Traipsing through life in NW Tasmania
My day consisted of being out and about & some general domestics.
So I thought I would just leave some images of spring here.
Hope your weekend is a heap of fun!
And the rest just cherry blossoms as I am still over-excited to see it everyday
Oh – I did do the right thing by my plants, seeds and seedings by giving everything a good water – even though we have rain forecast tomorrow!
Cheers!
Hello! Wow – Friday again. That came around quick!
We had an excellent day – the weather was showing off by not raining again, so we were outside pretty much for all of it.
After attending to seedings, watering etc, we thought we might as well try to do something with the umpteen free pallets we scored the other day
I have a fair few pallet projects pinned on Pinterest, none of which I have really gotten into as yet. But we really did need a new fence on the top side of the property
All we have done to keep the chickens to their side of the yard, was unravel some chicken wire and bang in a few stakes.
Why not a pallet fence? What’s the worst that can happen?? Can’t look any more dodgy than what we have got.
Because of the sloping nature of the area, we decided to just plant each pallet in level, but stepped down from the previous one. (Can you tell the expert builders in this area?? haha)
This corner was just getting worse as it got more and more neglected. It was our original compost that went slightly out of control. The stones we put in a pile next to it to ‘store’ but with the weather, a lot has been washed further from where they are meant to be, making mowing a bit tricky.
Gloves, digging fork and a while later –
There should be some good compost underneath. We will make new bays behind this fence to have a place to just throw weeds/garden clippings that is separate from my other composts
Things got really serious! Out with the power tools!
By the end of the day we were pretty pleased with ourselves.
Better than the other manky fence. Now I am trying to work out whether to paint it (which we should probably do to extend its lifespan a bit – they are only pallets afterall, can’t expect too much) and what colour, and perhaps plant something at the base, or even a hanging/wall garden…
I tell you, the nicest part of the whole day was plonking my backside down under the cherry blossom to just enjoy lying on the grass looking up at the sky and pink fluffy blossoms. I even got Jeff to join me for a few minutes of nature appreciation!
Time to face-plant my bed.
Have a super weekend everyone!
Cheers
I pottered about today – my biggest achievements were uncovering seedings, watering gardens and covering them back up again. I enjoy watering 🙂
Clear skies mean I can have a bit more of a play trying out night shots. Its amazing what the camera picks up that the eye doesn’t see – especially when enhancing them a bit.
Anyway – was just experimenting trying to get the cherry blossoms in the frame with the stars – in between inconvenient trucks and their massive headlights driving past!!
Anyway – its a work in progress! We do get the Southern Lights in Tasmania – but I haven’t seen them yet! I would love to capture an aurora on my camera! I just have to practice my skills, just in case I am lucky enough to see one!
Hope your day has been lovely!
Cheers
Yesterday we worked pretty hard in the duck yard – trying to really make way on those weeds!
My main aim was to get one decent patch ready and prep it for putting in the first patch of corn
The chooks are pretty disgusted that we have shut them out of the duck yard now – where all the good worm pickings are!
I also decided to risk putting out my tiny heirloom beefsteak tomatoes into the outside bed.
I of course gave them a little hothouse each
Oh my goodness – I can’t tell you how much I hurt last night… and today probably worse! haha – I knew I was pushing it a bit yesterday, but the end was in sight and I couldn’t leave the job. Serves me right. I am not twenty something anymore!!
So… today I thought I would take it easy.
This is me taking it easy – first step… go and plant 60 seeds of corn
Oh look! I didn’t know I had a pot with celery growing in it!! Lucky. Better plant that in the garden properly
Damn – I really don’t want another massive broccoli plant in the hothouse over summer…
Now out in the garden outside where it is looking really unhappy! Oh well… it has to toughen up!
While I am at it, this self seeded tomato needs to join its tomato friends outside too
While I was in the hothouse mood, I figured I could plant out a few of the heirloom capsicums and prep a spot and plant the cucumbers too
A rogue banana-passionfruit had taken root in the hothouse and was growing madly everywhere – so I dug that up too and moved it. Tied it to the fence and it has to take its chances too – sink or swim.
