Return of the Rain

Though we were looking forward to spending time at the cottage this weekend, the weather had the last laugh.  It was once again cold and rainy but as a compensation the local monthly country market was celebrating its 10th birthday and there were some great bargains to be had.  The best from my perspective was the fact that one hosta grower was quitting his entire stock, and he had a wide selection of different varieties for only $5 per plant.  He and I did have a minor disagreement because when I pointed out the specimens I wished to purchase he mocked me!  Yes, he did!  I know, I couldn't believe it either!  He scornfully remarked, "You people are all the same.  I don't know why you do it!  You always go for the variegated ones and the plain coloured ones are much better."  When  I asked him why he thought that he assured me that en masse the plain ones were much more effective, rather than creating a spotty effect as the multi coloured ones would do.  I nearly weakened, in fact I was so startled that I was about to say, "Well then, if you're so clever which ones do you think I should buy?"  But at the last moment I resisted him and stuck with my initial choice - and I don't care how spotty they are, to me they are very beautiful.

  At the church shop there were also irises at knock down prices - but who knows what colours they will turn out to be?  All part of the fun of gardening on a shoestring.  We found a gas barbecue for $2.  Needless to say Mr Shoestring was the person who sniffed out this bargain.  He almost had a conniption because another prospective purchaser was all ready to cough up her money and make off with the bargain, but for some reason at the last moment she abandoned the idea and did not buy after all.  Perhaps it was Mr Shoestring's hot breath blowing over the back of her neck which put her off?  Mr Shoestring was on fine form this weekend on the bargain front, actually.  He found a lovely wooden curtain rod with turned ends for $5.  It was a bit of a struggle for him to drag all his treasures back to the car, actually.

More of the roses are coming into bloom

and the first of the sweet peas are flowering.

The problem there is that though I only put in pink plants, already I can see that there are mauve and pink flowers and I am wondering if all sorts of other shades will turn out to be present.  Never mind, they will give a verycolourful if spotty effect, much like the hostas.

On the way to the cottage we called in to visit my dear mama, and saw the tuis all feasting on the nectar in one of the trees in her back garden.

 At the cottage the sparrows have finally mastered the art of eating the seed from the seed bells I hung in the garden - ah happy day!  They seem to be working cooperatively; one bird hangs on the bell and flicks off all the seed and the others happily hop about underneath, gobbling up all the seed which rains down on them.

Because the weather was disappointing we spent time indoors.  Mr Shoestring beavered away altering the pretty door with a stained glass insert which will soon be ready for hanging - it just needs a new lock.  I sewed myself a new dress using left overs from another project and was very pleased with the result.  The bodice is watered silk and the skirt is covered with sweet pea blossoms - a bit hard to see here.

Lord and Lady Raglan And Their Lavish Hospitality

This weekend we went to visit Lord and Lady Raglan and avail ourselves of their generous hospitality.  On the way we saw for the first time the new wind generators which looked like a whole selection of sculptures on the skyline; how beautiful they are.

The Squire and his good lady wife came along too, and what a good catch up we had.  Lord and Lady Raglan have made extensive additions to their home and we were suitably impressed by the new luxurious accommodation.  Lord Raglan tried to impress us all with a tiny patch of grass he had sewn in his back garden and enclosed with string to prevent damage - but look at the daisies in the lawn, what a luxuriant crop!  For some reason Lord Raglan will not allow any mowing of the grass, he seems to feel it will damage the spring growth.   

 And as for the oxalis, I think his collection would even rival mine. 

The pohutukawa trees were already in early flower and alive with tuis feasting on the nectar, but the tuis were too cunning to be snapped by my camera.  

 First pohutukawa blossoms of the year

Elusive tui

The monarch butterflies were basking in the warm spring sunshine. 

Lord and Lady Raglan have a little dog named Max.  He used to be my enemy and I spent many years mocking him – mainly because he tortured my lovely Airedale terrier, Bramble, by constantly leaping up and hanging off his beard.  Max is an ex pound dog and knows every trick in the book to gain sympathy from new acquaintances.  He has a clever way of limping along on alternate legs and also trembles and shivers, which has sympathetic strangers leaping to the conclusion that he has been hit by a car or experienced some other form of trauma, and they usually dote on him and offer him all kinds of treats when in fact there is nothing wrong with him.  Max is very old now, going blind and deaf and he and I have a much more friendly relationship than in the past. 

