The Thrifty Fox: Home life in July

The weather has been mostly wet with spots of sunshine here and there. Getting washing dry is a bit of a battle at the moment..the clothes horses are constantly inside like a pair of stabled ponies. I miss the smell of sunshine bleached and dried clothing.

The primulas keep on flowering

As little cublet stretches and grows in my belly gardening is becoming somewhat cumbersome. I can no longer reach the middle of the tallest vegetable bed! Bubby certainly lets me know when it has had enough of being cramped by my bending as I tend the plants and plant seedlings; with a kick and a poke. It is such a wonderful and obscure feeling having a little being wriggle around inside but oh how I love it and recognise what a wonderful blessing it is to be pregnant.

Newly planted garden brightening up a shady spot

Only nine weeks til the expected due date and my last day of work tomorrow. I imagine time will both speed up and slow down as we prepare for cublet's arrival. The nursery needs a sanding and another coat of plaster to the walls. The ceiling needs plastering and sanding too. We have test pots to try out colours and a new-to-us armchair to put legs on, we have the cot to sand and paint, we have lots to do without forgetting to live in the now and savour the coming days as a couple....before we become three.

Broad beans awaiting some sunshine

Our dear friends welcomed their little boy Noah into the world a few weeks earlier than expected and oh how special he is. We went over to meet him in the weekend and had lovely cuddles. Gosh it is easy to forget how little newborns are and their funny little expressions. It both terrified and excited me to think that our wee babe will be here soon.

The primulas are becoming established.

I'm hoping that this garden, which is is the view from the Nursery window will have colour all year round. I have planted lots of old fashioned cottage perennials in hope that it will be a wild mix of colour and texture.

Over the weekend I planted Larkspur, Canterbury Bells, Hollyhocks and Calendula. I want to find a climbing rose and train it to grow up the big old Gum tree. I have transplanted the pansies that spread oh so easily in the veggie patch into the gaps. The violet is really taking off with the regular removal of weeds and is now a thick carpet in the shadiest part of the section.

Pansies newly transplanted in between the perpetual spinach and violets

They were saying on the radio that in New Zealand we have a short winter and that Spring is really starting now. The sun's rays are feeling warmer on the skin lately and am hoping the soil will warm up soon. There are baby peas waiting to sprout....I forgot to plant some last Spring and am so looking forward to eating a few crops of peas (straight from the pod mostly) this year.

Winter can stay for a little longer though, I'm not quite ready to give up cosy evenings inside just yet.