Monday, August 27, 2012

Gardening and Sewing.

A whole weekend without rain!
Here R is taking my wool packs full of weeds away to be put as mulch under the avocado trees. I toiled for 4 hours  both afternoons and got a lot done. I have never seen such vigorous Winter weeds ( from all that rain ). Shivery grass was the worst - it's roots had formed a white layer across the surface of the soil so it had to in some cases be removed in a layer. I can see where I have been but there is always more to do around here. We also sprayed out the shell paths and edges and over the banks both mornings. We just couldn't waste 2 full fine days. Today is dull and rain is expected but as yet it remains fine.
 My favourite photo from the weekend is the lichen on the viburnum tree outside our bedroom window. The branches on the northern side ( shadiest ) have the most.
 This same tree is getting it's new leaves and flower buds. I love how they unwrap!


Things I have been thinking about. 
*Along with Chooky blue and some others I have to say how I hate wasting time trying to get the word verification correct on the comments section of some of the blogs I like to read. If I try twice and it's not correct I dump my comment and leave. Some are just so hard to decipher.
 * I read with some dismay in the NZ Listener ( page 45 )  that many hand cleaners, soaps toothpastes have a chemical in them called triclosan. A study has found it interferes with muscle activity    by inhibiting the flow of calcium ions.  I went and looked and sure enough we have some liquid soap with it listed as an ingredient. Worse still our 2 toothpastes don't list the ingredients!
 Anyone else know anything about this?
 * Finally I have a quilting question. 
 I have been stitching in the ditch on the horizontal and vertical lines of my quilt. I have pressed the rows in opposite directions so they sit snuggly into each other. When I am going along the ditch ( on the downhill side - less layers ) am I supposed to jump the ditch at each intersection to stay on the downside or just continue on the same side of the ditch? What do you do please?
 if the intersection isn't 100% perfect the problem is tricky.





6 comments:

Meggie said...

I hate those word verifications too. I have little enough time to look at my favourite blogs, without wasting time deciphering puzzles.
We seem to have had a very wet winter too, and the growth of the weeds is very lush! grrr.

Meggie said...

I hate those word verifications too. I have little enough time to look at my favourite blogs, without wasting time deciphering puzzles.
We seem to have had a very wet winter too, and the growth of the weeds is very lush! grrr.

Jennifer said...

Love that new spring growth! Hmmm.....can't help with your stitching in the ditch because I don't do it, I prefer to stitch 1/4in away. I'm with you on the word verification on blogs, I hope I managed to turn mine off!

Chookyblue...... said...

if you have too much rain just send it my way.......pretty dry here.....glad you don't have word verification on.......

molly said...

I jump the ditch....and if an intersection is dodgy I turn the wheel by hand so I can better control the jump! You are amazing doing all that hard gardening work yourself!

Nicky said...

Word verification is getting harder all the time... very frustrating.
Not sure about 'which ditch' to stitch in, my points don't usually line up anyway!