Summer

Yes I am still alive, still gardening and still writing just not as much as I used to (the writing that is). Christmas and holidays have been and gone in the blink of an eye. We have continued to have regular falls of rain and looking back the rain in spring was the best we've had in over a decade. The growth on most plants has been nothing short of amazing. Or maybe this is what it used to be like BEFORE climate change........I can't really remember.
The vegetable garden is powering on and I am picking sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, chioggia (pink and white striped beetroot), lettuce, beans, broccoli and rocket. The pumpkins have grown really well and quite a few baby pumpkins are to be seen. I went down in the cool of the early morning the other day and did some hand pollination to ensure a few more fruit set. How to hand pollinate a pumpkin: you pick a male flower (straight stem with a flower on the end) carefully peel off all the petals leaving the stigma and anthers behind (they're the bits in the middle). Find an open female flower (they have a bulbous base to the flower) and plunge the male flower inside the female flower and twirl. Throw the male flower away because its done its job and is now useless. Caress the female flower and whisper words of encouragement and then LEAVE IT ALONE!
In the front garden the strobilanthes looks like its on its last legs - must remember to check again for ripe seed tomorrow. The aptenia (baby sun rose) is threatening to take over the garden beds - with no summer rain it is controllable, with summer rain as we have had it can behave thuggishly unfortunately because it is a great succulent ground cover that simply will not burn (I know - I tried) it would be perfect in a bushfire area.
Gotta go - work again tomorrow.