Friday, September 29, 2006

Post No 115 - Fire!


With summer just around the corner we went mad in the DIY/home stores at the weekend!

First of all we bought a lawn-mower - thank goodness cos the lawn really was in good need of a trim!

Then we bought a table and chairs set for the garden. One that folds up and can get put away in the garage so it doesn't get puppy chewed whilst we are out!

And finally, we bought a metal basket thing which you put stuff in to burn it! (I don't know what they are called!)

So on Sunday we got the basket full of garden trimmings and after a few attemps managed to get it alight! Then I ran inside to dig out the bag of marshamallows we had and we set light to some - hmmm, tasty!
Then we text some friends, another UK couple, to come round so we could show off our fire and break in the new alfresco dining set!
Once the fire had burnt itself out we all headed over to Ashhurst Domain for a Sunday evening walk with the pooch. A lovely end to a quiet and relaxing weekend!

This weekend is when daylight savings kicks in here in NZ. We will be 'springing forward' in the early hours of Sunday morning which means we will temporarily be 12 hours ahead of the UK until the clocks over there 'fall back'.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Post No 114 - Spring is sprung...or at least springing

I won't even start with all that "sorry I haven't done an update in so long" nonsense - I am sure you are all fed up hearing it!

Instead I want to show you some photos of stuff in the garden. I hear the UK is starting to get a little chillier now and Autumn is just around the corner. Meanwhile, we are coming in to spring and everything is green and growing!

Here are the gorgeous daffodils from our front garden - they look very unusual to me!



And from the back garden, our lemon tree, which is absolutely laden with fruit!
We have been making lemon flavoured muffins, lemon meringue pie and traditional lemonade and still they keep growing!



We also bought some strawberry plants yesterday and put them in a strawberry planter - photos to come when they start growing fruit. And we are growing cucumbers and lettuces - how very domestic/organic/the good life of us!