I dug a big hole, lined the bottom and sides with ceramic tile pieces (left over from the rebuild of the back of the house) and added compost and leaf mould. Then I planted Fred the fig, back filled with soil and watered. He is growing happily so far and we’ll see how big he gets.
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I’m a fair weather surfer, but the forecast was for a sunny, 28 degree day yesterday, so I headed out with my bodyboard to South Brighton. As soon as I got through the tunnel, the gorgeous weather was replaced by a chilly sea mist, but I was kitted up and continued on. No one else was in the water (surprise!), so I steeled myself, but it wasn’t bad. And I caught some nice little waves. And I felt better for it, as I always do when I throw myself into the sea and muck around.
Eleven weeks is a long time to be away and I have a lot to do in the garden.
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Planting team with Anna from Living Springs (photo by Morgan Coleman of Conservation Volunteers), who was the only one who dared not to wear a hi-vis vest. Surprisingly, she survived the morning.
On Saturday morning I headed down the road to the bottom of Lyttelton Harbour, where Living Springs farm is. I was the only volunteer who wasn't associated with the English school, so I did my best to teach the other volunteers English English and not what passes for English in New Zealand...;_)
We planted natives, including flax that grows as big as the mature specimen seen at right
Each plant was protected from wind and wildlife using canes, a plastic sleeve and coconut fibre matting that also acts as a mulch.
When we lived in Hondarribia, there was a small fishing fleet there and there were 5 fishmongers. Admittedly, it was a larger place than Lyttelton, but considering the size, there should be at least ONE fishmonger.
We buy fish from the market most Saturdays, so that's something. But I don't know if it comes off one of these little boats. I'll have to ask.
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I write this as we have insulation pumped into our old villa's timber walls. I wonder what the rats and mice think of this. Apparently, New Zealand is having a rodent explosion and many of them seem to be at our house.
There is a government-backed committment to make New Zealand predator free by 2050 and Kiwis are being encouraged to trap and kill predators in their own backyard. The focus is on rats, possums and stoats, but they would also like to see the back of hedgehogs. I have to admit I couldn't bear to kill the two hedgehogs we found in the sump last summer. Hedgehogs are dying out in the UK but it seems they are thriving here.
We have however been trapping rats. We have 12 traps in the attic that Duncan checks on a regular basis and there are now 6 dead rats buried in the garden. Until recently I had three trap tunnels baited with peanut butter and set up around the house to catch rats. These didn't catch any rats, only sweet little field mice (which are also an invasive species).
Although I didn't like it, I continued trapping these poor mice until one of the traps caught and killed a sparrow. Another "exotic" species, but that was a the last straw for me and I've stopped using those traps for now.
This is an excerpt from my Illustrated Epistle, which goes out in the middle of the month. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a cartoonist (specifically, mine). I'd love it if you signed up at the bottom of this page, or here:
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The boyf, Billie and I headed out to Lincoln last Friday and really quite enjoyed it. It is missing the sea, but has a little river and it doesn't have any hills, but it seems popular with cyclists. And what a library.
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Click to see options for using the image. The closest you'll get to an English pub in Lincoln. Good food and dog friendly.
The laboratory was the closest you'll get to an English pub in Lincoln. Good food and dog friendly. Read more on the boyf's blog.