Tuesday.

It's been a rather hectic four or so weeks. So much has taken place it takes our breath away sometimes.

Our kids have returned safely from Europe with amazing stories and adventures that have given them such a taste for more travel. It was lovely to see them come through the gates at arrivals, tired but happy.




The weather continues to be unpredictable. Thankfully the fires have abated; that photo is sunrise on a rather smoky morning. We've had some crazy heavy rain storms and the tank is now full again; for now! It's pouring at the moment and thunder is rolling around the mountains. Morning storms somehow always sound threatening.

All the vegies survived a hectic hail storm and we're harvesting some gorgeous tomatoes, lettuce and beans already.

We've been getting a lot of work done about the place. My wonderful bird tree is no more. It was dangerously close to the house; a big no-no in the wild winds we've had and also a fire threat. We had an arborist take a look and he found two Bracket Fungi. Given that the tree was huge and they can drop limbs in dry times; this could be doubly dangerous. The fungi eats the tree and makes the inside sort of like polystyrene. We felt  sad to see it go but really had no choice. That afternoon the birds came circling around looking for it and screeched their own dissatisfaction with the situation.

The ground here is very rocky and the former owners seemed to delight in piling up rocks all over the place. Some of them are as large as a mini minor and as gorgeous as they are we don't need all of them here. We had a wonderful man named Clive come the other day. Clive brought his little backhoe thing and moved tonnes of rock to the front of the property to be picked up and trucked away. We picked well as Clive is also an artist and came up with some great landscaping ideas for around the septic system and down the back corner where the secret garden will (one day) be built.

I've been thinking hard about the direction of this blog. I've enjoyed recording the first few years of our tree change. It's a lot of fun to go back over it myself and remember the beginnings of our adventure. However I'm feeling I want it to go in another direction now. The adventure will continue of course; living here has stretched us and taught us heaps - and not just about growing veggies either :) We're not going anywhere; we love where we are and what we do.

I'm sure I'll pop in occasionally though. For me this blog is like a dear friend whose company is best enjoyed with feet up and a cuppa in the sun. :))

Our Wednesday.

What a mad morning. I heard a heck of a commotion in the entry and went to investigate. As most of you would know we have a swallow family that tries hard to come back to the portico and nest each year. We usually send them on their way by installing a fake plastic owl above the door for a few weeks. Well, I think they brought their extended family for a visit because when I had a look out the window there must have been at least 15 of them diving and swooping into the entry area. They took off when I opened the door and swooped around the yard for another 10 minutes, probably waiting for me to go back inside. It was a sight to see; they're so cute. Shame they're such dirty beggars!

Its been a busy but enjoyable few days. I've been in the kitchen for the most part which is something I really enjoy. I've been making a few meals for Mark to take to work; I know what goes into them at least. :)

 4 spaghetti bolagnaise, 3 Curried sausages and veggies, 4 Apricot Chicken and rice, 3 Salmon Mornay.
Banana muffins, muesli bars, pear cake, yoghurt and jellies all ready to go. They'll last for ages as he doesn't take a hot meal every day; salads are so easy to make and stay fresh in the fridge at work.With just a little bit of planning the next month is taken care of.

The veggies are doing well despite the crazy temps. It was 39c the other day and wind gusts up to 95 kmph. Its bushfire weather and I must be honest I get a little reluctant to stray too far from home when there are fires in the vicinity.

My daughter-in-law rang yesterday and mentioned it is only 10 weeks until Christmas. What!!!!! How did that happen? At least the gardens may be in a better position this year to provide something for our plate. We'll see how the temps go as summer makes its presence felt.

I've put a small tomato plant in a pot on the deck and it already has fruit on it. Love them!

Australian Grown.

The weather is all over the place at the moment here. Unusually hot weather at the end of winter and beginning of spring and now the days are milder and nights quite chilly again.

The gardens are loving the warm weather and are thriving. It's shaping up to be a great season for tomatoes especially this time - the last season was dreadful and a lot of people in the area were complaining about poor harvests.

With just our little patch it's hard to comprehend the heartache that the seasons can bring to farmers who depend on the land for their livelihood. With floods in one area, heatwave in another and snow all at the same time in another part of the country; not to mention economic downturns due to cheap and shoddy imports, its a tribute to their tenacity that they stay on the land as long as they do. This country use to be pretty well self sufficient and now our farmers are tossed scraps for their superior quality harvest because of the greedy multi-nationals. Not only do the men and women on the land battle with the elements, their determination and hard-slog is rewarded by a slap in the face.

We have a choice you know - we can fight this sell-out by growing what we can and buying local - refusing to eat crap from other countries that, by the way, do not have the checks and balances that we do concerning chemicals used in the production of food. Buy direct from the farmer if you can or get along to markets in your area. I was so impressed with the amount of farm shops on the North Coast when I visited my sister and brother-in-law recently. Among other things, on the way home I bought the most gorgeous avocados (4 for $5) and a fresh pineapple for $3 (with its top on - guess who's going to have a go at growing her own?!) The health of our families as well as our country depends on the choices we make. Don't think for one minute that you as an individual can't make a difference. A lot of " just one person" makes a whole lot of people! There is groundswell to support our farmers and protect our food production - do what you can in your little corner. Most of us who have gardens can't grow all that we want so we need to source the rest from ethical sources.

