Sometimes it feels like my life is being narrated by the blogging ideas going on in my head. A lot of the time it is just a short simple thought that really doesn’t have the substance behind it to be padded out to a full blog, or something more interesting happens that is perfect for an entertaining post that also satisfies the desire to create a story, or I’ll take a photo that at the time I wholeheartedly believe will become a blog in the very near future, but it never happens – my camera is full of these!
So today I decided is a good day to get these thoughts out of my head and out of my camera.
Frogs up my legs.
The other day we were clearing away some of the more stubborn weeds in the goat paddock, namely those awful rust coloured dock seed heads that can give the landscape a neglected and derelict feel, similar to the effect a rusting out car carcass would give. Anyway there I was chopping a way with my long handled loppers, taking out the stalks at the base and I felt something wet and weird up my trouser leg. Somewhat startled I gave my leg a wee shake and out hopped the cutest bright green frog. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so you have to take my word for just how cute he was. I saw several more frogs while hacking way at the dock, and in the back of my mind I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t end up chopping one in half by accident, which I’m pleased to say I didn’t!
Onions.
The summer that has just gone was awful. We know that because I bleated about it so much, but as a result my onion crop was pathetic, in fact today I managed to pretty much cram the whole crop into two jars to make pickled onions!
So to hedge my bets I have taken action – I mean it may not have been the weather that caused a poor crop, it could have been something I’d done, although I’m really quite happy to blame the weather and leave my gardening prowess intact! I have sowed onion seeds earlier than I ever have before so, well the theory goes, that they will be bigger and stronger by the time they get into the ground on the shortest day and therefore will have a greater chance of success. The wives tale round here goes “plant onions on the shortest day and harvest on the longest.”
This doesn’t bode well…
I don’t think feeding mice pizza is a good idea. Hubby the Un-Gardener is of the school of thought that mice look so cute, how could you not feed them!
Tribute to lost chickens.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. We had two wee chicken families going on in our coop. One mum had 3 “teenage” chickens and they are so cute and another mum had three tiny chickens about a week old – one of which sadly passed away and was lovingly buried. So our flock was expanding nicely and it wouldn’t be long until we could pass these babies on to our friend to populate their new coop. Yesterday I went out to feed the chickens and was mortified to find that the two little babies and one of the older babies were missing, gone, no trace – not so much as a feather. The mums were quite distressed. I think it was rats. As the weather starts to get cooler they are turning to warmer places to hang out. I found a couple of tunnels leading into the coop and in a fit of anger I lobbed rat bait down each hole and covered them up! I have also charged Hubby the Un-Gardener with the task of “Fixing It!” I want the coop pest resistant. I want heaps of impenetrable concrete laid, I want fine mesh fencing around the perimeter – I think sensor alarms and surveillance cameras are taking it a bit too far – but I did think about it… briefly!
My melons were such a disappointment.
I didn’t think I had managed to produce any at all – laying the blame for this firmly at the feet of the crappy summer. Then when clearing weeds away I was delighted to come across two small specimens. Melons – I did it yay! I brought them inside and cut them open and shared with Hubby the Un-Gardener. He is always hesitant when I offer him something first (after the chilli episode). It smelled like melon so I figured it would be fine. But it tasted like a strange cucumber with a hint of bitterness. So disappointed – next year I am going to foil the weather and grow these in the greenhouse.
Well that seems to have de-cluttered my thinking place.
Come again soon – I’ve a cunning plan that is so crazy it might just work!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Hee he – It’s the weather, definitely the weather! It’s been a terrible growing season. My first veggies bolted, now my second lot for the season are fraile and waterlogged. I have a short growing window due to my mountain climate. It’s sad and annoying – thank goodness there are still shops to buy food from when growing your own becomes so hard. I hate complaining about the rain, but we’ve really had a lot of it. I was impressed to see how many tomatoes you got (in previous post). With so little sun, I’ve had all of 3 !! Anyways, here’s to a bumper winter crop 🙂