Haha lazy Willie Wagtail is stealing insects from the spiders web! Or is there a nest up there??
The garden is full of birds flying here and there eating from the nectar giving flowers.
Hard to take pics because they are up there in the tree tops against the sun.
Woah, just seeing two Rainbow Lorikeets in the Silky Oak! Nice having them around. They can get quite friendly. We are keeping an eye on our patches too. We might have to put netting over 3 and 4 by and by.
English after.
20161014 fredag. Nu är vi klara med vårsådden och vårplanteringen …. nej vi har avokadosarna kvar att plantera någonstans.
Så i grönsaksland nr 1 växer kvar från i höstas Sötpotatis, oregano, rabarber, vitlök, en dum lök som jag kastade ut, koriander och några rödsallat som är självsådda. Vi har nu på våren sått rukola, basilika, rosmarin, dragon och isbergssallad. Potatisen vi satte i höstas verkade ha dött så vi beslutade att denna rad var tom. Sen grävde vi lite och hittade några små nypotatisar. Några var lite ätna av. Vi har lagt undan dem att grodda.
I grönsaksland nr 2 har vi kvar från vintern och fortfarande skördar från Cos sallat, citrongräs, blomkål, persilja och några kinesiska kål. Vi har planterat jordgubbar som vi köpt på Bunnings, sötpotatis varav 5 är köpta och en grävde vi upp och en som dök upp och växte av sig själv. Sen sådde vi en isbergtyp-sallad, broccoli, paprika, kål, gurka, zucchini, salladslök och aubergine. Vi flyttade en massa tomter som hade självsått sig sen hösten och sådde några nya stora tomater, Grosse Lisse.
I nr 3 har vi fortfarande från vintern och fortfarande skördar från kålrötter, rödbetor, dill och några ärter. Vi har sått rädisor, purjolök, palsternacka, rotselleri, bladselleri, ärtor, mer sallad, röd chili, pak choi, lök, rock melon, vattenmelon, pumpa, morötter, mer rödbetor, ett gäng olika bönor och satt potatis. Rädisorna är uppe redan och vi skördar dem. Bönorna har dykt upp och ser bra ut.
I en 4: e ruta har vi planterat 24 majs och satt ett högre staket runt för att hålla borta hopparna. Senare kommer vi antagligen att täcka det med nät för att undvika fåglar också. Uppe vid vattentanken vi har planterat en del kronärtskockor på prov och nere i hagen en bit från veranda vi har sått några solrosor så att vi kan se hur de vänder och vrider sig efter solen. Fröhuset var en besvikelse i år. Det vi trodde var en trevlig blandning av jord och sand visade sig som cement i vissa fall. Endast sallat och kronärtskockorna klarade av det och kunde planteras.
Nu har vi 4 avokadoplantor att försöka räkna ut var vi ska plantera så att de kommer att vara säkra från frost. Ahh, vi har också sått en quandong i i en burk och det kommer att bli spännande att se om de tar sig.
Loquaten har frukt och vi äter av den. Den smakar plommon fast med lite beskt skal. Det måste vara ett ganska ungt träd eftersom det inte har särskilt mycket frukt ännu. Mullbären är börjar också mogna. En av de gula guavaträden har fått något som äter bladen men vi kan absolut inte se vad det är. Alla citrus blommar eller har blommat klart. Några kumquatar är fortfarande kvar på ett av träden och bör skördas snart. Macadamianötterna samt pecannötterna har blommat och vi väntar nu på att se om den blir några nötter av det hela. Förra året fick vi inte så många som året innan.
Så trädgården går fint just nu.
Grannen sålde aldrig sin tomt och det var hans kor som strövade på vår mark igen men han sålde korna och allt är tillbaka till det normala. Vi har haft ett par dopp i bäcken men vädret är lite svalare än förra året så vi är lite mesiga fortfarande.
20161014 Friday. So now we are done with the spring sowing and planting…. oh no, we have the avocados left to plant somewhere.
In patch one we have growing: Sweet potato, oregano, rhubarb, garlic, one silly onion that I threw out, coriander and some red lettuces that seeded itself. We have sown rocket, basil, rosemary, tarragon and iceberg lettuce. The potatoes we put down seemed to have died so we decided that that row was empty. Then we dug a little and found some small new potatoes. Some were a bit eaten. We have put them away to grow eyes.
