GARDEN GLIMPSES 9

Before begining to detail what I have been up to these past couple of weeks in the yard, allow me to share a photo. The grape seeds are from a red organic grape variety and I decided to save some, dry them and perhaps plant them - erm, someplace.

My gooseberry and ginger wine is not doing so well - I am sure my father's wines went 'pop pop pop pop' rather than fizzled a little and were still. It may just be a fizzless wine, or I may have a revolting liquid on my hands - whichever, I aim to bottle it shortly - or dispose of it should the smell/first sip call for such - into the compost.

I am hoping to maybe make a real-GRAPE wine at some stage, hence my current desire to dry grape seeds. You can also see one of 7 passionfruits that the vine gave to me this year. Unlike the shop fruits, mine are not tarty and sour, but sweet and crunchy in a soft furry lined skin one can peel by hand.

In the meantime, once the October rains gave me a half day that was free and sunny - I did a short 10 minute job in the yard. I wrenched up the 'lawn' on the patio and dumped it into the compost tub. The 'lawn' was once bird seed that fell on the patio when careless birds knocked it off my sill above. With rain and a little moss/time/rotting, the seeds became a lawn. The 'lawn' is now resident inside the compost bin along with kitchen scraps rotting apples and the twigs I have collected - making manure for 2015. Meanwhile, my mooli and chili plant are among the weeds in the second veg plot, pictured below.