Today the first of these opened when the rain stopped.
Yesterday when I was out walking I stopped and spoke to this grower who has a paddock of Daffodils at Bethlehem. He was picking for market. I spoke with him briefly when asking if I might take his photos and commented that the field would soon look fabulous. He replied, " I hope not. My aim is to pick them all in bud." ( quite back breaking work )
The other type of old fashioned double daffs I have growing have a long history in this family.
We call them Trixie Daffodils.
Back in the early 1970s we took an expedition to inland Waverley to an area ( known to R's Mother's family who had farmed in the area ) called the Moeawatea where Parkes had all these Daffodils, Jonquils and Paperwhites growing in the paddocks.
Even in those pre digital times I often had a camera in my hand.( this is R and my 2 sons aged 2 and 5, I think ). On the way home in the Landrover that same day , we came across a Mother goat who had been hit by a vehicle and left to die on the side of the twisty metal road. I noticed a wee kid still alive hanging around and knew that it too would die without a mum. SO of course I got out (and chased for some distance ) the wee fellow down and we took it home, sitting on my knee, and fed it and kept as a pet. The boys named her Trixie and she turned into the prettiest goat with long golden cream, coloured hair that hung down in a fringe like a skirt. She was a spoilt and very intelligent animal and would go out and join the sheep on the farm but would never walk with the sheep - she always walked with the people; behind us. She would stamp her feet at the dogs and make them back off, and could easily walk across a cattle stop and get into the garden where she had certain plants she particulary liked to eat. Once Trixie got into the house and we found it standing on the dressing table looking at itself in the mirror! She also really liked the wild woods ( rough ground ) where the blackberries grew. Goats love roughage. So that is why around here those are called Trixie daffodils, as we were given some of the bulbs to grow ourselves and they travelled from South Taranaki with us when we shifted up here in 1978. They have flowered every Spring since.
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I have finished the quilting on the charity quilt and now need to cut a binding and put on( and a label ).
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Out in the garden I now have 5 garlic plants up. The beetroot and broccoli are no bigger than when I planted them, but at least nothing has eaten them.
7 comments:
that photo optimizes 1970s NZ - classic Fred Dagg moment. R is really working that hat :)
What a fantastic story! I would love a Trixie - how lucky your boys are to have you as their Mum -- always open to adventure. The Daffodils are beautiful!
So enjoyed your story. Will read to kids & Brent when they wake up. Abbey smiled at me telling your message to Caro. Just remember I have Laura who will need a new home next year - if she starts rumbling with other girls when fixed. You would love her! She is my fav.
I think it is one of life's pleasures to be able to stand in a field of daffodils! Most amazing feeling. Love the story re Trixie :))) Mine are all starting to come out now too!
Loved the story of Trixie. I remember those fields of Daffs & Jonquils from my childhood days on farms here and there. I always understood the sheep never eat them, as they are toxic... not so sure about goats, who seem immune to almost everthing.
Lovely that you still have some of the original. So many old plants are lost.
what a lovely story!
I still love that photo mum. Obviously I'm too young to remember all of that trip but I do remember Trixie and some of those happenings. Oh and I remember those beanie hats we had them for years!
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