How does my garden grow?

I've decided that for a successful family blog at least two cute kids are an absolute necessity. Not that my kids aren't cute but they don't live here which leaves me somewhat lacking in subject matter. Especially when it rains for long endless days , landscaping comes to a standstill and we're stranded in the middle of a paddock of mud.

Never mind, a couple of clearer days this week has resulted at last in lots of planting.......yay!! I have green growing things .

The scruffy looking hedging still has to be trimmed right down. The tree is a Japanese maple......one on either side of the steps.

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Friday afternoon the first of the plants went in around the ponds and with some good weather should be finished early this week. Hedging is in and the two front corner gardens.

Love those waterfalls!! We're getting there slowly.

Love to all and hope you're surviving the cold weather.

Happy Birthday this week to Nyah............and Grandad! We'll be out celebrating at the Club Bar's Steak Night. :)

Catching Up

I missed a week but not to worry as things were moving very slowly. Also had a visit from the Whitianga bunch over the weekend which was lovely. Ben is growing so fast, sitting up and trying to crawl . Happy Birthday for Cameron yesterday and another boy turns 7. Take a look at this young lady .............our very own Penelope........all kitted up in her new birthday gear. A month early but who could wait that long especially when you can break them in riding Bobby the stable companion pony. Jessica just loves coming to see Nana & Grandad!!!!!.............but sadly she couldn't talk anyone into buying Mervyn ,the horse for sale.

Yay!!!!!! we have a driveway, signed , sealed and delivered. The amount of machinery here on the final day was incredible.............you would have thought they were laying a state highway.......and if I thought the noise beforehand was bad this was horrendous.

Most of this week's work has been on the ponds building the waterfalls , installing the pumps and wiring for the lights. Pumps and water flow were tested and although it all appears a bit weird at present the waterfalls look really cool!.................and how I love the sound of running water. In the background you can see the boxing laid out for the mowing strips at the edge of the corner gardens................first job for this coming week. Hopefully there'll also be some planting done......a small start on friday with some dwarf hedging round the retaining wall............has to be trimmed properly yet.

I'm very impatient for live green growing things and a garden to walk around and enjoy. Meanwhile I make do with the pansies I brought from the farm which are thriving under the bedroom window.......
........and our sunrises and sunsets continue to be a source of great pleasure. Sunrise on a winters morning.....what more could you want to start the day (well, the cup of tea, of course)
Love to all wherever you may be! Have a great week!

Not much happening!

May 27 - June 2

Not much excitement on the home front this week ...............although the appearance of some very strange names in the comments section here got the pulse racing until some sleuthing gave the first an identity......confirmed by Merrie's introduction. So........hi to you both in Canada, nice to meet you and be assured the beer fridge is never locked. Imagine if Alan lost the key!!!!

On the subject of introductions, everyone say hello to my friend Mouse who has bravely ventured out of her hole to eek hello.

Progress this week.............well, the front entrance tiles have been cleaned off...........haha, never realised I'd caught the old fella sneaking by.



The molehills have disappeared and the ponds have been concreted. Rocks have been delivered for the surrounds and waterfalls and "a structure" in the process of being built which provided some entertainment for the racing cronies who gathered here on Saturday. Is it........
.........a diving platform
.........an outdoor bar
.........a karaoke stage

Who knows...............no prizes are offered for more imaginative speculations.


Alice is back to her old self after having several teeth removed...........yep, no doubt the vet is laughing all the way to the bank. Marj continues to enjoy her new environment and even took a dive off the boards into the pond. Smudge calls in every few days to say hi and Sox bin Laden continues to terrorise.

Hope you're enjoying your long weekend.............those who have one!

P.S.............I have driven the new car!

No undies today!!!

May 20 -24

Sorry.................no undies today.......but a grandad for a giggle!

Last week was all about noise............and more noise, with the result that yours truly became extremely irritable and welcomed the blessed peace of Saturday with open arms.

The week began with more work on the driveway with the boxing removed and more metal spread to raise the level ....................just the thing for Grandad to bring home his new baby to.

She is a Nissan Tiida and her colour is Coral Sand.............very fancy ( and I still haven't driven it because I'm too scared I'll put the first scratch on it!!).

The tiles in the front entrance were laid but no picture yet because they haven't been hosed off.

The mole hills disappeared but only to be replaced by even bigger mounds of dirt...........truckloads of top soil carted in and dumped...............and spread.

The fence behind the magnolias has gone.
Sometimes it doesn't seem like it but I guess progress is being made. I long for the day when something is planted...........then I'll believe this construction site is actually a garden.

In other news today................spent yesterday at the Morrinsville netball tournament. Jessica's team did extremely well making it through to the finals where they met their first defeat.

Alice has gone to the vets ....took her in last Friday because she seemed off colour and I was worried she'd caught something nasty from the cottage kitties but the vet discovered two bad teeth which are the likely cause of her problem so she's gone back to have them seen to.

Apologies if you didn't receive my email about the blog..............Joanne says she never got it so it might be Nana's inability to send an email to more than one person at fault. Will have to try again.

May 10 - 17

A visit from the Northland branch of the family this weekend and how lovely to see everyone and show off our new abode.

Giant moles have been at work in the paddock!! Little mounds of earth everywhere that remind me of the letters Clive wrote from the UK about the problems they had with the moles.

After much indecision we finally decided no swimming pool.........instead two ponds linked by a small stream which I think will be gorgeous. The two holes you can see are where they will be.

Steps coming down from the patio outside the lounge.

Vegetable beds outside the back door.................and if you think you're seeing things don't worry. Yes, that is the old calf pen doing duty as a storage space until we get a garden shed.

Top soil added to the gardens behind the retaining wall.

From now on I'll add the week's activities each Sunday.

Ze Grand Entrance

Great gateway with box hedging and driveway lined either side with evergreen magnolias.

Unfortunately the closer to the house you got the more unfinished it became.............outside the front entrance and garage was a giant sandpit.

Top priority when the landscaping began at the end of April.

A load of heavy metal has been laid and the brick edging lifted and was replaced with concrete kerbing on Friday.

Far more interesting for those not particularly interested in driveways was the beginning of the garden. Our landscaper Jim lives just down the road and is quite a character............we think on the same wavelength and I like his ideas. Work began by building a retaining wall across the front and halfway down the north side .............transforming this (say hello to Marjie)

to this. The poor tired old willow has gone. As much as I dislike cutting down trees it was dying in the middle and was going to be a problem if we left it. It has made a difference as the lovely tree behind is revealed and it's opened up our view in that direction so we can now see right through to the hills.

to be continued!

In the beginning

March - April

We moved in during a severe drought................everything was brown, brown, brown and the horses raised clouds of dust that lay like a thick film everywhere. More like a house in a desert than the lush green pastures of Cambridge horse country.

Some pictures of the interior for those who can't visit us yet.

The kitchen!................yes, it's ours, you can tell by the fruit bowl, right?

All the mod cons and a huge central unit for those kitchen parties.

Dining room with the table and chairs we had so much trouble finding and then took so long to be delivered we thought we were doomed to perch on stools forever.

And the family room..........with office door at rear.

Genuine old retired gentleman watching the racing on his flash new TV!!!!

Next post..............moving outdoors.