Thursday 16 July 2015

Garden Tools and Best Laid Plans

Last Christmas there was a long parcel under the tree for me from Derek. Ah the anticipation - I was getting excited in the hopes it was a new girls' spade. My one is much loved - it stays sharp as a knife - nothing else cuts through the kikuyu like that, and is beautifully light. It's on it's last digs, but I am still using it. Anyone else got tools like this?

Yep, still in use


I was a bit disappointed at first to find it wasn't a spade.....
but now I love it! It's a rechargeable Black and Decker Weed Whipper.

The battery keeps going for about 20 minutes at a time, but it's a good 20 minute start to each morning - when it's not too cold.
It means tidy edges without Round-up or hard labour.
Derek said he didn't want to get me a spade as he knew it had to be just right. Oh...there was something a bit more girly wrapped up too. Spoilt!

Gardening is not much fun at the moment - the possums are eating everything again and we can't seem to catch them - they're not stupid.
The only things they leave are rocket and NZ spinach - the rest has been gnawed to the stalks, sigh.



The photo shows my gnawed kale and a bucket of Manuka (teatree) branches which are just fabulous as fire starters. You can see the Manuka in the background. And the rocket bushes...and the empty possum trap.

An Update

I mentioned a few posts back that I'm doing Plastic Free July. As predicted it has highlighted areas for improvement - which is half the reason that I am doing it. At the end of the month I'm going to scrutinize what's in my carton and see how we can do better. Yes, that is a carton, not a jam jar... (milk bottles)
I use powdered milk in cooking, but haven't converted anyone for coffee and cereals. 

In this post I talked about my list to get myself motivated. It has gone the way of many resolutions as I have suddenly become much more busy with learning music and practicing for the upcoming....






Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival.


My other income that allows me to be "retired" is from rental income, and with a change in tenant I suddenly have a lot on my plate. But I haven't forgotten my list - when I write these things down, they seem to find their way into my life anyway. 



5 comments:

  1. It's amazing to me I have that exact same string trimmer all the way over here in Minnesota! Mine came from a garage sale and has been going strong for at least 10 years that I've owned it.
    It's so discouraging when, after all the work one puts into it, the garden gets eaten by critters. I hope the little free-loader wanders into the trap soon!

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    1. I hope my trimmer lasts as long as that! I think I'm going to have to camouflage the trap as a cabbage.

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  2. We own a whipper snipper too, but I rarely use it because it is so darn heavy, it's a petrol driven one, it's so long and awkward to use, I usually leave that job to hubby, but he doesn't do it very often, by the time he has mowed there is never any time left. I used it for the first time in ages a few weeks ago, and my shoulder and back was killing me the next day! Yours looks heaps more "girl" friendly!

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    Replies
    1. Yes it is really light to use. We have a petrol one too - but that is definitely boys toys.

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