Christmas lights along Franklin Road

Jan and I did a wander down Franklin Rd on a lovely balmy evening last night. All the lights were wonderful and quite magical as the sky lost its pastel glow and descended into reflex blue.

Mandolins, Mum and Magpies

Went to a Gallery opening yesterday, called The Magpies, in honour of the women all exhibiting who termed themselves Magpies, after those cocky black birds from Aussie that love collecting. Bought a bag from Barbara, the woman third from the right.
And Friday night was all about my Mum and her Mandolinata Orchestra - celebrating 40 years of playing. I think it was the last time Mum intended to get her Mandolin out and play with a group so a bit of a special event. That's her in the purple blouse surrounded by friends.
Helen and I, above, and Dad, Helen and Liam below, all came as support.
Lovely night and I think they all enjoyed themselves.

Gardens and potmitts

There IS a certain wildness to my homemade gifts AND my garden. This was going to be a table runner, but it didn't work out, so I made the padded flowers into pot mitts instead. If I apply my favourite word 'quirky' to them, they are okay.
. . . and down below is the back porch scrubbed down, but needing some more I think, to rid it of the slippery surface inevitable in any house in Auckland.
Meanwhile, by the back wall, my garden is blooming. Those are the tomatoes, and the spinach plants.
and the lettuces and baby carrots, with a hint of radish in front.
And nearer the weed end, are the yellow beans and silverbeet. Grow garden, grow.

Christmas a month away

You can tell it's nearing Christmas - strawberries with muesli/flakes for breakfast.
A frantic bout of sewing last Thursday, cutting out without a pattern and experimenting, resulting in these little makeup bags that only Dr Seuss could have made.
I had fun, and I'm hoping they won't be too disappointing if I put some useful items inside them!

My vegie garden now. . .

Something seems to be eating the yellow beans, but haven't found what yet. . .
everything else coming along nicely. I think the lettuces should be ready for Christmas Day lunch.

Twinemoon

Yes, I can't believe it myself, but I was sitting with my two oldest nieces last night between 9:30pm and 2:30am enjoying opening night of New Moon, and a double feature including the first film Twilight. I think some of the excitement has rubbed off in these photos.
Four theatres in this cinema complex booked out.

Sweat, zoodoo, plants and a few days later

Ah, the windowsill in Springtime. Those were buds taken from the rose bushes I fearlessly pruned (belatedly) in preparing the back garden for vegies. Still, quite lovely to see them unfold in from of my nose as I prepare my breakfast.
These pots have now to be dug out and replenished with fresh potting mix and flowers (see below).
But at least amongst all the newly acquired plants, there were vegetables, and now the vegies are in the ground, through a succession of steps that take very little time to type about but took a bit to actually DO.
1) Clearing
2) Zoodoo arrived today, lovely compost of exotic animal droppings.
Spread over garden and then planted.
What a splendid difference to a week ago - and how we live in hope that the snails and slugs can't find the garden now, or confuse it for the zoo.

Well beyond time to get into the garden. . .

Look at it - NOVEMBER already and I've only just taken time out from cycling and reading and baking and sewing (the list goes on) to approach the small jungle outside. My newly moved in neighbour has put me to shame with her potted plants and shrubs, so I rolled up the sleeves, donned the gloves and pulled and pulled on Saturday. It's not much of a garden, but it could be so much MORE.
I've ordered ZOODOO to top up the soil, and then the exotic thought that my vegetables have a little bit of giraffe or elephant in them might just add that essential je ne sais quois to my salads.
Hopefully, in a few weeks time, my 'after' photos will be impressive.