Pettys Orchard, Templestowe - Frday, 31st October 2014

Cnr Monckton Rd and Homestead Rd  Templestowe   | Map 
 Telephone: 0418 665 880

Hi there,

We went to Pettys Orchard, the enterprise began when Thomas Petty arrived in Australia in 1853, seeking a new life for himself and his family.  They created an orchard which remained with the family until 1981, when Parks Victoria purchased it.  "The Heritage Fruits Society manages and maintains the "heritage fruit" collection at the orchard."

I've been following this orchard for a short while now, with my family, whose new garden contains three apple trees, two citrus trees and several Blackthorn trees and, coming to stay with them, helping with some gardening and being vastly interested in all things fruit, orchards and all food, including organic food items.

So a suggestion to visit Pettys was a "must-do" event, ,particularly as I follow Common Ground's Apple Day celebration in England, cook and preserve apples, etc. and was actually at Common Ground's first Apple Day Festival at Covent Garden on 21st October 1990.

I thrill to the whole idea of preserving our cultural traditions and customs, preserving and saving our heritage through connection to our fruit orchards and our apples, and love the fact that Common Ground took as its symbol, the apple.

So, as I said, a visit to Pettys was an absolute "must-do" event and I really want to visit it again before I return home in a few weeks time.

Well, enough words from me!  How about a few photoshots to wet the appetite and get you interested in this historic orchard......

the Demonstration Orchard - 2 hectares of an ancient orchard

Here are some of the once used quipment which worked the orchard and land...

 And my photoshots of various antique artefacts........

Pettys Orchard is its own "living legend" - still existing today as an orchard, part small historic entity with a separate commercial fruit enterprise managed by another business facility.  The thriving Heritage Fruits Society which cares for and looks after the apple collection is part of a world wide entity determinedly conserving and protecting historic apples from extinction.

I couldn't get close enough to the orchard today to take photos of the actual fruit trees but they looked well, healthy and fit for today and tomorrow.  Members of the Society make regular visits to Pettys to
care for the orchard and its survival and their work must be applauded.

Catering and organic food sales at Pettys are under the auspices of Yarra Organics - shop@pettysorchard.com.au - 

they provide a brilliantly satisfying cafe, full of gorgeous foods, and some excellent gluten-free items plus a wonderful array of organic fruit and vegetables, and packaged food items of a staggering variety.

There is an excellent eating area, a children's play area and local musicians to delight the ear as you eat, drink and chatter away the hours in a supremely relaxing and attractive venue.

Here for your delight, my photos of the foods, products and eatery at Pettys Orchard.....

Thanks Wikipedia for much needed back-up info as I'm away from home and needed their help...
Address details and website details correct at time of publishing this post...Daisy
Daisy

Cloudhill Garden Spring Festival, Olinda - Saturday, 26th October 2014.

To Olinda up a steeply winding road flanked by huge ferns, towering eucalyptus trees and brilliant flowering rhododendron bushes, all growing happily in the moist atmosphere of this area.  The plants are well-known, as is the area, for its natural beauty, mists and good growing condition, all amounting to a brilliant drive up to Cloudhill, just beyond Olinda.

We didn't stop at Olinda to view their wonderful array of local indie shops, we were too long at Cloudhill, but their "High Street" looked enchanting!

Cloudhill - an enchanting name too, don't you think?  The Gardens, in residence since the early 1990's are wonderful, glorious and full of endless green possibilities.  We spent a few  peaceful hours wandering about their green oasis looking at the plants and trees, eating a delicious lunch and listening to a fascinating talk about companion planting, which is a much great topic of conversation than just making sure you under-plant your roses with garlic, lavender and chives.  The subject goes much deeper than that, soil-wise!

Here's a few photo-shots of our day.....

they have wonderful hedges of beech and hornbeam and glorious trees....

Can't wait to go again!!!

Daisy

The Yarra Valley - Monday, 27th October 2014

Too beautiful for mere words, here's my photo-shots of our visit last week,  to remind myself of it's inherent beauty, when I'm far away back home...
So, photos of the area about the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery....Yering Station and of Yarra Valley Dairy...what a smashing venue that is.  Can't wait for my return visit.  Just love their food!!!

Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery area...

Wide blue skies, hot sun, light breeze and wonderful, wide vistas...what more could the yearning visit look for.  It's all here, in the Yarra Valley.  I will return onr day....

Daisy

Australia - how I view it! - Tuesday, 21st October 2014

Its Apple Day back home in the United Kingdom, where according to my iphone, its mostly cloudy and only 12 degrees Centrigrade; but I still hope for a good feeling for Apple Day, the annul festival of Charity, Common Ground, to celebrate and focus on peoples' local surroundings, customs and traditions, using the apple as its symbol.  Also celebrating the fruit orchards which so used to be a most intrinsic part of our national id, economy, heritage and tradition; and not only for the apples, pears, medlars, quinces, nuts, honey etc. but for that traditional feel and need for the countryside, the work and lives of countryfolk, and their industry which created that rich culture.

Last year, I attended Brogdale's Apple Day Festival in Kent, home of the National Fruit Collection, which Brogdale houses and maintains, with orchards and research activities, which are nationally and internationally renowned.  Here's a few own photos of their historic apple collection on show for the Festival; it was a truly glorious sight to behold.

An 11th century Quince

This was
just one section of a series of stands, proudly bearing Brogdale's wonderful fruit colletion

Apples from the time of King Henry the V111

An 16th century apple

This weekend, we plan to use the home-made soft quince "jam" to make a quince yoghurt semifreddo based on a recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book - "River Cottage Fruit Everyday".  Hugh makes his semifreddo with strawberries, which gives this "simple Italian iced pud" a very delicate pale pink hue.  Can't wait!!!

Here today in my part of Australia, its probably 26 degress Centrigrade, warm to quite hot and very pleasant, thank you very much.  I've done my hour and a half of gardening this morning and now I've come indoors for a while to write.  I think tomorrow's gardening must get going much earlier, on the side patch not quite weeded today, maybe even getting into the back garden before the sun's too hot, turning my attention to the vegetable bed which needs its share of TLC, for there are seeds in the wings, awaiting their turn in the sun and a chance to produce best tomatoes, verbena and gillyflowers.  We also have French marigolds i.e.Tagetes, to plant out and a host of other little jobs to be taken care of - phew - don't you just love to garden!!!

Well, I've still to photo the Eastern Freeway for you so, in the meantime, here's a photo or two of a very pleasant residential area we visited at the weekend.  I thought it looked absolutely delightful, what do you think   ?

Shady trees...

and pleasant footpaths...to

blossom and picket fencing....



Daisy

p.s.  just love picket fencing!