Max tries to look noble, but we know better

He still has lots of tricks up his canine sleeves though, including making his way to the butcher shop and begging for bones.  Sadly he sometimes forgets his way and has even ended up being locked in the back of the library, but always (so far) finds his way home.  Actually he is rather free with his affections and has been known to run away with strangers for several days at a time if tempted by good food.  Here he is in the arms of the adoring Mrs Squires, who has a softer and more forgiving heart than I!

We did get in some time at Shoestring before heading off to Raglan.  We could not resist calling in at the local volunteer fire brigade's garage sale and found this spinning wheel, which cost $5.

The interesting marbled fabric in this silk blouse will be cut up to go into the rainbow crazy quilt and after I saw how much the price of silk fabric has skyrocketed lately it was a snip at $2.

    

I try to befriend the wild cat who inhabits our garden - not with very much success so far, but I flatter myself that I am making progress. 

The garden looked quite dry and I don’t think there had been any rain at Shoestring in the past week.  Some of the roses which were overgrown last year and struggling to survive have done well with more light and less competition and though I cannot identify any of them exactly they are looking very pretty and much happier. 

Lots of self sown aquilegias of different colours are blooming and with any luck they will all cross together to give me some interesting new shades next year.

On the front porch is a potted jasmine which was taken from the rampaging specimen I had to remove from the side of the house.  Though it is pronounced to be a noxious weed now it surely cannot do too much harm enclosed in a pot? 

It will be a year this month since we bought Shoestring and having lived with the garden for a year I have some idea of what I want to achieve there.  Having such a tiny garden is going to be a boon in many ways, since there are usually only weekends to spend there.  At the back of the cottage the garden is enclosed and private, with very high walls on two sides, and the plan is to put in lots of scented and white flowering plants so as to make it a fragrant place for sitting in the evenings and for meals.  The white flowers will hopefully gleam in the gathering dusk and at night time and some which will need planting soon are:

Stephanotis (not for outdoors, only for the front porch), philadelphus, port wine magnolia, queen of the night, and lilac (though it may not be cold enough to get a good crop of flowers).  White lilies are going to feature largely too, but not until next season as it is too late to plant them now.  Scented annuals such as stock and alyssum should all be useful in filling in gaps until the larger plants are established.  Sometimes the planning is just as much fun as the actual execution!

 

Long Weekend Excitements

Well for most of the country the biggest event of the long weekend would have been the long awaited regaining of the Webb Ellis trophy after the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup, and I must say it turned out to be a very exciting (and nerve wracking) game.  The French were almost triumphant and there was an expectant hush all over the country as the game drew to a close.  Would the All Blacks be able to hold on for the one point victory?  As it turned out, they did, and what a relief!  Apparently doctors surgeries all over the country would have been swamped with depressed men and boys if we had not won it.

 Mr Shoestring had a ticket to see the game and was in a perfect seat to take in the whole spectacle and tells me that the atmosphere was intense and the whole event very exciting.

  I think I had just as much fun on the night though, I was invited to a party in a home where the games room had been converted to a “man cave” complete with grandstand, and the game was projected on the wall.  The room was festooned with all the flags from the participating nations and there was a delicious lamb on a spit and other tasty food for the guests.  What a beautiful night it was and what staunch heartland Kiwis were there to cheer on their team.

Having an extra day makes a huge difference to a weekend – wouldn’t it be nice to have that luxury every week?  I made myself a new dress, also did lots on the botanical dress embellishments.  And the op shop haul was a good one too, Mr Shoestring treated himself to these shoe forms. 

I am sure there must be a name for them, but I have no idea what that might be.  It looks as though his fondness for tools may be transferring to shoe accessories now, this is the second set of similar articles he has obtained of late.

For me the highlight at the market was the plant man who has unusual plants.  This week I bought lily of the valley and a strange cobra headed flowering plant from him.  Every time I have seen his plants I have been impressed by their health and reasonable prices.  I don’t hold out much hope for the lily of the valley, it may not be cold enough for it at Shoestring, but have popped it into a nice spot on the shady side of the cottage.  Also I found a pair of kid gloves in pristine condition – perfect for next Art Deco Weekend in Napier in February.  

The programme has come out now and we are booked in for all our favourite events, the next thing will be to create some costumes for the evening events – they are always more of a challenge.