Our New Zealand Move - Week 1 Update

Well here we are in New Zealand starting our new lives and I have found time to do a quick update.

The trip over was all going well with a baby who slept for a lot of it and had no trouble with his ears from what we could tell until trying to land at Wellington airport.  Winds of 145 km per hour saw our first landing aborted and on our second attempt which was bumpier than the first Kingsley woke up and promptly vomited all over his father.  Thankfully it had been a little while since he had fed and it was not too dramatic.  But the second attempt at landing was also aborted and our plane was diverted to Christchurch.  On arrival in Christchurch we were advised that we could not be cleared by customs and quarantine and therefore had to spend the next 2.5 hours in the plane.  Thankfully it was a half full flight so it was not too claustrophobic and our ticket had included a meal just after take off from Brisbane.  We had also packed snacks and I had some bottles of expressed breast milk so none of us were left hungry.
After a few hours on the plane we took off again and this time landed in Wellington with not too many bumps along the way about 3 hours later than expected.  Thankfully our dog Jessie was not on our flight and was due to land a bit later so her flight was only slightly later than predicted.
By the time we passed through the airport, collected all of our bags, waited for Dad to pick us up, had dinner, picked up Jessie and did the 2.5 hr drive to Mum and Dads it was after midnight.  It was a long and exhausting day but it was done.

Since arriving we have been quite busy looking for a house to rent, Hubby has been looking for a job and has interviews lined up, we have been up to the farm and inspected our shed in person and are very happy with the result.  All the trees that we have planted over the years are growing well and bushing out nicely and our paddock grass was waiting for the hay makers to come and cut it which has now been done.  The weather has been quite changeable with showers, wind, sunny days and mild temperatures which is nice after the hot weather we left and what we have been told we left behind.



Jessie is really enjoying having lots of space to run around on again as mum and dad have 5 acres and we have been taking her up to our farm when ever we go.

Jessie sitting at the front of the open bay of our shed

Here are some obligatory baby photos of our little man.  He is a real talker and loves to talk and roll over.

He has been enjoying cuddles with Nanna and Poppa.

Having a laugh with Nanna

Watching TV with Poppa

We also took him to visit his Great Grandmother (my dads mum) who turns 90 this year.
We will be going to see his other Great Grandparents on the 30th and lots of other relatives that week too.

Since arriving at Mum and Dads we have been spending time out in the veggie garden picking strawberries by the kilo every few days and beans by the bucketful.  There has also been cucumbers, gherkins, plums, apricots, snow and sugar snap peas and beetroot to harvest and enjoy.  Rather than start a veggie garden of our own in pots at our rental or up at the farm straight away we are just sharing what Mum and Dad have grown (which is plenty for all of us) and we are planting out enough winter veggies for all of us.

Mum and I have also been preserving the harvest.  Beans have been blanched and frozen, chutney and pickles are being made, fruit stewed and bottled and I have got some gherkins fermenting.  Later this week Dad will be killing a sheep as well so having had to get rid of all our food before moving and start from scratch again it is nice to know we will have home grown meat and vegetables to reduce our food bill as we look to build up our pantry staples again.

Lacto fermented gherkins

I am hoping to catch up on some blog reading this week but we will see as I keep thinking I will and other things take priority.

From The Web This Week

Just a few things I saw this week that I enjoyed.

Some great tips here about making sure your seeds are really dry

Check out this short documentary "The Future Of Food Production"

Raising Chickens For Dummies is an article that raises some good points for first time chicken owners.

As a kiwi I grew up with this appearing at birthday parties and in bakeries.  It is very very sweet and very very bad for you.  But as a once a year treat once slice shared with Hubby no worries.

Herbs to treat inflamation

As a soon to be mum I was sent this article about visiting a newborn and I think some of these things people would not think of.

From The Web This Week

Found a few interesting things on the web this week.

Switchel looks like it might be an alternative to Kombucha if you use vinegar that still contains the mother.

I enjoyed this post from Becoming Minimalist

Here is a tool for successional planting

I often feel we are starting our farm late but I liked this article and I think it never really is too late to do anything you want.

A good introduction to Permaculture

Comfrey - A Must Have In Every Garden

Comfrey is an amazing plant and one I would never be without in a garden. This week I came across this great article on comfrey and it is worth having a read if you want a cheap way of adding fertility to your garden and growing supplementary food for your animals.