I also had to tie my snow peas back towards the climbing frame, as the wind keeps pushing them forward, not giving them a chance to latch on and climb up.
ooooo – and look! Beetroot!! Self seeded in the hothouse, and little attention from me. Bonus!
By this time I must admit to walking slightly crooked, so had to give up and come inside where I treated myself to a heavenly radox bath!!
Anyway, time for me to head back outside and cover all the little seedlings and say goodnight to them!
Hope you had a lovely day!
Cheers!
Hello! I am a bit all over the place when it has come to keeping my Ruby Tuesday schedule… We have been back and forth a lot more, dabbling in her garden while the weather has been kinder.
Earlier this week you saw we filled up her new raised garden bed – naturally as soon as we were out of sight she was back in the garden digging up strawberry plants and getting them in! I really hope she enjoys using this newfangled garden!!
Last week Ruby’s potatoes looked like this-
Yesterday while Jeff was chopping wood and filling the trailer, I attended to a few garden issues, like the potatoes
Lots of colour everywhere. I really like the way Ruby has so many flowering plants in among her main vegetable garden. Its productive AND pretty!
After some advice from a reader, (Thank-you Amy) I went and asked Ruby if I could collect some nasturtium seeds, as I plan to try to grow them among the pumpkins and zucchini
Oh course, a visit is not complete without a cuppa. But this time the nurses got together to… nurse! lol  Jeff needed a BP reading for a doctors appointment so Ruby was delighted to get out her blood pressure cuff and sort him out!
Therein ensued a very nursey talk about how things were done in the old days, equipment etc. Â Jeff was saying he was so glad he worked in the time of electronic thermometers! Â But Ruby loved the old style thermometer… simply because it took some time to register and get a reading, she said it was the only time they got to sit and rest!
Next on our list when we go to collect more wood is to juice as many lemons as possible and freeze! Look at how wonderful her tree is!
Hope you have had a great day!
Cheers
PS occasional extras on my facebook page
Hello!
The promised sunshine continued – so it was another outside, out & about day. Â We picked up about 20 free pallets, so now I guess I will have to roam about Pinterest to see what we can do with them all!
So – do you notice anything different about this plot since yesterday?
A small amount of weeding got done, but a ton of rocks got relocated
We will be using them as a border for a new garden at some point. In the meantime I know Jeff will adore mowing around them.
Anyway, back to the never ending weeding in the duck yard. I dug this part of the plot over despite the ‘help’ from many chickens! Its nerve wracking using the fork as there is a good chance of skewering one as she dives for a worm!
Several pumpkin & zucchini now have new homes. I am a bit naughty about the whole ‘hardening off’ process. Meaning I don’t bother. Â I cover them in plastic bottles in the evenings, let them out when the weather is nice then gradually forget to cover them up at night. They are usually used to the whole big outdoors by then. Also acts as a barrier to slugs and snails
It just felt good to plant something else.
With more seeds and seedlings in the garden now, I feel compelled to get out there and hand water. So the evening routine is a bit longer, and we are coming in for dinner a lot later these days.
We went into Ruby’s and collected more of the wood from her fallen trees. I’d like to use some of these as seats and some as planters. So not all is destined for the fire
My little flower plot out the back is showing progress! I am seeing all three of the seed types above ground now!
The gilder rose has totally fooffed out in recent days too! (yes I made that word up, but I like it)
Hope your weeks starts fabulously too!
Cheers!
Blue skies ALL DAY!! What a treat!!
We decided to nip down to Ruby’s and fix up her new raised strawberry bed. She also had a couple of trees come down & we wanted to start collecting the wood she has offered to us (apparently its going to be just burned anyway, so it might as well get burnt in our wood fire)
We picked up a half scoop of topsoil to help fill the new bed
The raised bed had been placed in a totally different spot to what we discussed earlier. Ruby had been out in the garden – weeded the new area, relocated some garlic and got Margie to help her move the bed!!! I think Ruby reacts really well to the better weather!! 😀
I offered to plant her strawberries in it for her, but she wouldn’t hear of it! We had to go in for a cuppa and I bet the moment we were gone she was out with her trowel putting them in! I shall see tomorrow!!
We also swung by the local hardware shop to see if they had pallets they wanted to get rid of. We picked up a boot load of offcuts – don’t have a plan for them, but I am sure they will come in handy.
