Catch up time

Hi All

Once again, I've been lax and forgotten to update the blog for a couple of weeks...  Of course, I've been busy with Sam's birthday and our youngest turning 6 next week...  But I promise, we've been doing other stuff too

Along with my fascination with the characteristics of different plant families (which I think Sam is secretly sick of hearing about), I've been running around identifying different species of moths and butterflies and trying to introduce more to the garden.  So I got all excited when we got a friendly Tasman visitor with a damaged wing in our garden and had to take a photo.  It's an Emperor Gum Moth...  So pretty!

 We collected a little extra Lego before, during and after Christmas, which has meant long discussions about exactly how we're going to collate and store our growing collection...  Enter the interwebs

Hmm, maybe a new house with more rooms...




Not wanting things to go to waste, I made a few detours along the path at a local park, and now have a plethora of cuttings and seeds to spread around the garden.  Must remember the secateurs next time

Our guinea pigs now have slightly modified accomodation, after Sam spent hours rebuilding the hutch and replacing the wire to stop the rats getting in

My first ever sunflower has started flowering, with 3 others not far off...  I'm not sure why I never planted any before in my life, but I'm glad I tried this time.






The bergamot is in flower around the section and the bees are loving it.  I think we have 3 or 4 different plants of it dotted around

Soon, I should be able to pick the tomatillo and the cape gooseberries.  Here's a pic of the tomatillo, nearly ready







Sam cleared the gravel off half our driveway, so that we can walk on the concrete without hurting our feet.  Once we have the whole drive cleared, I'll be planting out the edges of it and tidying it all up a little.  It's already looking a lot better though.  In this pic, you can see my  second patch of rhubarb, BEFORE the chickens got to it...  It looks like lace now...  Oh well



The shoo-fly plant by the front door is in bloom.  Although, admittedly, I don't see it having an effect on the flies

 Our youngest daughter's Christmas present rose is in bloom









We've had a number of monarch butterflies hatch out over the past few weeks, and I'm trying to get some of the native butterflies to hang out here too.  So far, there's a few yellow admirals, but that's all.  Our native butterflies all prefer stinging nettle, which has meant it's been interesting trying to work out where to safely plant them.




Anyway, I apologise for the haphazard post...  There's more to come, and I will hopefully be able to write it up a bit better...  These photos have been in my camera a while!

Take care
Mama Fern