At the farm I grew a big patch of comfrey on the down hill slope from our composting bins.  It is hard to see in the below photo as the pumpkin grew everywhere but between the corrugated compost bay side and the water tank is all comfrey.  I started off with just 3 plants and just divided off some roots and allowed them to shoot.  This big patch of comfrey helped us when we had a delay in getting our freezer cow processed as we used it as a feed supplement. 

We used to hang bunches in the chicken pen for the chickens to eat which they loved especially when their grass was a bit dried out over the hot summer or when they were moulting.

I also used to make a liquid tonic for plants by soaking leaves in a sack in a bucket of water and this gave them a boost and when ever planting new plants a few leaves were always added to the bottom of the hole then covered by a layer of soil.

Comfrey is buried below the pumpkin vine

Comfrey is high on the list of plants for  our NZ farm and as soon as I get there I plant on getting some plants in the ground and getting lots of root cuttings going as I know that we will need a lot of it in our plans for our garden.  I am hoping to plant quite a bit of it to use in gardens as a ground cover, for making compost and for animals.  As we already have our planting of trees along the roadside for a wind break in the ground I should be able to plant comfrey in this area without worrying about them being too invasive and not wanting them there in the future.

Our windbreak planting which should be a good area for comfrey

Do you grow a big patch of comfrey?
How do you use comfrey?

Growing Basil From Cuttings

Do you grow basil from cuttings?

To be honest I never knew you could.  I picked some basil from the garden the other day and did not use it all so it sat on the bench in a glass of water for a few days waiting for another dish that needed it.  
But then it got forgotten and next thing you know it is sending out roots.  Well I'll be...

Why I have been growing it from seed and waiting so long for it to grow I don't know.  Now that I know this work I will be getting some other cuttings going as well so that I have a constant supply of basil without it going to flower.

Veggies - Success and Failure At The Rental

I am really pleased with how most things are going in my box garden at our rental.  

The cucumber is going crazy with lots of flowers and the tomatoes are coming along.  We are looking forward to lots of fermented pickles this summer.

My bok choy is booming and we are picking it already and the eggplant has 3 eggplant on it already.

My mini watermelon is doing well but my 2 capsicums are not at all healthy with shriveled deformed leaves.

And then there is my potatoes which I think has blight or wilt, which is possibly related to my capsicum issues.

I am going to turn out my potatoes and see what is going on below the surface.  Perhaps there is something to salvage.

How is your garden doing?

Gardening In The Rental

One of the biggest losses when we left the farm and moved to our new rental was leaving all of our veggie gardens behind.

The only things I have brought with me are a pot of mint and 4 large pots of potatoes.  As we are really tring to downsize I did not want to be carting around lots of pots that I later have to get rid of. So before we moved I decided that I would collect some polystyrene boxes and use these along with some large plastic pots to create temporary veggie beds.

Now being the complete tight ass that I am I did not want to be paying for lots of potting mix to fill these new gardens so I brought dirt with me.  Back in 2011 I blogged about all the nice soil that our chickens created for us and so I went out and collected a whole lot.  I bagged up about 10 bags full using old grain bags and they came down with us.  Our friends who helped us move though I was a bit mad bringing dirt with us by why should I pay for it when I can bring it for  free full of worms and nutrients.

Along the retaining wall there is a 1 metre wide ledge perfect for my new garden.

I have planted climbing beans, cucumbers, water melons and mango melons that I hope will spill over the front of the wall,  I have also planted bok choy, herbs, chillies, beetroot and eggplant and I cannot wait to have fresh herbs again.
My potatoes are just coming into flower and I am hoping to get some tasty spuds from them.

We are about to head off for 2 weeks travelling around NSW starting tomorrow and boy do we need a break.  We will be calling in to Nundle, Lithgow, Katoomba, Scone, Urbenville, Uralla and a whole lot of other place in between.  We are catching up with some extended family in Sydney but really just hoping to see some of the countryside and chill out ass the last few months have been very busy for us.  If I can work out how to use my new phone I might post some updates on the road but then again I might not.

See you all in a few weeks.

The Garden Of Shame

Since we put our house on the market the veggie gardens have become very neglected and they are full of weeds.  I had hoped that the house would have sold quicker and so I really didn't do any planting and since we thought were not going to be here to harvest spring and summer crops I got quite demotivated and just ignored them.

It is so weedy that the parsley is lost in there and there is even a lettuce off to the left.  Can you spot it?  It is like a game of Where's Wally?

