New Friends

On Monday we got three new heifer calves in a range of designer colours. They came pre-named and are between 9 and 11 months old.

Hong Kong

From 11 to 16 August I went to Hong Kong to meet Barbara on her way back from Germany and see some of the Dressage at the Olympic games.

Hong Kong would have to be one of my favourite places.

Among the highlights of our visit was meeting a couple of ex-pats who shouted us a great Indian meal at the Kyber Pass Mess in the famous Chung King Mansions. We then we went slightly up market to the Knutsford steps area for a post dinner libation and hooka pipe.

Cup cake crumble

What say we take the recipe for rhubarb crumble cake and split it into 18 little cup cakes? Well I think it works really well.

Fairy Fishing Rods

When I lived in Christchurch I noticed, one summer, these reed like plants with long flower stems that bent and moved in the wind. I thought they would be a suitable addition to my Japanese garden next to the pond and also in some of my other beds.

 

The biggest problem was finding them. None of the Wellington garden shops had them for sale and it wasn't until I was on a visit to Christchurch that I managed to find them again. Dierama pulcherrimum is the scientific name. So far they look like nondescript grassy clumps but I have high hopes for the coming summer.Hopefully I can post a picture of this same specimen in flower. 

Autumn is here

Daylight saving is over and it is dark by 6pm. The japanese lantern has yet to grow any moss and the the pine tree has been severely pruned in preparation for the coming spring.

Moss

In the book "Create Your Own Japanese Garden" (Motomo Oguchi 2007) there are couple of statements that highlight the importance of the lantern. "the stone lantern in the garden is like a necktie on a man: though it is a relatively small part of the overall attire, it stands out above all else. (1)" and "in my opinion most serious gardeners are diligent students of stone lanterns (2)" In an effort to give my Japanese lantern the look it needs to confirm my status as a serious gardener I have been busy in the kitchen.
Some surfing has suggested that painting the lantern with a blended mixture of butter-milk and moss will encourage moss to grow on the lantern giving it a dignified timeless appearance. These are the steps I followed:

1. Find some suitable moss. There are a couple of different varieties here I found them growing next to the stream and beside the water trough in the horse paddock.










2. Pick out all the stones and dirt and place in the food processor















3. Add some butter milk
























4. Blend until smooth
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   





5. Paint onto the lantern and keep moist
   
   

Japanese lantern

Time for some finishing touches, the large "windows" on the light box of the lantern now have little frames with some caligraphy from our class at Minoh High School. These stop the wind extinguishing the candles so quickly. The only thing missing is the time to sit in my new garden and contemplate this busy world.