Busy Saturday

Market Update
We swung by the Tawa Market at 9am, only to see that it didn't start until 10.30am, so off to the Hutt we went. It was crisp and cold by the river, and we got a grand haul of fruit and veges and other stuff.
We spent about $33.00, but that included a a banana loaf for $3.00. We ate the banana loaf at Aunty L's but here's an idea of what $30.00 will get you:


Pumpkin Patch
I have to ask myself: does the person write the blog, or does the blog write the person? If I had not written earlier in the week that I was going to get out and plant the pumpkins today, would I have got out and seen the mission I actually had in store and turned around and gone back inside? Or, knowing that I had determined that I was going to do something, and that there were witnesses to this declaration, did I feel that I could not back out of the work involved for fear of looking like a copout? So I bent to the task and spent and hour and a half clearing weeds before I could spend the required 10 minutes to actually dig a few holes, spade out some compost and plant the pumpkin seeds. I decided in this process that it had been terribly wise of me to leave this job for almost 2 years, as it had given the vege patch we had planted and lost to weeds time to lie fallow, and for the grasses to bond lots of nitrogen into the soil making it good fertile planting ground. That suited me fine. I also dug up quite a few large nails, which suggests that there is plenty of iron in the ground, which is also good. It would all be coming up roses, if it was a rose garden. Don't mention the rose garden right now, though. I think the weeds are winning there too.

So the end result is that the pumpkins got planted, which is really quite miraculous, and probably only because I had told my blog that I would. Now it's holding me to ransom. I would say that tomorrow I'm going to go out and put down some more seeds, this time carrot, beetroot and silverbeet, but I'm afraid it might rain and I'd still have to do it.

On the upside, I also discovered three potato plants, a lemon balm, and what appears to be a shoot resembling a Bay Tree. I can't imagine how on earth a Bay Seed made its way into my vege/weed patch, but if it turns out to be then that's all good. I was going to post a photo of my efforts, but you've probably all seen a patch of dirt before. Now, if I'd thought to do a before and after photo, that would've been good.

The smell of roast pork and veges is filling the house. More on that tomorrow...