Brigitte’s autumn hideaway

Posts Tagged ‘Family’

On the first January we went the long drive over gravel to the end of our road.

We saw some calves who looked so cute.

Especially this one got my attention and I thought without ear marks it could be a buffalo child

There are many high grasses and here and there we found some baeutiful thistles looking like little artichokes.

A little stroll and we reached the mullein patch we had visited before. (Please click here for a link to an older post)

The flower buds were still closed.

We collected some plants with roots to put them into water at home so I can collect the flowers every day for a week or two.

At the end we had a really big bag for tea and medicine. Please click here for a link to the other blog where I write more about the use of mullein.

On the way back we saw a Tree Tutu.

All parts of this plants are poisonous. So be aware to teach your kids not to touch the plant or eat it’s berries!

At home David helped me to make some tincture

Here is a pic of our leaf and root tincture which will be ready to use in 6 weeks.

We also made a yarrow oil which we use for insect bites or sprains.

And the red clover went into a water infusion to drink as a sweet yummy anti cancer tea. When ever you see red clover pick it and make an infusion it is worth it

Yesterday we drove over the Pass to visit Mitre 10 Mega again. This time not to bring back a broken tool, but to buy a shredder

The kids had fun at the beautiful indoor playground.

Aileen gave a performance of an Irish step dance (she is fascinated of the DVD ‘Lord of the dance’ with Mikel Flatley)

After that everyone enjoyed something sweet from the Mitre 10 Cafe

Christoph found some goodies for the future…

He couldn’t resist to buy some plants… this time he bought three different Feijoa’s

The flower looks amazing! I am excited to see another exotic plant in our garden.

At home the boys build their ‘machine’…

… and everyone watched excited (but in a save distance) when Daddy started to ‘feed’ the shredder.

When he started to feed big sticks…

… it got really loud.

And yeah, the shredder is still working

It was fun to see the whole family work together
This was better then roasting chestnuts or doing something inside. Here we had the clean New Zealand air and a lot of fun with the ‘machine’ who did a fascinating job

Some of the shredded stuff went around my berry shrubs and some is for the raised bed, which still is in production.

We have been very surprised to find an awesome plant under all the twigs.

This plant survived maybe years under this pile of twigs and other stuff.

We were happy to have a plant for the empty space in the front of our house (I already made fuchsia cuttings, but they will need some time…)

After we planted this amazing flower I went on searching and found out it is a Renga-Renga (Arthropodium cirrhatum)
Maori used to cook the fleshy root as food.

What’s new in our garden?
This beautiful plant!

We have no idea what it is and we are already excited for the next year when we may be able to identify it by the flowers

Not far from the exotic plant we  discovered a dragonfly which enjoyed the sun on a Kawakawa leaf.

The garden still has a lot of bare ground and I hope our pumpkin will soon cover it…

There is a pair of New Zealand Pigeons in our garden and Aileen is admiring a beautiful shimmering feather from one of them.

As you already know there are surprises every day, but today I was pretty much in awe when I saw this seedlings sprouting!

I sow them the same day as I made my cuttings which was three days ago! How fast the seeds pop out I already discovered by my basil which I sow in front of the tomatoes.
I am glad the cuttings do well too.
It is a constant circle of surprises when you have a garden… I hope yours are as good as mine

My friend has gifted me with an apple mint and now in my ‘wet’ corner of the garden this beauty can grow freely.

The wet corner contains many different herbs which like shade or wet (eg: angelica, peppermint, orange mint, Gotu cola, valerian and so on)

I just love the mint for it’s smell alone. Sometimes I make a herb bath which let you wander into a Summergarden in the middle of winter… ah what lovely scent…

What I love in New Zealand is the environment where you think it is Summer, Spring and Autumn at the same day. Look at the next picture which is also in the shady wet area. It looks like Autumn with the leaves but at the same time it is a ‘Cherry Summer’!

I am so happy! And yes Benny must be happy to because Christoph went into the workshop to saw, hammer and drill.

He finally made Benny an enclosure where he can feel the grass under his feet

Now we can save the lawn mower

Benny likes it and soon he will get a bigger enclosure where he can run around

Ah yeah… and Christoph wants to surprise him with a Bunny girl…

Ah! My husband started this weekend by finding this huge ‘Lucky clovers’ in our garden!

Just amazing how big they are!

You sure remember our trip over the pass last Saturday.

We went there to Mitre 10 Mega where the kids enjoyed the indoor playground, while Daddy brought back his broken fork

We brought home another fork…

…and of course some plants for me

While David enjoyed to walk around the garden… balancing on the stones…

…I ripped out a plant I thought was a giant yellow sorrel (Oxalis) but to my surprise it was a New Zealand Yam also called oka. How amazing!

This Saturday we went to Masterton to a farmer’s market on the Solway showground, where we met a German woman who sold delicious bread and ‘Zopf‘

What a treat!

On the way home we drove by, by this awesome old house. It looks like a painted picture.

At home the kids enjoyed their pizza in the garden…

… and later a cookie from Daddy

What a sweet pair

I found another new plant which I don’t know. It looks like a grass but is white and green.

“Careful honey! Don’t break the spade!”

Another tree stomp is removed from the garden and… no tool is broken

I found this pretty big Weta Lady when I removed some old sticks.

David wanted to take her indoor but we managed to coax him to give her a save place far back in the corner of our garden.

When we brought the lady to her save place Christoph found something interesting dangling down from the trees…

… it was a Banana passion fruit! How great! We have a yummy passion fruit in the garden!

Here is a link to an Album where you can find some other pictures of the passion fruit and Weta.

And hazelnut!

And another surprise plant in a corner we don’t know… look at this huge rhizomes! We are waiting for her to bloom to find out what this big plant is, but if you know, please let me know.

This week we got a surprise parcel from Oma (Granny) of Austria!

It was a Nikolaus parcel! Something traditional in Austria where we celebrate the 6th December.

Oma sent us delicious ‘Buemmel’ which David calls ‘gingerbread doors’
On this picture Aileen is working on the removing of a Nikolo picture…

David loves airplanes and look what Oma sent! An airplane cookie cutter!

My friend Heidi also sent us a parcel with delicious ‘Milka’ chocolate!

Christmas time is such a beautiful time with all the surprises and treats
Thank you so much to everyone!