Strange Things

We found this lying in the garden. It looks like a deflated helium balloon that presumably had its origins at somebody's party.

We've not noticed any parties around here recently, so who knows how far this has traveled. 

The other strange thing we've noticed recently are these holes appearing on some of our lemons.

They are most annoying, as they let rot into the fruit.

We're not sure if they are bird pecks, slug damage, or are being caused by something else.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Margaret xx 

In My Pantry

As I grow older, more and more I am wanting to simplify my life.

I decided it is time to stop wanting and start doing, so this morning all the pantry contents got pulled out and examined.

When I married, I had far less items in my pantry. We ate white bread (none of that stuff with 'bits' in it), quinoa was unheard of, and yoghurt was something that hippies ate. 

I use all those now, but I still have things like buckwheat (don't like) and dill seed (no longer use) that I can dispose of.

I'm about halfway through the job, but am not rushing it.

The afternoon was taken up with watching another Ranfurly Shield rugby game, this time between Tasman and Wellington. 

It was an exciting game, wtih Tasman successfully defending their title.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. 

Margaret xx 

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder is a thick hearty soup that is perfect for supper on a chilly night.

This is the recipe I use, originally found in Alison Holst's 'Dollars and Sense Cookbook,' which states it will make four servings. 

Dice an onion and saute in 2 Tbsp melted butter for 2-3 minutes. 

Add 1 grated medium carrot, 2 diced stalks of celery and 1 cup of chicken stock (or water).  Bring to the boil then simmer until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add a 410g can of creamed corn, 1 cup milk, and 2-3 Tbsp chopped parsley. 

When soup is hot (but do not let it boil), thicken as desired with some cornflour (corn starch) mixed with a little cold water. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and a generous pinch of white sugar (the sugar intensifies the corn flavour, but its use is optional).

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Margaret xx 

Lunch By The Lake

It is a long time since I last had McDonalds for lunch.

I enjoyed the Quarter Pounder burger but never finished the chips and orange fizz.

The weather was overcast, so the Lake wasn't looking its most attractive. 

Parking at the hospital and in the nearby CBD are both being pushed to the limit.

I noticed a lot of vehicles parked by the Lake - areas that are normally next to empty. I imagine it would only be a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Lake to a workplace. 

I came home for a cup of tea (nothing beats a lovely hot cup of tea), and curled up for the afternoon with a book.

Margaret xx 

Spring Sunshine

My husband used to say every year that I suffered from Spring Fever - the irresistible urge to be outdoors working in the garden and enjoying the warmer temperatures before the days got too hot.

The sunshine was beckoning me this morning, but I had to hang out the washing first (like many New Zealanders we line-dry all year, either outdoors or under the carport).

You can see my Little Garden beside the house wall.

I planted out some parsley seedlings, 

weeded the strawberry patch,

tidied up the silverbeet, 

and shuddered at the reappearance of the Paper Wasps. 

Then it was time to sit down with a large glass of lemon water. 

That was enough gardening for me for one day!

Margaret xx 

My Watering Can

I have needed a new watering can for some time now, so called at a garden centre on my way home from buying groceries. 

I found what I wanted - but it was a bright neon lemony colour. Not something I could live with!

Then I spied some darker green ones up on a high shelf. A very helpful assistant found a ladder and got one down for me.

She then relieved me of $16.99 and I became the owner of this 5 litre watering can.  I really like the way the sprinkler part can be removed from the spout and kept somewhere it won't be lost.

The weather today has been very unsettled. I hung the washing out on the line but it got wetter instead of drier!

Happily, the wind was blowing and it dried during one longer gap between showers.

The dark part of the photo below is heavy rain.  There is also a helicopter in this picture - can you see it?

The cyclamen beside the driveway is flowering.  This plant is several years old now, and I just love the colour of its flowers.

I keep reminding myself that if it never rained, we would have no rainbows to enjoy!  

May we always have rainbows in our lives.

Margaret xx 

A New Bridge

 

It has been a quiet weekend here – mostly because I never did anything!

I found this 2006 photo of Mama Sheep and her Triplets and thought it perfectly summed up the atmosphere of spring.

There was more rugby viewing over the weekend, including watching Tasman steal the Ranfurly Shield off Hawkes Bay in a very exciting game.

For the first time in 27 years, a new bridge has opened in the city across the Waikato River.  It has been built to service a new large subdivision as well as deflect some of the through traffic off city roads.

The Council had this to say about the bridge:  A span of 95-110m over the Waikato River / consists of four lanes (including two transit lanes) and separate pedestrian and bike paths / the bridge has no piers, with only a single Y-shaped pillar supporting a flat bridge deck / lighting and structural features to minimise any impact on the local population of native long-tailed bats.

