Welcome back readers! Apologies for not blogging sooner. Permission to be real please. Life has been, well, just crazy.
Crazy because...
Late winter went straight into summer heat.
August winds became September winds.
Rain vanished.
The ground is a dust bowl.
Plants are under stress.
The council issued warnings on excessive saline contamination in the water supply a few weeks ago, and said not to water gardens. Too late.
Then it reported sediment- which we all knew about. A refreshing glass of brown water anyone?!
My husband's 'helpful suggestions' have been irritating me no end. We fought over mulch. We don't often agree on garden related things.
My allergies are on hyper-drive: my eyes cry daily and I have a tap for a nose.
I discovered I can no longer take a week off hormones. At all.
One of my children is processing mental health issues with yet another practitioner.
My dad is currently in hospital after a cold night out and alone.
He blamed me for locking him out. And stealing from him. Still grieving the loss of a parent and the relationship.
My husband has been studying since I met him-6 years ago, and feeling the pressure. So am I. The tunnel is dark and long.
Why do I say this? Simple. To show that, no matter what circumstances throw your way, you have to honour your word, not follow your feelings. Sorry to burst the popular quote, 'If it feels good, do it.' No, it doesn't always feel good. Sometimes it just sucks. It's challenging, boring, horrible, stressful, frustrating, discouraging.
However, pushing through does feel amazing.
Pushing through means that when trivial, inconsequential things pass, we are still creating an amazing future legacy.
That makes it all worth while.
On that note, though by no means a complete example of what has occurred, take a look below at recent growth/progress..
Though very few and far between, the wild iris are flowering and holding up well to zero water and harsh spring conditions.
Until growing it myself, I was completely unaware that this is how broccoli flowered.
After a month off for surgery/ recovery, the poor peas were quite a shambles, so out they came.
The coriander went to seed and needed removing.
My first baby beetroot!
Beautiful bougainvillea growing neglected near the compost bays. The one's I've planted on the slope have barely flowered. Perhaps I should ignore them too?
I do need to weed spray around the compost bays- it's becoming a lovely singapore daisy bed.
My sweet little garden helper. Moments after this, she hosed the gravel, splashed about, then sat down to happily play in the mud.
Simple pleasures :)
Last week, I turned over the soil after removing several plants. The ground was like digging concrete, despite bi-weekly waters.
Though not a very clear shot, the right watering can shows the darker, sediment stained water.
This is hubby's domain now- over the creek clearing and replanting.
Shane doing an awesome job helping create a new garden bed around the bike track.
Transplanted grasses and a log garden done.
Tyres are slowly being buried to create bike tracks edges here...
...and here.
New sections of overgrowth slowly being cleared.
This is the after...
...this is the before.
My Sarah watering the transplanted grasses.
More garden progress.
The newly turned over, fertilised and replanted garden bed. Tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers, ready to flourish this spring.
The foreground has rocket seedlings, with coriander replacing the old stock above.
We have chilli's!
The side garden nearest creche now has eggplants (with stakes) and a border of thyme.
Strawberries are in, and sage and kale, replacing the celery which was mistakenly being picked as parsley.
I love free seeds! The nasturtium (which can be eaten people!) is throwing off an abundance of them.
Yesterday, Mick did a brilliant job mulching. The mulch hubby insisted I didn't need. Yep, that's what we argued over.
Now, the water retention is increased, and the harsh sun reflected.
The side garden looks so neat...
...and it just looks fresher overall.
Thanks to a generous donation, I was able to plant a long line of moses plants along the bottom of the slope to prevent soil erosion/wash off.
Even the bathtubs look fresher- and hopefully won't dry out as much now.
Beautiful beetroot, nearly ready to harvest.
Hubby actually helped me put down the last section of weed mat. Even though it isn't a permanent solution, it will help keeps weeds under control for now.
More moses plants along the bottlebrush bed.
A ray of hope- still flowering jonquils. They do receive water twice a week thankfully. The larger, separate garden beds are the ones suffering a bit.
And lastly, some spider plants Michael put in last week. They will grow quite well after establishing, thanks to their fleshy, water holding root system.
That ends your latest update. Until next time, thanks for reading x
