tree since the… Continue Reading
Well dear Readers, having talked about our zombie defense prep, we now turn our attention to growing an effective vampire deterrent. You can never be too careful when you’re living out in the wilds of Northland, you know. All this to… Continue Reading
I thought it was time for a little update on the garden situation. Those of you who were concentrating may have noticed that I did indeed divert the Northland drought with my Mediterranean garden experiment. That was no thanks to the local farming… Continue Reading
I said I would start one, but then life (and unavoidable maintenance tasks) got in the way. Thankfully though Auntie Jean saved the day and planted lovely green things back in September. This was in addition to braving the swimming pool, and feeding… Continue Reading
