eeeek - there just aren't enough hours in the day are there...

I've been positively floored by work work work of late - and the poor garden has been the one to suffer..... I've not wanted to admit that I've been getting nothing at all done around the place...

oh well - one must be philosophical about these things.... this gorgeous flower (the bulbs were a gift from a friend) popped up out of the ground this week - I'd forgotten that I planted it - and it was a nice reminder that even when I completely neglect the garden it still manages to spring forth delightful surprises

and it spurred me on to do some weeding.... and some planting... and then FP tidied up with some whipper-snipping.... and all in all - it's not a total disaster!

now if only I can get someone to find me a few more hours in the day I might just get on top of my groaning list of things to do.....

TWIG - 20

 

butternut pumpkin - almost ready to be picked

The great cucumber glut continues – but I think I'm finding a solution. 

January last year I took some of my excess vegies to a small farmers market that was developing in the nearby township of Central Tilba. The farmers market is an initiative of the Transition Towns Triangle or TTT (our area's local Transition Towns group – the 'triangle' spoken of is the geographic area from Bermagui to Tilba to Quaama). But after my initial foray in to the markets, life/study commitments, confusion over insurance and my garden's decreasing production caused me to shelve my idea of having my own farmers table, but over the past week I seem to found a solution. The Tilba market runs a collective table under the TTT banner and yesterday I sent them my oversupply of 'early wonder' cucumbers as a gift for the local group essentially. The TTT table folk are keen for me to join/ share space and take any excess garden produce to sell at future markets – this way I won't have to worry about insurance or committing to a solo table every week. And I'm really looking forward to having a chin-wag with other local gardeners who share my passion for local, home-grown, organic, heritage variety, home-preserved fruit and vege and also for other aspects of Transition Towns movement* 

here is the garden late summer
the old potato beds (foreground) are now being slowly replanted
with late season zucchini and cucumber and early season autumn greens

*for anyone unfamiliar with Transition Towns movement I'll write up a special something about another time – but if you follow some of the links provided you'll start to get a solid idea. TT is something I'm increasingly interested in and quietly, individually working through – I thoroughly recommend all the main transition books: The Transition Handbook, Transition Timeline and Local Foods.

patty-pan squash -
the flowers are just as delicious as the small squash - especially if they are lightly battered and fried - yum!

TO DO

*tackle powdery mildew problems (milk spray)

*plant autumn/ winter seeds

*weed vege garden

*prune wistringea hedge

*try to catch up on all the garden jobs!

Completed

*seedlings planted: santolina, chinese wombok cabbage, celeriac, great lakes lettuce, pak choy, stevia, morrocan mint, lemon balm, common mint

*endive seedlings thinned

*yet another batch of mustard pickles bottled as well as a batch of chilli eggplant chutney

*grass mowed.... again!

Picking/ eating

baby endive, raspberries, rondo de nice zucchini, spring onions, ivory eggplant, pontiac potatoes, early wonder cucumbers, armenian cucumbers, passionfruit, cherokee wax beans, climbing princess beans, sweet basil, roma tomatoes, baby patty-pan squash – FP is eyeing off the watermelon – he thinks the first is just about ready to pick (it's huge!) so stay tuned....

it never rain but it pours....

Was it only a few weeks ago I was lamenting: 'oh woe is me - we have no rain'?

and then we got rain: 'oh joy is me - we have rain'

wellllll over the weekend and yesterday the skies opened for the second time in 10 days - and yet again the rain came bucketing down. This time however our ground was pre-saturated and the dams and creeks and rivers were nicely at capacity.... sooooo that meant the monster load of falling water (we had a further 310mm over two days) caused a monster load of damage.... and today the NSW State Government has declared the region a site of natural disaster. Our shire lost a few major bridges and a lot of roads have been severely damaged. The Bega River peaked last night at just over 7m - and the Brogo at just under 9m (!!!!! my goodness that's a lotta river! - its usually ankle deep - if that!)

