Art for Heart's Sake

Feeling Fuggy!

Morning on a ''just started to rain'' Saturday morning.  Yippeee yes we are having another teensy bit of rain.  It's not meant to last long but I'm taking it with pleasure!

I'm feeling very fuggy in the head this morning.  I think I DO have the same bug as John but it has attacked my weak point which are my sinuses, whereas John's is his throat it seems.  This feels very reminiscent of the nasty bug we got in France last year so I'm just hoping I don't develop sinusitis and a chest infection this time!!

John spent the night in the first hut on the Heaphy Track with is son and two of his friends.  They wanted John to go with them so he could bring their car back to our place for them to pick up on Monday pm.  The Heaphy is a 5-6 day track but they are doing it in 2!!! We are not sure how!!!   Here is a link to information about the track.  The scenery is said to be amazing.

http://www.greatwalks.co.nz/heaphy-track?gclid=CMnAh5bvirsCFcHwpAodI1wAoA

I just haven't got it in me (apart from my hips) to do this sort of thing.  I'm not good at ''roughing it'' even though some would say sleeping in a hut is luxury of sorts compared to tenting it. 

I'm a bit worried about Monty at the moment, he has been vomiting a few times over the last week or so but I am pretty sure it could be because he is due for a worming tablet.  Here's hoping because it transforms me straight back to our time with Sabah and his inflammatory bowel disease.  I KNOW Monty's prob is something simple like worms but it still freaks me a little.  He is a true character this cat - he came inside to do it and I honestly believe it is his way of saying ''Mum and Dad, something's wrong''.  I certainly wish his spot wasn't under the middle of the bed!!!!!!  Our bed weighs a tonne, crikey!

Today we are off to the local large hardware store to get some chilli plants and a couple of other things we need.  I'm going to phone the vet first just to check re Monty's symptoms before I give him the worming tablet.

I'm off to get changed to go out.  Smiles..

Off to Work!

Hi, I'm off to work from 9-1pm today and I can't help but smile at myself...  I look like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer because of this cold but at least it's the right time of the year to have a ''red nose'', giggle.  I am feeling decidedly ''heady'' and just hope I can manage to control my nose when I'm serving customers.  I can't not go as other staff members are down with nasty colds too.

After work I need to get some envelopes for our overseas christmas cards and I also need to post my medium sized gift tags to Nectar (the shop that has my tea light holders).  Great news yesterday, yay, Annika picked up my package with 10 Christmas-themed tea light holders and 10 mini gift tags in it so I can breathe a sign of relief.  Nothing like having your creations in limbo for 9 days to raise stress levels.

I started working on a little something for John for our anniversary on Monday.. it's our 7th and that also reminds me it's been 7 years since I've seen my big brother.  Chris is 6 years older than I am and has lived in Sydney, Australia for well over 35 years!  Somehow we don't get to Sydney and he hardly ever comes back to NZ.  He came back to visit Mum in New Plymouth the weekend AFTER we were there, earlier this year.  Crikey talk about bad flight timing!! 

I'd better get outside to feed our menagerie and head off to work.  Have a lovely day/night wherever you are and if you are reading this from the USA - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!  Smiles..

Achoooooooo!

Hi and yes you guessed it, I have a cold.. funny that!  I'm not sure if I have John's one (as have no sore throat as yet) or if some other person gave it to me.  Either way I really hope I give it to someone else tomorrow (oh yes very uncharitable of me, but I don't have time for a cold.. giggle) when I'm working for the morning.

As I'm typing this it is raining gently and steadily which is just SO LOVELY!!  We had some rain yesterday off and on and the garden is lapping it up.  The weather is supposed to go back to being hot tomorrow and then cool down again but remain fine, then get hot again.. how confusing!

Yesterday I had an odd sort of day with lots of things rattling me.  It was just ONE OF THOSE DAYS and now I realise I have a cold, that could be why.  Nothing seemed to go right and I got odd reactions to things I thought were great, making me humphy!! 

Today I am determined to have a good day.   I need to finish making my Christmas cards and I also have two tealight holders and 4 gift tags to make for a lovely friend in Invercargill (my hometown at the bottom of the South Island if you look at an NZ map).  I'm so excited to be making something for you Christine!!  I may not get them started until this weekend but I will try to start them today.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping with John in the afternoon and on a very bright note, my hip was having a better day!  It really only gave me major pain when I was getting into the car each time.  Yay it's good to know it can have better days!!  I still used my elbow crutch though to help keep the weight off it a bit.

Time for me to venture out into the studio!  Smiles...

Crikey, Look at This!

Hi on a lovely wet Wednesday morning!  It rained overnight Monday and  yesterday until around late morning, yippee!!  We got 25cm (1'') and I am beyond happy.  That's the first REAL rain we've had in over a month.  I could just about hear my vegetables doing a happy dance!

This morning I need to package up 2 plants to send to a client in rural Auckland and then I desperately NEED to make my overseas Christmas cards.. eeeek it's almost December!!

I think I mentioned I was about to start working on a large canvas a few weeks ago.  I wanted to share my progress so far.. it's a little scary but I think I can see where it is going now.  There will be a lot more changes yet I'm sure.  Yes it's colourful!!!  Smiles..

Just Look at These Beauties!!

