Busy day

Mippies couldn't wait to get out, so they woke me eagerly! I was happy to oblige. Coffee was lovely watching mippies stroll around.

Eventually, I got busy. First the laundry, then the garden. The Tomato plants are all out where they'll spend the rest of their lives, together with their companion Basil. Then I decided to dig a hole in the lawn, by the fence near one of the trees. Why? Well, the weeds are completely taking over there, because the mower doesn't get them and they get plenty of water every time the tree is watered. So, I decided to plonk a Carnation into the ground there, instead!

Then I pulled some of the weeds out along the fence from my vegetable patch to the Cosmos. I dumped some of the ground out of my vegetable patch there, then threw Cosmos seeds there by the handful! Some Vieruurtjie seeds got mixed in with the first half - then I sat down and fished out all Vieruurtjie and Nasturtium seeds before seeding the second half. That should brighten up the place with some flowers!

I didn't thoroughly clean all the weeds along under where the Cosmos will grow - I'm not too worried about the weeds there, since the ground bakes so hard, anything to break that is a bonus. Even weeds. I put a layer of potting soil on top of the seeds, to help them grow and to avoid them being blown away.

The Rosemary has also left it's first home and has been moved into the pot where the Tomatoes and Basil had grown. I added Potting soil to that as well and mixed it up, before moving the Rosemary. I also added some Parsley as company for the Rosemary. Let's see how they get along.

The Zucchini have flowers, I'm still waiting for them to open. And six of the Nasturtiums have come up so far! The Broad Bean is still flowering happily away ...

As always, the Tomatoes are having a pity-party "woe is me, for I have been moved" but I expect they'll get over it and stand up straight by tomorrow, like their fellows did.

The bread is in the freezer, as are the rolls - that experiment worked out well, by they way. Only: rolls must be eaten right away after they come out of the oven, or they just get hard. But they're lovely straight from the oven!

Everything that should be packed into the freezer is packed and freezing. So my household chores are practically done - only the dishes need to be washed tomorrow. Oh, and I should take the rubbish out tomorrow as well. I've kept to my end of the bargain - made with myself. So as a reward ... hmmm ...

Eggplants are in the garden, as are the Brussel Sprout. Looks like I've made up for my lazy Wednesday, eh?

Last, but not least, I've put the Watermelons out as well. They're not looking very healthy, most likely, since it's quite the wrong time of year for them. Let's see how they'll do out in the garden now.

Looking at my spreadsheet is depressing, though. According to the information there, I should have been enjoying Radish already and my Zucchini and Mustard this weekend ... in reality, nothing is anywhere near producing anything edible, except leaves! It all still looks about the same size it was a month ago - but that's just my perception. Everything has grown, albeit much slower than expected. After all, the info on the spreadsheet is based on seeds sown in their ideal season, not autumn! I can't expect plants to do well during the winter months, just because it's still over 25°C most days.

The next crop will do a lot better, firstly because they won't start crowded together in a pot, and they won't suffer root damage during their growing period - since I won't be re-planting them - and secondly, it will be spring, not winter. And I'll be rotating the crops - where I've got Tomatoes now, I'll sow Peas, where Peas are growing now, I'll sow ... oh, I don't know, yet, but something else.

I continued weeding the last quarter of the bed next to the path, until the sprinklers came on, ha ha! It's a really fiddly job trying to get hold of each of the teeny tiny weedies just barely showing a leaf or two. Tweezers would be more adequate than my fingers! But at least I'm getting all the roots out this time, well 95% at least. Occasionally a root still breaks. Last time, I didn't really get all the roots out, which is why they're all sprouting so enthusiastically. The only remaining problem is the grass, which is strangling some of the plants under the ground, making it difficult to get the grass roots without damaging plants. 

Once the sprinklers came on, I decided to water the garden. I can't wait for the Cosmos to start coming up! It'll look so lovely to have a wall of green topped with pink and white flowers! Mewthos will also love it! Another two Nasturtiums are poking their first leaves through on the vegetable patch! It's lovely to see new plants growing! I just hope they make more of an effort than my veggies, ha ha!

I called my mippies in early again, since they've had the whole day outside so it shouldn't upset them too much. After their treat, I treated myself to a nice long hot bath. Lovely! At first, I thought 'gosh, can't bath, since the laundry is taking up all that space', but it's already dry, so I simply took it down. I can fold and pack it away tomorrow.

And then Ziva needed her cuddle cave again! She is so undemanding most of the time, it's lovely to see her feel confident enough to demand cuddles! Oh, she demands her milk every time I make myself a coffee and she roly poly demands attention outside, but compared to Mewthos and even Lady Jane, she's the least demanding of my mippies. I am so happy she's here with me, though. Remember how I agonised over taking her away from her home territory? I'm so glad she is happy with me! I'm very happy she is here with me!

I've also been thinking that I need to get some furniture for them to scratch and climb, indoors. I considered buying one of those expensive items, but one of our guys is a skilled carpenter, so maybe we can design and build something better! I'll have to give it some thought and then talk to my colleague.

Lastly, I've decided that tomorrow I'll cook myself a Jägerschnitzel with the creamy mushroom sauce that traditionally goes with it, and to top it off, I'll also make some Knödel! Sounds very ambitious, doesn't it? But I'm 'cheating', so it'll be quite simple. I won't be making the sauce from scratch, but with a sachet and mushrooms and cream. Nor will I be making the Knödel, but I'll use the pre-made ones I bought. And the Schnitzel is really very simple to fry. Jägerschnitzel means you also don't crumb it, so even less work.

Let's see if I'll keep up my ambitious plans tomorrow!