Back in the Garden Again

We've had some straaaaaange weather here in Canberra. Last week we had two red sand storms, accompanied with rain, which brought a fine slick of red mud to every outside extremity, including our brand new baby blue Renault. This is the first time such a phenomenon has been seen in Canberra (and also in Sydney) in around 80 years.

For a moment, I thought I'd woken up and found myself in Beijing again.

The red dust also occurred in Sydney and let's just say the local carwashes cleaned up - literally and figuratively.

We've also had unseasonally low temps this weekend - it's colder this morning that it was in the height of winter and I'm wrapped in a faux fur rug, as I type.

Great excuse to go out for hot coffees this morning.

But I'm happy to report there is sunshine this fine morning (with a few remaining straggles of cloud) after many days of heavy rain. Every morning, I race to the window to see how lime our lawn is becoming, only to lament the imminent arrival of another Australian summer when the blades will shrivel to yellow blades of saffron.

We're thinking of having new summer-hardy turf laid down before the heat really sets in.

Last weekend we laid a mass of mulch in preparation (above) and just take a look at my vegie patch stripped bare (below). We've blood and boned it and will add some worms and organic matter this weekend, pull out a few more weeds that have dared to surface since the rains, then plot our seedlings. By mid-summer, I hope to show you a cropped-out patch.

So exciting.

I also wanted to show you the magnificent azaleas and other flowers that have popped up in our back garden. I'm not sure what the bell shaped flower is, but it sprouted up as if from bulbs and I've never seen this bloom before - if anyone can enlighten me. The flowers are just stunning.

Today we hope to get some more mulch and take a look at the seedlings, to see which scrumptious treats we want to grow as our own. The kids just love doing this. When it comes to growing our own produce, kids throw themselves in wholeheartedly.

Even if you only have a vegie garden in pots, think about a planting and growing project with the kids this summer. They'll love it.