Episode 32 - The New Zealand tea room

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Well folks, here we are, beside the hot springs of New Zealand.

The tea room (with the customary distressed chintz sofa) overlooks the steaming, bubbling lake. For the bold and sporty, hiking, biking and sky-diving are on offer. Personally, I'm not planning to leave the spa.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink and conversation ranging from the profound to the profoundly silly. The cardinal rule remains: no fisticuffs.

Maud - I loved the Guernsey Potato book

Where did you order your plants, Bean?

::Compulsive buyer of plants::

Just from Dobies, Maud. Mostly fruit and veg but they have been great the last couple of years. I have also ordered a small greenhouse so very excited!!!

Oooh, what kind of greenhouse? When I get the patio sorted, I am going to have a proper wooden growframe instead of the wobbly plastic thing I have at the moment. I am going to buy some more lily bulbs now, I think.

I've just finished a fascinating book about internal exile in Ialy during WW2, and am getting back into Maos Great Famine which is rather heavy going !
I do have a rather severe Kindle backlog too, due to downloading free books at a high rate
I wouldn't mind the Sanctuary - theres so few women managers in our company, that I think I have been swimming with most of them (at conferences) already. However, the time I did a conference in Brazil and my male colleagues were wearing budgie smugglers and talking to me by the pool is still burned into my brain

Argh! It is going to take me a long time to rid my brain of the image, Cmot!

I need to get both of you over to help me sort my garden ! At least it is hard landscaped now, but still lacks a) grass and b) plants. In fact it has a deck (gigantic), and planters (which are structural in levelling the garden) and thats about it.
My grandparents would be ashamed of me, and my parents are. I come from a family of excellent gardeners

CMOT - that's a pretty horrible image! But maybe being in Brazil makes up for it a little?

Maud - it's a 1.2m x 1.2m supposed 'patio greenhouse'. I am a little worried that it will be a bit plasticky but I don't have the space for a proper greenhouse at the moment and want to be able to do peppers, chillies, aubergines etc. that it's just not quite warm enough up here to do in the ground. I have also ordered a lot of gladioli bulbs as I love them in the house. Oh, and a small fig tree!

Wahay! Meet up at CMOT's house!

Cmot - Can you post a pic of your garden? In my mind, it looks rather like one I visited last summer as part of the National Garden Scheme. Do you not have someone coming to plant it?

I'll take a picture of it Maud. Though it will be considerably smaller than any NGS garden !

My trouble is not so much the deciding on plants, but the actually getting on and doing things in the garden. And as I am dependant on DH to shovel compost and carry things, we both have to be in the mood and have time.

You'd be surprised - NGS gardens in London are just averagely-sized (by London standards and so probably smaller than your deck!) I have aspirations to join the scheme myself. I'll send you a pic of the one I'm thinking of.

I have friends who are garden designers and gardeners but I doubt they could travel that far!

Morning all! Sorry I've been away - but glad to have tracked you down in New Zealand - always wanted to visit! Laptop problems and home and general lack of time....

First ever pilates class last night... somewhat stiff! Didn't get told I was doing it all wrong though - and was only one thing I couldn't do (pushed tender bit of lower back onto mat too much).

CMot - I love planning gardens too - can I come? One of my favourite garden purchases places is this - often used for birthday etc purchases... unusual plants - sales are good too - and always in very good condition. Descriptions are good.

My mother has helped on the clothes front by organising a bit of a sale of 2 - 6 stuff from her house - got rid of lots of it which is good. Just have to take the plunge and get the baby stuff down from the loft now... and sell the buggy.

Mistlechick has just gone into size 1.5 shoes. And his age 7 school trousers are looking too short. And he's still not 7.

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Aww. Bless him. Have you got something special planned for tomorrow?

Happy Birthday, SmallBean!

Happy birthday, Small Bean!! xo

Thank you! He is so looking forward to tomorrow, it's lovely to see and makes me feel that my little boy is growing up.

Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow but I am going in late so he can open his presents and taking him out for tea later on. He has a party at the weekend to look forward to as well.

I hope you have a good first bit of the morning with him!

What are you doing for his party?

Happy Birthday Smallbean! Have a lovely day.

Mistle - good to see you again :)

CMOTD - I am a not very good gardener as well, sadly. I love the idea of it, but planning is not a strong point and maintenance is just such hard work! Mind you, the garden is surviving better this year than previously as we're having so much rain - today is a case in point. It's quite chilly as well (hurrah!) - most odd considering that 2 days ago it was unbearably hot and sweaty, staying up at 28deg overnight (fan on all night) and yesterday was pretty foully hot and muggy too until the late evening when the temp just plummeted. Blankets back on the bed!

Maud - I am also a sofa-sitter. But yesterday I started adult tapdancing classes to try and redress the situation - only problem was I joined a class that has been doing it for 3 years and there was very little consideration given for the fact that I have never done it before - it was very "sink or swim"! Still, I shall go back next week and see how I get on.

Who has snow?

Happy Birthday SmallBean - sorry it's late - I hope the Bean family had a good day!

Puts out

Thinking of my own tap-dancing class, Thumb, getting stuck in with more experienced students is going to be the best and quickest way to learn. You'll soon catch up with the others, but they will hate you if you make them go back to basics. Just ask the teacher to explain or demonstrate again if you don't get what's going on.

Pours .

Mmmmmmmm, carrot cake - thank you Donki!

I now officially have a 4-year old!!! Small Bean had a fantastic day. We decorated the kitchen last night so he came down and just went 'wow'! Not surprisingly the level crossing and tunnel for his train track were the big hits (Scout - take note, they get years of fun from Brio!). Lots of very complicated lego that we will be able to put away for a bit later in the year.

MT - it is a soft play party. It should be fine, most of the other parents are really good company and soft play just seems to be the thing to do at the moment.

TW - I now remember going to a tap dancing class a long time ago, I thought I had blanked it from my memory. Don't give up - I wish I had persevered rather than feeling that I was holding back my coordinated classmates.

Good to hear SmallBean had a good day.

Toddler has had his Brio out every day since we brought it home/put it out where he can reach it. He LOVES it. Took him to a creative kids group today (where they do crafts/painting/gluing but also have toys out) and he went straight for the Brio that had been set out/up. An hour there and he spent 45 minutes or so at the trains. He's getting another piece (can't remember which one) in his Easter basket along with a chocolate bunny to add to his collection of bunnies.

Very envious of Maud's and Thumb's tap dancing classes. Having resigned my Guiding posts I'm contemplating doing something just for myself over the next year. Problem is trying to get MrScout to commit, and stick to, being home at the same time on a certain night of the week every week. Unfortunately his work, and the trains, don't work that way.