Close-ups for Line and Texture

Today I had a wee play with the camera using the macro button. Here's some cool shots of the kowhai seeds. I'd love to make a quilt that shows the kowhai tree in it's various growth states - especially with a 3-D effect somehow.
The seed casings are really quite rough and woody now. I'll probably save some and try growing the seeds - some more trees for us and some for gifts.This photo is a bit more artistic though -Then I took a couple of real close-ups of Ginger - she is my Hereford Cross cow. Love the photo of the top-knot and then there is her neck.

The Vegetable Garden Revisited

At the end of December I took this photo of the vegetable garden. You wouldn't believe it, but there are edged gardens in there. One has asparagus and one has potatoes - the others are full of weeds.
My "have to" job for the summer was to cut back the grass. Even the chooks had to tread a path to get a garden to scratch, dust bathe and fertilize in. You can see some of them here:
Today, after approximately 8 hours of mowing with our DR Trimmer, I have finally cut back all the grass, and this is what I had hiding there.
At the end of the gardens you can see Ginger (our cow) - she has been helping me dispose of the long cut grass. Tonight we dismantled the wooden edging for some rethinking and replanning on this area. More photos on that when that is done.

A New Fence

It's been a busy few days and with having some lovely sunshine makes it so much nicer working outside.

I finally got around to 'fixing' the chicken fence - I managed to cut the wire with the weedeater, so the chooks and a Cayuga drake had been getting in and out under the wire. Here is my masterpiece made from the seedheads of my flax.

The chooks that can fly, will get out and scratch around the yard and that's OK for now, but the Cayuga can't get in and eat their food!

Here's a photo of one of the Blue Andalusian chicks at 2 weeks - still a little bit of down on it's back, but long legs and they are testing their wings.

Derrick and I managed to bring Ginger (my Hereford cross 4 year old cow) home yesterday. Months ago she jumped the fence to visit the cows next door. Food has been short and I have been feeding them hay for a while. She seemed quite happy to come home, although we were very worried that she might make a run for it into the neighbour's yard (they don't have fences), but cows seem to remember what is theirs and where to go. We let her munch away in the sheep paddock then made up a course to direct her into her own paddock. She eventually made it with enticement, especially crossing the asphalt driveway. Her son, Biscuit, is now 15 months old, he has horns and hasn't been castrated, so he has to be sold - he is too dangerous to have around us. I have been thinking about selling Ginger as well. She isn't pregnant and I don't know what to do about that (well, how to get her and a bull together, shall we say!), so she is just a large lawnmower that can push me around too easily - have to admit that I don't know enough to keep her around which is really, really sad, because I do love her.
Here is the photo of the Halloween cupcakes Sarah made for Wednesday last week - they are bite size and so beautifully decorated.