Visitors to the garden

I was sitting out on the front veranda this morning watching the visitors to the garden.

It's a peaceful place to sit, have a cuppa tea and do a little crochet.
Certainly quieter than house full of kids.

Isn't he/she beautiful?

Is it a ringneck parrot?

There were four of these beautiful parrots.

The wattle birds were also around chasing off the sparrows.

The butterflies were busy in the Lavender.

As were the bees.

Undisciplined....

 I like to spend time in the garden.

Especially when the kids are particularly undisciplined.

Looking at my garden today I can see it as a reflection of my own personality.

My own undisciplined nature.

The pumpkin vines are taking over and escaping out the gate.

We now climb the fence to get in.

 

Being undisciplined results in a bit of a mess in the garden.

And the house.

And my wardrobe.

And my figure.

My piles of fabrics, boxes of yarn and bags of fiber.

The tomato plants that self seeded in the chook run are hip high now and so dense it's almost impossible to get in there to pick them.

 The Zucchini have suffered a little in the heat and humidity.

In the last few cooler days they've put on new healthy growth.

They are battling with the capsicum and leeks for space.

 This bed has carrots and capsicums.

They're not doing as well as we would of hoped.

This is the bed we grew the garlic in.

 The tomatoes we planted are doing well in here.

The bed with the Swiss chard is totally undisciplined and out of control.

There are little seedlings now all over the garden, battling with the weeds.

 The apples are ripening.

A few of them should of been thinned out and now the branches are in danger of breaking.

The mandarin tree is covered in new fruit.

Should I thin them or let them be?

 And on the block in the midst of the weeds grew these.

Life may be a lot easier and tider with a bit of discipline.

But I think I may miss the surprises of an undisciplined life.

I am trying to acquire some discipline.

I'd like to get some of this weight off me.

I'd like my home to be not in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

I'd like a coordinated wardrobe, with clothes that fit me and are tidy and neat.

I'd like my kids to keep their rooms tidy, might mean I need to teach by example!

I can relate well to Vic's Post on her Blog Punky&Me

I too am a Flylady failure, I think I failed at putting my shoes on, I never really got to shine my sink!

My house is a mess, as is my body.

I'd like to change things but have no idea how.

I lack the discipline to even start.

Today I looked at those beautiful Belladonna Lilies and I thought..

Does it really matter?

Ok the weight does that is a health risk, but everything else?

Those Lilies survived and flourished with no help from me.

They didn't need to be watered, pruned and cultivated.

Are they made hardier by the lack of discipline?

A lovely surprise from the past

Our home is 101 years old this year.

She was built in 1910.

A traditional symmetrical four room cottage.

Built of local stone and brick.

The kitchen would of originally been housed in a separate building to reduce the risk of fire and to keep the house cool.

The lavatory would of been a drop toilet or night cart.

We think the original toilet door is actually on one of the back sheds.

The current kitchen would of been added maybe in the 1930's, we really aren't sure but it's made of stone. The laundry and bathroom were added in the 1970's and built from besa block, concrete bricks.

We think it was 70's as when we pulled down the wall we found a newspaper dated 1973

 

We still have a very old apricot and walnut tree.

But occassionaly we get a little surprise from the past.

There are Jonquils and Crocus and this year these beauties came up in the block.

These would of been planted at least 30 years ago, but probably have been there a lot longer.

There used to be a small two room cottage on the block, 

we can see the outline of stones on the ground.

Someone long ago planted these.

I've always felt this house welcomed us.

That it wanted to be a family home again.

The peaches are ripe, they're as yummy as they look.

I've run out of my free google storage for the photos on my blog!

Options:

• stop blogging ..
• host photos on flickr
• remove some photos
• pay for extra storage...

It's jamming and saucing season

 Cherry plum Jam

I sort of followed the directions HERE

I used 1.1 kg of fruit weighted after I had cooked and removed the stones

and an equal amount of sugar.

 I love my Moulin, it makes it easy to get rid of of the stones and skins

 Three jars and a bowl of jam in the fridge.

The kids have taste tested and approved.

 Pete picked 3.2kg of tomatoes today.

I used a half recipe of my sauce recipe.

 The Moulin got another work out.

 The result, some very happy kids, two bottles of sauce 

and a bowl of sauce to go with the sausages for dinner tonight.

While I was busy in the kitchen, Pete was busy putting in the new path.

He had some help from Lilly.

Peace.....

is found in a garden.

 This is the first time I've hung the garlic. 

In past years I've just put it in the fridge or in the dryer.

Not sure if this will work as I'm told some varieties won't cure.

 A cheeky pumpkin vine is living in the old chook house.

I've not had the heart to replace the chooks

after they were disappeared earlier in the year by a feral cat.

 We're picking strawberries everyday but none make it to the house.

 It's a jungle here. Pete threw in some seeds way passed the use by date not sure if they'd grow.

So what's in there is a mystery. I'm rather hoping my stars and moon watermelons are in there somewhere.

 The Zucchinis have started producing. 

And the first of the capsicum aren't far off picking.

 There's a huge crop of tomatoes coming on.

The covers have made a huge difference this year.

 The cherry plum tree is weighted down with fruit.

I picked some this morning and I'm planning on making jam.

I love the taste of these tart little plums. 

If you like sour lollies you'll love these they have that tangy but sweet taste.

I've been told these are a very old variety of plum and make excellent jam.

They certainly are a hardy tree it survived years without water.

 And with a little water it's loaded down with fruit.

The tomartos in the chook yard are just amazing!

Pete's been picking them.

He uses a ladder to get at them as walking in there is impossible.

There's is something so soothing to the soul in picking from the garden.

A renewal of life, an assurance that life goes on even in the saddest of times.

Garlic, a path and a cardigan

 An Everyday Cardigan for me.

Yarn: Bendigo Wollen Mills Mystique Chintz 8ply

Hook: 5mm

Pattern: Everyday Cardi by Robyn Chachula

published in Crochet Today Sept / Oct 2010

 I liked this as there is no sewing up to do.

 It worked up very quickly. 

I started on Friday night and was finished on Sunday night.

Pete was toiling in the garden.

Digging up the weeds to put in a new path.

 Pa left the Jack Hammer for Pete to play with.

It certainly is a lot easier than digging!

And while Pete was digging in the front garden.

I was in the veggie garden digging  up this years garlic.

The first pickings

Won't be long and I will be filling my pantry with sauce!

Uninvited and unwanted visitors

 I thought we had rain hitting the roof of the shed.

No, just grasshoppers! 

The locust bands have hit us.

They are all over town.

 Covering the front of my car and windscreen.

A couple hit me in the face, they hurt!

Pete and James couldn't go for their bike ride yesterday.

They kept getting hit by the hoppers.

Devouring everything green.

At least they shouldn't trouble anything left of the crops, after the flooding rains we had last week.

They prefer to eat nice green plants, like our grass and veggies.

Years of drought and finally it looked like a good year.

Only to be hit with mice, masses of rain and locust.

Mulberry Heaven

 We have a huge Mulberry tree.

It's taller than the shed and wider than it's tall.

And it's old. Probably over 50 years.

 And it's covered in fruit.

The kids are eating lots straight from the tree.

They've picked a couple of kilos everyday for the last week.

And still there is more fruit.

This is the Magic Pudding of Mulberry Trees!

I made a Mulberry Crumble cake.

Recipe HERE

 I've made Mulberry Pie.

Using the pastry recipe from HERE

and the filling from HERE

And Pete has made Mulberry Jam.

And still there is more Mulberries!

Stewed and frozen next I think and then I'll get the Fowlers out and preserve them.