Celebrating Children’s Day at Stardome Observatory (All ages Welcome)
10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday March 2nd
$2.00 per person
Planetarium shows throughout the day
Bouncy Castle
Rocket Launching
Plenty to see, crafts for children
Where 670 Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, Auckland 1023
After two nights in a row of “mini party” it’s a quiet weekend ahead, with the focus of today being clearing out the garage for the delivery of firewood. A part delivery will arrive later in the day.Better do some stretching………
Any Wgtn northern suburbs readers have any suggestions for good pine cone collecting area’s?
Bad12, I saw your response on Open Mike re your tobacco plants – good to hear of the crop’s progress. We had the same problem as you with compost being too acidic and burning our young culinary herbs but they recovered after lots of watering and are doing really well..
No luck with growing vege despite two layers of wind break around the raised garden (made from recycled untreated pallets). Woke up one morning to see a zuchini plant that had blown out the garden being blown away down the length of the lawn, like a tumble weed.
Rosie, yeah wasn’t this years Summer a grand display of gutting proportions, normally the first day of November for me is the day to start planting but that wind just wouldn’t stop,(to the point of my sanity being whisked away in the gale forces probably resulting in the neighbors having their trigger fingers poised over the 1 digit on their phone dials),
Like you more than a few liters of the magic wet stuff had to be used to dissolve the acidity i self inflicted on the garden,( the poor bloke monitoring the Te Marua water storage level probably need coronary treatment after November’s garden watering’s sent the gauge plummeting),
Figuring out exactly what had caused the ‘burn’ to my babies had the neurons smoking and the mental gymnastics included thoughts of pulling the whole garden apart and reverting back to a bucket garden with potters mix as the growing medium,
i even went as far as to be lovingly casting more than an idle glance at the greenhouses on trademe and figuring out that 4 of them at 5 or 600 bucks a piece would be needed, you might want to think about one for your garden to get yourself out of the wind, lolz up on the hills though you will have to put in some concrete piles or something to save from making a donation of it to Tawa or Porirua,
Lolz, the learning curve here has taught me to pull all my plants as soon as they show a sign of developing flowers and seed pods, 3 plants is enough to give me 1000’s of seeds and the last time i left them all in the ground at that stage of growth a crazy South-easterly came screaming over the hill and knocked the lot of them over…
At least the last few weeks have been settled and warm, a chance for the poor plants to pop their heads up up to receive some gentle love from the sun.
Greenhouses. It was a consideration but given the hazards…………Instead in Spring we plan to build another raised vege garden along the retaining wall and construct a shelter of polycarbonate sheeting bolted to supports on the north western corner of the garden bed…………..
There is a very good reason this area of Te Whangnui A Tara was never inhabited by Maori and was a failure as farming land from the 1880’s onwards.
Pine cones (lol at you freedom) I used to collect them on MT Victoria when I was in Hataitai but was put off after an episode where an outraged 5 year old girl witnessed me putting pine cones into a sack and screamed at the top of her lungs “That lady’s stealing all the pine cones!!”. I got the dissaproving look from her parents and all the joggers and dog walkers. Are folks so accustomed to buying all their stuff from a shop that they don’t appreciate the art of scavenging? Nothing wrong with a good scavenge! That’s how we got all our pallets, although we did get permission from the warehouse where we “found” them
Good idea about Tinakori hill, thanks, – bit tricky getting up there with an achilles injury at the mo.
Think you got in at the right time with the Ware Whare pallets Rosie, i have noticed a distinct lack of any coming out of the Lyall Bay one recently, along with the same dryness over at Bunnings,
No worries here tho, i still have spares from when i was a regular doing the weekly scavenge of both places, i suspect some clever so and so has done a deal with both places for the removal of their unwanted wooden packaging,
Have just been doing some temporary waterproofing to the capping on the balustrade out on the deck, funny people those that manage our States housing stock, you can tell them over and over ad nauseum, the hinges on this or that window are rotten, or, there’s a piece of rotting timber here or there and despite being paid some multi million dollar figure in a contractual arrangement with the Government the box gets ticked and no repair occurs…
Pine cones: take a drive to the Wairarapa and make sure you have plenty of bags / boxes etc. A little exploration will reveal many pine stands, often along the roadside. Even where they are on private land I have rarely, when collecting seen anybody or have been stopped. You should get plenty.
