Head in the Clouds – Feet in the Dirt – Page 133 – Traipsing through life in NW Tasmania

Garden Update

Yesterday was a non-raining day, so we took Ruby’s raised garden bed down to her place, then filled the trailer with a scoop of topsoil on our way home.

Oh my! Not thinking about the weight of sodden wet soil – you know, since its been raining! 😀

Poor trailer! I was a bit worried about getting home without blowing a tyre!

So while Jeff got to ride his fun mower, I got to sort out my raised garden bed.

I hit a slight snag – access to the vegie patch via wheelbarrow doesn’t work… gates too small and we wired up the bottom one anyway because I didn’t think I needed it, to stop chickens getting in!

I had to line the bottom with newspaper bit by bit as the wind was a bit fierce (Not Florida-Fierce, but def. newspaper problematic)

So, after hauling 5 or 6 buckets of sodden soil down the yard and over a fence, I got a bit over it. So at least I had taken a bit of pressure off the tyres, and drove the car down the back and did some masterful maneuvering between the plum trees to get the trailer closer to my garden bed.

I also had to unwire the gate, but had to leave the top wire in place as the whole fence would have had to been sorted if I mucked about with that one! So I had to duck under it with my bucket!!

I will still need to add some good compost into this – but that is for another day

While I was happy to see the garden bed full, I was equally happy to see the trailer empty.

Now I have to decide what to put in it!

And check out my little heirloom tomatoes!

This was yesterday – they are even bigger again today!

I am also excited to see flowers appearing on the tomatoes that are in the hothouse!

I think I need to get a small punnet of tomatoes to just get some in the outside garden going now as well.

My bottle-clad lettuce are doing ok. They haven’t grown a lot but neither have they died!! So thats got to be a good thing.

The two surviving blueberries are trying to flower! Totally need to get in and clear the area around their base, feed them something nutritious and give them some general TLC

My tiny Rhododendron popping out with more flowers!

The raspberries are slowly coming along and greening up. Really itching to get in here to weed & feed & mulch!

If anyone was wondering how much space we use for our vegetable garden, we actually got out the tape measure to see.

The main patch is 30ft X 38ft (9X11mt)
The raspberry patch is two rows of canes of 20ft each (6mt)
The new space in the ‘duck yard’ is going to be approx 24ft x 20ft (7X6mt)
We also have the separate raised garden bed behind the hothouse, the strawberry patch, the herb garden and of course the hothouse!

Should keep us fed!

Pretty things are slowly appearing everywhere!

Rain is back tomorrow, but I guess I can put the fire on and finish Ruby’s party photos and take it easy! I helped out a friend on her market stall today – she had fresh scones and cakes!

I earned myself $20 & 13 scones! lol. That takes my Texas Fund up to $130.20!! Don’t think the scones will help though! 😀

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Calendar for Next Year

Hello – It’s 10.30pm and I just had dinner! The night kinda got away from me. So instead of garden updates or Friday’s Footprints, I am going to share my calendar project with you.

Source Images: DSC_3991.JPG (Av: F13.0; Tv: 1/640 sec.; ISO: 250; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — January – Sisters Beach

I made a calendar last year, mostly as Christmas presents, but I also was asked to put them in a local shop & I also sold a few at our beachside market.

Source Images: DSC_0687.JPG (Av: F11.0; Tv: 1/500 sec.; ISO: 500; FL: 52.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — February – Good Food from Good Tasmanian Soil

It went pretty well, so I thought I would do another one this year. Naturally I am totally not organised, hence being so late with things tonight – the company I used finally had a sale on making calendars that ends Sunday, and I am busy all day tomorrow. So it needs to be sorted now!

Source Images: DSC_3218.JPG (Av: F22.0; Tv: 1/3 sec.; ISO: 0; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — March – Fossil Bluff

It took me an eon of agonising tonight to put 12 images together!!

4-april — April – Fungi from Waratah & Dip Falls

Its kind of meant to be local but I have stretched the borders of ‘local’ a little in a couple of cases

Source Images: DSC_2619.JPG (Av: F11.0; Tv: 1/500 sec.; ISO: 250; FL: 16.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — May – Hiker in Rocky Cape National Park

Source Images: DSC_0648.JPG (Av: F32.0; Tv: 1/20 sec.; ISO: 0; FL: 28.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — June – High Tide at Fossil Bluff

I think throughout the upcoming year I will have to try to get specific photos for a calendar – actually think “Calendar” at the time of taking the photo.

