New Addition Plus August Round-up

Whilst out in the garden today I noticed some vegies ready to pick. I am always keen to pick when they are young and tender. Today's offerings were broccoli, kale and cauliflower which I turned into stirfry for tonight's dinner and tomorrows dinner. 

I dug around as I was planting my next crop of potatoes (Tasmanian favourites, Pink-eyes and Dutch Creams). I found these beauties still in the ground from the last crop. They were roasted for tonight's dinner.

I also found enough mushrooms in the garden for the bearded wonder's lunch. I fried them in butter and he had them on toast. HINT: I always use a shaving brush to clean down the mushrooms whilst preparing them for eating.

Although we have 1 more official week of winter, it sure looks like Spring is here.

Blossoms adorn the Nectarine tree, with the promise of a good crop. Hope so....I love home grown nectarines in February.

The garden has an overwhelming scent of hyacinths, boronia, stocks and daphne.

The bearded wonder erected a sculpture in the garden for me so that's an addition and so is Ellie, a beautiful seven year old golden spaniel who we have adopted, as her previous owner, a 92 year old lady was put into care. She is a lovely quiet and calm girl and I'm hoping those traits will rub off on our boisterous boy.  They get on well together. Poor Ellie has a touch of arthritis and was quite overweight but now she is an ideal weight for her breed. She had led a very sheltered life and never been for walks, so with us she is active and keen to go in the car and discover new places and try out new experiences like going to the beach and walking in the bush.

After selling most of my hens from last years hatchings, I have kept 5 and they have started laying now that the days are getting longer. I haven't had to buy eggs all winter because my faithful  Aracauna gave me an egg most days. Yesterday, I re-potted all my orchids and set up an irrigation system for them as they were a bit neglected thanks to one brown dog that would tip them out of their pots when he was small. I'm not taking any chances now and I've put them on high shelves in the shade house, which acts as the dogs' bedroom. No flowers this year but maybe next.