(BTW Boot=Trunk in case some North Americans hadn’t heard that one before) 🙂
Anyway – back to a few more hours in our duck yard – here is where we started today
This is where we quit
I guess there is a difference!!!
We had Pip out for a while – he has spent way too many days buried under the doona. Today he channelled his inner Siamese and howled a lot!! But I think he enjoyed himself!
I think at about 6.30pm, Jeff and I decided to quit looking for weeds and enjoy being nerds for a while. We got out the metal detector to see what we could dig up… which was a lot of nails. and a nut. 🙂
Time for me to crawl into bed – weather is meant to be great again tomorrow so no lolling about whinging about the rain for me!
Hope your weekend has been brilliant!
Cheers
Nice to sit on the back veranda and enjoy a little warmth for a while! I even let my indoor seedlings out for a stroll!
I bought some apple cucumber seedlings yesterday. I have had success with them in previous seasons – meaning I have been swamped with bucketfuls! Since I plan to sell excess food this season, I figured they would be a good addition to the vegie patch
The parsley is still a little out of control – but I figured I could transplant a few to make some space – and dig up the rogue potatoes
I found some fence thingy that had been left here on the property that we have used in the garden before. Today I planted it in the spot where the cucumbers were to be planted. Hopefully they will be happy about climbing up it.
Time to get the beetroot in the ground too
I also started to plonk in a few of my marigolds around in the vegie patch. Hopefully will attract bees and ward off bugs
I also finally got on top of the weed situation at the entrance of the main vegetable patch – its been bugging me for ages, but really not a priority, as other places we needed to weed to plant food. This area is mostly just aesthetic.
All in all, I feel like I have been reasonably productive and pretty happy with how things are progressing.
Hope everyone’s weekend is great!
Cheers
And the rain came tumbling down again today – it really seemed to set in. It makes the garden look pretty, but I wasn’t so enthused about wallowing in the mud getting cold and wet weeding, so I thought I might trot around town and deliver some of the eggs we seemed to have amassed!
I dropped off a total of 4 dozen, but still need to supply both Margie and Ruby with a dozen each. No worries. Got plenty. Considering doing roadside sales with them soon!
Anyway, I dropped in to see what Ruby was up to & scavenge a cuppa. Â I found her pottering about her garden, oblivious to the rain in her coat and using an umbrella as a walking stick!
I admit I didn’t stick my nose in the hothouse until she knew I was there as I didn’t want a face full of water!! I stood back and called out, so she poked her head out and got me to turn the water off for her.
Ruby was feeling quite chipper, despite the gloom and rain. She had had a good nap and felt energetic enough for a stint in the garden
So we did a tour to see what was happening
I thought Ruby looked great in her rain-garden clothes so I made her stop for a photo – she totally got into the swing of it by posing – pointing toward her gilder rose 😀
We eventually went inside for that cuppa (and cake) and a catch up.
I told her I was heading home as Jeff had the fire on, and I could see an afternoon of comfort and crochet.
Ha!! Got home and because it hadn’t rained for ten minutes, Jeff had a fit of optimism and was back in the duck yard weeding!! Sigh. I couldn’t let him continue alone, so I dragged my grotty clothes back on and joined in the fun! I am sure I will get some updated photos tomorrow for you. The corn may get in the ground soon!!
Hope you have had a lovely day, and an awesome plan for the weekend
Cheers
Had to start with something pretty! Two of the iris graced us with their presence!! They look lovely in the garden outside our kitchen window!
Guess what? A FULL day with no rain! Mega exciting. On with the gardening clothes again and out into the duck-yard (the yard that has never had ducks) to get stuck into the weeding
The weeds in here are so small and fiddly! It really takes forever to dig them out – and mostly we are surrounded by squabbling chooks, looking for worms.
I want to put some runner beans along this fence. And maybe some passionfruit
This was the point I called it quits – Jeff continued on for a while, but I had to clean up and duck into the supermarket. I very much want this sorted out so we can plant our corn ASAP
Todays treasures??
With luck we will be able to get back to it tomorrow – I am about to check the forecast!
I will leave you with a few more iris photos and bid you goodnight!
Cheers!
