Art for Heart's Sake

A Tired Monarch

 
Hi!  I spotted this tired looking monarch butterfly on our Wisteria 'Snow Showers' on Friday and I just had to capture it.  We have a lot of monarch butterflies fluttering around here from now on and they love to feast on my flowers.  We also get red admiral and yellow admiral butterflies occasionally, but they are few and far between.  I love butterflies and wish we had many more varieties in our garden than we have.  Of course there is the ever-present gnarly white butterfly which attacks my brassicas each season - this one I could do without!!

It's another beautiful spring day which is great except the garden desperately needs some rain.  There is some forecast for later in the week (Thursday I think) so please keep your fingers crossed we get it!

I'm a bit worried about Sabah right now because he's acting a bit strangely - staying away from the house and not eating much at all.  Our lovely wee man needs to eat little and often because he has inflammatory bowel disease (he's almost 8 and has had it for around 4-5 years now) and if his eating becomes erratic it usually means something is flaring up.  At the moment I have to find him and physically bring him inside at the end of the day which is not usual at all - he's usually around and about a lot during the day and comes in by himself in the evening.  He also isn't drinking enough water and he gets dehydrated very easily because of the IBD.  Of course I am a total worry-wart (NZ for worrier) because I love him so much, which probably doesn't help.  Pookies is all I can say.  I will wait until tomorrow pm or so and if he's still off his food, off to the vet he will have to go.  It's funny when you can't have children, how your pets become TOTALLY your kids! 

Well I'd better get back outside.  Have a great day/night wherever you are.  I know I haven't posted any arty photos for ages and I will remedy that this week I promise!  Smiles...

An Exciting Parcel!

Hi there, I'm a bit late posting today because we went out early to do our grocery shopping and sort of got waylaid along the way (as one does!).  We got home to find a parcel on the back doorstep.. yippee.. My Teresa Collins Stampmaker is here at last!  I ordered it a few months ago when I first heard about it and am so thrilled to have it.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a lightbox system that lets you make your own decorative stamps as well as a couple of other things.  I use a lot of stamps and I can't wait to make my own personal ones with my handwriting and botanical images!  Yippee.. I have to say I was a bit overawed when I opened the box - I looked at everything briefly and then shut it again!  I need to wait until my mind is clear so I can take it all in.

Right it is 2.37pm and I desperately need to get out into the garden.  So I will leave this here with one more photograph - a close up of a gorgeous apricot foxglove!! Smiles...

 

Things are Getting Dry

A surreal blue, Corydalis flexuosa!

 

 
I adore this plant, it's flowers remind me of blue tadpoles!  It has a light scent and grows best in dappled shade and interestingly, it goes dormant during summer!

 As I am typing this I am looking out at the garden and things are beginning to look pretty dry.  We had one heck of a lot of rain in September but so far this month (and it's more or less the end of it) we have had almost NO rain at all.  Earlier in the week rain was forecast for today but unfortunately there is blue sky and a bit of cloud.  Yes my watering has started in earnest and if it continues to be dry we could have water shortages pretty early in the summer.  Ugh!

Yesterday I managed to weed a couple of the raised vegie gardens on the sunny side of the house and I planted a couple of heritage tomato plants 'Indian Dark Violet Beefsteak' which I'm told has incredible flavour and 'Abraham Lincoln' which has a lot of antioxidants in it.  I'm really growing them because I love heritage tomatoes but if they have some health benefits too, that's wonderful.

Today I dropped off some herbs to Mapua Country Trading and I am about to vacuum (hoover) the house because we have John's great nephew coming to stay for the night enroute to his final destination (he's just flown back from the UK for a few months) and will be working filming the goings on at the Falcon Project in Marlborough (east coast of upper south island).  They raise falcons to release into vineyards to help stop birds eating the grapes.  Google 'Falcon Project, Marlborough' to read more (that's what I'd type in anyway, haven't tried it yet!). 