There is actually an Eggplant in there flowering so we will probably get some more fruit before we move

But due to all the work I have put in in the past and my method of letting things go to seed the garden is still producing for us.

There are plenty of herbs, silverbeet and kale.  There are self seeded lettuces popping up everywhere, the cherry tomatoes grow everywhere like weeds and there is plenty of bananas and citrus.  

Self seeded lettuce popping up everywhere

Just today I also found some spring onions I planted a while back hidden among the weeds.

Hello Spring Onions

The garden bed that is producing well and mostly free of weeds

Last weekend I planted some potatoes, some in the ground and some in pots.  The ones in the ground might come to something (some are already shooting) before we move and I will be taking the pots with us when we move.

This week I also picked the first asparagus spear and look forward to all the ones to come.

And as always my number 1 helper is always on hand (usually with a stick for me to throw) to help out in the garden.  She does not dig anywhere and never has but if I am in the garden digging she then likes to have a little dig in the soft dirt.  Unfortunately sometimes this is after I have put the seedling in.... 

How is your garden looking?
Do you have any bits that make you feel embarrassed?

The Garden Whip Around

Even though we are selling up and moving on there are still jobs that need doing.

Last weekend I tackled our arrowroot hedge.  It stretches across the back boundary of our house yard (which includes the orchard and chicken pens) and creates a bit of a windbreak for our chickens.  It has been looking really ratty and so it needed to be pruned back to the ground.  I started off doing the small section (about 4 metres) but by the end of it my hand was pretty sore from wielding the secateurs.

My efforts

Hubby came to the rescue then and did the big section (about 15 metres) with a chainsaw which took him less time to do than my small section by hand.

Hubby making it look easy

All Done (sorry chickens it will be a bit breezy for a while)

All the arrowroot prunings will make great compost when it rots down.

The new owners are going to get a great crop of dragon fruit next year as our plant has put on so many new shoots and every year our crop gets better and better.

This empty garden bed is ready to plant my potatoes into.  We might not be here to eat them but I have to take the risk.  I will probably plant some in pots to take with us just in case.

This bed has an old zuchini some kale, parsley, fennel, dill, spring onions and nasturtiums.  Nothing too exciting but enough to keep the two of us in veg and herbs when combined with the rest of the garden.

These garden beds are a bit of a disgrace but among the weeds there are self seeded lettuce, silverbeet, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and herbs.

We have lots of lemons, the flood of tahitian limes is nearly over with lots stored in the fridge, and the blood oranges are loving the cold weather (this is what develops the red colour). 

Our crazy mulberry thinks it is time to fruit... I think it is a bit cold yet but maybe nature knows best.

This is my asparagus bed just waiting for a new layer of compost and mulch.  Hopefully we will get a good crop before we move.

So what going on in your garden?

Lots Going On Around Here

My blogging schedule has been under a bit of pressure this month but that is not to say there has not been a lot going on.

We have been having a lot of house inspections so we hope that this will shortly lead to a contract but are not getting our hopes up too much.  Because we have had to be out of the house most weekends for these inspections we have had a couple of weekends away camping.  On the June long weekend we spent 3 days camping and had friends join us for one night which was a lovely catch up.  Then last weekend we went camping again by ourselves just to relax.

I have also started my University study and needless to say that having not studied since 2001 it is challenging my brain to get back into that mode of operation.  I am currently undertaking a 2 week prep course that focuses on academic writing which I am so glad I signed up for as the rules around academic writing are very specific and being able to write well will ensure I do well in my studies.

Although we are really just keeping the house and gardens tidy and not adding to them we have had to spend a bit of time out in the garden.  We have had a very mild and wet winter so far which is not at all normal for us at this time of the year.  This has resulted in the weeds taking over every little space they can find.  Today we pulled out half a wheelbarrow of weeds and all the rain meant they were easy to get out.  With the shortest day of the year now behind us we are on our way back towards summer but I still expect that we will have some cooler weather ahead of us.

With the couple of weekends away camping I have read some great books and have picked up my crochet hook again too.  I am working on a large blanket and so far I have a knee rug so it is progressing nicely.

I have not had a lot of time to read your blogs and leave comments but please know I am reading when I can even if I am not leaving comments.

Strange Growths In The Garden

After the rain the other week I noticed that we had some unusual fungis coming up in the mulch.

With Hubby being an Arborist we use tree mulch on the non - veggie gardens and we often have unusual looking fungi growing.
This is a new one that I have not seen before and I was quite intrigued by the make up with what appeared to be a glossy sticky top and a fine net like wrap around the trunk.
Hubby was also amused by the fact it was quite phallic looking.
The netting was very delicate and when I tried to touch it it broke so I stopped touching after that especially since I was unsure if it was toxic.

