Leafy Greens

I am supposed to be on anti-inflammatory diet for arthritis. Leafy greens are in, nightshade vegetables are out. Well, not all out but maybe mindfully-consumed. 

Project #5

Winter project #5 of 6; the area looks HUGE but it's not that big, just much steeper. A few years ago in June we planted a whole bunch of rose Elena sticks, (tall with pale yellow flowers,) along the boundary fence, but only four survived. This year, with the towering bay reduced drastically, we're going to put in a ridiculous number of Elena sticks in obscenely short intervals in the hopes some will survive, preferably in regular intervals. I know, life doesn't work like that. 

Cooking as Science Experiment

Neighbour's Mum is a superb cook and among other things has supplied us annually with marmalade made from our grapefruits. Among them are ginger- and cardamon-added version, maybe too spicy for some but perfect for us. I am almost more excited about the overcooked version; she must share my mantra: all (my) cooking is science experiment. Sage thought, but not my own; it comes from my dad's dearest friend from our Minnesota days, a organic-chemist-turned-minerals-specialist, ex-Liverpudlian-turned-longtime-Melbournian Ron. 

EDIT: The Dark Marmalade turned out to be an exquisite Smoked Grapefruit Marmalade, and we may just use it on our toast!

Verdict

The tree came with the house and over the decades we enjoyed many glasses of intensely sweet and tangy juice, while friends made fabulous marmalade. Some called it Tangelo, some called it, "Oh, I can't remember called but (insert-person) has the same," while yet others called it grapefruit.

Now that we're both on meds prohibiting grapefruits, we took a wee branch with a couple of fruits to the garden center to ask what it is. The verdict is, it's actually a pink grapefruit! If we, or it, lived north of Hamilton, (about halfway up the North Island,) the flesh will turn pink, but since we're too far south it's just a very pretty orange.

So, no more heavenly juice for us. Well, 1.4C every week or so. But more for friends, which is not a bad thing. 

Team Colour

Some customers drive or even kayak to the store in the proper color. Respect!

What's for Dinner?

A wee boy in ethnic costume. South Asian?? Dad might be a chef; he picked a cut, requested the butcher take off the fat, and separate the meat from the bone, stressing he's keeping the bone as well for the marrow. Dying to know what they're having for dinner tonight.

The Truth?

I've been growing hellebore singles in purples, slate, "claret" and a couple of whites since 1998. I was just recently thinking I've never seen a yellow, when, lo, what do I see at the garden centre! I was skeptical, though, about the very saturated color on the label so I asked a Facebook group, and most folks said it's a pale yellow-green. I'm good with that. I can't wait to see a flower in a year or two.  

 

We Got a Black Current Tree

We thought a mandarine or a tangerine tree would be nice where we cut back a giant bay tree. But there were so many different kinds and we couldn't make up our minds, so we came home with a black current bush - something else we thought we'd like. We're still interested in an easily edible citrus, though, so we'll go back.  
 

My Kinda Label

I was relieved to see this in the garden centre. We also have a tree some folks say is a grapefruit, others, tangelo, and a few others I can't remember. It came with the house and we didn't bother investigating, other than the fact it makes superb juice, marmalade, and the dried peel is nice all year round. Staff Vince said we should bring it in to have different staff opine and confuse us further; bless him, what fun!

To Feed or Not to Feed

H5N1 was discovered in a dead bird on the beach on North Island on 15 July; soon after in another, again on the North Island. There haven't been any more since according to the Internet, (though "they" say next lot we'll find will be a group,) but Social Media is full of advice on whether to feed wild birds, or give nectar, in which region, in what style of container, or how frequently. Many suggested to rely on government or environmental organizations, but they tell us what to do only if we find more than three sick or dead birds. (Stay away and report.) 

It reminded me of the early days of Covid, where even the specialists didn't know exactly what to do, but we also learned the most vulnerable native NZ birds have been vaccinated in recent months/years! 

We withheld both the seeds and nectar for a month, but with no new cases, we resumed normal feeding this month, while checking for new cases every few days in NZ and Australia. 

Easter in July???

I saw a little girl bending down looking very serious, while Mum and a baby brother waited nearby with a trolly full of groceries. The wee one was petting a bunny. 

Some folks around here celebrate Mid-Winter Christmas, but I never heard of Easter in August!

Jade Plant/Money Tree

Since I encountered my first Jade plant in 1974, I have never seen one with this many flowers! In front of Ikko Sushi, Marble Arcade, off Montgomery Carpark. 

We Break Our Regular Broadcast to Bring You...

Another traffic cone. Montgomery Carpark. 

Reopened

Tahunaui Breakfast Club was closed for a fortnight for a renovation, mostly in the kitchen area, but reopened with the inside slightly bigger with fantastic windows at the front. We're probably there every other weekend, if not for breakfast, then to get Ben's fav pretzels. On Tahunanui Drive.