Hi, I'm off to work at the outlet store from 9am-12.30pm today so I thought I'd share some photos I took of my tomato plants.  I am stunned how well they are doing in their planter bags.  They have been in them for approx 3 weeks and they are growing like very healthy triffids, as is my cucumber.  Enjoy!  Smiles..

A Little Bit Excited!

Morning on this BEAUTIFULLY cloudy Monday morning, giggle!  I am so happy to see cloud cover.  It got to 35.2 degrees C here yesterday in the sun and that is just completely ridiculous for late Spring.  Ugh, ugh, and total ugh!    Rain is predicted from tonight until Wed night at this stage and I am beyond happy about that.

I am a little bit excited!  My nursery has a mention in an article on home nurseries in the nationwide NZ Gardener magazine December issue.  It's only a tiny mention but it does include my email address for a plant list.  It only arrived in my mail box on Friday and already I've had about 4 requests for my catalogue and they have emailed me again to say they will be in touch in the new year for plants.  It is not really a good time to be doing major planting at this time of year because of the heat and drier weather but it is so exciting to know I've had a response this quickly.  Hopefully when it hits the shops this week I might get a few more.

Today I need to leap into our little glasshouse and pull out all of the weeds so I can put John's bitter gourd seedling in there for the summer and I also want to plant some chillis.  I've decided next year I am not going to buy my favourite jalapeno and lime hummus - I'm going to make my own, hence I will need quite a lot of frozen chillis to use in winter.  I might put some more capsicum seeds in too.

Off I go, cup of tea in hand, to water my plant nursery!  Smiles..

Happy Sunday.. Christmas is Coming!

Hi, oh Christmas is coming and I simply cannot wait!  I adore everything about Christmas and this year we are putting our christmas tree up on 1 December.  I want to make the most of its shimmery beauty and just revel in it.  Quite simply, our decorations make me beyond happy!   Shimmery gold and crystal is just so pretty!  We also have the odd touch of red because I can't help myself.

This morning we soon realised it was going to be extremely hot today so we headed out into Nelson to do a bit of shopping.  I really need to make my overseas christmas cards too so I'm thinking I might get onto that this afternoon or evening. 

I'm going outside to refresh the water in the birdbath.  Since we've moved it more out into the open the birds are loving it!  Smiles..

Home From Work!

Hi there, I worked from 9-1pm today and it was my last Saturday.  It wasn't very busy to start with but I did have a few patches when there were a lot of people in the shop and even had a queue of 2 people at one stage - good grief, it must be getting close to Christmas.

Yesterday was an okay day but I have to admit I was REALLY grumpy by the time I got to work.  My hip was really sore and I just didn't want to have to face 4 hours on my feet most of the time.  My grumpiness lasted pretty much all day even though I tried really hard to shift it.  I'm finding I'm getting VERY tired using a crutch and paracetemol isn't touching the pain much at all.

That aside I did do some gardening in the shade when I got home and I'm about to go and find a shady spot again this pm.  It is pretty darned hot out there, too hot to garden really.  Hmmm maybe I ought to go and start making my christmas cards.  

My stepdaughter-in-law is coming to stay for the night along with a 16 year old she has with her at our local Agriculture and Produce show.  Kirstin does dressage and even though she's not doing that at the show she is riding and doing ''in hand''.  I decided roast chicken was the easiest dinner even though the weather is hot.  Hmmm crikey!   Smiles..

Happy Friday!

Hi, I'm about to leap or rather stagger (giggle) out the door to go to work so I thought I'd share a photograph of one of my favourite perennials.  This is Crambe cordifolia and I just love it!  It is a member of the brassica family - Crambe maritima is edible - and its flowers resemble a giant gypsophila.  It is very hardy but it is loved by snails (caviar to them).  Luckily in my gardent our ducks keep the snail and slug population to a minimum.  Smiles..

More Vegetables Planted!

Morning on another beautiful but slightly repulsively fine Thursday morning, giggle.  Only a true gardener would detest gorgeous late Spring days!  At the moment it feels a lot more like summer than Spring, with our temps in the sun going well up into the 30's by late in the day.  It is making gardening even at 9.30am difficult to bear.

Yesterday I planted some celeriac I grew from seed up in the house vegetable garden.  It is a long-term crop, taking about 6 months until harvest and I know any member of the celery family needs even watering and lots of food to avoid it bolting.  I've also planted it up here because the house vegetable gardens get a bit of respite from the very hot late afternoon sun, also a bonus. 

I planted some watermelon ''sugar baby'' plant too which I've also grown from seed - 1 up here and 2 in the kitchen garden.  Capsicum seedlings also went into the kitchen garden and I planted one very special ''Isle of Capris'' tomato plant in a big planter bag and something special for John in another big pot which is now on the verandah (but I think it might need to go in next door's tunnelhouse).  It is Melon Bitter Gourd which is used in Asian cuisine quite a lot.  It is extremely bitter and a very acquired taste (which John loves).  I am so happy I managed to get the seed to germinate because it is reliably difficult to grow!  It is like a very bumpy, rippled cucumber.. I'll keep you posted on its progress.

This morning I've been out to the kitchen garden already and I've weeded my beetroot seedlings.  I will need to thin them soon too.  I'm going to pick a shady spot to garden in today because I can't stand working in the sun.  Time for a cup of tea!  Smiles..