The weather's patchy in Riverton. In between squalls I'm nipping outside to plant and sow. I've moved a small bunui (stilbocarpa), severing it from its a parent (a tubular leaf-stem, weighed down by its umbrella-like leaf, touched the ground sometime in the winter, roots formed at the point where stem met soil and a new bunui began its life) from beside the water-tank to the picket-fence near the entrance to the garden. If it survives, and they're temperamental things, bunui, that ordinarily perch in the deep peaty soils of the mutton-bird island, way to the south, I'll have a specimen to show visitors as the steel themselves to voyage deeper into my wild garden. I planted four fuchsia also, not the native kotukutuku, of which I have many, but the flouncey imports that have flowers that look like sugary tutus. I think I'll like them but if not, they compost down just nicely. I sowed a colander-full of Greenfeast peas that I'd soaked over-night and covered them with bird-proof netting - no gain in me feeding the birds outright, they will have to at least make an effort to get underneath the netting and scratch the swelled-up peas out. That'll give me a chance to terrorise any that get caught under there. I cultivated the roadside strip as well, a rough scumble with a garden fork to scritch out any grass clumps. There's plenty of crimson clover flowering in there and as much chickweed as anyone might want, so I don't want to go back to bare soil just to prove I'm boss. I'll soak some tick-beans and broadcast them into there tomorrow. A Chilean woman arrived at the door, just as I was going out it, and startled me, having not seen her approach, but I recovered quite well and had a brief chat (her name is Rosalia and she's bright and breezy). She's going to be helping with grafting apple trees over the next few days and I entertain the hope that she's a good cook and will want to amaze us with something exotically Chilean.
The town seems very quiet, though I've not been down into it. Robyn did say that today's farmers' market was one of the busiest we've had, thanks to Al Brown and his effusing, but I stopped home for the morning and tried to provoke my fellow bloggers with barbs, but hardly anyone rose to the challenge, such as it was, and so I've concluded that Saturday's gone quiet.
Preparing, like I am, for the rugby, perhaps!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
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21 comments:
I think you conclusion is pretty accurate Robert. In our whare it will be England vs Romania with the fish and chips, whilst dessert will be served before kick-off in the All Blacks vs France match. Then of course there's the league from Australia, but MySky might have to take care of that, for viewing tomorrow morning.
PS: Don't forget to put your clocks forward!
Clocks? The Government's messing with Time now Inv2?
I knew it would come to this!
It's wall-to-wall rugby tonight. Must bulk up before kick-off!
Very slippery, those frogs.
Yes I am feeling a bit lethargic today again, and cannot be bothered entering into banter particularly.
Pottered about on the boat making sure she is ship shape for when the water temp rises a little more, and the nip goes out of the wind, Mum doesn't like fishing in the cold..sook..she was happy today farting about with weeds and worms and things.
Looking forward to the rugger of course, a couple of stiff Capt Morgans will help.
And some thought you were serious, Rg.
Only managed a cherry tomato and a few Roma - acid-free - in the glasshouse today. Weather couldn't make up its mind, which seemed to infect us too.
So now settled in front of the fire, a wine in hand, awaiting the rugby
You run hot and cold Lofty, always did.
I was the level-headed son, steady-as-she-goes and that hasn't changed.
You've a boat now? Hurrah! What is she?
Ours is a Midnight21 trailer sailer and we have a Sunburst as well. I need my boys to come back and get those craft back out on the water. I'm no helms-man, a sheet to manage is about my limit, but I'm good at doing what I'm told. I love the sight of those America's Cup cats turning over though - yeehaa!
Wine in hand Fred? Snap!
Looking forward to some anguish, tension, recrimination, euphoria and more wine.
Go the best team!
Go the underdogs!
Grafting Apple trees aye?
I have just grafted more than 80 'pieces' of an old flowering cherry to wild cherries I found on my property. The 'mother' tree is about to begin her last summer, broken and rotting, but determined to hang on to life for one last flowering.
I had compassion on the old girl!
I have only ever made one successful graft before (out of 20) so hopefully a few of these ones take, it is my daughters favourite tree.
