The city garden is on the steep side of a small valley, like a chip out of a big hill. There is a rugged micro climate up here, the Southerlies are mitigated by the hill but it is still a bit windy when a Nor’West blows in.
And today the Nor’Wester is blowing.
In New Zealand the Southerlies are the cold winds and the Northerlies bring warm air. We are in the Southern Hemisphere, remember. Even the water whirls down the sink in a different direction.
(This makes total sense to our readers from the Southern Hemisphere but I always need to make a considered adjustment when I bounce between countries too fast.)
With a great Blue Spruce towering over the front garden, ripe with pollen, I am sneezing and rubbing my eyes in this wind. But there is not a lot a person can do about a neighbours tree.
How do people deal with hay fever. I have had it all my life – especially here in New Zealand. It is the pits.
Above 👆🏽are feijoas. My favourite fruit when I am home. I think they originate in South America and are wildly popular in New Zealand. We eat them straight off the tree and they make the best ice team. I might miss Feijoa season though – these have a ways to go.
They can be grown in California too.
Seven chicks successfully hatched and are living in the lounge under the constant supervision of the children.
They have named them all and carefully bring them out one at a time for some chicken handling. The kids watched them hatch and it was such an experience for them.
My favourite activity here – other than lots of lovely cooking – and lovely company- has been walking kids home from school. We eat ice creams (it’s a Granny Nanny thing) and chat on the half hour walk and everything slows down to our easy going pace. The timeless walk and talk enjoyed by all peoples everywhere.
Go HERE for this weekends Kitchens Garden Newsletter
Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for Winnie the Pooh. Such a delight to read.
Maybe we should get into Hans Christian Anderson next!
I feel like reading The Emperors New Clothes.
There are a lot of pears falling in this mornings wind and the apple tree is loaded! So I will gather a bag full of fruit to take to Fourth Son out at the beach.
Moving between my children is my happy place. and my next post will be from the beach. I think it might be windy out there – it is certainly windy up in this city valley. Pollen is flying! Maybe it will all fly away.
Have a lovely day!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
14 responses to “on the hill”
I am very excited that the children now have chick’s. The walks home from school are a wonderful time for a granny’s wisdom to be shared.
How lovely! Except for the hay fever. That is miserable.
I had never heard of feijoas. I googled them to find out more and they are apparently “pineapple guavas”. I’m trying to imagine what they taste like. Do they have that sweet yet tangy flavour, like a pineapple?
They are both sweet and tart — more tart than a rioe pineapple — but the flesh is soft rather than crisp.
Medications and shots are how many people deal with hay fever. I’m glad that I’ve never had it. Those chicks have beautiful coloring!
I have a nasal spray that seems to keep the worst of it at bay. But this spruce pollen is really having a go! The move to the sea will help!
That’s a lovely garden (and chicks) – shame about the hay feever.
It got so warm and sunny here on Sunday that I had to deal with 2 mosquitos 😳 in February!
TWO mosquitoes – outrageous!!
Too drowsy to bite, if you see them coming 😉
It was a weekend of storms, 50 mph winds and horizontal rain, but Sunday and today were beautifully sunny.
I love those chicks:`:)
they are very pretty.
They make me smile:)
aww those babies and walks home from school with ice creams
I love today’s garden photos and the little chicks of course. Looking forward to seeing the beach photos next.
I was a bit confused for a minute about the northerlies and southerlies, then remembered you are in the Southern hemisphere. I’d love to try a feijoa, definitely wouldn’t grow here.