red shine to you too

While on the one hand I have been a very bad blogger of late, I have actually, been a much improved and highly committed tenderer of the duck herder estate. We have been blessed with RAIN and cool weather which has made such potterings a joy. Everything is JUMPING. And BEHOLD, the Red Shine onions are ready. HFS they are HUGE, and sweet and divine. The largest was 330gms!!!!!!

The Hunter River Browns and Sweet Reds are not far behind, but as their little tops are still going strong, I will leave them a little longer.

These were all planted in later winter. I popped another lot in just a few weeks ago - I found some gladalan seeds lurking in the seed box and thought we just might be lucky enough to get at least a small second crop this season.

Well, I am back to the garden. Today is a happy day - a peachcot, china flat peach and angel peach arrived today from Daley's Nursery, and I must go out and nudge a few thousand wriggly worms aside and pop them into the earth. (That would involve using my NEW PITCHFORK now wouldnt it? OH what joy)

Long time readers will remember the avocado shanty? Well, it is now a food forest orchard wolfberry patch. AND, I haven't completely given up on the avocados - I am thinking of trying a couple in a wine barrel shuggled up next to the water tanks where they can be warm, sheltered and have their delicate little roots safely out of the clay.

Happy new year to you all. Mr Duck Herder and I are planning on taking a few beers up onto Mt Stromlo to watch the fireworks. What ever you do if you can't be good be careful. ;-)

bliss

Sorry I have been a little quiet lately.......

The garden is looking so lovely atm. This picture was taken just after Mr Duck Herder's 40th. Sorry about the fold up chair - sort of spoils it a bit, but you get the idea. It is hard to tell that there are nashis and mulberries and all sorts of food trees hidden in this mess with glass house, duck ponds and chook runs up the back!

I miss represented the nashi trees - there are close to 40 baby nashis coming along, and the KIWIS! well, at least 200.

In other news, poor old Nefley the original fluffy chicken passed away (the plague again - regular readers will remember Maurice the Trojan horse rooster who bought beauty, babies and death to the backyard) So that just leaves Quentin. Quentin went clucky, so I popped a little day old egg layer under her (ok, lets just pretend you have been sitting for three weeks, and these plastic eggs were real, and that this is your baby and she looks just like you)

The little one just shot strait in under Quentins wing, and Quentin started cooing and keening and it was the sweetest thing ever and they have been inseparable ever since.

Here they are, a few weeks later, still inseparable.