12 July, 2004

Last Friday C and I headed for Hanmer for a much needed break. We booked the spa room at Albergo Hanmer for one night and it was excellent. We don’t get out often so our expectations are maybe a bit lower than many but any place that is clean, warm and has a spa bath is okay by us. Dinner at The Laurel restaurant, being the only place that wasn’t packed with families and kids (bless their messy little fingers) and the first chance we have had in months to sit and talk. Who knew Punks could be so romantic. Damn it was nice but now it’s back to the cold little flat and our dreams of a place of our own and warm summers.

I pricked out most of the Pohutakawa seedlings I have managed to germinate and they are now sitting on the kitchen table waiting for slightly warmer weather so they can harden off outside (and we can eat at the table again). The vege garden has started to move. The garlic I planted a few weeks back have pushed up (Dad was right when he said “put it in the ground and step back”), the Brocolli have started in strong and the silver beet is, well…silver beet really. I’m on the hunt for fruit trees now that we can keep in containers and keep smallish for now. I have big plans for this year and am looking to stagger the plantings better so we don’t get inundated with food like we did last year. Will also shoot for a bit more variety this time around.