A Fresh New Start

Yesterday I put in 2 rows of potatoes. It feels like I'm starting a brand new vege patch. After the long dry everything had gone to seed or died. On top of that,  I haven't planted anything for ages, so things were in a really bad way.  But now we have had some decent rain, the soil is moist and it is time to clear all the debris away, add lots of organic matter and start afresh.  I am feeling really excited at the prospect.

My new, mulched potato bed.
You can see the white labels marking 2 rows.
And lots of lush green weeds in the
surrounding beds for the chooks to enjoy.

So the potatoes have gone in at long last. I have had them in a bucket for a while now, waiting for the right time to put them in, and I have only just made it in time - this week is listed as the last week of the season for potatoes, so hopefully we will get some sort of a crop from them:)
I think they have a chance - the soil looked and smelled wonderful as I heaped it over them. 

I pulled aside a bit of the soil and the mulch
so you can see the leaves atop the long shoot

                                     

Friday Photos

I love watching our chicks develop.  It's a fascinating process.  Plus they are just so cute.  I thought I'd share some of my favourite chook photos of the last couple of weeks with you and then have a quick look at a sample of my other favourite things - homegrown vegetables and native trees. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Come and visit again in a week for more Friday Photos
Lesley xx

2 week old  Barnevelder chicks exploring.  They are growing
much quicker than the 3rd chick (below) and have different
colouring, and longer tails.  I think these are males.

Cinders has very different markings to her siblings

Cinders is just starting to get her wing feathers. Compare hers
to the chick's wings in the top photo (taken the same day).
Here Cinders finds a tasty morsel in the mulch

2 weeks later and her wing feathers are developing
nicely.  But still no tail!

Whereas this one of the other Barnevelders
not only has tail feathers developing quickly,
but also has them pointed rather than
rounded, a strong indication of a male chick.

My capsicum bush is in its
2nd year and continues to produce
this small but very tasty fruit.

One of my favourite trees.
In our front garden I planted this
Eucalyptus grandis (Rose Gum)
about 15 years ago. Its bark is pale and smooth;
its trunk straight.  A rainforest tree,it is now
above the canopy of surrounding trees,
and still growing up rather than out.

 Backhousia citriodora (Lemon Myrtle).
I saw this Australian native today at
the Environment Centre.
The flowers are losing the gorgeous
fluffy stamens, revealing the calyx and
developing fruit .....

..... but it is not the fruit that is sought after,
but the leaves with their delicious lemony flavour.
Put 2-3 leaves in hot water and steep for a
few minutes and aah, what blissful tea!
Or process the leaves to almost powder and
use to flavour shortbread biscuits.
Oh so good!