On that note I get a lot of pine cones, fruit, berries etc from the roadside in that area, most people just drive by. It is where my sauces, jams, preserved fruit, wine etc is sourced (I do the processing admittedly). You need to harden yourself to the disapproving looks of the common garden Kiwi…the buggers have been too well trained in so called “property rights” and slavishly adhere to supermarket fare. To me it is great when they will drive by and leave the goods alone.
Gardening in the wind….never ever grow behind solid barriers in Wellington, the wind just swirls and forms vicious back eddies…..wind cloth followed by wind cloth..hedges / flaxes etc for windbreaks, expect damage, grow low. Basically it has been a crap growing season, I have only persisted with the hardiest plants. Beans, dwarf beans, zucchini. The trick is to get some degree of shelter to take the edge off the wind, it cools everything too fast otherwise. Treat Wellington as a southern or mountain climate for growing, it is significantly colder than anywhere north of Southland if you are a vege. And don’t give up, it can be done so long as you limit your expectations to match reality.
The only place i can think of that has access to the public and any amount of pines on it is Wellington’s Tinakori hills,
There are public tracks through the town belt there and i am not even sure how many of what used to be a large number of Pines is left up there, i know that Wellington City Council had to go through and remove a lot of them after one particular storm cut a swathe through there and left plenty of them only managing an upright status by leaning on their neighbors,
i wouldn’t have a clue how to access the tracks over there, Google might tell you, not exactly Northern suburbs sorry Rosie,
There are pine plantations over the back of you in the Makara valley but i don’t know about public access, not that i have ever let such niceties inhibit me, but then i am Bad…
Thanks marty. I guess the washing hung out to dry at Saturn’s North Pole would dry quite quickly.
I think there is a bright planet visible from NZ in the North Western sky about 45-50 degrees above horizon. Anyone know if that is Jupiter?
Whether you are a gardener just starting out or maybe you are wanting to alter bad habits of old, Kath’s extensive knowledge and down to earth style will fill your head with ideas and your heart with laughter.
p.s. I recommend making the Tomato and Onion Pie you will find on the homepage.
So simple, so yummy.
Mrs Pink Postman amd I celebrated 60 years of marriage last Friday,
,celebrated our eldest son’s birthday the day before and our closest friends birthday yesterday, and we are off to the HD Met-opera at the Lido Hamilton on Monday . Tuesday a day off I hope…
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Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
What happens when cash is king – and then your bank leaves. A businessman in a town that hasn’t had a bank for three years says the Reserve Bank’s plans to put more cash in the hands of its people and introduce digital cash could save hours of time. John ...
The people have spoken, in their hundreds. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton has been overwhelmingly voted the favourite New Zealand book of 2023 as nominated by ReadingRoom readers. The vote can informally be regarded as the People’s Choice award – ahead of tonight’s Ockham book awards, where Catton’s novel is competing ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer The government has handed down its budget for 2024–25. It’s delivered a $9.3 billion surplus for the financial year just about to finish but is forecasting a $28.3 billion deficit for next year. Here’s the key points: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Jim Chalmers has produced a benign third budget aimed at soothing hard-pressed voters agitated about their high cost of living and punishing interest rates. At the same time he has walked a tightrope, trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND A $300 energy rebate for all households from July 1 and a 10% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance are key measures in a budget targeting cost-of-living relief that put ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an “inflation-fighting and future-making budget” and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an “inflation-fighting and future-making budget” and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been bitten by the giveaway bug. This budget contains not only the well-foreshadowed tax cuts for all taxpayers, but a range of new spending measures in health, education, infrastructure, aged ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews French authorities have imposed a curfew on New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa and banned public gatherings after supporters of the Pacific territory’s independence movement blocked roads, set fire to buildings and clashed with security forces. Tensions in New Caledonia have been inflamed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, Macquarie University Governments and their agencies wield awesome power. At times, it is quite literally the power over life and death. That is why in any functioning democracy, we have robust checks and balances designed ...