Our farmlands are already being sold to overseas interests who I can assure you, don't have our best interests at heart. If you want to grow your own but don't have a lot of room use pots. Stick some garlic in a pot, or a tomato plant; grow some herbs in your kitchen, swap what you grow with a neighbour who grows something else. Join a community garden. Buy Australian - as long as the company is Australian!!!! Become involved in what you bring into your household and put on your plate. Most people do more research into what TV to buy than what they put into their mouths.

Due to pressure and buying practises of the Australian people Woolworths has just announced they will be phasing out cage chicken eggs within 5 years. Most of us would like it to be yesterday not within 5 years.  It may be due to contractual agreements with the suppliers - I don't know - but it is a step in the right direction. All brought about because one person standing in front of the shelves in the supermarket thought about the cruelty to animals and what was healthiest for their family and chose a better product.  "Just one person"  -  did this time and time again. There must have been a lot of them because it's had the desired effect!!! Well done all you "just one person". :) It shows us all that things can change if we want them too.

Time Away.

Have just been out to turn on the sprinklers and hoses for the gardens and fruit trees. Everything is going well despite the high temps for this time of year. The tank is emptying fast so it looks like we'll be using tap water if we don't get some rain soon. It's crazy - we had a couple of years where it was almost non-stop rain and now we're all praying for it to fill our tanks. lol. I was speaking to a woman who lives about 20 k's from here who is on tank water only, and she's already anticipating having to buy water in the next month or so!

We recently had a lovely short break in Nambucca Heads on the N.S.W. north coast with my sister and brother-in-law. It's a good time to visit at the moment if, like me, you can't stand tropical humidity. It's a beautiful area and inland Dorrigo and Bellingen are well worth a visit. The two photos are taken from the look-out in Nambucca. Great views!

One of three kookaburras that pop in each day to visit my sister. A butcher bird also visits for a snack.








I'm going to include a recipe for a dessert my sister made while we were there and I can HIGHLY recommend it!!

                                    CARAMEL BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.  
5 slices of bread - raisin toast loaf was used.
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
470 can of evaporated milk
1 cup water
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon

Method.

   *  Trim crusts from bread, butter bread lightly and cut into fingers.
   *  Lightly grease dish, sprinkle brown sugar over base then cover with bread, buttered side up
   *  Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add milk and water, beat until combined.
   *  Carefully pour milk mixture over bread.
   *  Sprinkle with cinnamon.
   *  Place dish in a baking dish with enough water to come halfway up sides of dish.
   *  Bake in a moderate oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until custard is set.

******* Better make 2 because this won't last!!

Tuesday.

Wow the wind would blow a dog off a chain here today. The sun is shining and the temp is 31c. Already the smell of bush fires is being carried on this wind. :(

The veggies will struggle this summer I'd say, if this is what its like now at the beginning of spring. The tomatoes didn't do so well last year but we have moved beds and put in extra plants  in the hope that we will get plenty this season. I like to have extras to make pasta sauce etc.

So far we have put it tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, onions and spring onions, spinach, zucchini, more basil, peppermint, parsnips, beetroot and chilli.The strawberries are doing fine as are the fruit trees, with the blueberries starting to appear. The herbs are loving the sun and the grape vines are sprouting again. There is still more to plant but it can wait another week.

 




A few of our everyday visitors.

Beautiful sunset from our back deck.

Advertising!

  

Well it's Fathers Day here in Australia this Sunday. As usual we've been assailed with adverts left, right and centre. I must admit I find most advertising rather silly,and vaguely incomprehensible.

I mean really, have you ever bought coffee beans because George Clooney swans about trying to get his fix? Or cat food because Eva Longoria dances around her lounge-room? Evidently, according to the blurb, Eva is trying to make cat food "sexy". Sexy ????? Cat food ?????

Really clever ads (and yes there have been some) are few and far between. I do find the so-called ad-jocks are a little behind the times. "Sex sells" is an old adage that may have been edgy in its day but really ....sexy cat food????

So now to Father's Day. "Show your dad how much you love him". Hey I love presents as much as the next person - giving and receiving - but I didn't know that the giving of a particular gift was an accurate measure of my feelings for someone. Advertising always goes for the jugular; portraying you as lacking in some way if you don't use or buy their product. And you're not a good parent/child/friend/spouse if you don't max out the credit card on a gift. Hey that's how we all know how much you care - cause if you really care - you will buy, buy, buy! So does the kid who saved a few dollars love their dad less than the one who has a few hundred to spend on dad? Well that's the measure the ad guys use.

And that's what I find hard to understand. I know very few people who believe all that ; and yet someone must; cause these ad guys still have jobs, spending millions on meaningless nonsense that assaults our sensibilities and often tries to guilt us into buying their product.

    Will my husband get something for Fathers Day? I daresay he will. I also know the thing he will treasure the most is spending time with the kids. Something that can't be bought or measured; and no-one can make a buck out of it.

Follow Up.

Wow!! I was a little taken aback at how many people msg or rang me about the last post. Taken aback because, apart from a few close family members and friends this blog was started for, I didn't think anyone dropped in on a regular basis to have a read. I don't read stats (though I did yesterday and was quite surprised!)

It was really interesting to hear the reaction from people; and lovely to see I have so many friends who think the same way.
                                          .........................................................................

I had a wonderful birthday with my family and friends; lots of laughs as usual. My eldest and his wife are overseas at the moment but will be home this week so we'll have a belated get-together then.

This photo I've included is one of my English cousins garden. They live near Norwich in Norfolk and we had the joy of spending a couple of days with Isabel and Ron when we were recently in the U.K.  They were wonderful hosts and a lot of fun; I love their zest for life. It is a lovely English garden and I thought you may enjoy a peek at one little corner of it. :)