We lost one fence line - and we can't be certain - but it's possible we've lost a couple of head of cattle (this morning a couple of cows and their calves were stranded in the middle of the creek (which is more a swift flowing river at the moment!) and many others are scattered to neighbouring farms (ahhhhh no fence = FREEDOM!!!)

It was a very hairy day yesterday - Sass and EJ's school was evacuated at lunch-time - the tiny creek beside the school became a raging river  - and a tree being hurtled along the flooded waters wiped out the school boundary fence! (ahhhh no fence = .... hmmmmm lets not think about it) if that wasn't reason enough - the main access leading from the town to the school has a very old wooden bridge for the creek crossing - and most thought wouldn't last the afternoon (p.s. it was still standing in the morning!)

forgive me that I don't have pics of all the excitement - sometimes there are other priorities!


now the sun is shining - all is calm  - and except for the call of the randy frogs and the roar of the creeks - all is quiet again.....

TWIG - 18

Ohhh in all the excitement over the RAIN I clear forgot to post anything else last week!

 

raspberry - yum

I sent all my rainy piccies off to foxtel/austar weather channel – and the whole of oz got to see my dear Sams Creek (and to hear my excited rain recitation) - this week the weather channel crew sent me this lovely gift in the mail – its great that I have used it already

Anyway with all the excitement - this is more of a 'this fortnight in the garden' rather than 'week'....

.... and what a wonderful 2 weeks it has been – with the rain at the end of last week (340mm all together – extraordinary!) As I'm writing this we are getting the absolutely essential 'follow-up' rain. This is what we call rainfall that comes after the initial drought-breaking rain. It's important that follow-up rain arrives not too soon and not too late after the initial fall – this is arriving a week after the huge downpour – just perfect timing. The follow-up rain consolidates the big fall – this is the stuff that really gets the grass and garden going. The big downfall filled the rivers and creeks and dams because most of the rain just ran off the very dry ground. This is the stuff that soaks into the now softened ground. And the timing couldn't be better – late summer is just perfect - the days can still be potentially very warm, but the hottest parts of summer are behind us and the cold is yet to set in – so it will be a most glorious autumn and winter! The best in more than a decade I'm tipping.

Yesterday and today was the annual Cobargo Show – only it's been a little bit damp for most show activities – but no one is really complaining. Sass and EJ sent in some very lovely paintings and drawings, they both cooked a cake for the packet cake section, Sass submitted a crocheted string man and EJ entered a collection of flowers -all very adorable. (show update – the kiddies collected a bunch of prizes –much to their delight!)

Here's EJ's rather wonderful abstract painting
(she painted it to go in her room....I just love it!)

and Sassy's collage of favourite things...
bikes feature heavily - oh joy! 
(also to grace his room once it returns from the show)

 

red yarrow

To do

after all the rain I am rethinking our autumn plans – at long last I can plant some of the trees and garden beds that I've been holding off on – but more of this will emerge in the coming weeks/months

plant new seedlings: santolina,  celeriac, stevia

milk spray the cucurbits (powdery mildew is rapidly setting in on my pumpkins squash and friends)

spread organic fertiliser – on all beds – everywhere

trim westringea hedge plants

pick/preserve more cucumbers (if anyone is coming past Sams Creek – please drop in and collect your FREE cucumbers – seriously – please – save us! we have an avalanche of cucumbers at the moment)

 

armenian cucumber (I think....)
I feel a bit like the old woman who lived in a shoe
- she had so many cucumbers she didn't know what to do!