I hope you're having a great week wherever you are.  Mary and Ruth, it was wonderful to chat to you yesterday on the house of 3 webshow.  How I wish we could have crafting time together!  Hugs and smiles...

 

 

Just Had to Share!

Hi, yes 2 posts in one day again!  I just had to share the photos I took around the garden about 30mins ago.  My Dad was a passionate photographer and when I was young he used to develop his own photographs and even had a colour enlarger (a big wow in those days).  I seem to have inherited his eye (I'm NOT saying I'm good at photography though) and really enjoy pottering around the garden with my camera.  I really hope you enjoy these, the solomon seal/hardy geranium close up I really love!

Solomon seal:

 
Solomon seal/hardy geranium:

 
That gorgeous H. something clematis with more flowers on it - so voluptuous!:

 
More tomorrow!  Smiles...

Please Rain Soon

Hi, well it's almost 9am and I'm about to head out into the garden to start madly watering.  After the wettest September in years, October has been very dry which is such a pain!  I'm finding it hard to weed in certain areas because the soil is drying out so quickly on the surface and the weeds are gripping onto the soil with all their might!  There must be good moisture further down though because boy are those weeds growing fast and high!  Crikey... 

There are so many areas I need to concentrate on, I'm not sure where to start.  I think I'll start with the raised vegie gardens that are on the sunny side of the house.  This is where I grow my tomatoes, strawberries, a boysenberry vine and also a lemon, lime and persimmon tree (hmm no fruit from the latter yet, so it had better have some this year or else!).  The soil needs watering badly but I think I'll weed it first.  One of the beds has cape gooseberry plants in it, and the best crop of self-seeded forget me nots I've every seen! 

Here's a photo of the asparagus I harvested on Tuesday.  22 spears!! I couldn't believe it, especially as I'd harvested around 9 two days before that.  Incredible and exceptionally delicious!  I'd love to write loads more but I really need to get out into the garden while it's cool.  Hugs and Smiles...

 

A Feathered Visitor!

Hi there, well as you may have gathered by now, life around here is NEVER dull!  This morning was no exception.  John went out to feed the ducks while I was in the shower.  He came back in to ask if I had heard an almight screech outside.  I hadn't, so we didn't think anymore about it.

We were sitting eating breakfast when all of a sudden there was a series of bloodcurdling screeches from outside.  We shot out onto the verandah and I immediately spotted a white cockatiel near the top of one of our tall eucalyptus trees.  I have to tell you, the noise this one bird made was unbelievable!  It sat there screeching for a few minutes and then flew off, heaven knows where too.  It must have escaped from someone's house or from a children's zoo in Nelson itself maybe.  We've put some sunflower seeds out just in case it comes back.  I managed to get a photo, just before he flew away.  Isn't he just GORGEOUS!

 
Daisy the little rescued duckling decided to do an escape act from the pen yesterday too.  We don't know how she got out because there were no gaps at the bottom of the pen fencing and her wings aren't quite formed totally, though almost!  I guess it was just her time to leave the pen.  At the moment she is being ostracised from the rest of the ducks but we are hoping in a couple of days she will be accepted.  We just have to hope a hawk doesn't carry her off!  Crikey, what a week!  Smiles...

 

Happy Tuesday

Hi there, well phew at last yesterday is yesterday (how profound, giggle) and I can put it to the back of my mind.  Today hasn't started too well either but I'm DETERMINED the rest of it is going to be good!  What is it they say - the energy you put out is the energy you get back.  I am going to strive to stay positive no matter what!

I was going to spend today potting up hardy geranium seedlings that have popped up in the gravel and also some trillium seedlings I've had in punnets for two! years (well they took one year to germinate) but at this stage it doesn't look as though I'll get that done.  I need to paint one of the bookcases in the living room because the books are all over the floor and the rest of the week is looking pretty busy unfortunately.  John has an appointment in Nelson tomorrow and I am going to help in my friend's garden again on Thursday (weather permitting).  Friday John's great nephew arrives for the night so yes we are busy!

