Our Namesake

Home for the weekend

It has been a busy past week. Just managed to find the time to sit back with a cup of tea after a lovely long weekend.

While it didn’t prove to be the best weather for sitting outside, at least we got around to transplanting most of the vegetables from the green house – cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, tomatoes and parsley – to the veggie garden.

Our daughter Joyce was down from Auckland for the long weekend so I made sure to give her my gumboots and put her to work.

Due to the changeable weather, we ended up having a nice lunch with Joyce and our son Michael indoors while still being able to admire the garden views.

We took time to stroll through the garden and I couldn’t resist taking some photos of all the new flowers that are popping everywhere.

Special mention goes to the herb thyme, which also serves as the namesake for our estate.

It’s in flower at the moment and is a great ingredient to use in cooking, especially when making pizza.

Thyme in bloom

Sometimes I’ll mix it into the pizza dough or combine it with garlic in my homemade tomato sauce.

Thyme is a perennial plant and is considered to be quite hardy. It has been used since ancient times.

The garden thyme is the most commonly known species. You can plant it in pots, hanging baskets or directly into the garden.

Bees love to linger over the thyme blossoms and, when combined with dried rosemary and fresh ground clover, it makes a great moth repellent.

— Miranda