What a big, busy weekend

I knew it was going to be big.

It included Father's day,

packing for a week long excursion,

visiting the local markets and heaps of gardening.

I hurriedly organised the father's day present for the hubby. He really missed out for his birthday back in July. He was meant to organise a generator for himself. Hmmmn I don't know why he didn't lol. I had been talking about getting him an Ipad2 for a while. He asked on Tuesday if he could load a flying App onto mine and give it a try. We did that, he gave it a go, and he was immediately sold on the idea.

So first thing Thursday morning (about 9.30)I rang Apple to see how fast they could have it sent.

I spoke with a very nice man in, I think he said, Austin, Texas. He told me that because it was first thing in the morning and I wasn't really chasing the engraving, we had a pretty good chance of getting it delivered before Friday afternoon. I asked him to put a special note for a super fast delivery as it was a present to give over the weekend!!!!

And it was fast, actually it was here before Friday lunchtime. UNBELIEVABLE.

THANK YOU APPLE

And because he was flying on Saturday to a bull sale in Roma, Qld, I made a phone call to the eldest son at boarding school and they all concurred that he should have it on Friday night. So he unwrapped it, I put the Sim card in, which I had been able to get from  get this, the POST OFFICE!! (I had made phone calls and plans to have one sent from hundreds of kilometres away).
We synced it.

One happy daddy!!

While he was at the Bull sale, Itty Bitty MDK and I did some serious weeding, rose planting and mulching and then I tried to knock myself out by walking into the Lindsell hoist on the back of the ute.

I have a very big bruise on my noggin, lucky I didn't knock my teeth out.

They look like sticks poking up, I hope they bush up well!!

I have decided that I am sick of mulching such a large area every year.

(Last year the pony ate the lucerne hay I had mulched with!)

So I am looking to underplant the rose garden with ground covers, society garlic, erigeron, butterfly bush and whatever else (that a snake can't hide in) will fill it up!

This is what I picked up at the markets on Sunday.

The doggies have been hanging out with me in the garden. One in particular, Jaller, is always loyally by my side.

I picked up about 30 new plants. Most are for other garden beds.

This afternoon I have dug up and replanted some clumps of liriope around the edges of the rose garden, there were already some, but a few had died, and I took out some barely there old railway sleepers( just quietly I loathe them, they encourage termites and I always reckon that snakes can get in them in a crevace or a hollow bit under them. Plus over time they just look so ratty and nasty)

Last thing Sunday after a long, long lunch, we did this.

Thank goodness.

 I was starting to be a bit worried that my new Peach, Apricot and Nectarine trees were not going to get in the ground.

I hope they will be very happy here in the garden.

We bulldozed the 40+ tree orchard last year.

It was quite separate and out in the paddock, most of the trees had really suffered in the long drought despite watering and many had borers.

 I was always too terrified of the snakes to regularly go and look for fruit and no one really kept the grass mown down, due to the pony( now gone ) needing a feed.

We decided that it would be better to have them in closer in the back part of the garden where we can tend to them better. There are still a couple of quinces and fig trees out there, we shall see how they go.

I had forgotten how this gardening caper is a time consuming hobby, so the inside of the house looks like a bombs gone off and needs some hard core work!

And my best organiser/declutterer is on an excursion ALL week. boo hoo!