Thinking about diabetes

I've been doing a lot of thinking about diabetes lately. I've been reading some interesting blogs by others living with a child or children with diabetes. It is part of our daily life and I am determined it won't rule our lives and yet it does. It is so frustrating to be told be the pediatrician that her averages are to high. Everytime I make a change to the rates on Kitkat's pump it all goes wrong.

Hit home today at liam's IEP. The intermediate were there as that's where he is off to next year. Being a big pre teen and all. We discussed his behavior a lot. It's not great at the moment. The teachers from the intermediate commented on how great it has been having Kitkat at the school. But then gave be puzzled looks when I commented that Liam was my easy child. He is difficult at the best of times but autism is so straightford compared to diabetes where everything Kitkat does affects everything!

I think I need to take a few deep breaths and get over diabetes and on with life.

Spring is here

Spring has finally arrived.  It rained every day in September except one right at the end.  But October has started with the promise of a Summer coming.  It has been fine for five whole days.  I have managed to put in a total of seven small gardens now and do some other tiding up jobs outside.

It makes me smile every time I walk (or drive as most of the gardens are alongside my long driveway) past them.  Lots of seeds still to come up but I've got growing:
Raspberries
Strawberries
Peas
Carrots
Garlic
Lettuce
Radish
Beetroot
Broccoli
Potatoes
Onions
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Grapes
Blackcurrents
Boysenberries
Plums
Apples
Fejoias
Apricots
Citrus
Blueberries
Herbs
and Guavas

Doesn't look like much in the gardens, they are still mostly weeds but it feels great to look at a list like that.

Rainy Day Gardening

Guess what!  It rained today.  How unusual, it started with heavy rain and by mid afternoon it was spitty rain.  I am think I might have to start making up more words to describe the rain as I've seen all types all of the time over the last month.

As I have to work all day tomorrow, I decided I'd better do a little gardening today. 

It's my dad's birthday tomorrow and my mum's on Wednesday so I started the day off with a visit to wish them well.  Morning tea turned into lunch and I had an enjoyable catch up with them.  We left about mid afternoon and made a quick stop at the warehouse for some seedlings and seeds.

I have decided to plant a lot of my vegetables from seedlings and not grow my own this year.  But I have to confess I baulk at buying carrots and corn in punnets.  To me these are definitely best grown directly in the garden.  I bought radish, beetroot and spring onion seeds, marigold, mini cauliflower, capsicum (even though it's a bit early), two lots of lettuce and red onions in seedling form.

I have been a bit overwhelmed looking at my neglected and weedy garden.  I have decided that there is only one way to eat this elephant and that is going to be one metre at a time.  While looking for a book for my fathers birthday yesterday I came across One Magic Square.

I have often looked at the one square foot gardening books and thought they'd be good for a read, but when I saw this I just had to have it.  I haven't read it all the way through yet but I am liking what I am reading.  I think it might be just the ticket to get my garden cleaned up one small patch at a time.  So with the principals of this book in mind I planted out the small garden square at the start of my deck and the first section of the garden alongside my driveway.  If the sun ever shines I'll take some photos.

One of the best things about this book is it doesn't advocate growing vegetables in straight rows or big mono crop plots.  This is not my style either.  It also is against killing pests - also my style although I am into total annihilation of slugs and snails (a pet hate of mine).

I'm off to draw up some plans for the next little plot and will try to get it planted over the next week.

It only rained for five minutes today

The rain continues to be a big issue in my garden.  We haven't had more than two or three days without rain since the start of August.  Nevertheless as it wasn't raining I decided an hour in the garden would probably go o.k.

I checked on my pea patch and to my delight my peas were all poking through the soil.  Most of the very late garlic I put in was growing well.  No sign of the carrots yet.  I dug over the patch by the passionfruit were I am planting my potatoes.  I even got them planted - it's very wet though and I hope they don't rot.  I weeded the little garden by the front of the deck, yuck just pure mud.

But at least I achieved some gardening.

Camera Shy Kathryn

Aims Games

Kathryn has been competing in the Aims Games all week.  It has been very busy, but today is the last day.  It started on Sunday with the opening ceremony.  The guest speaker was Danion Loader.  Very appropriate for Kathryn as he is New Zealands only Olympic gold medalist in swimming.  The Aims games is the biggest schools sporting event in Australasia.  This year 3800 odd 11 to 14 year old competed in 14 sports. 

Monday had two games of waterpolo for the Te Puke Intermediate team.  We won the first and lost the second.  I had managed to get out of work in time to watch the second.  Kathryn has never played waterpolo before and I think she is a bit to mild mannered for the game.  Then came the swimming.  As Kathryn has been sick for the last six weeks we weren't expecting great times.  We were wrong, she got seven personal bests out of her eight races.  Very well done Kathryn.  Tuesday had another two games of waterpolo, both were lost by the team.  Wednesday had another three games of waterpolo, two wins and a loss.  Thursday had another two games (and I managed to get out of work to watch them both), both were losses giving the team an overall place of eighth.

Well done to Te Puke Intermediate Aims Games Waterpolo Team.  Closing ceremony today.

Kathryn is number eight blue

Wraps

 I don't really eat a lot of bread anymore and I've largely given up making my own as the chickens get most of it.  So I decided to have a go at making wraps.

Wasn't hard and they were edible.  Will give it another go, maybe with some wholemeal flour.