Autumn has well and truly arrived... but it still feels a little odd to be experiencing Autumnal weather in March! It's now dark when we set off for our early morning walk but when we start to head for home the sun is rising and we are treated to the most amazing skies.
Naracoorte seems to have two main hills, we currently live on one and once the house is built will be moving across to the other. Our current morning walk takes us along one of the ridges with a great view over the plains and glimpses of Naracoorte airport. It looks quite magical in the early morning mists.
Stunning Bougainvilleas continue to flower and tomatoes, chilli's, peppers (capsicum) and the rest of the in season potato family are continuing to ripen. In our tiny garden here at the unit we've finally got flowers on the courgettes (zuchinnis) fingers crossed the female ones will start to arrive soon. Our golden passion fruit is climbing like Jacks Beanstalk and seems very happy to continue to share it's 'pot' with a rock melon... well we think it's a rock melon as we didn't plant it we not 100%, both doing very well and there is a promise of flowers on the later.
Just over the fence our neighbours fig is heavy with fruit and the local lorikeets, sparrows, blackbirds and starlings noisily feast on the freshly ripened ones. It's brilliant fun watching them and they make one hell of a happy racket.
Having been given a huge amount of beautifully sweet grapefruits I've been busy discovering my inner domestic goddess... ok that description is possibly going a little far. But as I've been craving homemade marmalade it was a perfect excuse and I managed to turn quite a few of the fruit into a yummy marmalade that was clear and set beautifully. I'd not been aware what a minefield finding a recipe that works would be and in the end made up my own, it is still touch and go that it will work. How did our Grandmothers cope!
Having finally finished with the grapefruit I was given enough Granny Smiths to sink a battleship and the challenge was on I was determined not to waste any. So I've now made Apple Chutney, Apple and Chilli Jelly, Apple and Sage Chilli, and stewed quite a few turning some recently into a delicious Apple Scrumble. The cupboards are now heaving with preserves and I've really enjoyed myself... inner domestic goddess well and truly satisfied.
All plants on the block are doing fantastically well and coping with our very saline bore water. We've taken the advice of the experts and have been flooding the plants, the sandy soil acts as a brilliant filter and seems to desalinate the water.
We've now put a bench under the peppercorn tree, which by the way is starting to form fruits (tiny pink peppercorns, which unfortunately are inedible). It is a perfect place to just sit an be or catch breath before heading off to start another job!
Work on the water tanks was started, the small metal one moved, leak repaired and fitted to the smaller bit of roof.
Ground leveled, Mount Gambier stone cut (with a saw would you believe) and laid as the footing for the new tank. The fascia boards have been painted a very dashing racing green and with a great deal of effort and running up and down ladders put into position. Very good for the gluts you know!
Almost ready for the much promised rains. I'm sure when they do eventually start it will seem they will be going on forever. But for now it never ceases to surprise me that no matter how much watering you do the ground very quickly gets dry again. There is very little danger of plants being over watered here.
No comments:
Post a Comment