Pockets of Happiness

There is a certain amount of smugness I have this evening as I type. I haven't got out of the habit yet of having a panic mid Sunday afternoon because I haven't done all the weekend jobs that I intended. Then I realise its ok because I don't have a job to turn up to now and my timetable is my own, so its perfectly OK to get that job finished on Monday. 

Today however, I got all of my tasks done. As much as it irks me to have to buy a garden mix to help top up the vegie beds, it's just not possible for me to make enough compost for 14 beds, plus all the fruit trees, and everything along the back fence. At least with the chooks I never have to get manure.  So today we got some top up mix, and I managed to get three large barrows of compost out, plus mucking out the chook shed - a very productive day in the garden - chooks helping by turning everything over and having a good time! It was warm and sunny for August, little pockets of happiness poking up all over the garden. The jonquils and snowdrops have been flowering for a few weeks now, the daffodils are beginning to open, and the broad beans are flowering already. Taking the hounds for a walk the bush is heady with wattle bursting out everywhere. This week the weather has lulled me into the false sense that Spring is already here, and some of the plants have been fooled as well. 

The apricot decided to burst into blossom early, ruining my intention to treat it with lime sulphur before bud burst. Lucky for me the peaches, cherries, apples, and roses haven't decided to poke their head out from under the doona yet and decide to get up for Spring, so those I did spray. If you have ever used lime sulphur you will know it stinks to high heaven like rotten eggs, so I tried spraying in the least breezy part of the day I could. I daresay if it doesn't succeed in keeping away the fungal diseases it may succeed in keeping away the brats that live next door. Hmm, I shall have to keep that in mind and spray along the fence where they tend to pop up and peer over. Nevertheless, despite my care (it is a dangerous substance after all) I am in need of a raspberry and vanilla scented bath to be rid of the smell. The beloved didn't realise what I was doing and thought the dogs had let off until I told him what it was! 

I also got some seed trays underway for those plants that aren't too keen on our low temperatures at higher altitudes. If you haven't thought about what you are planting for the warmer season you had better hurry up! Even if you don't need a sneaky head start in mid August like myself, many of the popular heirloom seed varieties are sold out by the end of September, so order them now! As always I used many of the Lost Seed varieties, supplemented with some heirloom varieties from Yates. The Beloved bought me a tin full of them last Christmas, so I gleefully rifled through them this morning, and suddenly realised somehow I had three packets of rocket from my combined seed hoard?!  I shall have to donate some to Mrs Bean, who has a fondness for rocket that is only surpassed by her love of freshly cracked black pepper...

Happy gardening!