Now that I have started this grafting thing I am keen to try a few more, am I correct in assuming apple trees graft easy?
That's beautiful Shunda - I'm hugely proud of you! It's really important to keep the air off the graft - have you used grafting tape or clay?
Apple grafting is easy - same principles, keep it clean and moist, work quickly and match cambium to cambium. I'd love to hear how you got on.
Not grafted to your tv for the night?
Whaddarrre-ya!
I used plumbers thread tape (and a lot of it!) and sealed most of them with a bit of vaseline.
Most were done with a 'top wedge graft' and I tried a few with the 'whip and tongue' method (though without the tongue).
I can't wait to see the results, if the old tree survives into summer I might give 'budding' a try too.
I was amazed at how many wild cherry seedlings I had around the place, if the grafts all take I am going to have a lot of 'Jessie' cherry trees!.
And rugby?? yes we will watch it, but quite frankly, the All Blacks(tm) corporate branding puts me right off, what do I do if my kids say A## B%$#ks in public?
Wind power is far to slow for me Bobby, thats me though eh..
my wee Haines Hunter flashes to my favourite fishing grounds, belching smoke and guzzling fuel, wonderful stuff, she is a lean mean fishing machine, the Kingies love her.
Shes up for sale if you want to buy her Bob, 35k and she is all yours, I can see her now slashing out of Riverton at 35 knots puhing foam from her bow, god it is stirring stuff.
With that price I will throw in a great photo of Mum & Dad before the divorce.
Dad loved fishing too Bobby remeber, it was so much fun when he said the sun was over the yardarm, and he drank a full bottle of rum in 4 swigs, and towed you around as a great white lure, great times.
Mum and Dad...divorced, Lofty!
Nooooooooooo!
I
never
knew!!!
But that does explain the whole mum-in-Katikati, dad in Gore thing.
You should have said!
I'd forgotten that whole trolling adventure, the thrills, the snapping jaws, the suturing on the kitchen table (mum was such a seamstress, and the vodka was a blessing - even at age 5 I remember it's anesthetic warmth creeping over me as I lay awaiting the needle). Wasn't it a dag though, using your old jocks as berley - he was a wag, our poppa!
Grunty game so far, eh!
You did know Bobby, I know you know, after all you did send Dad that hemp voodoo doll full of fish hooks.
Is the lure episode the reason you wear an sharks tooth pendant alongside the bloody great bone maari fish hook? you know the one that loopy Delahunty sent you.
Is your sunburst for sale Bro?
I wouldike to teach the Grandchildren to sail.
I was a good sailor in my day on Papertigers, Moths not to mention the good old learner P class.
I had a very quiet Saturday, leafing through my mother in laws NZ Gardener magazines when suddenly I came across an article encouraging gardeners to let CO2 gas loose in their hothouses. Terrible. Who could consciously put forward such a terrible idea?
Terrible indeed, Paddy! That sort of duplicitous double-talk needs to be exposed for what it is - email me the turn-coat's name and I'll begin proceedings.
It's cute how you 'leaf' through gardening magazines. Do you troll through fishing ones?
Lofty - Paper Tigers are very popular with my lads (24 and 26 now, can't keep thinking they're 'boys') as they like speed. I'm pedestrian and merely cling as the foaming briny whizzes by. Once, as I Sunburst up the river, my then 15-year old knifed past in an 'A'-class!
We're hanging on to the dingy, as I expect grandchildren of my own eventually.
Oh and that's not a pendant, that sharks-tooth Loft, that one's embedded in my chest. We never could get it out.
Speed?
Get them off that!
P is just as bad. Specially if you get the wind up.
In my day it was sculling only.
But I didn't enjoy the fog in the mornings much.
Bloody Waikato!
I was on the 'P' as a young lad, what a wild ride!! exhilarating one minute and a total 'downer' the next.
The P never did me any harm, in fact, I am seriously thinking of getting my kids on it as soon as possible!!
:)
You're all class Shunda.
Yes, P class!
I couldn't possibly release the perp's name, Robert, that would be unfair (ha!)...I also speed through car magazines and occasionally read Reader's Digest....
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