Gardning

Gardening

Today Mum, Kyle and I started to get our garden ready. We started to dig it up then put the compost in. We had to wet the ground. Next we started to plant the plants. I dug the holes and Mum and Kyle planted them. We planted lettuces, broccoli, silver beet and a cherry tomato plant.

 

Spiders

Spiders

Yesterday when Granny was at our house, helping us clean our windows, we found heaps of spiders in corners of their webs. Granny wanted to know their name so we took photos of the spiders. I also drew some pictures of some spiders. 

After lunch I found our house spider on the internet and got it's name. It is called Badumna Insignis whose common name is: Black House spider. They are also related to the Badumna Longinqua called the Gray House Spider. 

The Black house spider mostly eats flies. It's predators are the white tail spider and parasitic wasp. It lives in the corner of it's web and waits for its prey to come to the web. 

Here are some photos I took and my drawings.

Going to Aunty Sally's

Going To  Aunty Sally's House.

Yesterday Kyle, Mum and I went to Aunty Sally's house for lunch. Hayley and Amber were there. Kyle, Hayley, Amber and I played with their little duckling. It was starting to grow it's real feathers. We gave it seeds, worms and snails. We put the worms and snails in the water so the duckling can learn how to get it's own food.

Here is the duckling.

I also did some clay with them to. I made a leaf and a turtle tile. It was fun. I used a mould to make the turtles and a leaf to make the pattern on the clay. After that I cut the leaf out and used a damp sponge to smooth the edges of the leaf and the turtle tile.  

Here is my clay.

Sheep

Drenching Sheep

Yesterday Kyle and I helped Dad drench our sheep and the lambs. First we drenched the sheep that didn't have lambs. Then we went and got the sheep that did have lambs. It was hard to catch the sheep because the ram was in there. We had to get the mothers drenched first, then the lambs then the ram. Kyle and I were also able to drench our lambs by ourselves.  

  

My cousins

My cousins 

Yesterday my cousins Hayley and Amber came to my house. Aunty Sally came too. We ran and played in the house. Hayley, Kyle and I went in the creek where lots of wet clay is. Hayley likes making pots out of clay. It was hard getting the clay soft enough to make into pots. Hayley put her pot under the deck to dry. We are going to put it in the bonfire out side to bake.

Going to Opononi with my Oma and Pop

Going to Opononi with my Oma and Pop

Yesterday Oma and Pop came to my house to take Kyle and I to Opononi for a walk. We went on the wharf and ran around on the sand and even looked at the rock pools. We saw fish crabs and sea insects. We skimmed rocks in the water. I won. We got chocolate bars, chips and a big smoothie. That was my best time in Opononi.  

Cooking

Cooking

Yesterday I got to cook muffins. They were delicious. I made basic muffins with apricot and spice. I had to put the oven temperature up to 200c.
Here are my muffins and the recipe.

 

      I also made some pancakes for lunch. They were yum.

Going To Granny's House

Going to Granny and Grandad's House

Yesterday Granny, Grandad and Lucy came to my house for an early dinner. They were going to pick us up for a sleep over at their house. I couldn't wait. I packed my bag and was ready to go.

Lucy brought her phone and was playing with it in the car.  We played with it on the way to Granny's. It was fun. 

When we got there we all played UNO it is a card game. Lucy won one round and I won the second round. Then we went to bed. 

The next day Lucy, Kyle and I went down to the beach next door. We skimmed rocks in the water. It was fun jumping creeks and looking at the dogs that went past. We were able to pat a few.
Then we went back to the house. 

For lunch we had buns with ham, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Yum. After lunch Granny took Kyle and I down to see her neighbor's aviary of birds. It looked cool. She had finches and budgies.  Then Mum came to pick us up.

When we were going home Kyle and I begged Mum if we can buy our pizzas with our pizza wheels. 

Bees

Bees

This morning I was looking in Mum's flower garden. I found heaps of bees collecting nectar from the lavender flowers and going back to their hive. I couldn't follow them to their hive, because their hive must be in the bush on a different farm. 

The bees that were on our flowers are called honey bees. People keep them in hives so they can harvest their honey and sell it in shops. The people that keep the bees are called bee keepers. 

We are wanting a bee hive on our farm because we have lots of bush near us.  Bees like collecting nectar from the native bush.

Here are some photos I took of the bees.

Planting Fruit Trees

Planting Fruit Trees

Yesterday I was planting fruit trees with Mum, Dad and Kyle. We were planting them on each side of the driveway. Dad and Kyle were digging the holes and putting the trees in, then they put the dirt over the roots. 

We were planting them where it may flood. That was annoying because I had to go with Mum to get a sledge hammer, a saw, and 20 battens. Mum brought the ute down to put everything in it. Mum also had to get some old sheets and cut them up to tie to the trees and battens so the trees don't wash away. 

Dad showed me how to sharpen the battens with the saw so he can put them in the ground with the sledge hammer. As I started the last batten, I cut my thumb badly. It was painful. Mum started to tie the sheets to the trees and the battens so they do not go away in a flood or get knocked over in the wind.

We planted plums, a peacharine that is a peach and nectarine cross, apples, pears and a nashi. Now our driveway looks way better than before.

Here is a few photos of the trees. They are taller than me.