Source Images: DSC_2441.JPG (Av: F13.0; Tv: 1/800 sec.; ISO: 200; FL: 20.0 mm) DSC_2442.JPG (Tv: 1/640 sec.) DSC_2443.JPG (Tv: 1/400 sec.) DSC_2444.JPG (Tv: 1/320 sec.) DSC_2440.JPG (Tv: 1/500 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — August – Driftwood on Black River Beach

Where as I have a lot of photos that I like – its trying to think what a stranger/tourist/person buying a present would like hanging on their wall all year.

Source Images: DSC_8242.JPG (Av: F11.0; Tv: 1/800 sec.; ISO: 800; FL: 48.0 mm) DSC_8244.JPG (Tv: 1/400 sec.) DSC_8240.JPG (Tv: 1/640 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — September – After the Rain at Anniversary Bay

And annoyingly I have just remembered right now while typing this that I will need another image that will be put on the front of the calendar!!!! (Rolls eyes)

10-october — October – Tulip Time at Wynyard

Source Images: DSC_1381.JPG (Av: F8.0; Tv: 1/250 sec.; ISO: 800; FL: 20.0 mm) DSC_1382.JPG (Av: F7.1; Tv: 1/200 sec.) DSC_1383.JPG (Av: F7.1; Tv: 1/200 sec.) DSC_1384.JPG (Av: F8.0; Tv: 1/250 sec.) DSC_1380.JPG (Av: F9.0; Tv: 1/320 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — November – The Tangled Mossy Forests at Cradle Mt NP

I tarted up a photo in ‘Fusion’ to get my last rainbow shot a bit more dramatic than it was before… 🙂

Source Images: DSC_8276.JPG (Av: F11.0; Tv: 1/800 sec.; ISO: 640; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — December – Rainbow over Anniversary Bay Beach

So thats the main lot…

OK – Just went through my very long ‘shortlist’ and here are some possibilities for the front cover – feel totally free to write and tell me your opinion!!!

Cheers and I will catch you up on garden stuff tomorrow!

Source Images: DSC_0451.JPG (Av: F10.0; Tv: 1/160 sec.; ISO: 2000; FL: 60.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — It was local – in my backyard 🙂

Source Images: DSC_1118.JPG (Av: F13.0; Tv: 1/1250 sec.; ISO: 400; FL: 28.0 mm) DSC_1119.JPG (Tv: 1/1000 sec.) DSC_1120.JPG (Tv: 1/640 sec.) DSC_1121.JPG (Tv: 1/500 sec.) DSC_1117.JPG (Tv: 1/800 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — Sisters Beach

Source Images: DSC_1910.JPG (Av: F18.0; Tv: 1/1250 sec.; ISO: 1000; FL: 28.0 mm) DSC_1911.JPG () DSC_1912.JPG (Av: F16.0; Tv: 1/1000 sec.) DSC_1913.JPG (Av: F14.0; Tv: 1/800 sec.) DSC_1909.JPG (Av: F16.0; Tv: 1/1000 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — Again – Local!! (Our backyard)

Source Images: DSC_3987.JPG (Av: F14.0; Tv: 1/800 sec.; ISO: 250; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — Sisters Beach

Progress!

Today I have been as happy as a little pig in a muddy puddle! Mother Nature took a break from being a maniac, and the rain ceased for most of the day! So on went the gardening clothes and we dived right in!

My goal was to (apart from weed like mad) get my new raised garden bed placed where I wanted it

Slowly looking better – Jeff in the background on a one-man vendetta against the twitch!

Haven’t decided what will be planted in this spot yet

I took a short break to play with the chickens… they follow me like little lambs, so I did a few laps of the yard with them hot on my heels.

Rewards for providing me with entertainment

We are getting 8 or 9 eggs a day now. I REALLY need to go rustle up some customers!

Back to work!

This is the area we removed the fence from to open it up

I’ll get a trailer load of topsoil to help fill this as we won’t have enough of our own compost just yet

And what treasures did we dig up today? Apart from a small broken bottle, there was this weird hard ball…

Plenty of fat worms

And best of all a 1980 twenty cent piece!! Score!

I now have $110.20 in my kitty to get to Texas next year!! haha

And since yesterday my little tomato has shot up and even better, was joined by about 20 of its mates! 🙂 Gotta be happy about that!

weird how something so tiny will produce you many kilograms of fruit!

It was a great day, a really good feeling to have made significant progress!

Enjoy your day too!

Cheers!

PS Occasional extras on my Facebook page!

Wednesday…

Finally a bit of garden excitement despite the continual dreariness of the weather! My first tomato seed has started to unfold! Its so tiny!!

I have mentioned before my very bad track record with starting tomatoes from seed – so I am full of hope today! These seeds are an heirloom variety – beefsteak- given to my by my sister Michelle.

View of the weather, filtered by my hothouse.

