Garden Makeover

Hiya,
In March when my back was much better I went over to my son and his girlfriends place and did their garden for them.
They wanted some sunshine, less spiders and some herbs for cooking as they are both chefs.

Weeds everywhere, even this large pot straight ahead had a large broad leaf privet in it. Notorious environmental weed. Out it came to give us a pot for the herbs. The lemon tree to the right of it got a weeding and mulching and overhead shrubs pruned back to let light in.

With Crepe myrtles pushing through the pavers in several places. We cut them off and boiled the kettle and poured over them. Too dangerous to paint with Glyphosate as it may go back thru the roots to the big tree which is gorgeous and far too good to lose. Very dark under the loquat and pittosporum undulatum -which is growing in next doors plus Ivy pulling the fence down in several places. So we set about cutting these back to let the light in and retrieve the compost bin which was right in up the back and lost from sight.

Another view of the previous canopy problem. The clothes line was in almost complete darkness.

Shrubs let to grow out of control, all woody and blocking the paths. With a courtyard garden space these were never going to work unless kept under control.

At the other end was a dark corner covered with the neighbours pittosporum undulatum, another environmental bird shit tree weed. We hacked it back and the plant underneath. It will grow back and then suit the new light conditions.

See the fence is bad. The pandorea jasminoides vine was getting out of control and brought spiders much to close to the house for C to bear!

And so there you have it, a dark disaster. My son and I set about to work while C made us a cake and lunch. Nice having Chef children.

Several hours and much food later it looked like this.

Compost bin in position, all spiders removed. Pots freshened up and planted with Rosemary, sage, parsley, chives, garlic, oregano and more all ready to go in the increased sunshine.

Under the clothes line is now free from suckers and spiders and can be used. Still lots of Ivy on the fence, you should see over the fence. Make you tremble with fear!

Pavers and steps weeded and cleaned up.

You can see the sunshine coming in here. It will never be full of sunshine as it is a South slope but herbs should do well.

Some rather nice plants were found amongst the overgrowth. These were cleaned up and brought forth. i took home some cuttings from a few really nice ones.

You can the inside of the pittosporum, we had to cut a lot off, big mounds were left in the front yard.

And this is of the lemon tree as in the first photo.

Well my back was rather sore again for a few days but it was worth it. To see the looks on their faces and to know that I am helping them to get involved with their garden. Makes me feel great.

Dayla

Plumpet and her chicks 2011

Hi all,
On Friday Plumpet hatched some chicks. We couldn't see or hear them but that is when they were due.
But on Saturday we had a visit from L and M who were the donators of the 6 eggs we put under Plumpet.
So we went up to have a look and see if we could see any baby chicks.
We heard them cheeping as we approached.
Plumpet was off the nest and in the pen attached and sitting tightly on her chicks so we couldn't see how many she had.
We inspected the nest box to find 1 egg and one chick on its back cheeping loudly. Still a bit wet from emerging from its egg but abandoned by Plumpet. I picked it up and it was cold so I quickly came round and put it under mum.
We watched for a bit and saw a head or 2 pop out from between the feathers but no more.
We could see that the cold chick had not moved so we decided to bring it indoors and warm it up by the lamp and a wheat bag heated in the microwave.
It was still cheeping loudly and some hours later its feathers had dried out but it was having trouble standing and walking.
We kept it inside till just on dark when we went and popped it back under Plumpet.
So this morning we went down to see how things were.

We think this is a female as she is brown. The come from Isa brown stock and as such the males are yellow when born and the femails have some colour. But I could be wrong.

She was sitting in her pen and there were no chicks in the nest where we left them last night so they must all be under her. Sure enough she had the 5 chicks under her.

The one to the left, the little ginger one was not real good yet.
She didn't seem to hear her mum calling. While the others were listening to mum and learning about what to eat and how to drink this little one was looking off into space. I think she was looking for Martin, I think she imprinted on him and wasn't hearing her mum.
It just wanted to get under her to keep warm, it worked that out. But it wouldn't eat and when she got up and moved around it got left behind. It wasn't walking properly and kept falling over after 3 steps or so.
Seems to have weak legs or something. Maybe she had abandoned it for a reason.

You can see it in this one, it is lost and peeping loudly but she doesn't hear it.
Anyway it managed to keep up with her and Monday morning it is almost one of the flock. It appears to be hearing her and learning what to eat and drink.
It still stairs off into space a bit and wobbles on its legs but is part of the group. So we thing she'll be ok.
So if they come true to Isa brown colourings we have 3 males and 2 females.
That's 3 dinners and 2 egg layers.
Not bad for a first go!
Dayla

Teaching her brood how to drink.

Showing them to eat silverbeet.

Plumpet and her brood! 2011

This is Plumpet, she is a pekin bantam I think. She is sitting on 6 fertile eggs.

This is Plumpet and her chicks house at the moment.

