It is my last day in New Zealand. I have had a great time and got a lot done, we did a lot to help push the book and helping it to sell over here, with good results I think. There was great help from Tania from Hachette and Lisa from Garden Objects but we could not have done it as well without the help of two very dear friends, thank you.
It is fun to be back in the Southern Hemisphere having a second spring of the year. Part of the meal tonight was asparagus from the garden. It is always best at the start of the season, young and fresh.
I am reminded just how good it is to be able to go out in the garden and pick fresh lemons and to be reminded how bad the lemons can be in England if you do not pay a lot of money for them. The possums love to eat the rind and leave the rest on the tree.
It is great to be back out at the beach of my childhood. It reminds me where I have come from and where I have got to. The sand is black volcanic sand and the soil my grandfather grew his vegetables in was rich because of the volcanic area we lived in.
This talk is going to be at Gravetye Manor
I am very happy with how good the vegetable garden is looking. After two days in the garden with Charlie and Ben we have order. I wanted things in order before the symposium starts on Saturday.
I had two new boys helping me in the garden today. I have Ben (Edward younger brother) who I have known since birth and Charlie who is a friend from London, Charlie is about to become a Kew student. It is great to have the boys here for a few days to bring order to the vegetable garden.
Great Dixter Vegetable Garden 