Garden in the Mist

Hello there, I'm so glad you could take a few moments to join me for a  peek into my garden in the mist.  The place was all damp and dewy and cloudy and misty and not a breath of wind.  The birds were flitting around with excitement ......come on, let's tiptoe over the rain drenched lawn and see what we can see....

Agapanthus bud enjoying a drink!

Mist over the Mountain

Do you spot a little visitor?

Yep, that's him, Mr Superb Fairy Wren!

And enjoying the scenery 

Just checking the time of day

Grasses and Thrift take centre stage to the prolifically flowering groundcover rose

Kangaroo Paw in all it's splendour

Agapanthus again:)

Oh you darling thing!

Woops!!!

You never know what you are going to find in the garden do you?

  What have you found recently??

Strawberry Fields Forever

Let me take you down, because I've been going to 

Strawberry Fields.......

Well sort of fields, in fact they were all under cover and in pipes at 

Ricardoes Tomato and Strawberry Farm north of Port Macquarie.

And the strawberries..... well they were to die for!

Scrumptious, red, fragrant, delicious and there for the picking. 

And that is just what we did, picked them, weighed them, payed for them 

and then brought them home.

But by that time we were so tired

 we are going to eat them tomorrow!!

Do you notice someone got to this plant before we did
 and picked the best one!

But that's no problem - you can see there are plenty more to choose from!

We had a brilliant time, on the off chance, after visiting our Aunty 

in the beautiful city of Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia!

I'll let you know how the strawberries are,

 but I am pretty sure they will be delicious, aren't you?!
If you are near Port, check out Ricardoes.  
You'll have a fun day out and there's a cafe and shop as well!

What is your favourite fruit?  Do let us know.

  I think mine would have to be the raspberry, 
though strawberries come a  close second!  

Tradition Says Plant Your Potatoes on Good Friday

Have you heard people say you should plant your potatoes on Good Friday?  An old wives tale perhaps, or an old tradition.  Where did it come from?  I have read that cottagers were working so hard that Good Friday was the only day between New Year and Easter that  they had free to get into their garden to start planting. 

One of Vincent Van Gogh's Cottagers

Farmers Planting Potatoes, by Vincent Van Gogh

However, an older tradition says that after the potato's introduction to Europe in the 16th Century from the Peruvian  Andes, Protestants in the UK and Ireland would not plant potatoes because they were not mentioned in the Bible.  The Catholics though, were OK about it as long as the seed potatoes were sprinkled with Holy Water, and planted on Good Friday, so that they were baptised.

Photo:Potato planting in Chawaytiri,Peru 2010, from the National Museum of the American Indian

I have been reading gardeners thoughts, and it seems that the Good Friday tradition is not always practical, especially if you are in an area where snow is still on the ground, but others swear by it. 

Have you heard of this tradition, and where do you stand? 
Is there some merit in having a special day to plant our potatoes, being that the potato itself is so special?
Or is it simply up to timing and the weather, and what is ready when?


I really would love to hear your thoughts on this one.