Garden Envy and Irrelevant Baby Photo.

Here is a picture of my baby laughing , not directly relevant.

So Spring is in full swing, we have a couple of tomato plants in (heirloom varieties of course!) and the broccoli is bravely producing sweet sprouts eagerly eaten as soon as they are picked. I don't know what purple sprouting tastes like cooked! The rocket (arugula, roquette, whatever) has bolted but I find the leaves are still tasty and the flowers and seed pods can add interest to salads and stir fries too but over all I miss my garden at this time of year. 

The tenant from our old cottage has been up to ask me about caring for the hazelnuts and apricots and telling of the sunflowers and pumpkins he is planting and I feel a pang of envy. I am not a green thumb, I am a messy and chaotic gardener and can't even grow a proper radish but it seemed to lift my mood to get amongst the soil and randomly garden. Courtyard gardening with one small bed and some pots doesn't have the same feel, the margin for error is smaller than my lack of attention to detail allows and although I am growing some fine herbs I wish I had the space to try artichokes and I wish I could focus enough to grow some decent greens.

Considering the abundance of reasonably priced and excellent quality local produce around here it is a First World problem really. If I had time I would join a community garden but really I just want my own patch of dirt to muck about in and have the kids getting filthier than they manage in this concrete compound we have here (actually you would be surprised how filthy they can get!). 

Until I have this again I will continue to sprout (Oh I love sprouting but now use an automatic sprouter!) and grow herbs and enjoy and be grateful for the great natural food I can buy locally.

Life is full of big things and little details...

A week ago my grandfather died. I should have known it was coming, he was 92 and had suffered from confusion falls, lymphoma, broken bones etc over the last few years. He lived a full life and had many admirers, he was a heavy weight in the philosophical world and had many honorary degrees, a companion of the Order of Australia medal, tributes in the form of essay collections and lectures. He had two children from his first marriage and resulting clever grandchildren (I am not amongst them by the way- he was my unofficially-adopted-Grandfather but the only person who was Grandpa to me!) a long and devoted second marriage, a huge social network- it would have been hard to fit more into his life but it doesn't make any difference  the loss of someone dear who has always been around is still a horrible thing at least for a little while. It amazes me that Grandparents nearly always choose the time when a new baby enters the family to leave us.
I can't make it too the mainland for the funeral, logistics are not my strong point at present but I have sent a tribute to be read out by one of the Grandsons in my stead. It was surprisingly hard to write and I couldn't write anything else until it was done. But I guess it was a process I had to go through and it has helped me deal with things.

In other news...
I won a two year subscription to Nurture parenting magazine in a competition. I also won a pair of merino wool socks and some chocolates in another. This pleases me.
The purple sprouting broccoli is purple and sprouting. A vegetable I can actually grow!

The peas look like they have been in a concentration camp so not so great but the cat has taken to pooping it the bed they are in with fierce determination for some reason....
The sun shines sometime but it rains sometimes.(That's life isn't it?)
Our baby is beautiful and we took her to a babywearing meet for International Babywearing week on Thursday, our 5 (nearly 6!) year old won't stop talking and our four year old is like a cross between a particularly feral Tasmanian Devil and a cheeky imp.
I have so many pregnancy things to list on ebay but just can't seem to get motivated...
I suppose I will get there!