As the world commemorates the 71st Everest Day, it's not just a celebration of human achievement but also a reflection of the enduring bond between New Zealand and Nepal. This day marks the historic feat of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa ...
Individuals in Wellington, led by City Councillor Nīkau Wi Neera, are working to use the ‘hecklers veto’ to shut down Inflection Point , a gender-critical event to be held at a Te Papa venue this weekend featuring speakers such as Bob McCoskrie ...
The transgender community, whānau & allies will rally outside Tākina/Wellington Convention Centre against anti-trans confederation “Inflection Point NZ,” who are hosting a conference to encourage parliamentarians to restrict trans people’s ...
A strategic asset for Auckland that has been fought over for years as either sacrosanct or a sacred cow looks certain to be sold and the proceeds of around $1.3 billion put in a new investment fund. A year after bitter political struggle ended in a compromise in which Auckland ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – the Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the ...
RNZ Pacific New Caledonians lined up in long queues outside shopping centres to buy supplies in the capital Nouméa today amid political unrest in the French territory Demonstrations, marches and clashes with security forces erupted yesterday and French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc told the public broadcaster he had called ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Chalmers, Senior Lecturer in Human Movement, University of South Australia The tragic death of Manly rugby league player Keith Titmuss in 2020 due to exertional heat stroke is a reminder of the life-threatening nature of the condition. Titmuss died after ...
Internet Governance Project founder Milton Mueller asked “is the Christchurch Call accomplishing anything?” Increasingly it seems the only thing it hopes to achieve is killing off free expression. ...
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has cancelled his visit to New Caledonia due to pro-independence unrest throughout the French Pacific territory. Peters and a delegation of other ministers was due to visit the capital Nouméa later this week. Nouméa’s La Tontouta International Airport is expected to remain closed ...
Audition by Pip Adam and Lioness by Emily Perkins are both shortlisted for the fiction award at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Here the authors discuss awards, writing, Selling Sunset, review culture, Zoolander and more.Pip Adam: Whenever I think about writers and our ambitions, I can’t help ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images The stories Aotearoa New Zealand tells itself about the history of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi have evolved considerably over time. For many decades, starting with the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Carter, Associate Professor, RMIT University Aurora visible from Cope Cope, Victoria on May 11 2024.cafuego/Flickr, CC BY-SA On Saturday evening before Mother’s Day, Australians witnessed a rare celestial spectacle: a breathtaking display of aurora australis, also known as the southern ...
Tara Ward watches as TVNZ’s long-running current affairs show bows out with humility and grace.We have just 12 days left to view the final episode of Sunday on TVNZ+. In just over a week, there will be no more evidence of the award-winning current affairs show on the digital ...
To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, Sophie Ricketts wears a different band T-shirt every day. Here she picks her top 20. I love music. I love listening to it, I love seeing it live, and I love buying a T-shirt from the band or artist I’ve enjoyed. Every year, during ...
Research from AA Insurance reveals more and more people are taking pride in their garage. Meet three New Zealanders using their space in creative ways.If you think of a garage, you might picture a dark room with a parked car. There might be some tools on the wall, or ...
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As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a masseuse tells us how much she earns and where she spends it. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 33 Ethnicity: NZ EuropeanRole: ...
