Growing.... part 2

I thought I should have a separate post for my second growing experience... a vegetable garden. Well it is more of a salad garden at the moment.




As I haven't grown anything before I am pleasantly surprised at how much I love to grow food. I have been mulching and enhancing the soil with organic potting mix, planting and watering. I love that we have a bore and before it gets into the hottest part of the year I am hoping to get a tank put on the shed.

I went to a Landcare 'Day in the Garden's' held at the Botanical Gardens on the weekend. There was a growing food stall and I was told about a community garden based on Permaculture and they have meets every month which happens to be this weekend coming. YAY! I can't wait to talk to a local about what to grow and when to grow it. I have been getting some great advice from quite a few fantastic gardeners but actually being able to see how it does in a local garden will be great, it also gives me a chance to meet people as well. So can't wait.

We are still getting beautiful sweet oranges off our navel tree and the pawpaw's are coming along nicely.
I am looking at getting some citrus trees from the local markets and would like to get some native trees as we have gorgeous birds here.

I am hanging onto the dream of having a full salad made only from my garden, so far H is picking green tomatoes and using them as balls and playing hide in go seek with my basil. Ha.

Oh how nice it is to get my hands dirty with healthy soil and to watch tiny plants grow into beautiful and tasty food. Love it.

Growing!

It has been a while since I have had the motivation to write. I have been busy with change, we have been outside more then ever, gardening and the general life monotonous cycle of things.
It has been 5 weeks since we moved, goodness is that all! I have been struggling with the pressure of what is required. I haven't done well with pressure since H was born so I find myself becoming snappy and uptight. I know that it is another avenue for personal growth and am trying to see the beauty and peacefulness even if I am rushed. I really love living here and although I am missing the closeness of my friends, I feel quite settled.

B is doing really well at his new school. He received an award at the school parade last Friday. Watching him walk out to get the award and then flash his double dimple smile that radiated his pride, I was overcome with emotion. He stood in front of his school showing the award off and gave his Teacher a massive thumbs up while the other students collected their awards. He was then asked to choose a name out of a box and he was so happy that he didn't stop smiling the whole time. I was beaming with pride. 2 months ago I was told that my son needed intense one on one help while he was at school, I watched him in the space of half an hour not need anything more then a word of direction so he knew where to stand. It was so heart warming to know that 1) They got it wrong, 2) He was happy and 3) He was part of the school community.



H is feeling a bit lost without any friends of his own, I am going to look into local playgroups and hopefully he will be able to run amok with some other nearly 2 year olds soon. He is learning so much and it is amazing to watch him grow. He seems to have a limited attention span to any type of drawing activity but adores reading books. He is a joy to be around and constantly makes my heart sing with love. Hearing him giggle to himself while he falls asleep is gorgeous.



We just added My Many Coloured Days by Dr Seuss to our collection. What a wonderful book. I love that he has associated colours to moods, it is a nice way to learn. This week being book week I thought it was fitting to mention a couple of our favourites. H is loving Night Noises by Mem Fox and B will not go to bed without a Small Animals encyclopedia.

Well that is about it on the updating about our family, DP is working as normal and not much else.

We made it!

We have been at our new home about a week and a half now. We didn't have internet for most of that time and although it totally sucked, I enjoyed knowing that I was available. I usually use the internet as an escape. I have hardly been on since we had the internet connected anyway, I think I am enjoying what I am living now where as I wasn't really impressed with my surroundings previously.
We decided to leave a little later in the morning and it ended up to be around 10 before we actually left on our journey. We had booked a motel for the night so we only needed to drive about 6 or so hours not including stops.
It felt like we were making great time on a road that we hadn't driven before as we usually took the coast one. There was



this sign and I so knew that if B could read he would have giggled at the fact a sign had the word BUTT on it. So I had to take a photo to you know, let everyone else know that he would have laughed because butt jokes are hilarious!

The boys were squished in the back between unwashed clothes, toys and food.


Every photo taken needs a CHEEEESE chorused by both young men. Cute.

H had a massive car to keep him occupied



B had a new Woody doll that needed to sit all safe and sound in the belt with him


Well, until he got bored and decided that he would make a brilliant missile to shoot at his little brother.

I had miss placed my sunglasses and was getting a headache from squinting, so we promptly stopped at a service station and Mr P went and got each of us a new pair of shades.....



He came back with these. I have been avoiding bug eyes like the plague yet my only criteria was that they can't squeeze the side of my head. Of course now I have decided that I kinda like them. Huh! (my hand is doing a bad job of hiding double chin.)

We ended up driving 5 hours and got about as far as 2 hours on the coast road so then had to do some serious moving to make it to our motel without falling asleep at the wheel. Mr P and I decided to play trivia for the last 2 hours of the trip, very good thinking Mr P, it was so much easier to get to where we were going after 9 hrs of driving.
We got booked into the motel and got some fatty goodness for dinner. Once in the room my children were doing..





After a hard day traveling there is nothing quite like reading the Bible according to B. H had other plans. Ha!

The next morning we only had about 4 hrs to travel and it was pretty easy going. As the only driver nothing says you are nearly home quite like this




Cane. Beautiful sugar cane.

We are here, we are actually living a life that I have been wanting for my family. We are outside more, happier and less cranky. Gotta love that. B is loving his new school. Mr P is learning the new ropes of his job. H hates the feel of sand and I have been digging a new garden.

Before pics-






The Magpies came to eat rouge bugs while I dug. I just hope they remember my generous token when it comes to Spring.