I got a funny message from my other sister, Rosemary today stating “I think I need to be paying a fee to be related to you”

Puzzling, but I immediately asked how much?? 🙂

Turns out Rosemary is taking Emma over to Japan for Christmas (big sister envy) and she emailed a guesthouse in Osaka to make a booking. They actually weren’t taking booking yet for that time however “you’re the sister of Lisa from Tasmania aren’t you”? And reserved them a room even though their books aren’t open yet!!

That made me laugh. I must have made an impression!! 🙂

Anyway – back to the rain and gloom of Tassie! The forecast drops back to ‘cloudy’ for a few days then back to ‘Insane-Build-An-Ark’ weather

Still… our new manferns are loving it

The one at the front has come a long way in a short time! Maybe when it stops raining I will try a day of timelapse photography on it!

A few seedlings are emerging… slowly slowly.

A bunch of random flower seeds… will go out into ‘old’ strawberry patch when they are big enough

I’d like to say I have never planted beetroot in the hothouse. How they got here is a mystery! But hey… its food right? I’ll just keep watering them

I made a recent discovery on how useful a pump bottle was to water seedlings!! I am a bit of a fan now! My watering can is not so good for watering little seedlings – its apt to come out in a deluge (and lets face it – I am rather over deluges!!) and wash away all the seeds or upset them! I tried a spray bottle, but at the risk of sounding lame, it was just hard work and made my hand hurt! (wah wah). Anyway, these bottles are fabulous… the nozzle keeps the water in check and they are easy to squeeze to sprinkle what water I need into each pot.

Hope everyone is staying drier than we are!

Cheers!

Source Images: DSC_2070.JPG (Av: F13.0; Tv: 1/640 sec.; ISO: 500; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — Brief moment of no rain – plenty of gloom tho!

Guide Falls

Jeff wanted to drive out to whoop-whoop today (long way out in country) to see about joining a lapidary club.

Anyway, we pretty much drove past the road to Guide Falls so we thought we would stop by to see what it looked like with a ton of water flowing over it…

Some photos from our half hour stop.

Source Images: DSC_2025.JPG (Av: F22.0; Tv: 1/20 sec.; ISO: 0; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_1959.JPG (Av: F14.0; Tv: 1/125 sec.; ISO: 320; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_1993.JPG (Av: F18.0; Tv: 1/40 sec.; ISO: 250; FL: 20.0 mm) DSC_1994.JPG (Tv: 1/30 sec.) DSC_1995.JPG (Tv: 1/20 sec.) DSC_1996.JPG (Tv: 1/15 sec.) DSC_1992.JPG (Tv: 1/25 sec.) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_2000.JPG (Av: F11.0; Tv: 1/25 sec.; ISO: 400; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_2004.JPG (Av: F18.0; Tv: 1/1250 sec.; ISO: 400; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1) — I just stuck my camera over the barrier and hoped for the best… didn’t look where I was aiming because it would have been impossible. The spray was like an instant bath!

Source Images: DSC_2019.JPG (Av: F22.0; Tv: 1/30 sec.; ISO: 0; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_2030.JPG (Av: F22.0; Tv: 1/25 sec.; ISO: 200; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Source Images: DSC_2036.JPG (Av: F22.0; Tv: 1/30 sec.; ISO: 0; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Cheers!

Ruby Tuesday – A Brief Garden Update

Hello!

I didn’t get back to Ruby’s today – we are still being rained upon heavily so there just isn’t much we can achieve outside lately!

I don’t mind getting a bit soggy when working in gardens… but I am a sook about staying outside when the rain is plummeting down and cold as well!

I did pop in yesterday to tell Ruby (confess) I had bought her a raised garden bed for her strawberries. Her old one we made up a couple of seasons back is just is too low for her to manage safely and easily. I thought she might resist if I asked her, so I just did it!

I asked her about just trying it for this season, and if she really didn’t like it, I would take it back, no worries.

The thing is, her eyesight is about gone and one of the last proper interests she has and can do is her garden. It really gives her that bit of very important independence. She even told me recently she lived for her garden! I want to try things (like this raised bed) to extend the time she has and the enjoyment factor by making things a little easier.

She does love her strawberries and I knew she was contemplating just not worrying about them this season.

When it stops raining, we will take the bed down and work out a good place to put it, so it can get watered via her sprinklers and she can get around it with her milk crates (remember her milk crates are what she sits on to do the majority of her gardening these days…)

As another big plus… fresh soil/compost in the new garden will be free of oxalis so what’s not to love about that??? 😀

I turn my back for a day, and she has planted something else! Some tomato seedlings!

Anyway, while waiting for the weather to behave, I enjoy popping in for cuppas & raiding the bikkie jars. Not to mention fabulous stories.

I’ll update news on the new strawberry patch as soon as we have some action!

