2 Women on 2 Acres

They told us in a Sky and Telescope Article in 1946 that the phrase ‘Blue Moon’ is derived from Mother Nature’s gift of enabling two Full Moon Phases to fall in the same calendar month and as this is a rare event, occurring roughly every two to three years, the saying ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ is based on this happenstance, and used colloquially to describe any event or circumstance which is considered a rare event.

January 2010 has been one of those rare lunar events and we have had two Full Moon Phases in one calendar month. The first Full Moon Phase in this event is referred to a ‘Rose Moon’ and this fell on January 1st and the second Full Moon Phase, the ‘Blue Moon’, began it’s cycle again on January 31st.

In 1999, the media’s attention was captured by the unusual pattern of two Full Moon Phases falling, not only in one, but, in two separate months that year: January and March which naturally, left February without a Full Moon Phase at all. This lunar phenomenon triggered the public’s interest, for it appeared, it was the first time the public’s attention had been brought to our skies to notice this lunar oddity.

Following widespread media coverage of the event and an article written by Phillip Hiscock a folklorist, who told the World about the definition of a ‘Blue Moon’, a Universal acceptance arose to embrace the second Full Moon to fall in one calendar month as being referred to as a ‘Blue Moon’.

Roger Sinnott et al, writing for a publication called Sky & Telescope in 1999 disagreed strongly with the article written by folklorist Philip Hiscock, and told the World ‘The trendy definition of a ‘Blue Moon’ as the second Full Moon in a month is a mistake.’ But, the hilarious part of the tale is it was THEIR mistake all be it from 53 years ago…
Read the rest of this entry →

Talk about surprises, I was bleary eyed this morning when I went to let Flynn out of his bed in the laundry.

I always look out of the window and survey the paddock, I didn’t realise I did this until later today, but every morning I look out and scan the paddock to see all is well.

Our First Look

Well, this morning I had a bit of a surprise when I saw a little   white head and golden ginger body lying amongst the long grass next to Mia, my house cow.

Holy COW!! it’s a calf and it looks like Mia’s…but hang on, we were told by our neighbour ‘expert’ dry stock farmers that she wasn’t in calf and if she was, she would have calved at the end of SEPTEMBER…then I ran through the possibibity of ’strays’ getting into the paddock, no there have not been any weaner calves in the paddocks aorund us for a while… so it must be Mia’s…

Read the rest of this entry →

Having your tools in the best condition makes life easier and the end result of the job you used them for  is smarter looking, tidyier, lasts a whole lot longer than a job done badly.

And the best thing of all,  it makes you FEEL proud, satisfied and you go strutting around like my rooster: don’t tell me you don’t- you keep going back to survey your handy work, a smile and a silent pat on your back, you SHOW anyone you can redirect to your handy work…yep just like my rooster:)

Read the rest of this entry →

I wanted to share with you the ideas I have for this site, to make it even better for you all. I know how difficult and often overwhelming learning a new skill can be.

And I want you to enjoy your organic gardening experience and grow the healthiest plants possible, after all Mother nature intended us to enjoy her beautiful gifts and I don’t view my kitchen garden as a chore…well sometimes maybe:)
So what have I got in store for you in 2010??
Read the rest of this entry →

A BIG Thank you to you all for your support and appreciation of this site. You cannot know what it means to me that you are enjoying and finding the information here and in the garden tips useful.

I am looking forward to the New Year and all the new features I have planned for the site, so keep tuned as it’s going to be an exciting time:)

I would like to wish you all a Happy & Safe holiday season and I hope that the coming year brings you all the things you wish for and so richly deserve.

Happy New Year from us at 2 women on 2 acres!!

My Kitchen Garden is breaking all the rules!!

My kitchen garden is a hive of secret activity, it is doing a great job of re-seeding itself!!

I have broccoli Raab, rocket, arugula, Belgian white carrots, purple dragon carrots and goodness knows what else popping up all over the place.

In some instances it has even done a good job of stock rotation and re-seeded it’s self into another location in the kitchen garden!!

Read the rest of this entry →

As a nurse I have always been aware of the positive power of touch. sometimes a simple hand on an arm can convey more than a thousand words. I was always hugging, comforting and massaging my patients when it was needed.

I have always been a tactile  person and I used touch to comfort my patients and their families when I worked in the ER. I found it to be a great healer, calming influence and somehow gave even the most ‘tough’ person a boost, sort of ‘I know how you feel and it’s ok’

So when I read or rather listened to Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, I usually read through my eyelids and snore at the same time so I tried the audio version and it was FANTASTIC, the guy who read it was brilliant.

Read the rest of this entry →

Important Life Saving Information

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR GARDENERS
Your health may be at risk from bagged products like seed raising mix, compost, potting mix and animal manures.

These products contain LIVE bacterias which if inhaled can cause serious conditions like Legionnaires’ disease. The bags of potting mix, seed raising mix, compost and animal manures create an ideal breeding environment for all kinds of bacteria and should ALWAYS be treated with the upmost caution.

Legionnaires’ diease bacteria are often found in dried out mixes or poor quality non-organic mixes.

Here in New Zealand we have just had a timely reminder with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ diease in Canterbury from people using such mixes.

Read the rest of this entry →

With the unpredictable weather in NZ at the moment I wanted to tell you about some of the seedling management strategies I have been using for the first time this spring, and what worked and what didn’t on my 200+ seedlings:)

The Seedling Warriors

It will be the first year I have used plastic pots and actually had to manage my seedlings in those pots for more than a few days. And believe me, it has taken some managing, for instance, the watering alone takes a day and lots of patience and in a couple of days it all starts again!!

I thought it would be interesting to know how someone else manages when things like the weather throw us a curve ball and also what observations I have been able to make from watching the seeds germinate, some things I would have missed if the seeds were under the ground in the Kitchen garden.

Read the rest of this entry →

It’s very nearly officially ‘Summer’ and I don’t think we have started ‘spring’ yet, some nights it has been SO cold I have lit our wood burner, and I am still attached to my icebreakers!!

For the last three days we have had non stop rain showers, some so heavy the rain drops sound like gravel being thrown against our windows. I have only managed a quick tour around the kitchen garden to collect the pesky snails and slugs!

This year I had to revise my seed germination plans, I usually sow my first seeds in October into 1/2 egg shells and then transfer the young seedlings into 1/2 toilet rook pots until the weather warms & then they are big enough to plant outside in the Kitchen garden with their first set of real leaves.

But, this year, with the threat of spraying I decided to sow my first seeds into small plastic pots I was lucky to buy for a ridiculous low price.

As it turns out, they have been just the ticket as the weather here on the block has been so unpredictable hot warm cold fog wind rain & more we have had come our way.

So I have had literally hundreds of pots in every nook & cranny waiting from the calm after the storms, and we are still waiting!!
Read the rest of this entry →