In Brief

The major achievements of today were:

Planting 5 new plants of each of our 13 varieties of New Millennium Delphinium seed lines. These are for the purpose of providing new images for a revamp of our labels.

Surviving the dentist.

The major achievement of tomorrow will be remembering to take my camera up to the nursery and getting a few images on this blog.

Cheers

Terry

Another busy day.

Emails to answer at 6:30am, desk-work for a while after breakfast, up to the shed...I need a better name for that. The shed is the covered area between two growing houses that acts as a packing/potting/office/tool and other work area. This type of area is sometimes called a "header house" but that name is oh, so unromantic (so shed is romantic?) and flat and f-f-f-f functional. One growing house is called "Harrod"s" (there's a story there) and the other "The White House". The new growing house is called the "Bee Hive" so what shall I call the shed? Harry? Right. Good idea. Harry it is, after my dear old dad and why not? Mum obviously found him romantic or I wouldn't be here.
So, up to Harry I go to see Edita and Debbie, walk around a little, talk a few things over, walk back down to the house for some tools, back to Harry, do something else and have another chat to the team, walk back to the house, back to Harry, back to the house for more tools - getting the picture? Back to Harry, no, that one was an invention for effect. So was the previous one too, it just felt that way.
Office work until 12:15pm then off to Palmerston North to see people from "Plant and Food" (scientist and business advice stuff). No wait, forgot lunch. Wolf that down then off to P.N to see P&F. Back home by 5:30pm office stuff til 6:30ish, watch Masterchef sans ads do the blog and off to backgammon....which is now - See Ya!

Another Monday

Sunday was cool and wet but I set the fire on Saturday night so when we got up at around 8am the house was warm and friendly. Played Farmville for a while, attended to a little Email and then drove into Wanganui for coffee and to do a little grocery shopping, stopping off to visit mum and dad at the Aubert Home of Compassion before returning home for lunch.

Dad had just been shaved and generally tidied up for the day when we arrived. He has a lovely room overlooking and atrium with flowering geranium and cineraria and soon to be flowering roses. It's hard to know what's in his mind but I'm sure the flowers would please a lifelong gardener. It was time to move dad into the lounge as we were leaving so I gave him a great ride down the corridors in his chair. He seemed to love it and we didn't knock anyone over!

Mum and dad in happier times:


By mid afternoon the rain eased and I was able to get out into the garden for a few minutes, which of course developed into a few hours, before coming inside for a shower just as Robert and Jennifer were arriving for our usual Sunday dinner date (our place this time). Tonight Janice was on main, Jennifer cooked the veges, Robert brought the ingredients for desert (Janice and Robert prepared it) and I had the real easy job of squeezing the juice out of about 25 oranges. We thoroughly enjoyed our chicken paiella and manzanas asadas.

Today, Monday, saw me into Rotary by 7am, back home and then to Bristol's to check on the newly planted delphinuim trials again. All was well today (3 days since the last visit and 5 days since planting) with only a few plants and labels pulled up. The pukepos are certainly losing interest! Some roots on the delphiniums have now grown from the plug at least an inch into the soil so they will be becoming difficult for the birds to dislodge soon. Then a little weeding of my trial beds at home, some roundup spraying ready for trees, more weeding and before you know it, 5pm and hungry by 6. Right now, a blog, a little more work and Farmville again!

See you tomorrow.

Cheers

Terry

Market Day

Today was market day in Wanganui and we decided it was about time we participated. The group that run the "markets" are called the River City Traders on account of the market being on the banks of the Whanganui river and stalls are available every Saturday morning, year round. There are about 60 stalls all told with vendors selling all maner of crafts and produce from 9am until 1pm. It's a community occasion, a place where friends meet and share the local gossip as well as making a few bob......... which tends to get spent on other stalls, as one does. Today we sold maybe $250 of delphiniums and bought maybe $75 worth of gooddies.

There's a special atmosphere at the River City Traders. It's a blend of friendly conversation, business like banter and riverboat smoke from the PSS Waimarie as she fires up her boilers to take a load of tourists for a ride. Something all tourists the world over expect and are duly delivered no-matter where they are! You can buy yourself freshly brewed coffee (New Zealanders know how to make real coffee - not like that Starbucks rubbish) and there's a couple af ladies making fresh crepes with gorgeous fillings. Or is that gorgeous crepes with fresh fillings? I'll go no further. For entertainment this morning we had Wanganui river, replete with a fresh of fast flowing, muddy water from recent deluges transporting a hungry seagull, complete with a meal of an unfortunate sheep that recently, but not too recently, must have lost its footing somewhere up stream - gripping stuff!