Cheers!!

Shoeboxes and More Rain

Hand-made soft toys destined for a new home

Being of a limited income, a few years ago I settled on one charity to play with. Since I love making parcels, the shoe-box one (via Operation Christmas Child) seemed pretty tailor made for me.

Actually this year is the first in a while I haven’t done a bundle of my own – not sure what I have been doing with my time, but for me its the kind of thing you need to be vaguely working on all year – picking up suitable items at throw-out prices. Too stressful and expensive to do it in a rush… so I have sensibly ‘let it go’ this year.

For those of you not familiar, a shoe box is packed for a boy or girl of one of three age groups – 2-4 years, 5-9 years and 10-14 years old. Each box is to contain something to love, something for school, something for personal hygiene, something to play with and something to wear… along with other special bits and pieces. They are then shipped out to children in poor/remote areas who possibly have never had something new in their lives.

Australia & New Zealand tend to send them out to places like Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam…

While I am not part of any of the local churches (schools and other community groups do them as well as individuals) I like to go and help pack them up. A couple of weeks ago I went to Ruby’s church where they had about 120 boxes decorated and ready to pack with items they had collected all year.

Yesterday, Shirley from the Baptist church (and local OCC Co-ordinater) called me asking if I could lend another pair of hands!

Sure – since we are still getting drowned out there I couldn’t see me playing in the garden! 🙂

Afterwards I ducked into Ruby’s for a cuppa and a confession – I bought her a raised garden bed for her strawberries!! I think I may have gotten away with that, but let me save the story for Ruby Tuesday!

As I mentioned… the weather is not letting up at all. The river flooded again and the ocean is a dirty muddy colour due to the runoff into the river flooding the mouth.

Maybe tomorrow we can catch a break in the weather??

Cheers!

Source Images: DSC_1940.JPG (Av: F9.0; Tv: 1/1600 sec.; ISO: 320; FL: 20.0 mm) Processing: Fusion F.3 (HDR; Mode 1)

Bye Niece!

We were off to the airport this morning as Emma’s week with us was at an end. She does assure us she will be back soon!! 🙂

Was fun having her stay – love having a ‘Garden Slave’ (she took that very well) 🙂

Not much else noteworthy happened at Norwich House today… I did get another raised garden bed from the market – if it stops bucketing down out there I’ll take a photo tomorrow!!

I did catch up on a little much needed housework! I suppose it has to be done sometime!

Amazingly its been just us for the whole day and no-one else has booked in to stay! Haha – people have probably seen our weed problems and have no intentions of coming to get roped into that! 🙂

Hope your weekend was fabulous!

Cheers!

Odd pickings!! The broccoli was on our plates tonight and was very nice! Girls laying well despite the dodgy weather, and a whole lot of little tiny chillies to do something with!

Weeds & Worms

Annoying! This plot was clear a couple of months ago!!

Despite the on & off again rain, we got into this plot to make a start on weeding (again)(sigh)

Jeff was a bit annoyed as he wanted to finish the main garden. I just wanted a change of scenery!

Plus the chickens had the BEST day! 😀

I think they must have been full to popping!

Actually – this one did accidentally ‘pop’

Oopsie – that top will need a bit of a wash!! Sorry darling niece!! 😀

It takes longer when several chickens are getting under your tools to get the worms and squabbling about them, pecking each other on the head!!

Hopefully we will get some weather breaks this week to really finish off clearing our plots out!

Early night for me – we are up early tomorrow to take Emma back to the airport. The week has gone too quickly!

Cheers!

Flowers & Rain

G’day… Guess what? Its still raining! A lot.

We did at least get out of the house today and took a drive to Stanley to see a lady who owns our favourite shop there – Sticks, Stones, Shells & Bones. So you can imagine we are in heaven in there! So many amazing shells, fossils & that kind of thing from all over the world.

I have become friends with Cassie, the owner, as I always visit, take guests and generally lurk about her shop when we are up that way.

Later in the afternoon, Emma and I went down to Ruby’s for an afternoon tea with Margie and my other two cousins, Ann and Fiona. It was a great afternoon – filled with stories, laughs and sponge cake!!

I can’t tell you how good this was!!! Ruby is a champion at sponges!

Anyway, I did do a bit of a soggy walk around the garden with my camera. I am dying for spring to really take hold – looking for anything with colour or potential! Soon it will be pretty fabulous, but I hate waiting!

First potatoes out of the soil already! Excited!

The young cherry trees have some blossoms this year! Maybe we will get a couple of cherries this season!!!

Every day the man-ferns are unfolding more fronds!

I keep looking everyday for the first blossoms on our ornamental cherry blossom tree! Nearly there!

I hope your day was equally fun and colourful!

Cheers!