Living among the Little People

No, not leprachauns but Barbie Dolls. Have been busy finishing numerous Barbie Doll outfits with a view to selling them on SHELLYC market stall tomorrow. Right now I'd love to look at something more than 11.5 inches tall and anorexic thin. Think I'll make some clothes for the 45cm dolls instead; they will seem like giants now. Never thought I would make Barbie clothes because they're so small and fiddly, but once you get used to them being that size then they are not so bad. Thank heavens for velcro. Press studs or buttons and buttonholes would be just too fiddly altogether. I have 18 dolls to model the clothes and had to spend quite a time re-doing their hair and dressing them this afternoon. I haven't played with dolls this much for years.

Did I hear someone suggest 'second childhood'?

You know winter is coming when . . .

... tissues get left in pockets and then put in the washing machine!!

Who stole it?

Can we rely on anything or anyone these days? I think not. I am wondering who stole it and if they will own up. It's really becoming a sad situation. We were promised rain for today and it didn't eventuate - not a drop - so I feel certain that someone must have stolen it somewhere along the way. I mean, the weather forecasters could not have been wrong and even the TV weather presenters said that we would get some. So where is it? If you have it out there and are keeping it all to yourself, please remember that other people were promised some too, and it would be really good if you could share some of it around. I will keep looking at the sky in the hope that you have a change of heart, realise the error of your ways, and send it over. We will accept it with gratitude and no hard feelings.

PS. Please don't send it on Sunday as the local craft markets are on that day!!

Sniff, cough, sneeze .....

How can one feel perfectly healthy one second and in the next have a sore throat and the certain knowledge that a cold is coming? Half way through eating a cheese sandwich for lunch on Monday, and I knew what was coming. Still, I expect it will all be over in a few days and only be a common cold - I've never had the flu in my life.

Anyway, it didn't stop me planting 100 ranunculus corms in the afternoon, plus transplanting about a dozen pink Evening Primrose seedlings. I may well regret planting the latter but I can always pull them out if they become a pest. The flowers are so pretty though and don't seem to need any looking after. This morning I pruned a few dead looking branches on the pink Chinese Lantern, and then pruned a few more. Even though cuttings should be taken in the summer, how can one throw away all those potential glorious shrubs? 24 of them are now in two pots.

Yesterday I also made a foray into the vegetable garden; not usually my territory although I've been longing to see if I can do it better than R. Dug in plenty of my precious compost and planted Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas. At least, R. did grow them in punnets so it's a joint operation.

Stealing ideas from the experts

We have just arrived home from a 380km round trip today looking at gardens. Four gardens were open for display in the Crookwell area, northwest of Goulburn. First stop was at the Showground where the Gardeners' Market was in full swing. Bought 6 very reasonably priced plants - red Kangaroo Paw, yellow Correa, a Japanese Maple, a Fijoa, a White Magnolia and a red Erimophola - oh dear, scarcely a botanical name in sight there.

Then went on to see a 40-year-old garden on 2 acres. Well laid out with shelter trees, ornamentals, perennials, and even a 'Cape Gooseberry' with stunning orange flowers. Got some really good ideas from that garden, especially for making a
simple(?) hothouse. Second garden was an Edna Walling garden, sometimes seen on Gardening Australia. Whilst its design and tree planting was impressive we were disappointed with the lack of colour and very little underplanting, but I think there are lots of bulbs in flower in the Spring. Third garden was a real disappointment as it was very dry and somewhat neglected. I don't mind paying to see these gardens but I do expect to see that some effort has been made to put on a show. Fourth garden was another Edna Walling garden and quite different to the earlier one. About 3 acres with lots of lawns of the most magnificent green grass (really couldn't work out what it was for a while, it's so long since we've seen any!) Beautiful location on a hill with great views, lovely mature trees enhanced by well-chosen underplanting. Quite a few ideas there, too. We had wondered what it was that took Edna Walling to such a very rural area as Crookwell when most of her work was done in Victoria. A young lady at the last garden said that her grandmother had talked Edna into coming and designing a garden for her (in 1947) as there was another renowned garden a few miles away and her grandmother wanted to at least be on a par with it. Edna took a bit of convincing to go there as it must have been very remote in those days, but she certainly left a great legacy for other gardeners to admire.

All in all, we enjoyed our day despite the terribly brown paddocks, low dams, and dry creekbeds. Now to start planning (or should that be re-planning) and see if we can make a real difference at home.

TV Weather Presenters

Are my husband and I the only people who get irritated by TV Weather Presenters? The impression they give is that the only good weather is warm, dry and sunny. If there are showers or rain forecast "that should clear away quickly" they say with a smile. Most of the country is still drought stricken and many people, especially in rural areas must feel highly incensed by this thoughtless attitude. I know that TV stations don't want doom and gloom presenters, but surely a little more consideration could be given to those who depend on rain for their very livelihood. In fact, we all do.

Top Marks, Chloe

Yesterday's puzzle concerning 'Chinese Lanterns' has been solved, both by the original writer AND by our Chloe. The offending plant is Physalis alkekengi 'Gigantea'. Various varieties have many common names including Chinese or Japanese Lantern, Ground Cherry, Husk Tomato, Bladder Cherry, Winter Cherry, CAPE GOOSEBERRY, Golden Berry and Jamberry.

Are we confused? Of course we are! Still, unless one has studied Horticulture and all those botanical names, some of us will just have to continue using common names and then do a bit of detective work when all else fails.

Anyone for dessert?

After turning over the top 30cm of compost yesterday I asked R. to bring out some icecream. "What for?" he asked. I said that we could have it with the perfectly baked apples from the compost heap! Shame about the grubs, though. The Granny Smiths were perfect, except for grubs, when thrown in there a few days ago; now they are cooked to perfection.

I wonder how a well-wrapped leg of lamb would go? Might be ready for dinner? Perhaps not!

Jonquils? Not even a Bronze medal!

I must say my jonquils have been well and truly put to shame by Chloe and Calidore. Mine are 7cm green spikes. Not in the race at all. Still, they are in a fairly neglected garden (waterwise) and I'm sure there must be jonquils flowering in some Canberra gardens.

Here we usually look for the first Prunus to flower, generally late June, as an indicator of approaching Spring. What fools we are, with the 3 coldest months of the year still to come.

By the way, ShellyC if your sister still can't knit, you could send her home and let her mother teach her. I did it once, I'm sure I could do it again.

Common names + Common plants = Confusion

Chloe usually refers to her plants by their botanical names which often has me rushing for a book to find out the name by which I know the plant. I then remember the botanical name for a few days/weeks before it drifts off into that giant repository of other forgotten things. However, I've just been reading a blog on another site from a girl (anyone under 50 is a 'girl' in my vocabulary) in the US, lamenting the fact that her 'Chinese Lanterns' are suckering and coming up everywhere. Now I've grown ABUTILONS (Chinese Lantern)for years and have never known them to sucker or even self-sow. I almost wish they would as it would save me having to propogate them by cuttings, which I continue to do because I love them so much. Either her Chinese Lanterns (Abutilon)are doing strange things or they are a different plant altogether. The problem is that 'common' names for plants are often common to a whole range of plants, sometimes totally unrelated.

Oh well, it looks like it's back to the books for me. Now how do I pronounce . . . .?