Miscellaneous greenery, with added sandflies

It's been hot.  

I never thought I would say that when the maximum is usually 26C (so that's about 78F) but it has been really hot.  Laugh at me if you must, Aussies, but listen.  I'm from Adelaide.  I've lived in outback Queensland and spent the last five years in Perth.  I know hot weather.

The difference here is that it's humid heat.  Oh and NZ bears the brunt of the hole in the ozone layer.  Oh and there is no air conditioning.  So trust me when I tell you it's hot.

Being so hot, it's usually much nicer outside than in.  Or it would be if it wasn't for my personal nemesis and the one reason I may pack up and move back to Australia in a huff: the sand fly.  They love me.  I can't go outside at all without being attacked so I am constantly slapping myself in a slightly deranged manner.  The bites hurt, and then they itch for ever more.  Like three weeks later you will still be scratching.  I still have every sandfly bite I've ever had since we got here and at this point I'm just waiting for someone to ask if they can photograph me for a medical journal.

The worst part, other than the actual bites of course, is that literally no one else seems to be bothered by them.  I keep saying to people "My god these sandflies" as I slap myself around the knees, and the other person is usually like "Oh really?  I never get bitten".  Why jeebus why.

Anyway, since I have vented my spleen non-stop since the start of this post, let's move onto more positive topics.  

As we have observed it is high summer (see: heat, and sand flies).  The garden is going off its head.  I can't keep up with the produce, which the chickens are 100% ok with.  Currently the vegetable garden is planted out as follows (don't worry I don't expect you to be interested, this is for my own record-keeping purposes): rhubarb, thyme, peas, parsley, sage, potatoes, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, silverbeet, kale, sunflowers, snow peas, beans, baby spinach, pumpkin, corn, carrots.  I think that's it.  Lucky it's so massive.

I would share photos but it's infested with weeds and grass and distinctly un-photogenic right now.  So here is a photo of a kale and silverbeet tart I made also with eggs from our very own chickens.  So rewarding.  And delicious.

We started a Christmas tradition a couple of years ago of getting a photo of the kids (or, back then, kid) with Father Christmas.  That first year went great, J kept a beady eye on me to make sure I wasn't going to slip out but she was very keen for Santa cuddles.  Last year we also had A who lay in Father Christmas' arms like a sack of potatoes and J who was still keen but needed me to be in the photo as well.

Yesterday I took the girls into Centre City for the annual photo because the Santa there is AMAZING and as far as I'm concerned is the real Santa.  Unfortunately J, while very excited in the lead up, found it all a bit overwhelming and clung to me for dear life, and couldn't even bring herself to look at Santa to begin with.  I guess it was like her version of seeing Kim Kardashian in the flesh.  She eventually warmed up to a very shy wave but the photo was a definite no this year.  My sweet timid little girl.

Would you look at these two curly-tops?  The old biddies go berserk, trust me

J's kindy is run along Steiner/Waldorf principles, and has the most amazing rambling garden.  They have a big stand of sweet peas which are all in full flower.  The other day J picked a couple to bring home for Daddy (be still my big mushy heart).  They smell so lovely on the dining table that I've planted some of our own.  Hopefully they'll grow equally as well and we'll have the scent wafting in the windows.

In my efforts to weed the entire property during nap times, I uncovered this very sad little fern, bone dry and forgotten in amongst the weeds.  Now re-potted and brought inside from some TLC, it seems to be making a comeback.  One thing this place is missing is some indoor plants, I've decided, which I'll be rectifying immediately.  I wonder if I could sneak a macrame plant hanger in without B commenting...

Check out the orchard!  It's all looking very productive.  Even if the birds get stuck in there should still be plenty for all of us.  We've got a couple of rams grazing in the orchard paddock permanently now.  I do like the cows but my heart lies with sheep for some reason.  I love the smell of lanolin, I love seeing their woolly bulk out my kitchen window, I love how they keep the grass to lawn smoothness (well not yet, they have a LOT to get through).  And they taste DELICIOUS.

The feijoa is looking very festive with its fluffy little red flowers, kind of puts you in mind of a eucalyptus flower doesn't it?

And check out this patch of hydrangeas, just flowering like crazy in the most electric blue, out the back of the orchard where I can't even see them from the house.  As soon as they die back next winter I'll be moving them to a better location.  Hopefully they still flower like this.

So all in all, midsummer in Taranaki is a very happy place. 

Sandflies notwithstanding.