Walnuts.

I didn't pick up fallen walnuts over the long weekend so yesterday it took a lot of bending to collect these. 2275 Leanne! ( that's 3416 so far this season. ) There are more to come, even though that big tree has had 2 quite big limb removals this last year. The nuts  have to be dried in the sun for several days before storing / shelling. ( so they are quite time/ work intensive food but worth the effort. )They are good eaten raw or lightly roasted. They are good in baking and as dessert topping and ground up.Once shelled we store all of them in the freezer so they don't go rancid. ( Many of the walnuts on sale are already rancid by the time they get to the shops.)

 We have been picking up feijoas at the rate of one of these green bins every second day. So the tractor repair man and anyone else who arrives here goes away with bags of feijoas. We can cope with only so many. Our freezer is at capacity. During the storm last week one of the trees split in half. I think the remaining half will survive after the half on the ground is chainsawed away.

 Some more little blocks got finished. The coloured squares are only 1.5" cut, so quite tiny to work with. More are in the pipeline.

Work also progressed on the felt balls.I was able to ask one of the future recipients if there was anything special I should put on a ball. She said a rugby ball.....so that's next. Both balls I am making are for boy babies.

 We also went, as we have the last few years, to the Rotary Club Used Book Sale.

We both came home with 12 books each and I got 10 quilting magazines and 5 gardening magazines for $3.  ( all mags we selling for 5 for a dollar )We spent a total of $80 - that is a lot of reading and enjoyment for us.As usual the sale was well patronised.

We also visited the Garden Centre as I have been beavering away in the garden and had some gaps to fill. I have planted 2 new purple Hebes, some hyacinth bulbs, some  grape hyacinth bulbs, some Anemones and ranunculus. Yesterday I dug out the whole  corner of a flower bed that had been taken over by a fern that has roots like fibre matting. I also found the greedy big Rimu tree has sent roots upwards to rob the goodies from that flower bed.

 Last night my back knew it had had a work out with the digging plus the walnut bending but it is fine again today.

 I picked these from the garden. I love the strange smell of Chrysanthemums. While at the garden centre I got 3 beauties for $20.  2 dark red and a pompom pink. They are all around the house at the moment but will go into the garden when the flowers fade. That's how I came by the plants for the ones in the photo too.