It’s a Rocky Start to the New Year

Happy New Year, Everyone! I am back from my long holidays in Australia. I am as brown as a berry (although the berries I am used to are blue and red, not brown) and our helper says I have fattened up.

Before you start worrying that I am having a hard time in 2014, let me tell you why it is a rocky start to my year. I am very very jealous. Look what Grandpa has in his garden which he DID NOT EVEN PLANT. Grandma dropped some compost material accidentally in his bangkwang patch and look what came up? 6 of them. All HUGE.

Do you know why these melons are called rockmelons? Not because they are as hard and heavy as rocks. Because they come from Rockhampton in North Queensland.

 

Surprises are No Good

I waited, and waited, and waited to pull out the bangkwang. Today was the BIG day. But the bangkwang was NOT BIG. There was no BANG in this BANGkwang. Maybe I should call it the banglesskwang. Here it is next to my crocs. In case you’re wondering, I wear size 2.

NewBeanies

A  newbie is someone who is new at doing something. Like me and homework. It always feels new to me.

We have 2 new pots of Thai long beans. One is the brown-seeded long bean, and the other is the faithful purple long bean. The purple bean was speeding up a trellis on our wooden screen, just like a F1 driver along a straight. Unfortunately once it got to the top of the trellis, it kind of got all unsure where to go and the 4 bean plants had a crash, look!

The brown-seeded long bean is growing in our tomato pots (Mummy hexed all tomatoes), and is also quite happy there between the bamboo and the red okra.

 

 

Update on the State of the Bangkwang

I had to go back to school today despite coughing like a dog (do dogs cough?). Mummy insisted. My Pediatrician went to Bangkok (for work, she said) and so I could not call her to convince her I was still sick. And Godma is as unsympathetic as Mummy.

Anyway, while I was at school, the green and brown bangkwang pod turned fully brown, look! Maybe finally I’ll be allowed to pull it up.

State of the Bangkwang

I was very, very jealous when I read Novice Gardener’s post on her bangkwang. Grandpa says my bangkwang will only be ready for harvesting when the pods are brown. Mummy says it is high time I go back to school (I am sick, you see) and stop bugging everyone to harvest everything. She likes to exaggerate.

Here are some photos.

 

Daddy’s Still Alive and Kicking

Remember my post about whether the bangkwang pods are edible? We tested a few young ones out on Daddy last weekend. He is very fine. But none of us liked the taste much, so we decided to lop them all off except for 2, which we are keeping for their seeds. See?

Flowers on the Bangkwang

The bangkwang plant that Curious Gardener gave us has been taking over  the mulberry bush that Novice Gardener gave me (Mummy wants to get rid of it, the mulberry I mean). It has pretty purple flowers.

Soon the flowers will become pods. Some people say the pods can be eaten. Curious Gardener says they cannot because they are poisonous. Maybe I will ask Daddy to try a few first! Hahahahahaha!!!!!