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More than 160 languages are spoken in New Zealand. Week-long events celebrate the unique languages heard across the country, and this week the focus is on the Rotuman language. According to Unesco, the Rotuman language is listed as endangered along with four other Pacific languages – Tokelauan, Niuean, Cook Islands ...
we missed you Weekend Social
Love it! Lolz. Yes, welcome back Weekend Social 🙂
bruce springsteen concert. oh yeah!!
http://youtu.be/Lb30-RPnB1E
Yay! It’s back!
Have some rabbits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM9YWm6T_hc
OMG! Bruce Springsteen AND show jumping rabbits!!!!
Rosie, one ‘open mike’ wish from you and ‘weekend social’ is back, hows your garden going???
Celebrating Children’s Day at Stardome Observatory (All ages Welcome)
10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday March 2nd
$2.00 per person
Planetarium shows throughout the day
Bouncy Castle
Rocket Launching
Plenty to see, crafts for children
Where 670 Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, Auckland 1023
After two nights in a row of “mini party” it’s a quiet weekend ahead, with the focus of today being clearing out the garage for the delivery of firewood. A part delivery will arrive later in the day.Better do some stretching………
Any Wgtn northern suburbs readers have any suggestions for good pine cone collecting area’s?
Bad12, I saw your response on Open Mike re your tobacco plants – good to hear of the crop’s progress. We had the same problem as you with compost being too acidic and burning our young culinary herbs but they recovered after lots of watering and are doing really well..
No luck with growing vege despite two layers of wind break around the raised garden (made from recycled untreated pallets). Woke up one morning to see a zuchini plant that had blown out the garden being blown away down the length of the lawn, like a tumble weed.
Back to the garage now………….
Enjoy the beautiful day ya all.
Rosie, yeah wasn’t this years Summer a grand display of gutting proportions, normally the first day of November for me is the day to start planting but that wind just wouldn’t stop,(to the point of my sanity being whisked away in the gale forces probably resulting in the neighbors having their trigger fingers poised over the 1 digit on their phone dials),
Like you more than a few liters of the magic wet stuff had to be used to dissolve the acidity i self inflicted on the garden,( the poor bloke monitoring the Te Marua water storage level probably need coronary treatment after November’s garden watering’s sent the gauge plummeting),
Figuring out exactly what had caused the ‘burn’ to my babies had the neurons smoking and the mental gymnastics included thoughts of pulling the whole garden apart and reverting back to a bucket garden with potters mix as the growing medium,
i even went as far as to be lovingly casting more than an idle glance at the greenhouses on trademe and figuring out that 4 of them at 5 or 600 bucks a piece would be needed, you might want to think about one for your garden to get yourself out of the wind, lolz up on the hills though you will have to put in some concrete piles or something to save from making a donation of it to Tawa or Porirua,
Lolz, the learning curve here has taught me to pull all my plants as soon as they show a sign of developing flowers and seed pods, 3 plants is enough to give me 1000’s of seeds and the last time i left them all in the ground at that stage of growth a crazy South-easterly came screaming over the hill and knocked the lot of them over…
At least the last few weeks have been settled and warm, a chance for the poor plants to pop their heads up up to receive some gentle love from the sun.
Greenhouses. It was a consideration but given the hazards…………Instead in Spring we plan to build another raised vege garden along the retaining wall and construct a shelter of polycarbonate sheeting bolted to supports on the north western corner of the garden bed…………..
There is a very good reason this area of Te Whangnui A Tara was never inhabited by Maori and was a failure as farming land from the 1880’s onwards.
Pine cones (lol at you freedom) I used to collect them on MT Victoria when I was in Hataitai but was put off after an episode where an outraged 5 year old girl witnessed me putting pine cones into a sack and screamed at the top of her lungs “That lady’s stealing all the pine cones!!”. I got the dissaproving look from her parents and all the joggers and dog walkers. Are folks so accustomed to buying all their stuff from a shop that they don’t appreciate the art of scavenging? Nothing wrong with a good scavenge! That’s how we got all our pallets, although we did get permission from the warehouse where we “found” them
Good idea about Tinakori hill, thanks, – bit tricky getting up there with an achilles injury at the mo.
