Autumn afternoon
Date
May 01, 2014
Edible garden
Details
Apples and lots of other (more exotic) edibles
Date
February 22, 2014
Growing, growing...
Date
March 26, 2014
Poppies and phacelia
Details
Flowers growing by the guest house
Date
December 10, 2013
Spring in the garden
Details
New areas of garden in development. Phase 1 bee plants.
Date
November 05, 2013
Bellbird on red hot poker plant
Details
Bellbirds love nectar and can often be seen clinging to these flowers dotted about our garden.
Date
November 08, 2013
Rooster
Having a rooster offers a number of benefits, if you can overlook the noisy crowing:
- Helps encourage the chooks to start laying earlier
- Provides some level of predator protection
- Creates fertilised eggs if yo want to hatch baby chickens
October 01, 2014
Bumble bee working
Details
We love our hard working bumble bees. Here one explores the solomon's seal.
Date
November 06, 2013
Hot dry summer
Details
Early January and things are starting to look and feel dry
Date
January 07, 2015
Freshly created swale
Details
It's never too late to add another swale, it's just a matter of squeezing it in amongst the existing plantings, fences and other obstacles.
The swales not only do a fantastic job of capturing and infiltrating surface runoff during rainy times but also break up the land in interesting and attractive ways.
The swales not only do a fantastic job of capturing and infiltrating surface runoff during rainy times but also break up the land in interesting and attractive ways.
Date
December 03, 2014
Garden swales
Reconfiguring the garden after some inspiration from Geoff Lawton permaculture DVD.
By laying out the garden beds along the contour we get easy access with improved water infiltration and retention. The width allows for easy reaching to the centre from either side. In the rare instances when we want to irrigate it is simply a matter of flooding the path for a while.
By laying out the garden beds along the contour we get easy access with improved water infiltration and retention. The width allows for easy reaching to the centre from either side. In the rare instances when we want to irrigate it is simply a matter of flooding the path for a while.
July 31, 2015
Plastic house
Details
Well designed plastic house offers plenty of space for growing exostic and out of season crops
Date
July 30, 2013
Plum tree blossoms at night
Date
September 13, 2015
Rota takes a bath in a swale
Details
We have a number of swales out where the pigs live but this one is their current favourite. Nothing better for the pig than a mud bath on a hot sunny day. It seems that the action of the pigs hooves (feet) and their rolling in the mud actually help seal the swale so it holds water better.
Date
October 31, 2013
Muscovy ducklings
Details
Young ducklings enjoy exploring the swales with their mother
Date
February 07, 2015
Wood mounds and emerging food forest
Date
November 13, 2015
Transforming the chicken house
Date
November 13, 2015
Out the gate
Date
November 13, 2015
Grubba the ginger pig
Date
October 12, 2014
Muskovys under almond
Date
August 26, 2013
Autumn bounty - pears
Details
Ripe pears are simply wonderful and one of the easiest fruit for us to grow.
Date
March 02, 2013
Summer produce
Details
Fresh chilli and capsicum from the plastic house
Date
April 08, 2015
Tree top panorama
Details
Looking out over the block from top of a silver wattle shortly before it was coppiced.
Date
April 29, 2017
Star tetrahedron
Details
Constructed from two interlocking Tetrahedron to form the star tetrahedron (also known as the merkaba vehicle of light) – represent the innermost law of the physical world: the inseparable relationship between the two complementary halves – the positive and negative, the manifest and the unmanifest – which form a perfect equilibrium. Depending on your vantage point this arrangement will look different as the photos illustrate.
Date
September 05, 2016
Early October
Details
We've been working flat out with our Intern, Zac, and so it's been a while since our last horn tooting photo update. So here it is, bellbirds, blossoms, native nitrogen fixers and food forest progress. Enjoy and then get out there and invite nature into your bit of the world.
Date
October 06, 2017
Little brown frog
Often heard, never seen, this little creature has been chirping away quite frequently since our wetland has matured.
I was surprised and excited to discover it hiding in the pile of bricks.
I was surprised and excited to discover it hiding in the pile of bricks.
March 01, 2013
Baby Fantail
Known for its friendly 'cheet cheet' call and energetic flying antics, the aptly named fantail is one of the most common and widely distributed native birds on the New Zealand mainland.
It is easily recognised by its long tail which opens to a fan.
February 24, 2010
Wood pigeon
These birds can be seen in the orchard throughout the year feasting on blossoms and plums.
August 07, 2011
Quooks!
Today the baby quails have hatched and the big clucky chook has become a mother! There are six babies altogether. There were 7 this morning, but that's a sad and rather funny story.....basically the little quail was sitting up in the nest box and was chirping away. It then got excited and jumped giddily out of the nest box, bounced off the ramp, landed on the floor and was promptly picked up in the beak of hungry chook who thought it was a scrap of food. We tried to rescue it, but it was too tiny to survive such a trama. But at least it got to have a near flight experience in it's short little life.
December 05, 2009
Strawberries ripening on the plants
The strawberries are in blossom and a few have set fruit. They're still green but swelling fast.
November 02, 2009
Parnassus Heights
Looking west from the top of the hills that form the southern edge of our valley. The Waiau river can be seen catching late evening sun.
March 22, 2010
Nor'west summer
Last light on the first day of the new decade. Nor'west clouds formations are typical of this time of year.
November 20, 2012
Feeding the chooks
A view of the chook paddock from the hill across the gully.
November 18, 2009
Sights and sounds from the deck
Looking out and down into the gully just before sunset (7:30pm)
Press the play button (below) to hear the birds and stream.
Press the play button (below) to hear the birds and stream.
November 11, 2009
Myrtus Ugni AKA Chilean Guava or NZ Cranberry
Hover fly
Garage improvement - 3 years later
Details
Secret swale at west end of workshop. Planted with bulbs, tagasaste for nitrogen and quick frost canopy over lemon and climbing kiwifruit. Ground cover of oregano and alpine strawberries.
Date
August 24, 2015