Ricotta.

Tomorrow I make my first sourdough loaf from the starter we made at the Purple Pear Farm about 10 days ago. I've got a couple of photos from the day but I left my memory card at home and they were saved to the camera and at this point I can't find the plug-in to download them. If I ever find it I'll put them up.

I made some ricotta this morning as we're having home-made Ricotta and Prosciutto pizzas tomorrow. The pizza dough is hand-made, tomato paste home made as well, the baby spinach and other herbs are home-grown, and now the ricotta is made here. The prosciutto is bought and always will be!

                                                                 The ricotta draining.

The finished product; into a sealed container for a couple of hours to chill and it's ready to eat. You can of course eat it there and then if you wish; I know people who do and nothing much makes it to the fridge.   :)

Morning Tea.

Muffin at the ready , waiting for the kettle to boil.

Just out of the oven - banana and white chocolate. One only sadly; the rest can go in the freezer for friends.

Making Stuff.

I've been using my preserving kit lately. I made some Plum Sauce for stir-fries and some wonderful pasta sauce to be put away for winter. I dragged the dehydrator out as well and did some semi-dried tomatoes with fresh herbs in oil.


This is half of the pasta sauce freshly chopped and ready to simmer for 3 hours. I need to buy a bigger pot as I had to do it in two lots!

                                                                   Almost there.

Cooling the second batch of pasta sauce and my plum sauce. The pasta sauce looks an odd colour in this photo; in the flesh so to speak it's actually a lovely red.

New kids on the Block.

We got three new Isa Browns today. These are point of lay so we should see the egg production go up. Cackles and Penny haven't been doing much at all for weeks and Henny is broody so I'm only getting an occasional egg from her. They're all a bit past it I think. A friend suggested I make stock from the ones that aren't laying! I suggested that when she is physiologically unable to produce eggs we might boil her up as well! Said friend thought that was hysterical. Insensitive coot!

 Hyacinth is on the right and Violet and Daisy are on the left. A direct steal from "Keeping up Appearances" an old English comedy.

BITS AND PIECES.

What a crazy few days it's been. First and most importantly Mark had a call-back from the Dr. regarding his latest blood tests; things aren't going too well at the moment; so he's off to have more tests on Friday. It's an ongoing battle just now but he's taking it all in his stride as usual.

We got a bargain on "Gumtree"- a rotary hoe. lol - yes we got one! It's a Masport Cultivator and has been in storage for a while but it started first try and we've already had a turn around an area that had been a bit compacted. Oh my gosh it goes like a train and is so easy to handle. This will make life easier so now we can get some more gardens in for things like pumpkin and watermelon etc that I don't want in raised beds. We only need it for a few bits and pieces but its a handy item to have

I'm going to buy some more fruit trees this weekend, including an advanced olive. I can't stand olives but Jord and Kim like them so I'll pop one in for them.

I'm hoping to complete my current assignment this week; so Mark and I can have some down time on his long weekend off. I was offered a job last night completely out of the blue and have said yes to it so that starts in a couple of weeks. Why on earth did I say yes?? I must be mad.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos of preserves this weekend; determined to get some plum sauce made too - love the stuff.

Peace in Eden.

An interesting aside to our new lifestyle has been peoples reaction to it. A few who have known us for years are thrilled for us that we've finally been able to make the tree-change. Some think we're just a little mad at our age (oh yes we do leave a zimmer frame at the back door to use in the yard lol) and some feel sad for us because they equate our lifestyle with one of lack. That really makes us laugh because the perception couldn't be further from the truth!

We're building a lifestyle here that will - yes -take a few years to establish.; and yes it can be hard work at times; but we aren't on any "written -in - blood" schedule so we please ourselves when we start and when we stop.
We're learning new skills all the time and loving it. We've come to appreciate everything so much more - and each other for that matter.
We feel we have purpose in our lives. We have a great partnership that's creating something lasting here in our little pocket of the country. Mark works and then works again here on his days off, and I use to worry that this might be too much but he finds it exhilarating and has more energy than I'll ever have. He still has his bikes and boat whilst I study and am preparing a course outline for when I start to teach beginner classes in genealogy. He has such an inventors mind and there's nothing he can't make or fix, I'm sure. I occasionally find time to paint and set aside time to write each day. This lovely place brings out the creative side in both of us.

There is nothing we enjoy more than sitting at the end of the day and chatting about what we've accomplished that day and what we'll attempt tomorrow. It's a laid-back existence that has afforded us the chance to meet some fascinating people and learn some amazing things. We both have a thirst for knowledge so this suits perfectly.

We envy nothing of anyone. I can't think of anything that someone has that I could possibly want. (hmmm, well maybe a rotary hoe lol) Don't get me wrong, we don't live in a bubble where nothing goes wrong or tired and grumpy is a thing of the past (!) but in the main we try to be mindful that we all have a limited time span on Earth; and it's far too short to be wasted on things that don't have a positive impact on our lives.

 This sort of lifestyle is one that more and more people are choosing. People are tired of the rush and tear, the loss of time to spend with family and friends as they give it away to chase something that society says they must have. Different strokes for different folks as the saying goes - but far too often I hear from people who really aren't very happy with their life, they're bored and unchallenged.  As my daughter likes to quote "if you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou.

 There is a price to be paid whatever the life we choose and there have been adjustments for us here and compromises to be made at times. However we are happy, content, using our brains and our backs, meeting challenges and new people, finding our gifts and talents again and overall just having a good time. It doesn't get any better than that.

                                                 The gates to the secret garden are going in.

RIP LaLa.

I am grief -stricken this afternoon. One of my girls that were left here when we moved in 16 months ago had to be put down a little while ago. She had a prolapse and we did as much as we could for her but it was obvious her discomfit was getting too much.

LaLa was so named because she was just a little bit crazy when we first arrived. She was a pretty white chicken with a cheeky way about her. She'd come to the window at the family room and stand there as cool as a cucumber whilst the dog went berserk. I'm sure she was laughing at Bonnie. Her and Cackles were virtually wild as they were never looked after, they simply free-ranged all the time. No fresh water or nice bedding at all. We bought a hen-house and fed them well and at the end of the day they were tucked in safely in their new home; the upshot being they became tame and would follow me about the yard and eat from my hand. I always hoped both of them would just go in their sleep as they had had an awful early life and deserved so much better.

Sadly that didn't happen for LaLa. Cackles is wandering about lost this afternoon; and the twins Henny and Penny seem to know something isn't right because they're hanging about Cackles; something they would  never normally do.

Who knew that losing a chicken could be so gut-wrenching. My poor little LaLa.