In patch 2 we have left from winter and still harvesting Cos lettuce, Lemon Grass, cauliflower, parsley and some Chinese cabbage. We have planted strawberries that we bought at Bunnings, sweet potatoes some that are bought and one we dug up and one that popped up by itself. Then we sowed Iceberg type lettuce, broccoli, capsicum, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, shallots and eggplant. We relocated a bunch of tomatoes that had self seeded since autumn and sowed some new big ones: Grosse Lisse.
In no 3 we still have from winter and still are harvesting from Swedes, beet roots, dill and some peas. We sowed radishes, leek, parsnip, celeriac, celery, potatoes, peas, more lettuce, red chilli, pak choi, onion, rock melon, watermelon, pumpkin, carrots, more beet roots, and a bunch of different beans. The radishes are up and we are harvesting. The beans have popped up and look well.
In a 4th patch we have planted 24 corn and put a higher fence around to keep the jumpers away. Later we will probably have to cover the corn with netting to avoid birds.
Up by the water tank we have planted some Globe artichokes on trial and down in the paddock a bit from the verandah we have sown some Sunflowers.
The seed house was a let down this year. What we thought was a nice mixture of soil and sand turned out like cement in some cases. Only some lettuce and artichokes made it through and got planted.
Now we have 4 avocados to figure out where to plant so they will be safe from the frost. Ahh we have also sown a Quandong in a pot and that will be exciting.
The Loquat we already have is fruiting well and we are eating. It must be quite a young tree because it does not have very many fruit yet. The Mulberries are also coming along nicely. One of the yellow Guavas have caught something that is eating the leaves but we can absolutely not see what it is. All the citruses are blossoming or done blossoming. Some Kumquats are still on one of the trees and should be harvested soon. The Macadamias have bloomed and Pecans are blossoming right now so we are waiting to see if any nuts will come out of it. The garden is coming along fine at the moment.
The neighbour did not sell his plot and it was his cows that roamed but he sold the cows and all is back to normal. We have had a couple of dips in the creek but the weather is a bit cooler than last year so we are still a bit wimpish.
Here is the only dill plant that made it but we have harvested so much dill from it it is uncanny! 
Below is the Macadamia blooming and there are lots and lots of insects flying around fertilising it.
On the other hand the Guava is faring miserably. Something that we cannot see is eating all the leaves.
In the garden right now.
Here is a yellow citrus flower. At least we think so but this needs further investigation because nothing on the internet says there is such a thing.
Here is one of the terrible Lantanas. It is a pink one. Soon it will be cut to a nice shape.
This one we have no idea what it is but it is very cute. Possibly Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
Here is a Mulberry almost ripe!
Here is a Banksia cone. The small bumps have seeds inside.
Here is a White Paper Daisy / Rhodanthe floribunda. We have relocated these from the bush to the cleared space by the entrance.
Here are many yellow flowers. They are all over right now. Senecio Lautus ssp dissectifolius / Variable Groundsel.
Up close below:
The Wisteria (Blåregn) that grows in the Citrus Grove and we are trying to tame it.
Here is a creeping vine. We do not know what it is yet. Maybe a Jasmin of some kind, possibly Jasminum Polyanthum
And lastly the citrus flowers and buds. They smell lovely but do not smell citrus at all.
Lazy morning by the fire.
Did September cleaning and vacuuming.
After lunch we started working on the vinyl flooring in the dunny-to-be. Cut the corners and decided to glue half of it tomorrow. Half so we can move the dunny from the verandah. And only half because we have to make a drain for the shower and sink before glueing the rest. Looking forward to this.
After that we raked the garden behind the house which was full of leaves again.
Still have the sliver and the Pecan square to rake and remove branches and twigs.
But things are looking up, really. The beans and radishes are sprouting and some other things which we are not sure if it´s weeds or veg´s.
Woke up and from the verandah saw one of the big Wallabies licking a very red spot on his stomach. It was sitting down on it´s tail which was sticking out front sort of instead of backwards as usual. Jen spoke to it and it did not jump away. The two big ones are a bit shy otherwise. Went in and had brekkie. Later it lied down in it´s side. Now we got nervous it was sick and maybe would die. We talked to it a couple of times and it looked at us but did not jump away. In the evening it got up and jumped away and ate some. I hope it´s back to business. We planned our day´s work: the dunny and raking the back yard but then our plans got thwarted because it stunk in the storage. The cans with beans we had conserved had yeasted and run over and gotten mouldy and stunk prawn and fish. One of the bottles of lemon juice had leaked a lot and mould loved it. So instead of following our plan we picked the innards of the old fridge apart and cleaned them and sprayed mould stuff on. Poured out our beans on the compost and did not do much else. Sometimes days are like that.
So the hated barbed wire.
