Mason Bee nest

Mason Bees are an important early pollinator. They are a solitary bee and build nests our of clay. The nest is a series of chambers each containing paralyzed  orb web spiders and a single egg.

It is easy to make houses for these guys that can be moved into a dry winter spot to maximize hatching rates.

Pottery wheels

Christmas time.

We found two kick wheels for sale in town.
Now two people can make pots together.

The brickyard is a cool shady place to be in the heat of summer.

East cape road trip.

And the wind roared. And we played.
The official camp ground was too windy and a nice shepherd let us camp under a massive Pohutukawa tree.

The moon was full and I climbed the giant sand hills and watched the sunrise.

Underground bees

A beautiful campsite next to the beach.

A sleepless night was had by all in tents as the poor native bees tried to get out of their underground tunnels.

Drone Flies

At first I thought these guys were Bumble Bees.
But look at the size of their eyes!! They also only have one set of wings and their antennae are very different. They do a great job mimicking Bumble Bees but do not even have a sting.

These Narcissus Bulb flies are probably the only Drone flies I do not really want in my garden. They are mating next to my dafodil bulbs where they will lay their eggs. When the maggots hatch they will then eat the bulb, pupate and hatch into more Drone flies.

These ones have so much pollen on their shoulders I did not interfere.

Drone flies are the most amazing pollinators and they are amazing to watch fly as they are very agile.

Potters wheel

Yay!!!
The potters wheel is go. WE just about had to rebuild the whole thing.
Ari and Toby make it look very easy. I'm still playing.

Plant me

The yams are sprouting.
Plant me, plant me!!!

Yams like a little canopy so that they do not shrivel up in summers intense heat.

Woodstoke

What a weekend.

We helped make kilns. Learnt how to make whistles, eels, tiles and how to use a kick wheel.
There were more than 9 different kilns lots of fire, clay not to mention the inspirational people.

We will definitely be going to Woodstoke again in two years time.

Yacon

Yacon is a great crop for the garden edge. We usually plant it with a mulch of newspaper and scythed grass. By the time we start harvesting (after the first frost) the grass and newspaper have just about completely broken down.

Pumpkins are a great companion.

Eels for brunch

Last day at the Lions Hut it is always Eels cooked on an open fire.

The night before we go bobbing. A whole gang of us sitting around a big pool with our sticks and a fire lighting the dark night.

Great way to end a great few days with family and friends.

Trefoil

Birdsfoot trefoil is a great legume for slightly acidic soils. The bees love it and it makes a beautiful ground cover self sowing readily.

Fungi

The powerhouse of our soil. We only get a glimpse every now and then as to what beautiful processes are happening below ground.

Design

We have a list of basic patterns for our new bathroom;
Privacy -when in shower and toilet, Shelter -from rain and wind; Flat; Paved; Light -natural in the day, electric at night; Hot water -shower tubs, basin; Ventilation -lots; Waste water used -subtropicals; Dry dressing place; View -stars, bush and gardens, of bath from kitchen window; Rocket bath; Clothes hanging space; Shaving & tooth brushing place; Hand washing between toilet and house and car park and house.....................

First we cleared the site then used fencing standards and wood ash to make sure things would fit and get an idea of hot things would feel.

Strawberry mulch

Strawberries like a heavy mulch and a little acidity.
we use pine needles.

Tree blocks

We try and make presents -or at least part of them. We had a one year old's birthday and hey I made twice as many and kept half.
They have been cut as thirds, doubles and singles so they stack well.
Our favorite game is to stack them on ever decreasing pieces of paper.


These animal blocks are ones we made years ago as part of an add on to a basic set. Before we cut the sections we flattened off one edge so they stand up.
Other favorites are plain unoiled ones so you can draw yourself or stop and go signs

Bathroom

The old bathroom. Just a garden really.

Bananas, Taro, Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Yams, Kawakawa, Peaches.....the garden will just move a little.

Running bamboo

Our timber bamboos are running varieties. We have planted them on an island. On two sides are streams and on the others trenches (that often have water in them) that we dig each year. As a back up the sides with trenches also have stock.

We keep the sides very steep and as the rhisomes only go down around 30cm we have managed to contain them so far.

Our neighbour who has a running bamboo has managed to contain his with a drain on one side and well timed stock rotations on the other.

Rocket stove

Before the mid-winter bonfire this year we built a rocket stove for hot soup and grapefruit and honey tea.

Composting toilets

We needed some more toilets around the farm. These are our favorite based on systems in the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins.

We found a whole pile of orange buckets for toilet only buckets. Managed to modify some old toilet seats and found some suitable timber. A good coat of wax and toilets are go.

Some recycled pallets hold the compost heap.

Native earthworm

Native earthworms can grow well over 1 meter long.

Long horn Beetle

Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes. This long horn beetle is visiting a mustard flower.

Pupa

The giant pupae of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth.

Found when digging our Kumara. Kumara belong to the same family as Convolvulus so share the same pests. This guy did not effect the Kumara harvest. I only wish I got to see the beautiful caterpillar.

Alligator weed

This is what large parts of our paddocks looked like before we started any alligator weed control.

Thanks to the great advice and hard work spent by the Regional Councils pest weed contractors we have found no plants on our property this season.

Yay!! Its taken hours that probably add up to a couple of weeks but it has paid off. I am now dreaming of re-planting my orchard and having more flexibility with the way I run things.

Not to mention no more poision!!

Moso

Our timber bamboo is growing. Every year we notice a difference. You can see this years growth as the new culms have a distinct white rings around each node. Moso turns a lovely yellow as it ages.

The stand is a lovely place to be when the wind is blowing the rustling leaves, when the sun is hot outside, when there are children running through it, when you want to imagine..............

This bamboo can grow up to 50cm a day in this location. I visit it regularly when it is first sprouting. It is such a powerful place to be.

Autumn harvest

Potatoes and popcorn.

It feels so good to put your food into a flax basket you have grown and woven yourself.

Native weevil

This beautiful iridescent weevil loves eating the pollen on the Amaranth.

It is a native weevil and can often be found in our gardens.

Frogs

You know you are doing something right when your garden is full of frogs.

We created a new pond a few years back and even with children, herons and ducks we are still inundated with frogs.

Cabin couch

Finished covering the mattress and pillows on the cabin couch. 

It is a fun challenge to find fabric to re-purpose.

The pillow fabric came from a second hand shop -somebodies remnants.

The couch fabric was a remnant from a local upholstery shop.

Just looking out for a second hand divan bed to be the base.

Self sown

These Silverbeet seedlings knew when they needed to germinate.
I will transplant them now and possibly sow some more winter greens.

It is great to garden as if you know nothing. I think you see a lot more and tune in to what nature is telling you. We will never be able to understand the full complexity of it all.

Learning to read. Every day. The patterns and webs nature weaves.

Hungry wasp

I hate Common Wasps!!!

In late Feburary - Early March when wasps are breeding up their queens they need protein.

This small predator can take down big insects. This wasp took down a big dragonfly and has been taking pieces back to the nest to feed the queens.

Floundering

We usually get a feed. We always have a great walk with family and friends.

Giraffe

An amazing male Giraffe  weevil.

The males have their feelers a the  tip of their nose and use them to fight.

They eat dead wood.

Columns.

We want to make bricks. So. First step build a brickyard.

That way we also get to play with our pumice columns.

Butternut flower

Butternut pumpkins belong to the Curcubita family. Their flowers are known for their trumpet shapes with deep nectar wells.

Their flowers are incomplete -either male or female. The female flowers have a swelling (ovary) under the base of the flower.

This flower is a male.

If there are plenty it can be used for cooking.