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Friday, July 29, 2011

Pretty, pretty, pretty

The violets are ever so nice right now. It is quite remarkable how such little flowers can fill a room with their heady scent.




The daffodils are lovely and simply jocund. I am trying to create a meadow effect and every year there are a few more flowers in the lawn. The rabbits do enjoy chewing the stems but I have found that spreading a little blood and bone around deters the rabbits and most likely fertilises the bulbs too.




This Paradise camellia (the name escapes me), is bright and showy. A colour I can carry off in the garden which I would never wear. Definitely not modest.




The winter days are starting to lengthen with a touch of spring in the air at least during the sunny days. Hopefully with the return to warmer weather my blogging will pick up.


Tracy








Thursday, July 21, 2011

Watermelon Challenge




This year the Junior Landcare Challenge is to grow the biggest watermelon. Hope participated in the pumpkin challenge a couple of years ago and it was fun and a good home school project too. It isn't too demanding, just checking in every so often. The seeds are provided. All you have to do is plant, nurture and enjoy. If anyone is interested, the registration page is here.





Tracy

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chilly

Today is bleak. Wind , rain and sleet. Just perfect for staying indoors. I do love a nice misty day though. Everything seems quiet and peaceful. I have spent a little time today looking at seed catalogues. Even if I don't order any seeds this year, the catalogues with their tempting pictures are a nice reminder that the new growing season is on its way. It will be here soon enough and this lovely cool winter will be a memory.

I have been keeping records for a little while now and this winter is the coolest we have had for a few years. Many frosty mornings and low temperatures generally. It is just how winter should be for these parts.

When it is cold, it is nice to eat cake. I made this Pink Velvet cake on Saturday. It was delicious. It took us a couple of days but we managed to finish it off. It isn't overly sweet which I like and has the most luscious frosting with marscapone, cream cheese and icing sugar. A little goes a long way.


For those who commented on my 200th post. Thank you. I have the giveaway sorted ready to be sent soon.

Take care,

Tracy



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Surprise winter vegetables

I don't have some magic trick to grow tomatoes throughout a frosty winter. This basketful of tomatoes and a few chillies was picked towards the end of autumn and have ripened up nicely on the verandah. The tomatoes are firm and just the thing for tonights pizza dinner. I have the spelt pizza dough rising by the fire and everything else prepared for a laid-back dinner. So here I am writing a blog post which is apparently number 200.

I will save what else I was going to share for another day. As it is the 200th post, I will have a wee giveaway. If you would like to be in the running to receive a small surprise parcel from Sunny Corner Farm, just leave a comment on this post. I will draw the lucky name on Sunday, 17th July.
Tracy




Monday, July 11, 2011

In my last post I did sound a little down but I'm not at all really. Thank you to everyone who showed concern. It does lift the spirits to know that people care.

After another fruitless ram hunting trip on Thursday, we decided that to get what we were looking for, we would have to both spend a little bit of money and travel a bit further from home. Consequently, we drove to Bathurst to buy our new as yet un-named ram. The drive with a trailer in tow is about 6 hours each way so we made it an overnight stay and spent Friday night in Mudgee. With an early start for Bathurst on Saturday.
Whenever I visit a town actually whenever I see a rotunda, I always take a picture. The one above is in Bathurst and at 7:30 am on a cold July morning I just took a quick snap and headed back to the car.

The rotunda in the park at Mudgee was probably just as nice bit as it is surrounded by a rose garden, it is not at its best mid-winter.


Sunday was spent in that recovery mode which always seems to occur after a trip no matter how quick. It always feels like you have been away from home for too long. Today is much nicer. Sunny a little breezy and great weather for gardening. It could only be nicer if the said gardening was not weeding.

Tracy



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Out of focus

My blog posts of late all seem to me to lack any focus. They are pretty much wishy-washy and not really abour anything at all. This one included most likely. Perhaps it is a mid-year/ winter slump but I can't seem to get my act together. I am just plodding along on blogger and in the real world too.Puss is feeling it too. A little world-weary. Unlike Puss though, I am not going to curl up on the bed to sleep it off, I'm not physically tired. I just need to do something. What I don't know. Just something. Then I will have something to write about.
Tracy






Monday, July 4, 2011

Cloudy Weather

I love gardening in cloudy weather. Rugged up in a warm jacket. Today has been one of those days. The kids are all on school holidays so routine is out the window and it the day is ours to do as we please. I have been outside for most of the day. The daffodils have started flowering and provided a little bit of sunshiny colour to an otherwise grey day.


Camellia "Yuletide"

The home Tim and I bought when we married had many mature camellias. The camellias were such a garden feature that we called our home "Camellia Cottage". It was the start of my love for camellias. I think they have an understated beauty. Sunny Corner Farm had none when we arrived and the ones we have planted are putting on their show now. The above is a variety called Yuletide. This specimen has survived, drought, grasshoppers, sheep and a shetland pony attack and is finally flowering. Just like the other camellias in the garden, it has what I think is a subtle green tea fragrance. Lovely.

While I had the camera outside with me, I snapped a picture of Colin the turkey. He is very proud and not the bird you want following you around the garden. I like him anyway.

Tracy