In other news our lovely little raised garden beds are about ready to be replanted in some of the areas. We've finished the last of the sugarsnap peas which have given us an absolutely bumper crop and are about drawing near to the close of the broad beans which did a decent job for how late they were planted. The tomatos are just starting to ripen and the biggest challenge is that La has discovered a favorite variety - the Sweetbite Tom Thumbs, which are tiny tomatos no bigger than your thumbnail that he eats straight off the vine the second they're ripe... and we have to convince him to wait until they ARE ripe to pluck! He loves them and several times a day we hear begging for "may-to?" I think this variety is going to have several bushes put in next time so that supply can meet demand!
I think I need to read up more on pasture improvement though. Ours is too compacted and probably needs to be gone over in autumn maybe. I actually think most of the rear of the property and parts of the front need it.
The chook front is coming along slowly. This heat was awful... It is really late in the season to even try I know but so disappointing to have lost so many opportunities due to lack of incubator/broodies. :-( On the other hand, after this batch the season is definitely well and truely over so we'll just focus on setting up more sheds, runs and getting the incubator and some more adult stock so that next season it's full throttle ahead. It doesn't hurt that La absolutely ADORES them too... here he is with Tiger. (She's a Silkie X with possibly pekin, jap and/or sebright depending on whom you ask and one of my broodies!)
We are also very close to getting our fence put in FINALLY! Woot! We've waited for about 4 months for them to be able to do it! I also think I've finally found a gardener I like to help us rejuvinate the front.
But mostly I think it's gorgeous to have a 2 year old. He is such a friggin' adorable little person. I love glomping hugs. I love the little voice piping up, "I help, mum!" while helping me unload the dishwasher and discussing the important intricacies of the world when you're two. (This chiefly revolves around the dogs, chooks, cows, sheep, water, trees, Charlie and Lola, yogurt, going outside and vehicles of all sorts.) I love the kisses which I get about 10,000 times a day. I love watching him and Hope play together... she's either his sister or he's her littermate the way they horse around! He's so interested in everything around him and figuring out how it all works as well, mimicing and helping are two very big parts of our lives at the moment. Here he is today "helping" dada "make a chookie ninighs" (aka nestbox for the broodies) which involves, "make pretties (writing) on bawds (boards) so dwill (drill) goes BRRRRMMM in a nail!" (Well, screw really but let's not split hairs...)
And "make noise with dada on nails!" (IOW hitting the hammer on random bits of wood near where he's laid a nail to mimic. He's pretty determined to put the nails (screws) where he's drawn the "mark" (aka doodles...) and is very pleased with himself after "making a noise" and claps his hands together, "Oh YAY!" Inbetween these important jobs he was the self appointed tool holder and screw hander outer and all around go-fer! And will ya look at that - the kid didn't even realize the only green article of clothing was his shoes until AFTER!
These are pretty "rustic" style but the wood is 100% recycled from our scrap pile and the only cost to making them has been for the screws as the nails we pulled from them were too rusty and bent to be reused. It's actually really nice cedar wood, just a bit weathered and with some slight warping from years of exposure.
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