"Summer Loving..."

"... Had Me A Blast... Summer Loving Happened So Fast"

Mangawhai on a beautiful summers day!

I can't believe how quickly summer is passing me by. Christmas is over, New Year is past...but I guess as they say... time flies when you are having fun.

I've had to work at the office over the summer holidays, but on the days off,  I've spent most of my time outside in the garden, enjoying the exercise and the sun.

A lot of my time has been weeding and cutting the grass, as it has been growing so quickly and smothering the natives I had planted. I've also been spending some time, trying to make the pond look better with new plantings... mulching... etc. 

The vegetable garden has had mixed success... I was too late in planting due to moving house and starting the new job... and then the rabbits had a good munch of everything when I did get the plants in, and now the birds are eating my tomatoes before I even get to them.

However... I've had some good success in potatoes and the spring onions are growing really well. Which.. make an excellent baked potato with a little cheese.

     

from the garden to the table...

  

OK perhaps a little undersized... but still very yummy!

Bake your largest potatoes (prick with fork) for about 1 hour in the oven at 180degrees, until inside is soft but outside is crispy... open the top and scoop out the potato, mash that with a little butter, thinly sliced spring onion, add a little cheese, salt & pepper, scoop it back into the potato, adding a little cheese on the top and bake for another 15 or so minutes until golden... then enjoy!  I'm told you can add bacon... but well I was doing the vegetarian thing as I didn't have any bacon.

It's also that time of year when the neighbour organises a contractor to come in to make hay while the sun shines, it's actually exciting to watch, as the process takes about a week. Day 1, tractor comes in to cut the grass, day 3 another tractor comes in to "fluff" up the grass to help it dry out. day 5 another tractor comes to "fluff" the grass into tidy lines so the tractor with the bailing machine makes the hay bales.

So the paddock is now nicely cut, and I'm hoping that will be the end the hay fever season for me. I'm discovering grass is a a bit of an enemy... even just when walking though the long grass in shorts and jandals, my legs will come out in a small red rash.

That aside... I'm just absolutely loving Summer! 2014/2015 has been superb!

2015 is the year we really need to seriously decide what we want to do with the land, something to make some dollars for the block to pay it's way. 10 acres of grass... any ideas?