Think you got in at the right time with the Ware Whare pallets Rosie, i have noticed a distinct lack of any coming out of the Lyall Bay one recently, along with the same dryness over at Bunnings,
No worries here tho, i still have spares from when i was a regular doing the weekly scavenge of both places, i suspect some clever so and so has done a deal with both places for the removal of their unwanted wooden packaging,
Have just been doing some temporary waterproofing to the capping on the balustrade out on the deck, funny people those that manage our States housing stock, you can tell them over and over ad nauseum, the hinges on this or that window are rotten, or, there’s a piece of rotting timber here or there and despite being paid some multi million dollar figure in a contractual arrangement with the Government the box gets ticked and no repair occurs…
Bloody hell, that could be frustrating, the lack of follow up on maintenance issues. Send them an invoice for your labour and materials costs 🙂
Lolz…
Rosie,
Pine cones: take a drive to the Wairarapa and make sure you have plenty of bags / boxes etc. A little exploration will reveal many pine stands, often along the roadside. Even where they are on private land I have rarely, when collecting seen anybody or have been stopped. You should get plenty.
On that note I get a lot of pine cones, fruit, berries etc from the roadside in that area, most people just drive by. It is where my sauces, jams, preserved fruit, wine etc is sourced (I do the processing admittedly). You need to harden yourself to the disapproving looks of the common garden Kiwi…the buggers have been too well trained in so called “property rights” and slavishly adhere to supermarket fare. To me it is great when they will drive by and leave the goods alone.
Gardening in the wind….never ever grow behind solid barriers in Wellington, the wind just swirls and forms vicious back eddies…..wind cloth followed by wind cloth..hedges / flaxes etc for windbreaks, expect damage, grow low. Basically it has been a crap growing season, I have only persisted with the hardiest plants. Beans, dwarf beans, zucchini. The trick is to get some degree of shelter to take the edge off the wind, it cools everything too fast otherwise. Treat Wellington as a southern or mountain climate for growing, it is significantly colder than anywhere north of Southland if you are a vege. And don’t give up, it can be done so long as you limit your expectations to match reality.
“any suggestions for good pine cone collecting area’s”
under pine trees 🙂
The only place i can think of that has access to the public and any amount of pines on it is Wellington’s Tinakori hills,
There are public tracks through the town belt there and i am not even sure how many of what used to be a large number of Pines is left up there, i know that Wellington City Council had to go through and remove a lot of them after one particular storm cut a swathe through there and left plenty of them only managing an upright status by leaning on their neighbors,
i wouldn’t have a clue how to access the tracks over there, Google might tell you, not exactly Northern suburbs sorry Rosie,
There are pine plantations over the back of you in the Makara valley but i don’t know about public access, not that i have ever let such niceties inhibit me, but then i am Bad…
just watched this – beautiful shots of Saturn’s hurricane and hexagon
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/745173main_cassini20130429-320-jpl.mp4
Thanks marty. I guess the washing hung out to dry at Saturn’s North Pole would dry quite quickly.
I think there is a bright planet visible from NZ in the North Western sky about 45-50 degrees above horizon. Anyone know if that is Jupiter?
http://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/events/
Here are the upcoming Edible Backyard workshops
Whether you are a gardener just starting out or maybe you are wanting to alter bad habits of old, Kath’s extensive knowledge and down to earth style will fill your head with ideas and your heart with laughter.
p.s. I recommend making the Tomato and Onion Pie you will find on the homepage.
So simple, so yummy.
Mrs Pink Postman amd I celebrated 60 years of marriage last Friday,
,celebrated our eldest son’s birthday the day before and our closest friends birthday yesterday, and we are off to the HD Met-opera at the Lido Hamilton on Monday . Tuesday a day off I hope…