Monday, December 27, 2010

No Place like Home!

Thought it was time I updated the photos of my new home now the lawn is sown, growing an bright green!  It's so nice to look out on that, rather than the brown weeds that was there before, but it's taking a bit of work.  My shrubs I planted at teh beginning of winter are up, and my vege garden is growing well.  So all up I'm really pleased.  I've been in the house for 10 months now - how time goes so fast!  Here's the house with the street view....  Look at that bright green lawn, and the beautiful vineyard right next door!




Here it is again without the messy garage showing. As you can see no plots of sections around my house have yet sold. I'm quite happy about that, but even if they do sell, it's not going to have much impact on my property as I face out to the vineyard, so I'm very private.




This is the side of my house (west). I've made that garden leading up to the front door a rock garden, with river stones from the local Wairau River. The barter system is alive and well down here. I bartered the rest of my red bricks, for a few trailer loads of river stones. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. You can also see the nice long line of lawn leading up to the back. I'm pleased with that - makes me think of some of the gardens of national significance I visited during the week of Hunters Garden Marlborough. On a much bigger scale of course, and naturally I don't have the lawn tennis, summer houses, or olympic sized pools! Will have to win lotto before I get those!




This is the deck looking over to the vineyard. That's Mum drinking a beer at midday as she had just cut the lawn and was hot. She wasted the beer though, as a bug flew into it. What a bugger! Kass the cat is trying to get out of the hot sun. The sun down here packs a bit of punch!




This is looking at the backyard - towards the vege garden. You can see that all the shrubs I've planted are gradually growing. Some have almost hit the top of the fence! I love how they stand out against the black fence..




Now lets have a closer look at that vege garden...




I'm picking carrots, lettuce, beetroot, spring onions, chives, sage, thyme, leeks at the moment, and have just plated more spring onion and carrots, and more spinach. Beans, cucumber, tomatoes and courgette will be read in a few weeks. Loads of fun.

The original vege garden was built by the same people who built my deck. That is 3m x 1.8m and a nice height so I don't have to bend over too far. The smaller raised garden next to it - I built myself. Not without considerable pain either..




I managed to hammer the wrong nail! It hurt. I cried for nearly an hour. I said the F word. Several times. I kicked the bricks of my house. I ended up in A&E getting it x-rayed, having a hole put in the nail to release the pressure, and having some local anaesthetic put in my finger to dull the pain. Short lasting they said - maybe 4 hours. It lasted 48!!! By the time I got home, I was feeling no pain at all, and went about and finished building it, although I friend of mine came round to help in case I hammered any other part of my body!

I blame males for this totally. They should have come up with some sort of tool to prevent these sort of accidents by now!

The results of my garden has been great... Cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, spring onion. Note the brown grass before my lawn got put in...




The Cauliflowers were quite something. All five I picked were no smaller than 26 inches - and my freezer is now totally full...




My cat will have the last word on this blogpost. She loves her new abode and loves catching rabbits in the vineyard next door. She likes nothing better to lie in the sun on top of my outdoor table...






Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..



9 comments:

Morgan said...

Wow, it's amazing how your front lawn follows the curvature of the earth like that.... it must be massive....

There is an invention to stop you hitting your fingers when hammering in nails. It's called a builder. You hire one and they smash their own fingers therefore protecting yours! Problem solved. They are available in the hardware stores for $9.99 (See we INTJs are real smart. We can invent anything).

Anonymous said...

Yeah - wide angle lenses do that to lawns!!!

Wow - you get builders for $9.99? Which hardware store do you shop at? Down here they charge at least $49.99 an hour :)

Christopher Lehfeldt said...

Your cat is so adorable. Name? She looks so happy. She knows she's helping pay the rent by catching you some food, i.e. rabbit. Also, it's considered a token of love.

Chris

Anonymous said...

Chris - Puss should be very happy as she's very spoilt - electric blankets in an igloo in winter, expensive blankets in a wooden scotch dresser drawer in summer!

Her name is Kassia, and we share a special relationship - I know what she wants, when she wants it, and return she gives me loads of love. She's also a 'talker' and we have long conversations in which she answers me.

And she brings me rabbits!

Kassia is a name of a 12th century female philosopher who said that when one must speak, one must be heard. Very apt for this cat :)

Cheers
Robyn

Katie said...

You have a beautiful home, lawn and backyard- I love it all! Is that Midiron sod or Bermudagrass? I live in Arizona and have a Bermudagrass, I struggle to keep it so lush during out dry months, and have to say your lawn looks amazing. You also have a great garden, I love the way you constructed the planters. Keep up what ever you're doing to your lawn and garden, they both are fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Hi Katie, based on your links, it looks more like Midiron sod. I have to keep it watered as where I live, it's also very dry.

I now can't do anything more until Autumn, when I'll start planting fruit trees!

Katie said...

Hi Robyn! Well your watering has done your turf well :) I can't wait to see your fruit trees. What kind of fruit trees are you planting? I want a lemon tree, but citrus trees in my area tend to attract roof rats so I'm afraid to put one in my yard even though there are preventative things I'd rather have a different tree; one that doesn't attract roof rats. Anyways can't wait to see your posts in Autumn!

DAve Beaty (davincipoppalag) said...

Your house looks lovely Robyn!! I'm so glad you're not in CC with all that devastation.. those poor people!!./ how awful...

Anonymous said...

Thanks Dave. Awful what happened in Christchurch. I have friends and family there - all okay but still horrible for them.

Cheers
Robyn