The new raspberry patch

After the dismal efforts of my only raspberry plant I have a new plot. [read about it earlier here]After preparing my garden bed for about 4 months I very unceremoniously planted the raspberry babies this week. I have tried to do my research about growing them as I intend to have a wonderful patch over the coming years.

1. - prepare the bed for months ahead. compost, manure - I also grew buckwheat as a green manure and chomped that in. I have planted these now in Autumn. I have chosen the perfect spot in the garden that gets sun from about 8.30 to 4.00 during winter - and not too disimilar in Summer.

2. - the bed themselves have been planted north to south - I read that's the way raspberry produce growers do it - so i have transferred that to my mini bed of nine plants.

3. - I helped myself (!) to the sucklings of the fantastic raspberry plants down the road at the local katoomba community gardens - they do really well.

4. - Raspberries are apparently cold climate plants and suit this area. I haven't actually met anyone who grows them in the backyard - but I have heard second hand they are plentiful in the region.

5. I have been collecting raspberry recipes over the last year or so for the eventual requirement for them in a season or two. So if anyone else in the big wide world stumbles on this blog one day and has a great raspberry recipe - please post it up!

Here it is:

From various for blog

Ok I promise just this one more -THE BUDDHIST CAT

the buddhist cat praying by the bonsai tree

From various for blog

Meet Ray

When I see pictures of others people's cats it usually induces a great big yawn. It's got to be one of that most boring things in the world. Pictures of cats.

Here's Ray.

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My first corn

It's been a long harvest and to be honest - not a great one. But I picked my first corn this week - mum was visiting and so decided to wait for her to do the honours. It's quite small and probably the rest (all 4!) wont get much bigger, but wow! - it was very fresh and very yummy. Mum said the best way to cook and eat corn is to

1) put the water on to boil.
2) go pick corn
3) put corn in to cook for a few minutes
4) bit of butter and eat!

Couldn't be much fresher! The funny thing about the corn I grew - about twice as many also turned up elsewhere in the garden - metres away - one in another garden altogether (the succulent garden). They just kept popping up.

I will have another go next spring - but plant earlier and plant more. Its just a beautiful plant both just as a plant and also a produce. How exciting to have discovered corn - back in the day - and unwrapped those layers to find a cob. It's just wonderful.

Anyway - here 'tis mine!

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Stig the Duck has also died

Oh dear. Not a day after poor 8 year old's mouse died (of being obscenely obese - we think due to a severe illness and not 1 year into it's poor life), her second duck, Stig, has died. ( or disappeared. You may remember her first one (Nitsy) unfortunately died as a young duckling, and now one of the replacement ducks has been found dead. Not much evidence, no feathers missing, no blood. Just gone. Her family (jessie - nitsys sibling, and bob, Stig's sibling) seems a little rattled ,and Jessie definately had a few feathers missing suggest that they have been severely chased by something during the day. We keep them locked in their backyard area, and enclosed in their own dog kennel/duck pen at night. So it's happened on the sly at some point. We have yet to break the news to her.

It's tough - this life of animals. We had the chook slaughter last year, the heart attack of Mrs Fatso our mother chook, the only survivor of said earlier slaughter, the first mouse dying, the second mouse dying, the first duck dying and now the second duck dying. I am slowly getting use to it.

The mice very unceremoniously were placed in my office/studio after their nocternal habits kept a certain little girl awake. And they never left. They stink, they make noise, and don't do much. Then one day the fat one died. I glanced over and it was just lying there. Feet falling through the cage. Very undignified. - And I know I am getting use to this death stuff because, there would have been a time I just squealed and shivered and insisted it be removed. But instead, after telling A, I just continued working and A removed the body a day later.

Still, we all loved Stig.