sparrows and finches

I don't know why I worried that the birdfeeder would go undiscovered. The birds found it three days after I put it out. How did they know? Lots of house sparrows and a few greenfinches. And spotted doves - that I've never seen before - eat the seed that falls on the ground. I've enjoyed watching them and have now moved the feeder closer to the house.
If you're interested in feeding birds in your garden (in NZ) there's good advice here.

Have a good week.

Listening: Are we there by Sharon Van Etten

autumn

Now is my favourite time of year. I love the red leaves and the sunny days that are a bit chilly. And dreaming of winter shoes. And thinking about a new knitting project. I can't decide whether to make this or this.

We've put a bird feeder in the garden for the first time - hoping it might stop the birds digging up our winter vegetable seedlings in their search for worms. But also to help them out with some food when there's not much around. I don't think any bird has found the feeder yet. Perhaps I need to entice them with apple. Have you ever had a bird feeder in your garden? How did it go?

Reading: Gracefully Grayson: a novel by Ami Polonsky
Eating: persimmons - from our tree

the lawn

pink

heroic

The Heroic Garden Festival was on this weekend. It's an annual charity event - a chance to support Hospice and to get to visit some interesting private gardens in the Auckland area.

It's nice to spend time in a garden but I'm not a gardener. A few succulents in a pot is my limit. Gardening is hard work. There's a great article here by Anne Wareham on that subject.

Watching (curiously) : Gardening with soul - a New Zealand documentary following a year in the garden with 90-year-old Sister Loyola at Island Bay, Wellington. Maybe she will inspire me.

Reading: The hundred-foot journey by Richard C. Morais.

before / now

This is how cactus plants grow in just over a year of living in a kitchen and getting watered occasionally. How they flourish when you're not looking.

tussie mussie

I planted a small cutting garden a few months back hoping to have plenty of flowers for picking over the summer. Everything grew tall and green and then got blown over in a storm and died. I've had to start over. So disappointing. But a few things from last year - like the foxgloves and geranium - have self-seeded. (This is a very good reason not to weed too often or too well). And, of course, there are always weeds. Someone once told me that weeds are just plants you don't want. But some of them - like the forget-me-nots - are so pretty why would you not want them?

Reading: extra curricular #15  bought from here

bees in the city

 

If you live in Auckland and go past Victoria Park you may have noticed what looks like a mini wilderness near the skate park. It's actually a conceptual artwork called The park. It's a hexagonal garden planted with calendula, nasturtiums, borage etc with six horizontal beehives (the strange boxes in the top photo) at the centre. The idea is to inspire people to plant their own "pollen hotels" to encourage bees in the city. If you want to participate you can add your bee-friendly garden to a map here. At the end of the project you get to share the honey.

Today is Labour Day in New Zealand - a public holiday - so it's been a three-day weekend. Hoorah! I did my bit for the bees and worked in the garden for the first time in ages.

Reading: Birdman by Mo Hayder (page-turner crime)

moss

It's nice to have some green inside during the winter. So following this tutorial I made myself a moss terrarium out of an old goldfish bowl and plants from my own garden. Apparently it's quite difficult to keep moss indoors but so far - with twice daily mistings - it seems to be doing ok. Baby seems happy.

winter garden

It's midwinter so there's not much happening in the garden flowerwise - except for a few camellias and the daphne. But I've planted a small bed for cut flowers - poppies, stock, cornflower and sweet William - so that I can make tussie-mussies in the spring. Well, that's the plan. We've had so much rain and it's been quite warm so everything that's still got leaves is green and growing.

Have a lovely week.

microgreens

So far - on my microgreen adventures - I've only grown cress. It germinates well and grows quickly. And it adds a nice pepperiness to salads. Also nice on a grilled cheese sandwich.

I like this growing method best - it's clean and fuss-free.

on the sea shore

I collected the shells for these pots over the summer. I love limpet shells - ordinary but beautiful - and they look like little shields, don't you think?

