Tiny Tomatoes and long Purple Beans

Although the man of the house would like to be away travelling in the caravan week after week, it’s been nice to have a lazy weekend at home.  Not that we’ve been too lazy, there have been the usual household chores to do.  And places to go, such as down town to get the gas bottle refilled.  Yes, that’s the one, the bottle which ran out of gas last weekend late at night.  Luckily we noticed that the red light was flashing on the caravan fridge before we turned in for the night.   But now its refilled, and it’s always sensible to carry a spare while we are travelling.  The gas was refilled safely inside a shed, and Robin warned me not to get too close with my camera, in case I made sparks.  I certainly wouldn’t want to cause an explosion and blow the place up!

Refilling the gas bottle

We are enjoying lovely warm summer weather here in New Zealand, and our small garden is doing well.  We have eaten the row of lettuces and replanted some more.  The tiny tomatoes are starting to colour up, these small ones have quite an intense flavour.  And we have planted a row of mixed beans – just look at these purple beauties!  There are green ones growing too, amongst the long purple ones.

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From our small raised garden

And after cutting back the passion fruit vine rather too severely, we are pleased to see a few fruit and flowers appearing.  Nowhere near as many as we had last year, but really, we didn’t expect any fruit at all this year.  He’s learnt his lesson, and next year Robin will prune the vine with a much lighter hand.

Fruit and flowers on the passion fruit vine

Summer means it’s BBQ season and we have been enjoying cooking outdoors.  We had New Zealand lamb chops cooked on the Weber last night, with mushrooms and sweetcorn too.  And our traditional Sunday breakfast of bacon and eggs, with some of those lovely sweet tasting little tomatoes, was also cooked outside this morning.

Our elderly cat Muffy wants nothing more than to keep up close and personal to one or other of us.  Presently she is squashed up on my lap against the table as I tap away.  It can’t be terribly comfy for her, as she keeps slipping and sliding, and I have to readjust her legs.  But she is determined that this is the place she wants to be right at this moment, and that’s where she is staying, squashed up or not!  At her age, we feel she can have what she likes, anything to keep her happy – and quiet!  Senile vocalisation can get rather trying!

Muffy on my lap while I’m trying to blog