PSS waimarie catching the early morning sun

Back at home I unload the unsold delphiniums and restore them to the irrigation system and then come inside for a late lunch, planning to return outside to plant a couple of trees and an iris (from the market). Of course, just as I'm changed the visitors that I'd arranged some days earlier turn up and we spend the afternoon talking of cancer fighting apple trees, biodynamic farming (I'm a skeptic), plant breeding and cider tasting.

Now the blog.

Then Farmville!! Actually I cheated and did Farmville first.

What a nice day!!!

Cheers

Terry

Tomorrow Today

This morning I went to check on the newly planted delphinium trials again to see if the pukekos had wreaked any more havoc....and I'm pleased to say that they had done very little more and that all the labels were where they should be. Could it be that they don't like delphiniums? I really hope so, but won't hold my breath. The rest of the morning was spent preparing sign stands and organising plants for sale at the Wanganui River Traders market tomorrow. This is in effect a PR job as we don't expect to sell much. This is because the delphiniums that we will have for sale in large pots aren't in flower yet and it is the flowers that really bring the customers - instant gratification don't you know?

So, as I'm working tomorrow I'm going to have the afternoon off and wash the dogs, potter around and get myself in the right frame of mind for "Fries on Friday" with Janice and our friends at our favourite watering hole.

I was speaking with Debbie, one of our staff, yesterday and she mentioned that she has a lavender that attracts the bees more than any other. I was interested in this and this morning she brought me one. Isn't she nice!

All for now.

Cheers

Terry

Excuses

Whoooooops! I forgot yesterday's blog. The road to hell etc..

It was a busy morning yesterday as I had to finish setting up some planting of delphinium trials at a friends place. If you expand the image and look closely you will see several Pukeko grazing close to the newly planted delphiniums. We may well have trouble with these birds as when I checked this am they had pulled up a few plants and seemed to like the labels too. Pukeko are a native NZ bird that love wet areas (the plot is close to the Whanganui River) and do rather like fresh produce!!




After this Janice and Iheadded off to Massey University at Palmerston North (90 minutes away) to attend a presentation given by half a dozen third year horticultural students at 11am.
As part of their degree they had conducted a study on a problem faced in our nursery (re pollination) and yesterday was their report time. Well, as I say, the morning was rushed but Janice and I actually arrived with plenty of time to spare - a full three seconds!

The afternoon was rather more relaxed attending to emails etc and in the evening I went into town to collect a collapsible gazebo for use at the open air markets by the river next Saturday morning. After that I somehow got sucked into more work until 10:30pm. As there was little to do on Farmviille I didn't have my "cue to blog".

Well, that's my excuse.

Cheers

Terry

Tuesday 13th October.

No, I'm not suspicious so today will be great.

Not being a mathematician I'm starting to lose count of the number of blogs I've written since I started up again. Certainly more than 5!

I'm up nice and early this morning in order to get rid of my farmville duties, do a few exercises for my back and have breakfast before going out to work. I'm having a day outside for the most part and hope to get a good first bike ride of the season in....probably only half an hour as, having had at least 6 months off the bike I'll get a sore bum if I do more.

Yesterday's nursery tour found the first dwarf delphinium ready to pollinate. Being Dwarf and early it was flowering all on its lonesome so I'll just self it and have a good look at its genetic makeup when its progeny flower next year. The main batch of dwarfs for breeding won't flower before Christmas as they are from seed sown this winter. I'm hoping for a few good colours on short plants. Apart from that I'll be going over the plants we have growing outside in 8 litre bags to see which to ready for sale at the local "River Traders" market this week end - not something we normally do but it should be fun if nothing else.

Only one image today, that of a white with a black bee waiting for a pollen parent to open - in vain I'm afraid. Another plant too early for a mate.



Ok, going to get on with it. Breakfast awaits. Cereal I think - I'm uncomfortable in my jeans.

Cheers

Terry