A Mish production

It's another corten steel planter box.

Measured, bent, cut, drilled, anchored.

In goes the first bucket of sandy soil - from under the blue tarp. That was scraped away by the landscapers before they laid the crushed limestone. It's a rubbishy water repellant mix so we'll use as fill and buy some good stuff to go on top.

The bottom of the pile appears.

Next, planting.

A little ginkgo tree

 Such a lovely tree, but they're big. We're delighted to find a rare small one - it'll go to about 3 metres and we might live long enough to see that haha.

Here is the Mish designated spot and in she goes.

Suddenly Sydney

Quick trip to Sydney to see Janey in hospital. Looking south to Cook Strait from the Wellington airport hotel - stayed there overnight as we flew out at 6am.

Spent a few days at Robin and Gillian's place being wined and dined and looked after, and then relocated with Jase to a hotel opposite RNSH, so we could just walk across the road. The cafe in the hotel had an interesting mirror assemblage to bounce light around.

Saw Janey every day but only for a short time. Managed to see a few other people and even got to the Collaroy sea pool on a beautiful autumn day.

View from Janey's house looking across Parramata River. 

Left Janey recuperating in hospital and back home at 1.30am in an Uber from the airport. Flight schedule times Wellington-Sydney are a bit rubbish.  A multitude of jobs underway now, including planting two mini forests.

The lancewoods at the top of the drive. Perhaps New Zealand's weirdest tree - young ones look like a bunch of sticks.

The casuarinas at the back by the garage. These sprouted in the driveway from trees there and we've cut and pasted them. The discussion about how high we'll let them go continues. They should form a nice little forest in the back yard.

Meanwhile, the kawakawa mini forest lining the driveway is doing very well. These small trees will grow several metres and be a green avenue. We can grab a couple of leaves as we pass and make an anti inflammatory hot drink - grow your own medicine!

Hulloooo, what's in here?

 

It's a weta, trying to get some peace in an old bolt hole in a concrete post in the garden. Spikey legs are a bit of a giveaway. 

We've been planning to make a weta motel for a while. Zealandia has them - they are basically a wooden post with holes gouged out and a cover that can be swung open so you can see what's home. This weta has made her own weta motel room.

A piece of history

Years ago we bought a carriage step from Granpa's Shed in the southern highlands. It's a beautiful big solid metal step that assisted passengers into a horse driven carriage pre 1900. And we've carried it around since then, waiting for the right spot. It had to be used as a step, that's been my criteria.

I think we have found the right spot, leaving the back door.

Landscaping - there's a bit to do

The landscapers are here, digging and pounding and paving in the front and back yards. We have big piles of sandy soil to deal with.

Front yard is looking more organised. Crushed limestone is down and our two figs are espaliered. They'll grow like stink so we've probably overdone it having two, but it's an experiment and they'll help to cool the area down. 

We had to repair our macrocarpa pine table and benches - they copped a lot of weather at Newlands and the table has some rotted boards. Fixed. Now, it'll go on for a few more years in a more benign climate.

Table and benches in situ, with a new umbrella, as February blimmin HOT.

Mish's plan is to construct a corten planter box on two sides of the table area filled with lavender to enhance the outdoor dining experience.

Meanwhile, round the back, the landscapers are building a paved path from cars to back door. Today that is up to pounded gravel and stringlines so not much to show yet. 

Zealandia

 A nice cool slow walk in Zealandia today, forest bathing!

Lunch in the cafe (with a bunch of people off the cruise ship in town), then back home on the old road so we could go to the Pukerua Bay bookshop.

I've been trying to get a copy of 'The Day of the Jackal' since the new tv series came out, cause it's excellent. Not the same story as the book, but, whatever. 

Home with books and cup of tea - aaaah.

Into the sea

 It wasn't THAT cold.

Blurry due to photographer focusing on the island. 

A very nice swim after a sweaty day getting some kind of order into the garden. The work will take a while, but plans are evolving fast. 

Ok, we can get out.

Christmas 2024 in Australia

 We had Christmas in Hobart with Jase, Michelle's brother. First, there was hard core gardening:

And second: digging out, clearing out, mulching, digging in. Much horticultural yak.

Then some sightseeing and driving around Hobart. Pre Christmas markets and lots of yummy food sampling and a teensy bit of shopping.

Walking around on the waterfront. So many sandstone buildings remain from Australia's early white settlement.

And of course the famous convict built Richmond Bridge just out of Hobart.

We passed the bridge on the way back from Orford and lunch with Cheryl, me old mate from Scotland and our boarding school kitchen hand days (1979), yikes.

Maria Island from Orford.

Dave and I setting fire to the Tasmanian Country Women's Association Christmas pud - and it was delicious!

The Sydney to Hobart yacht racers came in after Boxing Day and stacked up in the harbour. Wild Thing ended up third in the results.

We took a cool harbour cruise. Captain got in very close to inlets along the coast. then a speedy trip to Betsy Island and back via the convict built Iron Pot Lighthouse.

Then up to Sydney and the Southern Highlands to see and stay with a bunch of lovely people. 

Janey and Peter took us to Lavendra, overlooking Milsons Point and Luna Park as night fell - great venue.

We bed hopped between friends for nearly two weeks. Thanks everyone! Had a great time catching up and having city moments and walks and sea pool swims and laughs and many delicious meals - and just catching up. Always good. 

Finally, a Robertson moment in the gum trees on the way to the airport. 

Plums

 Our big beautiful tree is in full fruit again. It's jam, chutney, and sauce time, and friends are coming over with buckets.

Jam batch #2 underway.

The Thomas Keating family picking plums on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Nesting time

A greenfinch making free with webbing holding the new magnolia.

 

We're calling it - DONE!

We have council approval for the works and no more needs to be done on the building. 

No big celebration here - we've been almost finished for a while. Most defects are done too as of this week and they've been minor. Very happy with the  builder, his team, the architect, and every tradie who has been in and out since March. We're finished on time and over budget haha, but - done.

Here are some before and after shots.

The first day we walked around the place going, yep, we like it, let's buy it. I'm standing in what is now the new wing.

Mish began plotting the add-on as soon as we moved in. Here, she's standing in the new bedroom.

Taken from the kitchen, the bookshelves were on the spare room's wall. We've broken through that wall.  Old front door, living room and dining area.

New front door and windows and dining area pushed out.

Plotting the works in the old dining area between living room and kitchen. The old kitchen is behind Mish - that wall got knocked down.

From the same spot looking into the kitchen to the back door. Previous dining area ended at the photo on the left.

The front steps with pots left just where they came out of the mover's van. Sandbags on the deck's roof - daggy but they worked a treat to hold that end down on windy nights. 

New steps and corten planter boxes, new roofing over the deck and bye bye sandbags.

Sealing the windows to keep the drafts out. 

Window is in the same position. No drafts.

Sue and Phil passing through on a bike trip. Phil is about to prune the grape vines. The concrete water tank behind took some effort to knock down. 

This area became the back door and a space for the hot water system. Rain chain!

Done.

Summer's here

 Pohutukawa flowering all over, blue skies, warmer days and nights, and spring winds easing.

The pohutukawa on our southern boundary.

Looking north west, Kapiti Island from the front yard- 3km off the coast.

Driveway works

One morning in spring - a short working bee to continue securing our driveway bank. This is actually the neighbour's land but we look at it and they are above it, so we occasionally work on it together.

Don't compare the landscapers' timber work with ours 😐.

Plants will grow over it.

Cook's privilege

 And that is to have two drawers (two!) for her little bowl and little saucer collection.

Such extravagance.