Any Instagrammers out there...?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Have realised I'm better at instagraming than I am at blogging at the moment. Especially as I can't post pics on here because apparently I've reached my image upload limit!  Didn't even realise there was one on blogger??

I've found some of you on instagram too!  If you're on Instagram please look me up, I'm 

 littlekarstar

Not sure how long I'll stick on it because of the ridiculous clauses they put into their terms of use but it is very convenient!

Hope you've had a very happy Christmas and wishing you a magnificent 2013.

Pallets for Lettuce

My neighbour found an old pallet for me and lugged it home, kindly depositing it in my driveway.  I sowed seeds and waited eagerly for little seedlings to poke through the crumbly earth...and once they did I danced with glee then stomped about in a temper when I found my naughty bok flock had eaten the whole thing.

So we tried again.  And a few weeks later...TA DAH !!!!

Tips: 

* Staple shadecloth/weedcloth to the sides to stop soil falling out

* Let the soil settle before planting as it keeps compacting

* Drape netting over your pallet to stop your badass chooks rampaging through the whole lot

What have I planted:

* A row of beans!

* Rows of lettuce

* A row of flowers

* An overarching tee pee of more beans

I've also planted climbing beans in a teepee over it !  Yeah !

I hope Spring has finally sprung properly.  It's been freezing in Melbourne so far.

Ru watching the chooks who are milling about at the back

i love my pallet!!

Here's Mr Bok aka The Pied Piper leading the ladies to bed 

x

Grass is SCARY !

"Come little human!  Take me closer to my prey!"  - says Ru, still terrified of grass, being carted about the garden by Miss Bok.

Anyone else have animals that are scared of grass??

The Bok Flock are quite disdainful of little grass-phobic Ru

  

 

If not cart then legs...anything really as long as he doesn't touch the scary grass!

In other news, the tawny frogmouths have returned to our front garden this Spring!  Hooray!

Give peas a chance

Such a peasful scene.

We should all give peas a chance.

It's that time of year again - you know, where bad pea jokes abound!

Peas add to my pea joke repertoire...peas!!  Ohhh peeeeeeeasssssss!!

HOORAY FOR SPRING! And some news.

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!

One warm day in Melbourne and I fully expect Summer.  Pity tomorrow's forecast is rain and freezing cold temperatures again.  Still one can HOPE!  Since returning from Spain I've been cocooned in woolies and swathed in blankets.  Feels so cold after all that heat.

Now then...I'm starting a blog over here at Little Kar Star for everything non-garden in my life.  I've realised this blog has meandered this way that way and over the hillside but I'm bringing it firmly back to gardening.  I lost my blogging and gardening mojo but I'm renewed!  The hens are hemmed in so no more pillaging through my garden and I'm encouraged by the sunshine.  Please come visit me over at my new abode too!

The apples finally decided to bloom a tiny little bit - lagging way behind the almond, plum, cherry and nectarines.

Look what sprung up whilst we were away...rogue broadbeans!  I'm not complaining  :)

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine too wherever you are!

Real Spain

We have been in cities in Spain so far...Madrid, Granada...but finally we feel we have found true Spain.  We are in a little pueblo blanco - white village - called Cartajima and it is a beautiful, real, down to earth, gorgeous place.

We are staying with Di and John at Los Castanos and it is the first day of pure relaxation and bliss all holiday.

Everyone here is so warm and friendly.  But boy are they noisy at night!

That blur up there is the pueblo blanco, or white village, we are headed to

 

Best range a free range chook ever saw - the whole mountain!

Grapes absolutely everywhere even on the pavement

Chestnut groves behind the village 

 

A (fat) horse gorging on figs - we had them too as they grow everywhere in this town

 

 

Grapes drying in the sun, apples on the trees

 

Goat herder driving his goats home to the village and up the main street!

 

 

The flock cross the pond...

Hi guys!

I've been missing...and missing your blogs...because I'm in Andalucia!  I've also been in the Arabian desert and in Malaysia.

Absolutely gorgeous places I've seen.

Four angle beans!  I've never seen these. Anyone grow them??

Malaysian hawker stalls...YUM YUM YUM !!!!

Four angle beans again and okra and snake beans...all things I must grow this year!

Catching the Vuelta (tour de Spain) ending in Madrid

View from our apartment in Madrid overlooking Santa Ana plaza

Segovia - I have been wanting to visit this city since I was 12 yrs old.  Amazing place.

Then a drive to Granada...

View from our hotel in the Albaycin area

 

The Alhambra - no words to describe how amazing it is

Guess our leaky roof will have to wait...the travel bug must be satisfied!  Our last trip feels like so long ago...I hope our girls are ok a home, the house sitter says they are laying every day and seem happy but I'm SURE they are missing us madly.  Our cat is with a friend who is a vet so I'm sure he's fine too!