Freesia Collection.

 

 My colour range of freesias is expanding. The pink below is new this year.

 With dark yellow ones yet to flower. I do so love their perfume. White and cream still the strongest.

 My back is not good again. I know why. I dug out some clumps of Belladonna bulbs. It was such hard work. Some clumps probably at least 20 years old had 50 to a 100 bulbs in them. I consider them road side weeds.

 In the new spaces I am planting things like these yellow ranunculi and iris and roses.

 I may need help to dig out more clumps.

 My hexagon additions to the bed quilt is progressing well.

New Solar Panels.

  On Tuesday we had the new solar panels installed. You may remember the old ones froze ( when the pump failed to circulate water ) when we had the very heavy frost a few weeks ago. Farmers Mutual Insurance  paid for it. Thank you!

 We are currently monitoring it to see it performs correctly. It heats the water (but doesn't feed into the grid )

       *****

 More colourful freesias flowering.

 Yesterday I sat in the strawberry patch and weeded then planted in some replacement runners and 4 new plants. I hope the do well. They are under a bird protection frame.

Spring Flowers and Hexagons.

 

 I love Spring flowers. Daffs are great but freesias are better cause they smell so divine. I have many colours but these are among the first to bloom. The old cream Burtonii are so powerfully scented they fill the room.

  No scent but a bright display by the kakabeak under the cherry.

 I am still finding things that got frost damage even some of the freesia buds. So I doing quite a bit of pruning back to live growth on plants.

 Meanwhile since the knitting is finished for now I an making hexagons to enlarge a quilt by sewing on an additional row( s ).

 This shows a finished pile; a ready to hand sew pile and  one with the wonderful little plastic quilting/ sewing clips. Ideal for holding down mitered corners here.  Also good as a portable sewing project to take to club or sewing group.

 Below is the quilt I'm adding to. Made in 2017.

 

A Finish and some follow ups.

 

 The sleeveless cricket jersey for elder Grandson is finished. Hurrah. Hurrah!

 Not my finest work but I hated the pattern instructions.....it was a very old Sirdar Pattern.

 The reason I was able to finish it up reasonably quickly was my thumb that aches when I knit was quieted because I was taking Pain killers for my back ( which is 98% fixed now ) I had never done a "V" inset before. The price of good knitting wool is eye watering considering we have lots of sheep in NZ. ( it was Australian merino! )

 Some of the frost damage ( we had another one ) has been rectified...we picked the usable tamarillos and pruned the tree right down. The vireya tips I cut off ...the yuccas appear to be dying back -good!

 The lilies will survive and the alstroemeria I hope. Later will will give the renga renga lilies a hair cut with the battery powered hedge pruner as there are so many.

 In 2017 ( I looked at the label ) I finished making a large quilt of floral hexagons. We are currently using it on our bed. It is wide enough but not long enough so I am making a further row  to hand stitch on....not many quilts you can enlarge by that method! I am thoroughly enjoying making them...so easy so portable.

               

Twitching.

 I've been doing a lot of twitching...bird watching that is.

 I have been putting videos in here but they won't all work so here is a still instead. In the far distance down our garden and across the estuary and stream there is an old stranded log. When the tide is right the shags ( mainly ) go fishing then sit here to dry their

wings.

Frost and Ouch.

 This Winter we have had quite a few frosts. Last Wednesday was quite white but Thursday morning it was way worse. 0 degrees C. The heaviest frost in  the 8 years we have lived here.  Anything tropical or with fleshy leaves got "Cooked!"

 The tamarillo

The bananas 

 Some of my precious Vireya Rhododendrons ( above ) the flowers are cooked and the growing tips. I think they will survive but have had a big knock back.

 Along with all the canna lilies; bedding begonias; some alstroemerias( which should reshoot ) all the renga renga lilies.

 The frost also made our solar panels on the roof spring a leak so they have to be replaced.

 Luckily we hadn't planted the potatoes or peas yet.

The ouch part is my back. About 10 days ago  I got a stabbing pain in my lower left side while trying on some new trousers in a fitting room! I have been nursing it ever since. Taking pain killers and being ultra careful how I move. Doing lots of gentle fairly flat walking. Getting out of bed is the worst move or twisting. I am really hopeful it will soon be healed. It is muscle or tendon not spinal.

 My knitting is coming on well....I can knit standing up, even walking! I am sure I am going to run out of white wool though. Absolutely no gardening .....hate that.

Baking Day.

I have shared this recipe on here years ago but as I am making it again today I will put it up again.  You will need... 1 large washed orange.

 Cut up like this to check there are no pips.

 All I discarded as it had no pips was the stalk and one tiny brown mark.

 I use the large size shown here sat inside a metal patty pan.

 They turned out aromatic and yummy as usual.

Here is the recipe:

 Prepared in a kitchen Whiz. Makes 12 big muffins.

 Pre heat oven to 200 degrees.

 1. Whiz together 110 grams of butter and 1/2 a cup of sugar.

 2.Add 1 large egg and whiz again.

3. Put in your cut up orange ( skin pith and all ) and whiz again.

4. add 1/2 a cup of roughly chopped dates and whiz again.

 In another bowl sift together 1 1/2 cups of standard flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 of baking soda and a pinch of salt.

 Add contents of whiz to dry ingredients. Stir in, then add 1/2 cup of milk. Mix.

Spoon into paper cases. ( mix is fairly wet ) 

 cook 20 minutes at 200 till tops lightly brown. Cool. (leave in cases till you want to use them. 

They freeze well.  Enjoy.