Have you had anything strange or unusual appear in you garden before?

A Busy Weekend In The Garden

Over the Weekend we spend a good 12 + hours doing the last of our garden tidy up before we put our house on the market.

After weeding all of the gardens, mowing the lawns, trimming the edges and doing some pruning we moved about 30 wheel barrows of tree mulch (about 6m3) and spread it around the garden.

We did the fire pit...

The garden along the back of the shed...

The worm farm garden...

Around the bore water tank...

Around the raised veggie beds...

The succulent garden...

Around Jessie's kennel...

The orchard...

And a few other gardens as well.  At the end of the day we were both quite stiff and sore but relieved to have it so much done.

I now have just one of the two back veggie gardens to mulch with sugar cane mulch and then it is just a matter of keeping on top of the weeds.  Because we have had so much rain lately and it is still over 30 degrees most days the weeds are almost growing in front of your eyes.  So every day as I wander around the yard I just pull out a few weeds and this seems to keep them at a manageable state.

Did you spend any time in the garden over the weekend?  What jobs did you get done?

Slow Living January 2015

Wow here we are already one month into the year and already reflecting on our progress, challenges and celebrations of our slow living lives.

Linking up with Linda who is now our gracious host having taken over from Christine in hosting the Slow Living Nine.  I love joining in each month and reflecting on what I have achieved, it is also great to hear what everyone is up to and share in their achievements.

Nourish -Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over packaged, over processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead.
We are still drowning in and eggs so they have made it into many meals lately, I have traded some for some lovely home made soaps and I used 2 dozen in so home made pasta.
I also made another big batch of Orange and Almond Biscotti because it keeps so well and Hubby really likes it.

Prepare - Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season.

With our two freezers full of beef there is not really any room to add to the stockpile anything but I still seem to find room for a few things.  One of the few things that have been added to the pantry stockpile is some Wine Jelly.  You serve it like you would quince paste as part of a cheese platter or can use it to glaze meats.  I will post the recipe over the next week because it makes a great gift for anyone who loves their wine and cheese.

Reduce - Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing.

The clothing reduction continues and I am still sending them off to the op shop for someone else to enjoy.  This week I also had a look through my book case and managed to get rid of about 15 books but there are a lot more that probably need to go in our quest to down size before moving.

Green - Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.
I have testing some herbal/natural insect repellents and the first one I have tried is 'Bug Another'. I purchased this from my local health food store and it is certified organic, made in Australia and contains a wide range of essential oils to keep those pesky biting insects away.  It sprays onto the skin in a nice mist which you can then rub a bit to distribute and does not leave your skin sticky or feeling like you are wearing anything at all.  The smell is lovely and I have used it on my face with no reaction what so ever. Like many natural products it does not stay on the skin after swimming so you need to reapply and you need to reapply about every 2 hours based on my testing when we took it camping.  

Grow - plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden?

The garden is producing lots of herbs,  the cucumbers are coming on, there are spring onions, tomatoes, capsicum, water melon and eggplant.  The water melon I grow are the golden midget variety.  These are a much easier size to manage in a household of 2.  The other thing that is goo about them is that they turn yellow when they are ripe and the leaves around them turn yellow too.  If you would like some seeds please let me know as I have heaps, so just send me an email.

Create - To fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others.

January was a bit quite on this front and I feel like I need to get this part of my life back in balance.

Discover - Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests.

After attending the Lifeline BookFest where I picked up a few great books I have already read a couple of them.  One was 'Warm House Cool' House by Nick Hollo and the Other was Bill Molisons 'Introduction to Permaculture'.  For any one starting out in Permaculture this book is a great place to start and even though I have know quite a bit about premaculture and we try to use the principles in the way we live this book still offered up tips and examples that are not included in the mach more complex book 'The Permaculture Designers Manual'

I also found time to read The Name Of The Wind by Partick Rothfus which was lent to me by a friend and it is a beautifully written book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

Enhance - Community

This year I have really cut back on the time I dedicate to community activities and while we are in the final stages of wrapping up last years classic car show I am not taking on any new work.  It has been a hard decision but the right one.

Enjoy - Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment.

January was spent recovering from Christmas and Hubby and I just took some time out for ourselves so it has been a bit quite on this front.

What have you been up to?