A blackbird had a lovely long bath on Sunday. I was sitting in the egg chair reading on my ipad and was able to switch to camera and catch the action.
It was very watchful at firstbefore settling inand out againthen, back in
Sometimes insects such as bees and wasps settle on the edge of the water for a drink. Today, I saw a reason why the blackbird may have been so cautious before taking a dip.
Yesterday I was concerned by my lack of energy. It was a dull day which often seems to mean my ‘solar panels’ aren’t charging. Today I realised my energy was back when I began to visualise doing the gardening I’d been waiting to do when I had the energy. It was a warm, sunny day.
I made a list and completed it, except for washing the deck.
Potted up succulentsRepotted and refreshed
I have been transplanting worn-out plants from pots and hanging baskets into the front berm. Because of all the rain we’ve had, the soil is not like concrete as it was last summer when I planted lavender – only two of the six plants survived. This summer, a pink geranium which was looking very tired in its hanging basket is looking much healthier in the ground. A transplanted cineraria is also thriving. These plants add colour and variety to the garden strip between the fence and the grass berm. Today I transplanted snapdragons and pansies, digging out some of the over-abundant lemon balm to make room.
Geranuiums happily mingling with yarrow and marigoldsCineraria add interest with their silver leaves – and bees love the flowers
I tell myself that I can’t be on the go all the time and need some time to rest, ready for the next effort in the garden or whatever, but it has always worried me when I have no energy – is it creeping old age? Yet I remember in my twenties asking a friend to calculate my bio-rhythms on her phone app (did we have those then?) when I felt lacklustre or out of sorts. “That explains it!” I’d say.
My brother, sister-in-law and I took Mum out for lunch at Untouched World Kitchen today. It is Mum’s 96th birthday. Here she is, still on her first course while we’re onto coffee.
Mum and I were both wearing Untouched World merino-mink jumpers. In the showroom beyond the cafe, we were intrigued to see a window has been cut in the wall so you can see where the jumpers are made.
The sun came out in the afternoon, perfect for a happy birthday, and too hot for those jumpers!
We had an early birthday dinner last week with my sister and brother-in-law and nephews before their West Coast holiday. Here is the beautifully decorated cake my sister made. The flowers are from their garden.
That was the greeting at the top of an email from Groovy Glasses this week. This morning my sister and brother-in-law called in with a pair of sunglasses they thought gave my new ones a run for their money. They go perfectly with Mum’s outfit today.
This evening I picked the first of this season’s runner beans for dinner. I was afraid that I’d left them too long, but there were no strings and they were delicious.
After a successful but tiring couple of hours shopping for birthdays I felt in need of sustenance before the 30 minute walk home. It was our usual cheese and crackers (and sometimes a cocktail) hour and the cafes were closing, so I stepped into a bar I pass on my way.
I like this old building and I’m so pleased that Te Pae is built around it and that it wasn’t demolished in the post-earthquake ‘knock ’em over’ frenzy.
I sat on a tall stool looking out at Victoria Square and enjoyed a refreshing Charlie Chaplin.
Source: Pinterest The Bartender’s Ultimate Survival Kit
I thought they are called ‘runner beans’ because they climb, but perhaps its because of the rate of their growth. Not quite overnight, as in Jack and the Beanstalk, but pretty quick all the same. Today I noticed that there are a few beans ready for picking. I looked back at my photos to see how long they took from the start.
9 Nov – just showing through the soil12 Dec – reaching the top of the frame6 Jan – ready to start picking
The dwarf bean plants beside the runner beans were planted on 11 December and they are almost ready for picking now. The zucchini plant went in the ground on 11 December and I have already picked two, with one more almost ready to harvest.
Dwarf beansZucchiniFelix
It looks as if the runner beans will have a long picking season as the beans which are ready are lower down the stalks and there are loads of flowers at the top.
These scarlet runner beans come up year after year from the same roots which I planted in 2021. The bean frame has made all the difference as, last year, the beans were ruined by strong winds. In 2022 and 2023, however, I had great harvests.
27 Feb 2022 – a later picking by the look of them12 Jan 2023 – the first pickingMar 2023 – with only thin bamboo poles for support, the beans leaned into the trees, forming an arch
The 2024 diary is full and closed, the 2025 one open and empty. Underneath, a garden diary has a few entries from during the year. I’ll use it again, overwriting in a different colour so I can compare.
Today I picked a large bowl of blackcurrants. This time I picked some rhubarb to go with them and made a crumble, combining various recipes including some online where I discovered there is an International Blackcurrant Association (IBA). It recommends the rhubarb and blackcurrant combination and, after eating our dessert, we do too.
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