Africanaussie

I have been following along with  Fiona   at Life at Avondale Farm as she makes homemade Christmas gifts and posts about them each Wednesday - Ooops I know I am  bit late, but better late than never. I normally make a gift for each of the members of the bible study I attend on Mondays, and last year I made a plate of baked goodies.  Two of the members are diabetic and I really think baked good are an unfair gift to give them. I  had a bumper crop of loofas this year, and so I decided to make some bath salts to go along with them. this is the recipe I used: 2 cups epsom salts 2 cups sea salt 2 Tbs baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) mix all together and then add 20 drops (approximately) essential oil flower petals. I made lavender, with lavender petals and then I made some with rose buds and that was scented with  bergamot and lime.  I think they look quite pretty all packaged up. The bottles were sold as spice bottles at Crazy Clarks, and I think are just the right size..

Over the weekend on the way to the beach with the grand kids, we detoured off the road to find a garage sale, and just as we were leaving I saw these wooden trellises propped up against a dresser.  At one dollar each I thought I could definitely use a few.  I picked up five - maybe I should have got more as now I can imagine all sorts of projects.....  We did our bit to clean up the beach and brought back some yummy seaweed for the compost.... along with some ash from a  fire.  That always gets the compost chugging along nicely.  My bin is starting to split - It is three years old, but I tend to push against that side when stirring it up.  At the end of the wet season I will empty it out and turn it around.  That should give me a few more years. The pumpkin vine was not offering up any more pumpkins so out it went - also into the compost!  On went a layer of mulch - this hay mulch is quite messy but at only five dollars a bale it is a good deal. Someone was not too happy abou

As the heat and humidity increases so the tropical flowers really flout their colours....  this is the time of year when I wonder if I have really planted too many plants too closely together in my small garden.   Actually I know I have, as I am continually giving extras away!  This roheo edge needs to be thinned out yet again...  The ground orchids love this time of year, and I am glad to see the darker pink ones have come up again.  I couldn't resist this plant at the market the other day - the red flowers are slowly starting to open up. I am not sure how big it gets, but just loved the pop of color it provides.  Isn't it strange the way the flowers pop out from between the leaves.  Anyone know what this is? One of my orchids has also started to flower - lots of little flowers that remind me of poached eggs. I guess I am thinking of poached eggs because I have been harvesting lots of yummy asparagus. :)

Gardening Australia on Saturday night featured an entry into the gardener of the year competition. See here:  Gardening Australia finalist    It is just to the south of us, so I could conceivably have a garden like years (well on a  much smaller scale !)  The one thing that struck me is how many cordelines she used, and I once again thought I needed to add some more.  They are so easy to grow - you just cut the top off and plunk it into the ground.  They do seem to be brighter and more colorful in sunny areas, and as the lychee tree grows again after its pruning there will be more and more shade in these areas.  Maybe it is something in my soil as well - because these were in full sun, and they are a very much darker pink than some others I have seen around. . I put one on either side of the tree fern, but reckon I could probably do with a few more - they seem to blend right in....  the caladiums and resurrection lily are taking over this little section.  If anyone has a trick to m

There is nothing much exciting going on in the veggie garden at the moment other than weeding and cutting back.  I wanted to build up to a maintenance free garden and I guess I have done just that.  I put down a lot of hay mulch to keep the weeds at bay.  Once the wet season starts the weeds grow overnight. So other than the ongoing weeding, and cutting back of old growth to allow the new growth room to develop, gardening consists of sitting in the swing and admiring it all.  I also have some bigger tomatoes coming up. I think they are the tropic tomatoes that I got from  MrFothergills - I am trying to save the seeds - at the moment they are fermenting to remove the outer membrane and then they will be dried and stored.  I am always on a  quest to find wilt resistant tomatoes, and saving seeds that have built up a resistance in my own garden is a good way to start. Just a few weeks ago my lime tree was covered in blossoms - it looks as though I might get limes :) There was a bit

I spent the weekend spreading 6 bales of hay around the communal area and then some more in my little garden.   Hopefully it will keep the weeds from running rampant this wet season and then also hold in some nutrients once the rains really start. Whew!    Tired old me flopped down into the swing  for a  rest and a huge jug of iced water, then looked up to see..... my little buds on  the Ulysses host tree (I really need to find out what to call it now) they have burst into the prettiest little flowers.... Isn't that just the prettiest little bundle of pink cuteness you have ever seen?  Pink is my youngest daughters favourite colour and she would be calling this pinktastic, and I totally agree. No other word for it. I haven't seen any Ulysses butterflies around lately - gotta get the word out around town.... lunch is served. It has inspired me to do some research and I see it is called the Evodia tree - that should be easy to remember! http://www.skyrail.

Along with my seeds from Liz at Eight Acres  I received a tiny packet of kefir grains, and a wonderful sheet of instructions to answer my many questions.  It didn't seem as though that would be enough and since I had never even tried kefir I was not sure how long to leave it fermenting.  At first I took it out too early, but now am leaving it for two days and it is getting thick and effervescent.  I use it with a frozen berry smoothie cube and some other fruit -  some of my frozen lychees still left over from last year are at last being used up!   Thank you Liz for introducing me to the world of kefiring! ! I got stuck into the veggie garden over the weekend and removed some dying tomato plants, then rigged up some trellis for the vines to climb on.  Along this fence I have choko and luffa, with some bok choy and ginger in front.  It all looks rather untidy at the moment, but once the vines grow you wont see the assortment of trellises.   My neighbour has a hedge of hibiscus o