Hi there,
Plumpet and her sister Crumpet came to us a few months back from our Neighbour, Doris.
They were always broodie and a pain in the neck when you don't want chicks and you have to put your hand under an angry chook to retrieve the daily eggs. They didn't peck very hard though.
But I do wish to have some new chooks as our are getting on and number only 8. And people want to buy the eggs. So we made a deal and I took the broodies off her hands.
Well they both got broodie at my house pretty quick and several times each.
The remedy for broodiness is quite simple. You just take the chook from her dark and secret nest and put her in the light for 3 or more days.
I put them in the above Aframe house but propped open the nesting box on the end so light came in but they couldn't get out. It works a treat.
But we have got thru Xmas and all that brings and are ready to get down to business.
She went broodie the other week so I started looking for fertile eggs. My big plan was to get a variety of old breeds. Say 2 Welsummers, 2 Wyandottes and 2 australorps, to begin with.
There are a couple of hatcheries that offer these breeds and more just near here.
So when I went to inquire found that one wasn't offering fertile eggs till August and the other has a disease going thru their flock.
Great timing guys!
What to do?
Then I remembered my other neighbour Lyn has 2 handsome roosters and lots of different coloured hens. I rang her and she was very obliging. All I had to do was swap her half a dozen of my fresh not fertile eggs for 6 fresh fertile eggs.
She sells her eggs so it was no drama to do the swap.
So I set up the Aframe house for Plumpet. Dug in some wood around the edges to hopefully deter rats. We have lots of rats at the moment eating our vegies and I have heard they will hassle a hen and eat her chicks.
A lovely ramp up to the nesting box for the littlies when they arrive. Water and food for mum. I will buy some chick feed for littlies next week. A nice fresh bed for the eggs. I used sawdust and straw and hay.
Got the eggs and put them in the nest.
Collected Plumpet and gave her a dusting with derris dust for any mites she may have. Mites breed up quick on a sitting hen and can drive her to leave the eggs. Not to mention what they would do to the littlies. She didn't like that much. Holding her upside down by the feet and sprinkling the powder into her feathers and rubbing it in.
So then I carried her up to the Aframe and popped her into the nesting box with the new eggs.
All was quiet as she was checking them out.
Then she was off the nest and trying to get out and back to the main house where she was before.
She just needed a little one on one with the new eggs. So I got in and caught her and put her back into the nesting box with the fertile eggs and slid the inside door shut so she was stuck in there with them. I left her there for 2-3 hours, till dark.
When I returned on dark she was sitting on the eggs and I slid open the door so she could access water and food.
She has sat eversince.
So looking good at 9 days, another 12 to go. Due on the 9th march.
Lyn says one of the eggs is from a black chook the others she doesn't know but probably the brown Isa's.
The roosters are whitish with blond fringing on their wings and bits of black and red. Spectacular they are and friendly which is a must. Too many aggressive roosters out there.
50% will be roosters of the fertile eggs, so we can look forward to 2 maybe 3 roast rooster meals and 3 new hens. By then Crumpet will be ready to sit and we can do it again.
Such fun!
Dayla

snake visitor

All the little birdies on the back fence were making a real 'to do'!
Wrens and fire tails, getting really upest. I called M over to have a look with me and he spotted a snake moving through my hanging baskets in search of a birdy dinner.

I was just out there not half an hour ago watering my pots as it is going to be a hot few days coming up. It may have been in the pots and the water disturbed it. I have to be so careful.
Coming from the suburbs I am not prepared for this and it scares me I have to say. I cannot become complacent and walk out in my thongs, I have taken to wearing my boots even going to check on the chooks and goats.
So he didn't like the audience and turned around and left.
 I got another shot of his belly and back as he left.

It was only small, about 70cm long. Not sure what type, anybody guess?
Dayla

Our goats and their cavorting

Oh they are such fun to watch.

Snow and Oscar

Dayla

That was in January, now it is September and I am sad to say that we lost Snow. We only had the goats for a month or 2 when we decided they were too much for us and our small block. So we found a neighbour to take them, she was going to breed from Snow and milk her to make cheese. All those self sugfficient things we do with goats.
But sadly last month Snow became sick with an unknown illness which killed her.
We are all very sad as she was a lovely tempered creatured and very gentle. Her mate, Oscar was devastated and cried for hours for her. He is consoled now and is sharing a paddock with another neutered male goat called Wilbur. Wilbur is a lot taller than Oscar and a bit of a bully but they have worked it out and I often drive past and see then together hoovering up the grass in a wonderful seren agricultural way.
RIP Snow.

Dayla

Coolgardie safes

When you have collected your second of something that makes you a collector right?
Well I now have 2 of these and I think they are great.

this one I got from a rubbish pile in the front of a friends house. She said I could have it and that it was her hubby's grandfathers camping coolgardie safe.

It was a few years before I got it out and set it up. Wonderful thing. I had lemons in it for a while, kept the possums from eating them.

This was the second one. I bought it for $15 from a trash and treasure market. Doors a bit stiff.

One of my fetishes.
Dayla

bread and butter cucumber pickles

Well when you have this many cucumbers what do you do?
You make bread and butter cucumber pickles.

first scrub the prickles off the cucumber and make sure they are not too big. Seeds inside need to be small. If the fruit is yellow it is too old.

I went to the veg garden and picked this lot, only made 4 jars and I had heaps of pickling vinegar left over so I went and picked another 8. And there is more. Plus 2 delicious golden zucchinis.

Scrub the prickles off then slice thinly and put into a bowl of salty water overnight or 2 nights. I did one night.

Voila! So next day give them a wash off of the salt and allow to drain pretty well.

You should have already made up your pickling vinegar. I made sweet spiced cause I like that plus the dill is not ready for dill pickles.
So pack the slices into very clean and sterilised jars to the neck of the jar.
Push down a bit to cut out any air pockets that might form.
Pour over cooled sweet spiced vinegar and seal.
Probably best after a month or so for the flavours to mix and meld.
I made 10 jars. T and I hope to sell them at our next stall at the gateway markets in Coldstream on the 25th March.
Dayla