Completed

most of the last week I've spent rushing from dam to dam marvelling at the glorious overflowing bodies of water! And its been too wet to do some of the things that really need attending to – ah well, you're not going to hear me complaining

seedlings planted: morrocan mint, lemon balm, common mint, artichokes & comfrey (in the sunken garden), chinese wombok cabbage, great lakes lettuce, pak choy (vege beds)

endive seedlings thinned

another batch of mustard pickles bottled

Picking/ eating

green oak leaf lettuce, raspberries, rondo de nice zucchini, yellow crook-neck zucchini, green patty-pan squash, spring onions, ivory eggplant, pontiac potatoes, early wonder cucumbers, armenian cucumbers, passionfruit, cherokee wax beans, climbing princess beans, sweet basil, roma tomatoes (yipee – tomatoes at last!!!!) but our stone fruit are all finished for the season (phew...I was nearly out of bottles...).

 

climbing princess beans - small but delicious!

the return of sams creek

My dear Sams Creek flows again!

 and the dams that at Christmas time looked like this....

this morning looked like this..... 

** UPDATE - by this afternoon the above dam looked like this..... 

(ummm were I was standing to take the above pic is now that raging torrent on the right!)

 

our feed troughs are filled with water - and the dust around them has turned to mud

and its still raining

its raining like our two dear kidlins have never seen it rain!

(expect more excited postings of pictures 

this morning the gauge announced we'd had 170mm - 

but that was almost 8hrs ago and its been bucketing down ever since!) 

AT LAST!!!!!!!!

 

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

  

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

  

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWIG - 17

Our attention this week has been on getting our two off to a new school year – EJ had a blast on her first day of kinder – the interesting thing about living in a small community is that when its time for the kids to head off to school – they already know so many of the 'big' kids there – they've got oodles of friends and only the odd unfamiliar face.

It will take me a while to get used to the new rhythm of our lives (its not that both our children spent every moment with us prior to school – but it is very different to be readying the two together for the one destination!) So I'm finding my feet with the new year – and shortly I'll have to make a second adjustment as I commence a new academic year – this time attempting to combine full-time study with part-time work and full-on load here at the creek.... and like most tasks I'll just nibble away at it until I get there.... I'm going to channel the little engine that could: “I THINK I can... I THINK I can.... I THINK I can....”

For weeks now I've been preserving our garden and orchard produce – yes it can be long and time-consuming – but its incredibly satisfying to look at bottles and bottles of pickles and chutney and jams and conserves.

ahhh late summer = preserving time!

here are two bowls of chopped cucumber/zucchini and onions soaking in brine 

- the first stage in making sweet mustard pickles 

(FP loves his mustard pickles!)

This week I've made peach and sweet orange marmalade, bread and butter cucumber pickles and as I type this out I'm in the middle of a monster batch of sweet mustard pickles (based on zucchini and cucumber). I've always loved making preserves – its something that I started doing with my darling grandmother – Nana T – who was an AMAZING pickle and sauce maker – lucky me I managed to write down some of her recipes, and every time I make tomato sauce or mustard pickles I think of her and all the wonderful times we spent together


TO DO

plant more seeds!

More preserves!

get new worms for the worm farm (my dears had a fatal sauna in the 44C heat of a couple of weeks ago)

sow bulk herb seeds in trays

try to catch up on all the jobs not done yet!


Completed

late summer seeds sown: sugar baby watermelon, early wonder cucumber , rocket, english spinach, gold bullion zucchini

seedlings transplanted: rainbow silverbeet, echinecea, artemisia, lime verbena, (these last 3 have been planted in the lower decorative border)

bottled 25 jars of preserves including: peach & sweet orange marmalade, sweet mustard pickles, Bread and Butter cucumber pickles.

Old potato beds dug over, organic fertiliser added and seeds planted

bay tree seedling planted (chimney decorative bed)


Picking/ eating

green oak leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, raspberries, yellow peaches, yellow nectarines, blood plums, rondo de nice zucchini, yellow crook-neck zucchini, spring onions, ivory eggplant, pontiac potatoes, 'zucumbers', early wonder cucumbers, passionfruit, cherokee wax beans, climbing princess beans, sweet basil.