Here, in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand, summer seems to have finally arrived.
So much for global warming; it’s felt more like global freezing, with temperatures seldom getting over 22 C (71 F), and further south, there have even been snow flurries.
Bizarre summer!
But today, we finally had summer, with my car telling me it was 33 C (91 F).
And my garden will finally start singing in the sun.
Tomorrow, I plan on putting sheep’s wool around my tomato and gherkin plants, saturating the wool with water, and then covering the entire garden with cardboard.
Why cardboard? I can hear the mutters from here. Because of those most beloved, but ever so pesky birds.
My backyard is filled with the delightful sound of birdsong. I love it. I wake in the morning to Mr Blackbird sitting on the balcony railing outside my bedroom, trilling at the sun, welcoming the morning. He must have listened to Cat Stevens singing ‘Morning Has Broken.’
So, delightful yes, except when he decides my garden surely must contain delicious worms. Then the dirt flies in all directions, often uprooting my newly planted seedlings with it. Oh you naughty birdies!
Thus, the cardboard. Try digging through that Mr & Mrs Birdies!
And, tomorrow, when I have finished that job, I will do my most favourite job of all – harvesting potatoes.
Have you ever done that? Oh, it’s amazing. You dig down a little way into the cool moist soil and find nests of potato gold. Delicious creamy new potatoes just waiting to be cooked and served with only a little butter and black pepper on them. There’s nothing like cooking and eating a potato straight from the garden.
Maybe I should write a book on my backyard adventures? I have a young friend, Alex, who at five, loves to explore my garden. I am reliably informed that a monster lives by the grape vine.
Evidently, Mr Monster changes colour according to his mood. I wonder if, because he lives by the grapevine, if his normal colour is purple? I will have to ask Alex.
Between gardening, caring for my now very elderly father, and simply living life, I haven’t had any energy for writing my next book, although, I’ve been quite excited to occasionally catch glimpses of Book No.4 in the I AM BERYL series. And what I am seeing will BLOW. YOUR. MIND.
So, I guess, it’s stay tuned, keep watching, and as always, I’d love to hear from you.
Love Justine.
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