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Tuesday 17 September 2013

Happy Birthday, flowers and knitting

Caspar, the daxie that I gave to my God-daughter Shanay for Christmas in 2005 when she was six, is eight years old today. Happy Birthday, Caspar!


 
We planted a Natal Wild Banana in the garden about eight or nine years ago. Every winter, the frost burns the leaves, but it still survives. This year, it has rewarded us with a flower. It looks just like a white strelitzia.
 
 




Every year the wisteria amazes me by bursting into blossom. The ground is very dry, and it gets no water from one rainy season to the next. It is cut back hard in the autumn, and this is our reward!




I bought a lot of yarn from Talana Museum, among my purchase was some lovely soft chenille. I am making Aran sweaters for my two great-grand-daughters. This is the welt and first twelve rows of the first one.
 



Our two orange trees have surpassed themselves this year. The fruit is now ripening, so each morning I pick a bowl full, and juice them for breakfast. Nothing nicer!
 

 
Cheers!


Tuesday 10 September 2013

Lots of vegetables

I have a large shade house where I grow my vegetables. There is overhead mist irrigation, which makes watering very easy.
This is what I have at the moment:


 
The spitz cabbages are starting to make heads.
 

Spinach
 

 
A patch of healthy-looking carrots
 
 
We're enjoying peas at the moment
 

Just seconds before I at them!


 
I pulled this carrot just to see how big they are getting. It tasted good.
 
 
The broccoli is coming on fast.

Sunday 1 September 2013

A tree full of birds, and Mucky Pups.

I heard a lot of chattering birds one afternoon this week, and I saw this tree in a neighbour's garden.
 


I've been making these for Creations at Talana. I call them Mucky Pups.
They are beadwork chains on which you hang your serviette.



This is how I plan to display them.
 

This is a close-up of the beadwork.
 

I like the little pegs on the ends. They could be used to hold your specs as well.