I'll post some more photos tomorrow for you.  Hugs and smiles for your day/night.. right off to find my paint brush! 

Worried About Wildlife

Hi there, it's Monday afternoon and I'm feeling extremely despondent so needed to write this, hopefully it will make me feel better.

We have a five acre section up behind ours that is a very steep bit of land, quite horrible actually!  It has been on the market for years (we bought our property 6 years ago from the same man who owns the back section) and gets mown a couple of times a year.  There is a quite a bit of gorse ono it and I know he's sprayed it occasionally in the past.  Well this morning he decided to drive down our shared driveway to the back section at around 8.30am.  To my horror I soon realised he had wide spray wands on his tractor and he proceeded to spray the entire 5 acres!  I got on the phone to his wife, mainly because I was really angry and dumbfounded that he hadn't let us know he was doing this so we could keep our cat inside for a start!  She told me he was spraying with roundup (a fairly environmentally friendly spray though it does still leave a residue) and a gorse spray (a NUCLEAR BOMB! type of spray), which REALLY upset me.  Our pond backs onto the fenceline at the bottom of the slope (about 2m from the fence in some places) so yes, you guessed it, we will be getting run off from the spray residue in the soil for some time to come.

We went off to personal training and he was gone when we got back.  I had just managed to start to cheer up a bit when he blasted well came back and proceeded to POUR spray from a hose nozzle along the fencline just above our pond, and along to the other end of the property alongside another pond that feeds our pond.  I honestly couldn't believe my eyes and I just lost the plot, burst into tears and rather raised my voice (so sorry John).  I have NEVER felt so unable to do anything about something I really care about.  I am now SO worried about our wildlife!

Okay, breathe Philippa, breathe.. there is nothing I can so so just have to try not to think about it or I'm really only damaging my inner self!  Crikey loving wildlife is not easy..  but I do love it with all my heart.  I'm constantly amazed how we humans like to destroy and control nature.  I am not a greenie but I do my bit to try and preserve our 5 acres without using chemicals.  Our driveway has weeds yes, but we have birds galore and loads of beneficial insects and bees.  Speaking of which a baby thrush just hit our bedroom window so I need to bury it too.  All in all, a sad nature day around here but tomorrow is another day! Things will look brighter tomorrow!   Smiles....

A Couple More Photos

Hi, it's Labour Day Monday today and there is no Zumba.. SOB SOB AND DOUBLE SOB! but we are still having our personal training session, so I'm joining John for a walk beforehand to warm my muscles up.  The rest of the day will be spent either painting or gardening, depending on the weather.  I need to paint the bookcases that are built-in on either side of our fireplace which will be quite a task.  Still if I don't get that started today there's always this coming weekend.  Here are a couple more photos for you. 

John took this one of Mr and Mrs quail the other day, also a close up of Mr! So cute!  The third photograph is Viburnum plicatum 'Rosaceae', just yummy too!  Smiles..

 
 
 

Flower Power

Hi there, I hope you are having a good weekend wherever you are in the world.  Here in NZ we are now well and truly in the middle of spring.  Most of the cherry blossom has finished and the trees are looking glorious with their covering of fresh, green foliage - simply scrumptious.

Flowers are appearing every minute, or so it seems.  One real pleasure are the shirley poppies that are opening in my main perennial bed.  I just love their delicate petals and their simple beauty.  My Dad loved poppies too and used to sprinkle red poppy seed all over their garden, much to my mother's horror (she wasn't really a fan of them as they tend to have floppy foliage that can drown smaller plants).  Here are some photos for you to enjoy:

 
 
 
Aren't they just GORGEOUS??!!  Right I'd better go and check the humidity level on our weather station as I am meant to be painting the skirting boards and door in our living room today.  More tomorrow..  Smiles...