how does your garden grow...

what may look like a pile of rubble to others is in fact the beginnings of a paved area for the folk in the rara republic.

many moons ago a plan was sketched out on paper; eyes closed and imagination set sail as we dreamed the winter dream of summer dining, al fresco -grande banquets and little picnics. slowly slowly over the last months we've excavated soil, broken up old concrete paths and moved it into position, ready, to be the base for our bricked outdoor kitchen/dining/lounging/living area.
winter became spring turned to summer and before you know it, november's end was in sight!

how can we celebrate mid-summer without somewhere to dance outside?

so beneath the hottest sun we worked like peasants, digging, smashing, sweating and cursing. we moved a tap from one side of the garden to the other. we raked concrete pieces and rubble and p hired a machine to compact it all. now we are ready for the next phase.

parked on our driveway for some time now is a rather large pile of old bricks. not any old bricks these, they're old dirty bricks. bits of old mortar cling to the side in memory of once was a fireplace or chimney in some other story. old dirty bricks are practically free.
mostly because they need cleaning...
i've had a go, i've probably cleaned about, say, 20. i can see why some people give them away. when it's only 20 you need to clean, it's ok. but 1200? yikes!
luckily we're part of a new community initiative- a timebank, where you work for others in exchange for them working for you elsewhere.

so tomorrow we'll be hosting a working bee.\

a working bee it seems is a particularly kiwi thing. it means inviting good friends and neighbours around to work for you in your home -cleaning bricks, or painting, or gardening, in exchange for love and scones and a cup of tea. and the promise of exchanged labour later on if ever you need it...

and in the second garden, the nurturing garden, all is well. the broad beans, taller than capt c and nearly taller than me, are producing beans faster than we can eat them now. the tomatoes, courgettes, peas, pumpkin, lemontree and potatoes are all beginning to flower. the strawberries ripen to the deepest red and the raspberries aren't far behind. the garlic, planted on the winter solstice, will be pulled on the summer solstice, along with onions and shallots. we have carrots a-plenty which is nice, as we were recently gifted a juicer. (now there is one appliance i've always dreamed of owning, and now i own one i really feel like i have arrived in the kingdom of appliance ownership). however, those little orange gems haven't yet made it to the kitchen as we eat them up straight from the soil (we wipe the soil off on our trousers first!)
we seem to have a happy balance of insectery- pests and predators abound. bees buzz, busy.

and today it is raining.

xx
peasant b
(having the morning off)