gone fishin'
Just a little note to say I'm in another state enjoying the sunshine, but will be back in another week to share photos. Happy New Year to all of you! x
christmas lights
smug yellow bricks
This morning started with three ladies, iced-lattes, and the uncomfortable heat that comes with a side order of haze and thick sweat. We needed to debrief saturday's spectacular engagement party now that our cheese and champagne come downs had finally melted away.
I also needed to rock my new silk dress, and pull that smug-bitch face I was promising you.
This smug bitch wants to send past me a thank you note for using natural, breathable fabrics because, my god, brisbane is sticky today.
The yellow brick is a silk-cotton mix by Karen Walker that the beautiful girls I refer to as the Bangers (yes, that is a true blood reference) bought for my birthday. The lining is silk and the yoke is linen and japanese cotton.
The pattern is from Yoshiko Tsukion's Stylish Dress Book (picture below)
I adore it. It's perfect. I'm smug and proud and comfortable in this beautiful silk dress that can be worn as a moo-moo.
Bring on the party season.
And just because I can't leave you without some garden pictures:
ps. thank you to the newly engaged Harriet for taking these photos for me!
how to hand-pollinate cucurbits (zucchini, pumpkin, etc)
Today we're going to talk procreation: not you and me (although you are looking mighty fine today), but plants. Specifically, cucurbit plants.
Cucurbits are the plant family that includes zucchinis, pumpkins, melons, and squashes; basically all of the good stuff. I am currently growing two types of cucurbits in my garden: a pumpkin delicata mini (pictured above), and zucchini tromboncino. I have been pollinating their flowers by hand to help them fruit which is an easy and rewarding task, even if I afterwards I feel like a total plant pervert.
Pollinating?
There are two main types of pollination: the first is cross-pollination (allogamy) where the pollen is delivered to a flower from a different plant (kind of like humans!).
The second type of pollination is self-pollination which is broken down again into two types: autogamy, where pollen is delivered to the female part of the same flower, and geitonogamy where the pollen is delivered from a different flower on the same plant.
Our cucurbits are pollinated as the latter, geitonogamy. Think of our zucchini plant like a nightclub: first the male to female ratio is, like human nightclubs, way off (why are there so many dudes?!), and all of the dude flowers and looking to get frisky with the lady flower. However, everyone is stuck where they're dancing so they need bees, the wing-men of the plant world! Unfortunately bees are not prevalent in my garden and they're not 100% reliable (typical wing-men, really) so we can help everybody out by hand-pollinating the flowers and then eating their babies.
This just got weird, didn't it?
How to hand-pollinate
As pictured with zucchini flowers
1. Identify the fully open female and male flowers. The female flower has an embryonic fruit forming at the base of her flower and the male does not.
2. Pick the male flower off of the vine (leaving the female flower on the plant) and carefully remove the male flower's petals to reveal its stamen, which bears the powdery yellow pollen.
3. Insert the male flower into the female flower so that the male's stamen transfers its pollen onto the females stigma.
Sit back and wait to eat some delicious zucchini babies.
If you are a parent I think this would be a great way to get kids involved, as well as explain the reproductive system and how there are similarities throughout the natural world. Not to mention, isn't gardening cool?! However I ate a mars bar for breakfast so please don't feel obligated to take any parenting advice from me.
More information: Gardening Australia, Australian Museum,
 |
| the pumpkin delicata mini which was harvested, and then roasted with sage leaves and cumin. everything was greedily eaten before i could photograph the delicious outcome. |
Cucurbits are the plant family that includes zucchinis, pumpkins, melons, and squashes; basically all of the good stuff. I am currently growing two types of cucurbits in my garden: a pumpkin delicata mini (pictured above), and zucchini tromboncino. I have been pollinating their flowers by hand to help them fruit which is an easy and rewarding task, even if I afterwards I feel like a total plant pervert.
Pollinating?
There are two main types of pollination: the first is cross-pollination (allogamy) where the pollen is delivered to a flower from a different plant (kind of like humans!).
The second type of pollination is self-pollination which is broken down again into two types: autogamy, where pollen is delivered to the female part of the same flower, and geitonogamy where the pollen is delivered from a different flower on the same plant.
Our cucurbits are pollinated as the latter, geitonogamy. Think of our zucchini plant like a nightclub: first the male to female ratio is, like human nightclubs, way off (why are there so many dudes?!), and all of the dude flowers and looking to get frisky with the lady flower. However, everyone is stuck where they're dancing so they need bees, the wing-men of the plant world! Unfortunately bees are not prevalent in my garden and they're not 100% reliable (typical wing-men, really) so we can help everybody out by hand-pollinating the flowers and then eating their babies.
This just got weird, didn't it?
How to hand-pollinate
As pictured with zucchini flowers
1. Identify the fully open female and male flowers. The female flower has an embryonic fruit forming at the base of her flower and the male does not.
2. Pick the male flower off of the vine (leaving the female flower on the plant) and carefully remove the male flower's petals to reveal its stamen, which bears the powdery yellow pollen.
3. Insert the male flower into the female flower so that the male's stamen transfers its pollen onto the females stigma.
Sit back and wait to eat some delicious zucchini babies.
If you are a parent I think this would be a great way to get kids involved, as well as explain the reproductive system and how there are similarities throughout the natural world. Not to mention, isn't gardening cool?! However I ate a mars bar for breakfast so please don't feel obligated to take any parenting advice from me.
More information: Gardening Australia, Australian Museum,
bzzt... mother nature's birthday present
That is a bee, in my garden! In fact, there were two!
Judging from the photos I think it's a Blue Banded Bee (Amegilla), which is a native Australian bee (more info here and here).
I am so damn excited.
ps. Thank you to everyone who sent such lovely birthday messages yesterday; I had the most wonderful day! xx
wish list
today is my birthday (hooray!) so i thought i'd share the things i'd buy myself if i could ;)
(click the images to see where to buy...)
diy: gold-dipped centrepieces
materials
* sticks (the more twisted, the better)
* spray paint (i used gold)
* sticky tape (cheap masking tape works great)
* newspaper (to place painted sticks on when wet)
total cost: $12 with materials leftover
method
* snap your sticks into similar-ish lengths (don't be too perfect!)
* wrap sticky tape 1/3 down the stick
* spray paint 1/3 of stick, being careful not to paint past the sticky tape
* remove sticky tape and leave sticks on newspaper to dry
* once dry, arrange sticks on your table. you can leave as-is, as i have, or decorate with flowers or baubles for a festive touch
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