Autumn

After a pretty wet day yesterday, the sun is shining fit to bust. The Road closure on State Highway One has been lifted for the Easter Weekend as so many drive North this weekend and the current detours add a minimum of half an hour to the journey, longer if you have to take the State Highway 12. All of this is very frustrating, especially for the unfortunate truck drivers in the large delivery etc, business. For them of course, it isn't just the extra time, it is the extra cost and wear and tear on both vehicles and peoples health and temper. We really feel for them, but are grateful that this inconvenience while the Brynderwyn Road is fully repaired and prepared, hopefully, to prevent further slips and falls in the next big weather event.

The last few years have shown us the actual results of climate change, not only on our own homes and gardens, but on the wider country as well. I still can't understand how some can insist that Global Warming is all a HOAX??? We are LIVING with it and I can assure you that it is no JOKE.

On to more pleasant matters.

Easter Saturday is when my local Lions club is hodling a sausage sizzle at our local Bunnings store to raise funds for our flegling club. My shift starts at 3pm so at least I don't have to rush out at the crack of dawn :-) Also, I will be able to pop over to the local Supermarket for a couple of essentials, chocolate eggs etc as my son and daughter in law are hosting an Easter Breakfast tomorrow morning at their home. I will be celenrating the Dawn service with my church in the morning, then driving up to Whangarei to join my family afterward. A joyous day for us all.

Later today, I will check in the garden centre for what I can plant in my veggie beds, which are pretty much finished with the summer vegetables. Sadly, my Pea seedlings did not survive so I will have to buy more, also Beans and Broad beans. My Brussel Sprouts were pretty successful last year, so I will plant more of them this year. First thing though is new soil to replenish the goodness that has been depleated through the season. Also some Blood and Bone to add extra goodness.

Yesterday morning was awesome, our Easter dawn service was held in the back garden of a family of our congregation who live on the estuary. It was VERY chilly, but an amazingly good servce. And our Pastor, Tom, was speaking the words that mean so much to us as the sun rose over the horizon in a pure, clear blue sky. I just wish I'd had a camera or the camera was working on my phone. Just beautiful!!

This celebration was followed by a lovely late breakfast at my son's home, which was also full of excited kiddies rushing around looking for the hidden eggs in the garden. They had SUCH fun. And the sky stayed mostly clear, the sun shining, all day.

Off to get my soil this morning. I've decided to mix it up with the bag of compost I have outside, then sometime this week, to give the plants a few more days, I will strip everything out that is finished and prepare the beds for the Brussel Sprouts and carrots that I bought the other day. Might look for the peas and beans I want to grow for now. As I have the money from my MR2 burning a hole in my pocket (bank), I will start saving for the large raised bed I want out in the garden and the tunnel house so that I can finally get on to my hydroponic section. Having that prospect closer now, I'm really getting excited. :-).

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Off to Walkworth tomorrow, so will look for some seedlings to go with the potting soil, then as I'm home Thursday and Friday, I'll redo my planter boxes and sow my new plants. Will make up some white vinegar and water to spray on them to keep my stray kittens off the beds. I think they were the reason my pea seedlings died as I caught at least two of them preparing to use the beds as toilets the other day. :-(.

My new car, Toyota Corolla, is lovely to drive, much lighter on the pedals as the MR2, which I expect I will eventually get over having to sell. I am planning to start concentrating on the holiday round the South Island that I want to take next year to keep my spirits high. The money I got for the MR2 has given me a good start to that so I will be grateful, not sad, And who knows, one of these future days I might be able to buy another MR2 as a second car, for weekends and so on.