Stupid new neighbours 2 cows seem to have joined Potmans leftover bull. Some weeks ago they had crapped down by our beach. That´s where we take our water! So we followed the creek until the road and found three barbed wire fences that were lying down. Probably from old floods. So we streched our fence along the lower paddock which has electric and smooth wire. Although the electricity is not connected. Then some days ago the cows were eating limes along the mail box. We chased them out and had to raise the barbed wire fencing between the new neighbour and the road. Next we had cows at the water tank. (This time the bull had some more ladies with him.) Not good because they may step on the hose and crack it and let out all the water. So we chased them and this time they remembered that they could not get back through their usual broken down fence. We followed them and saw where there are more parts of fencing down.
So today we went and fixed those parts as best we could. At one point 3 meters of barbed wire was cut away and missing.
Now we hope that we will not have any more cows around the house at least.
We still don´t like barbed wire but what can you do.
Started making curtains from some old fabric we found. It is fabric from an old medieval dress Jen sewed once.
Today is a beautiful day. We took a cuppa with us to the creek while the laundry was beeing rinsed. Two big black cockatoos came along and shreiked at us a little and flew away. We think they might have a nest close by.
Maybe this is the last frost morning! Hoping so.
Made chicken in milk a couple of weeks ago and saved the liquid. Today we mixed it with chicken meat and had for lunch. Tasted neither orange nor milk but tasted very good anyway.
Mick sowed the rest of the seeds that should go in pots first and we will sow what goes straight in the ground tomorrow.
We are sowing a Quandong tree:
Someone is burning their paddocks on the other side of the mountain and it makes the sky hazy. Last days of burning now before 1st of Sept.
Eve dinner will be some chinese ginger stuff we´ll put together.
Still cold mornings and evenings but soooooon!
Today, the 20:th, we have lived in Oz for two years since Greece.
Now it must be spring! We were outside most of the day in t-shirts!
This week we have sown lots of seeds in small empty butter containers and have them in the little net seed house.
We have sown: lettuce -three kinds, parsnip, radishes, shallots, broccoli, basil -2 kinds, and spinach. Also radishes outside in patch 3. We are still weeding patch 3.
We have now made a sowing plan in Excel for our coming year. We will note when to sow for the first time and then we shall see how often we shall sow or can sow after that. Two more squares are planned too, one for corn stalks and one for artichokes.
We have written down companion plants too but that bit will have to wait until next year. We cannot take on too much at the same time, right!
There are also still veggies growing so today we harvested one super large Swede, fit for fodder we know but still edible, broccolini, dill and probably the two last and quite small cauliflowers, oh, and two red beets.
Citrongräs, Broccolini, Kinesisk kål, Blomkål och små persiljor växer här.
Swede/kålrötter och en ensam dill
The dill is bouquet dill and very nice. It´s the second time we harvest from the same plant. Dill is definitely a plant for our winter time.
Yesterday we made rösti on a mix of roots. It was yum! We both can´t wait for our new seeds to grow!
Of course we have ongoing work all over like mowing, working the patches, pumping water, picking up branches and twigs after each storm or high winds and rain, getting wood in the bush or arranging logs to dry. Clearing different areas again.
Next big step is moving the water tank and getting all the pipes into the house in the correct places and on to the veggie patch. One of our neighbours is giving us their drip hoses so we shall pick them up and install one day in the veggie patches.
Now, when we have a cool season and many plants are dormant, we can walk to many places like down to the big red cedar without being too vigilant about snakes. We have plans to make a bench and nice sitting area there and maybe clearing the bush down to the beach so one can sit and contemplate life over a glass of something nice.
Going in to B to dump the trash at the recycling centre and posting the census and a letter to the ATO for a stamp to send to Greece to prove that we live here. How does that prove anything? The Greek authorities and our lawyers are the pits. They can just call the council in K and the tax people in AU and check that we live here instead of making us get stamps and pay out of our noses.
Anyway. We got on our city clothes. Jen let her hair down and the weather has been fine a couple of days. The postman (lady) came through without a hitch so we thought we could leave the chainsaw at home.
More than halfway through lo and behold a tree with a gazillion vines wrapped around it! Good thing we had the machete with us and gloves. So just started hacking away and pulling off the vines until the tree was free. That nicely hanging hair in face and mouth and dirt on our city clothes. Phew! Snatch strap on tree and pull it aside with the ute. Road free after maybe 30 min! Not a bad job! Then on to the village.
Had a cuppa at the General Store and had a nice chat with, haha, shows – the postman’s father! Small world!