I had long discussions with the lovely staff at my local hardware store about how to stick the shells on. I used Selleys All Fix, as they recommended, but maybe Mod Podge would work too.

Reading: Inside a pearl: my years in Paris by Edmund White. This is a memoir. In 1983 Edmund White left New York for a year in Paris and ended up living there for fifteen years.

Watching: The stranger - 1946, Orson Welles film. Thrilling.

Any good movies/books in your life lately?

indoor gardening

Some new pots that I painted for my cactuses. And a new home-in-a-cup for some baby succulents.

I've added another blog to my likes list - jo waterhouse. I'm really enjoying her side-to-side videos.

spots

The cookies are Lemon and Rosemary - same as I made last year using the martha goes green recipe published in extra curricular magazine. If you can't get hold of extra curricular issue 11, I see that martha goes green has published a book of their recipes. Hopefully, the cookies are in there so that you can enjoy them too. They are irresistibly good.

And I've been sewing spotty napkins - with mitred corners! And admiring spotty shrubs (Oleander) at Omaha.

lavender

I have been thinking of ways to extend the life of some of my mother's lovely old table linen. I was very nervous about cutting any of it so I started with an embroidered cloth that was beyond repair. I figured any little bit I could save would be worthwhile and so I made these lavender bags and a few buttons.

I've also started a small lavender garden of my own. I've planted five different lavenders. The one in the photo, "True blue", is my favourite. I'm hoping the lavender will attract loads of bees to the garden. It already looks good and smells wonderful.

spring flowers and winter hats

The sweet peas are from my garden. This year I remembered to plant them early and they are just starting to flower. I love the colours and how they all look so good together. And I love the smell! And the crazy tendrils twisting around everything.

The beanies are for my young great-nephews who live in the UK. I did wonder about adding the pom-poms. I asked a work colleague's seven-year-old son if he'd wear a beanie with a pom-pom on it and he said yes. My nephews could always take the pom-poms off if they don't like them. The hats will still keep them warm.

Reading Case histories by Kate Atkinson and Gee's Bend: the architecture of the quilt edited by Paul Arnett

spring fever

Some photos of spring flowers - fluffy pink stock and jasmine. I think jasmine is quite a strange plant. It can be so invasive and has tough leaves and stalks that are almost impossible to break but the flowers are so delicate and pale and beautiful.

I made the cactus pot in response to missing out on one of Stella Baggott's little face planters from her etsy shop sale last week. I couldn't decide which pot I liked best and they all sold out as I dithered.

Enjoy your week.

tiny things

The flowers are orchids - maybe Dendrobium? I don't know much about orchids but this one grows long stems with lots of little flowers. Most of the time it lives a neglected outside life but in spring it leaps into bud - much to our delight - and is brought indoors.

The tiny village is from Rekindle. Each piece is made from native New Zealand timbers salvaged from buildings damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Bits of someone's home - a piece of weatherboard, a bit of floor - is now part of a tiny house living in my house.

Reading A wife on Gorge River by Catherine Stewart

fog days

We have had lots of foggy mornings the past few weeks. But I quite like fog. I like how when you walk in it your hair gets wet and I like how it diffuses light. I took these photos in my garden this morning when everything was still wet with fog.

Listening Modern vampires of the city by Vampire Weekend.

three things

1. One half of Mr Mingus

2. A new cactus cutting I planted in a lovely but badly crazed Crown Lynn cup with a pattern called 'Lilian'. Perhaps I should've divided the cactus and planted the two 'ears' separately. What do you think?

3. A batch of badges I made for winter using woolen fabrics and velvet. They add a bit of colour and texture to a dull winter outfit. My wardrobe seems to have settled on black and grey. I used a badge-maker machine but you could make a covered button and attach a small safety pin on the back instead. I think my favourite is the green tweedy one (centre left).