The Kitchen Playground

The top temperature in my little corner of Melbourne was 44.7 today. That’s 112.5 for those of you who do farenheit. So still not cooking weather. Before the sun hit the backyard, I pulled out the top layer of the potato tower. Not an brilliant success but a good learning process. The lower section of [...]

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What could be more satisfying, frustrating, and completely fulfilling as a day spent between vegetable patch and preserving? I’m sure the majority could think of lot’s of things but I’m know I’m not alone in thinking it nigh on the perfect day. From an early trip to the farmer’s market, I launched straight into bottling [...]

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My family must love me. I did my Christmas planting today and it gave me great joy. Son and Heir gave me a sorely needed punnet of coriander seedlings, Lil Miss gave me a divine tub of native violets and my Dad and Stepmum gave me a blueberry. Happy days indeed. Once they were all [...]

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It’s nigh on my favourite time of year. I’m not referring to the festive season of any variety. What I’m talking about is peach season. We have the most wonderful peach tree. It was here when we bought our house, I’ve no idea how old it is. What I do know is that every year [...]

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My espaliered lemon has new growth! Leaves and buds. The first it’s even attempted to sprout in 12 months. I think I’ve saved it. I have some pictures but wordpress still isn’t allowing me to post them. Hopefully I’ll get the problems ironed otut (or the Bread Winner will) and I’ll update this post. In [...]

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I think I’ve done something clever. I was giving my lemon and feijoa trees a water the other day and I noticed the water is running off the top of the soil dirt. No wonder I struggle with anything non indigenous on the north fence line. So I have sunk a length of plumbing pipe [...]

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For some reason, since we have lived in our current home, I have had absolutely no luck with lemons. I brought a potted tree with me from our previous home. It had been doing quite well. Until we arrived here. I thought maybe it was time to move it from the pot into the ground. [...]

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photo by Joel Deluxe, some rights reserved It’s going to be a hot one in Melbourne today so I was out early giving the vegetable beds a good soaking. As I was filling the watering cans, I gave the side of the tank a tap. It’s half empty. It’s only October. I can’t remember the [...]

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Lately, Son and Heir greatly objects to staying home all day. He has this driving need for some form of outing every day. It’s a pain in the backside when I don’t want to go anywhere. Like today. All I wanted to do was clean the house and tend to some outdoor tasks that I [...]

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Caught on a mission across the lawn early this morning. Not alone. Creeping towards garden beds. Their dawn raid was unsuccessful.  But I’m sure they’ll be back. Vigilance is vital.

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