Christmas, New Years and the garden

 

This morning was glorious. I was up before the sun and although it’s cool and overcast this morning (a pleasant change from scorching sun in cloudless skies) it was lovely to firstly watch the light oozing into the day and then a little later, be outside gardening.

My pot garden – medjool date palms grown from seed, a rosemary and 3 seed grown pomegranates plus numerous tomatoes. Jas is filling up the water saucers underneath with water from their wading pool. None of the plants are edible roots so it’s waste not want not for the water. 🙂

After spending a wonderful day with my friend Lynda where we exchanged Christmas gifts and she took me shopping at Paramount Pots (I only bought 3 pots – 2 others were Christmas gifts) I’ve spent this morning putting all my gifts to use.

A cup of cold milk and some biscuits for refreshment after all that hard work watering.

The 4 ollas are planted and filled with small pebbles on top until I can find 4 more appropriate stones and thee 2 red pots Lynda bought me are planted with Vietnamese mint in the small one (the mint was a gift from the pot shop) and some transplanted chocolate mint in the larger pot. They look lovely and will look lovelier still near my front door (once the front deck is cleared up). I’ve planted coriander around 1 olla, basil around the other as both like their water, and I strew some celery seeds between the 2 pots.

The zucchini will benefit from a little more water.

One of my beautiful ollas with a glove for scale.

The other garden bed was generously sown with honeydew melons and here’s hoping the snails will leave these ones alone. I hope to make at least 2 more ollas for the 3rd garden bed although I might let my kids do the decorating I think. 🙂

 

Allegra watered the pots on the back deck and so earned milk and bikkies too.

This new years eve has to rate as my favourite all time new years eve. With Orik sleeping by 8pm, Jasper, Allegra and I all sat up to see the new year in with Uno and Press-o-matic (it was called Trouble in my time) and although we lost Allegra to sleep at 11pm, it was a great way to spend the evening. Perhaps an evening in playing board games doesn’t appeal to all but I had a blast! We welcomed in the new year and then by 12:10am we were all in bed. I’m so boring in my old age. 😉

Thanks Ingrid for the fabric to make Allegra her Anna dress (from Frozen).

Christmas was a frugal affair this year. Many home crafted gifts, and although Christmas dinner wasn’t as home-grown as it has been in the past, we did buy only what was needed for a meal, not a huge feast. I made a delicious gluten-free plum pudding on the 23rd that will become our Christmas staple for certain.

2 green blankets upcycled into cloaks for the kids – Robin Hood/Vikings/Elves and Fairies/pick your dress up.

We had a very quiet Christmas, a busier Boxing Day with family over to celebrate and we’ve had a quiet but busy time since, enjoying each others company and having daddy home on holidays. We’ve also been working on projects, including paving our pergola, the gardens of course, clearing up around the gardens and house and hopefully we can start edging the front gardens up next week. The kids have enjoyed time with us, time at the swimming pool and of course, time playing with all their new gifts.

The pattern, cloak with capelet I had to adjust a little by turning the capelet into a yoke due to the thickness of the wool fabric. They still worked beautifully. 😀

I think they look rather cute in their capes.

With proper pixie hoods of course.

Sorry for the rather disjointed post. I think it came together in the reverse of how it should but hey, it’s a post. 🙂

 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful 2016 filled with contentment and peace.

 

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