Day 292 - Sage Advice

Lately when I have been taking Henry out into the garden, I have been taking him out to the herb garden for a bit of a sniff! We pinch off some mint or sage and when I put it in front of his nose he has a big sniff and a big laugh! He has it all figured out now and tonight when I took him out, he picked his own leaves and after a big sniff, decided that if it smells that good, it must be tasty too :)

Day 288 - Beach Baby

Cautious at first, Henry enjoyed his first real outing to the beach, letting the sand fall between his fingers and attempting to walk on the sand! We had a great day today with beautiful sunshine and gorgeous surroundings. In the morning we visited the produce markets at the community garden where Glenda puts in a lot of time, buying some delicious chutneys and jams (Glenda's Galley), free range eggs and some goats milk soap. After lunch we ventured down to the beach where Henry tried out his brand new thongs (they are blue with little crabs on them). It was a bit windy down there and we had decided to go back, but on the walk back, we luckily had a little break of sunshine and Henry wanted to play. I was pretty happy; anything to put off climbing about 100 steps to get back to the house. It's a long hike when holding a 10kg beach baby!

Day 278 - Do You Think They Make Lavender Honey?

After an afternoon with some of the mums and babies who used to be my mothers' group, but have now formed a playgroup, where Henry seemingly wore himself out playing with his little friends, I sat by the car as he slept it off in the driveway. I have been watching the bees on the lavender for a little while and since I had my camera in my handbag, I took a few pics while I waited for Henry to wake up. They didn't seem to mind me getting so close, luckily and I love the detail that I managed to capture with the macro setting on. There's a lot of lavender in our front yard, so I am pretty sure that they will happily stay for some time.

Day 108 - Operation Garden; Day One

When Robbie and Robert offered to lend a hand in the garden this morning, who was I to say no?! We spent almost 2 hours out in the sunshine, weeding and what a difference it has made. After working most of the first week of the school holidays, the garden was number one on my 'to do' list for the week. All that needs doing now is the weeds in the pavers need spraying and I need to mow. Here's hoping they don't grow much over winter!

Day 26 - The Sources of Dale's Gardening Woes

They are really pretty majestic; the two gum trees in our garden. I'd love to know how old they are because as you can see from the photo, they are huge. To put it in perspective you should be able to see Dale barbequeing in the corner. Anyway, Dale would like them to go, but as he just said to me, "It's more than the trees - it's the whole garden!" Henry wasn't in the mood for gardening today so poor Dale was out there all by himself in the heat, but I have to say that it is looking good... One more trailer load of gum tree branches and leaf litter to go...

Day 23 - Project Backyard

"I don't enjoy gardening but at least I can have some fun with it," said Dale of his 'garden bum' sculpture...

It was difficult, but I managed to drag Dale out into the garden today and I think we got a lot done. The garden is looking a lot more like someone owns it; we mowed, slashed back hedges and took a load of green waste to the tip (more to go still). A wet Canberra summer has meant our garden has gone a bit haywire. It was hard to get on top of after Henry was born and no sooner we get it looking good, it rains again and all the weeds come back, not to mention all the leaf litter from the huge gum trees. Anyway, until Dale figures out how we can live in a unit and still have space for dogs and cats, boats and motorbikes, I guess we have to deal with it.