Spring garden

[Recently finished quilt for a friends birthday]

Despite my increased work load recently I have enjoyed taking the time to enjoy our new garden. It's a small adventure every time I go out to see what new treasure has poked out of the ground. We are busily putting in our herb garden and strawberry fence (more on that later), and Stephen is putting together a wee chicken coop for our new additions (more of them later too). Life is teeming in the garden and the beautiful oasis it is turning into is a realm of peace and calm in the rush of our current lives. Unfortunately, I have yet to learn the names of our lovely blossoms.

[A lovely flowering tree that spreads white petals everywhere]

[One of many rhododendrons]

[Hellebore - grows in the shade of the first flowering tree shown]

[Wee blue fairy flowers]

[Our flowering cherry tree - seems to blossom in levels]

Spring is in the air

[Biking is the perfect way to get around in the lovely warm spring air]

After a couple of exciting snowfalls the air is getting warmer and the birds are getting louder. There are tiny buds poking out of my new garden and spring has arrived. We've been extremely lucky with the weather over the last couple of weekends, allowing us to get out and enjoy that glorious spring air. Below are some photos from the last couple of weekends which we've had the pleasure of enjoying here in Christchurch.

[Riccarton Bush Farmers Market]

[Cupcakes and cookies are always popular]

[There are many more flowers to choose from now]

[There are always numerous bakers from whom to buy your bread each week]

[It is still only spring so hot soup is most welcome]

[An outdoor exhibit of Yann Arthus-Bertrands Earth from Above photographs as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival]

[The images wend their way down Rolleston Ave. from the Hagley Park bridge, past Christ College to the Canterbury museum. Some amazing photographs and interesting stories.]

[On September 2nd, the Canterbury Museum opened up again after being closed since the February earthquake. It was wonderful to be able to go back through the familiar halls.]

[One new exhibit consists of over 4000 hand sewn hearts donated to Christchurch for the earthquake. Initiated by a woman in Napier, the hearts come from around the world and make their way around the room in a rainbow of colours. They are absolutely wonderful.]

[A detail of some of the hearts]

[While much of the museum was the same there were certain, minor differences - missing exhibits and individual pieces.]

[A temporary exhibit of the photographic works of Brian Brake, a New Zealand photographer who captured the world on film.]

[The Botanic Gardens were also filled with the signs of spring]

[An interactive water feature which always seems to prove popular]

[Waiting patiently for the parents to be finished their conversation.]

[The park was filled with scenes like this. Picnics abounded, so we decided we should have one too. Nothing like a lovely, warm spring day for a picnic in the park.]

And now for something completely different. . . .

SPRING!

The weather is turning. The birds are more and more raucous. And the flowers are popping up everywhere.

Spring

Spring has arrived in Christchurch in full force. Daffodils, tulips, ducklings, and warm sunshine. Here are some pictures from our first warm spring rain.

Sprouting

It has finally arrived. After 11 months of winter, we have finally reached spring. Everywhere you look the daffodiles are springing up, the cherry blossoms are emerging from their tight cocoons of buds, and the sun is shining just a little bit longer and a little bit harder.

Something I have been looking forward to for a few years now is being in one place long enough to have a garden. Not a couple of containers with flowers, but a real garden with veggies and fruit and herbs. Now we don't live ina large place, nor do we have an enormous amount of space outside for cultivating, but with a little imagination and lots of inginuity we've made some space and I am busily sowing the seeds for my garden to come.

After much pleading, Stephen obligingly built me a wonderfully large wooden container to put right in front of our windows. I also spent some time scrounging around the big shed we have on the property and found some old potting containers that someone was throwing out. Behind said shed there is also a rather larger pile of composting fruit and vege and grass clippings, which after some digging produced some quite rich black soil to fill my containers with. Yippeeee!!!

I did splurge by buying some seeds from the store down the road from us, as well as some baby plants from the farmers market on Saturday. I planted the seeds in an old egg tray I had and covered them with plastic wrap to save them from the cats' sometimes curious mouth. Within a week I had some lovely little green heads poking through the dirt, and now 3 weeks later, I have many transplanted sprouts of tomatoes, basil, nasturtiums, and courgettes (still covered in saran - and cayanne). With a little luck and some nice weather, I may be able to plant my corn, lettuce, and spring onions outside in a few weeks. By the end of summer we should be able to open our window, pull out some food, and toss it in the pot 2 metres away. Now that is fresh food!