The bridge has been under construction now for a couple of years and opened to public traffic last week.  It is going to make our access to several parts of the city much easier.

Just to finish, here is our sweet Mittens doing her Adorable Thing whilst sitting in the sun. 

Have a great day everyone. 

Margaret xx 

Making Lemon Honey

 

It is many years since I last made a batch of Lemon Honey, but we have so many lemons on our tree that I thought I would give it a go again.  It took me about 45 minutes from start to finish.

It is a fairly straight-forward recipe, although care has to be taken that the mixture is never allowed to boil.

Beat up five eggs and set them aside.

Take two clean lemons and grate the rind/zest off them.  Set aside.

Juice 1-2 lemons, enough to give ¼ cup juice, and set aside.

Cut 200g unsalted butter into pieces and melt in a saucepan over a low to medium heat.

Add 300g castor sugar (I blend normal white sugar to make this), one third at a time, stirring each time to incorporate it.

Then stir reasonably vigorously, and most of the butter will mix into the sugar.  Remember to not let the mixture boil at all.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Add the beaten eggs, stirring continuously while doing so.  There will likely be a lot of froth on top of the mixture.

Return the saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest.

Keep stirring as the mixture cools and the last of the egg froth will blend in.

Pour the Lemon Honey into clean warm jars.  It will thicken a little more as it cools.  Seal the jars when cold and keep stored in the fridge.

My recipe made 2½ 300g jars.

Use spread on bread, scones etc., or poured over icecream or into tart cases.  It is quite sweet and rather more-ish (if you like lemon, which I do).

It never lasts very long with me around!

Margaret xx

A Lovely Day

I just have to share this photo of last night's sunset clouds, as they were so different to what we normally see.

Today, it has been blue skies and sunshine all day.  Yellow sunshine, just like my freesia and the lemons.

I sat in a sunny window for a while and did some stitching on my apron.

I experimented with a different watercolour technique, but I'm not sure if I like the results or not.

But I did have fun doing it, and that is the main idea of my sketching. 

The grape is about ready to burst its buds.

After lunch, I visited Rusty and his hooomans.  I was lucky to grab this photo as he really does not like cameras.  One has to be sneaky to get a good photo of Rusty!

It has been a really lovely day.

Margaret xx 

Beautiful Nature

Mittens woke me up quite early this morning.  It is very difficult to sleep-in when a cat is loudly purring in your ear!

However, it did mean I was able to watch the sun rise. These pink clouds showed up in the western sky - there wasn't a lot of colour around the sun itself.

The washing got done and was hung out to dry. The house got cleaned and thoroughly aired (I do love it when the house is filled with sunshine and cool fresh air).

Some apples got rescued from the bottom of the fridge and stewed up. I sweetened them with a little honey and cinnamon. 

Then it was off to Bunnings Hardware store with son.  We came home with a bird bath, something I've been wanting for a long time. 

There has already been a fantail flitting around, so I'm hopeful it won't be long before the birds discover it.

When I went to fill the bath, I found this little skink sunning itself next to the hose.

One of the greatest joys in life surely has to be observing the beautiful world around us. 

Margaret xx 

Father's Day

It was Father's Day here yesterday, and son's daughter arrived last night with some cupcakes she had made especially for him.

We had thick fog this morning, but it cleared by lunchtime and turned into a beautiful blue-sky afternoon. 

It won't be long now before the poplars are clothed with leaves again.

My wallflowers have begun flowering. 

And so have the dwarf snapdragons. 

The stocks are still blooming, but they ended up being all single ones. Not that I mind too much - the double flowers might look prettier but I think the singles have more scent.

The daphne, alyssum, freesias and violets continue to flower.

It was lovely to sit in the garden, soak up the sun, and inhale the heady fragrance of spring flowers.

Margaret xx 

Spring Is Here

Mittens loves to follow me around. Here she is, peeping around the edge of the box hedging, keeping a close eye on me in the garden. 

I picked a solitary freesia and brought it inside to enjoy it at close quarters. 

The scent is heavenly. 

Today is officially the first day of spring, so it was quite appropriate to hear a blackbird singing when I woke up this morning.  A much nicer sound than the thunder we had for most of last night. 

I decided to celebrate Spring by having some (bought) Ginger Crunch for afternoon tea. 

Provincial rugby has also kicked off for the season, so I've been spending time (probably far too much!) watching their games on TV.

I never got up to watch the All Blacks play the Springboks in South Africa. I enjoy watching rugby, but I enjoy my sleep more!

Hope everyone is having a happy weekend. 

Margaret xx 

SEPTEMBER 2024 HEADER PHOTO

This photo, of a typical Waikato dairy farm, was taken near the end of 2022 (at the start of summer).

The large hill in the background is Kakepuku Mountain, south of Te Awamutu.