Head down

I've had my head down and been busy working the past few days. It's the thing to do apparently.

 

Actually I think it is the school holidays, it brings about a buzz of activity. No lunches to pack and no schedule to keep. It's like there are more hours in the day to take advantage of. All I know is I wake up early and by the end of the day I am tired but happily so.

The garden is providing us with lots of goodness and our lunches have been a bit cheaty. Just pick what's ready and appealing and concoct something. A sandwich, an omelette or even better a vegetable plate with some spicy zucchini pickles and mayonnaise.

Today however there is a terrible wind blowing. It is hot and dry and in my opinion a little bit scary. I think it is blowing quite strongly and causing some damage in some places. The only damage I have had to deal with is having to gather some of the clean washing from the lawn rather than the clothesline . So this afternoon the only outside chore I am doing is feeding the chickens and locking them away for the night. I have been trying to do some sewing but I just can't settle on something I want to make. It happens. I think I might just organise my contribution to Zara's swap (there's still time to join)  so that I can say I've done something crafty this afternoon.

Tomorrow is earmarked already as a baking day. The postponed high tea is on Saturday with a very much reduced guest list as it seems that a lot of people are too busy right now. Next year I think I will just make myself a cup of tea and give a donation.

Now I must tear myself away from this machine so I do actually have enough time to get started on some craft this afternoon.

Tracy

Beautiful day







Just a few things that added beauty to my day.

Red oak leaf lettuce (a freebie from Agquip)

 Although my cold is persisting, I have been out and about in the garden and the day is absolutely stunning despite a gusty wind. It is just a beautiful day here.

I think when the radish get to about this stage of growth, it is time to sow another row in an attempt to have an almost constant supply. At the moment I have French Breakfast and Cherry Belle on the go but next row might be an heirloom mix from Diggers. Tim and the girls are big radish fans. Me not so much. Just one or two every now and then are enough.

Bees aren't supposed to be overly keen on windy weather (I don't blame them) but mine don't seem to mind. Except for really wet days, they are busy doing what they do. Certainly we don't check the hives when it is too windy because they aren't as placid then.

It's always a beautiful day when I have the chance to plant something. This morning I planted out a couple of capsicums and lettuces that my parents didn't want, and four herb pots I bought on the weekend- dogbane, rue, another thyme and a golden sage. And when I find an earthworm whilst digging (and I don't chop it in half) I'm very happy.

 Even the moths looked pretty today. There have been a lot of butterflies so far this spring.  I'm not sure if this has any significance or not but I like it.

And lastly the ranunculi are starting to bloom and although these ones are more simple than the big showy double blooms you can get, I really like them. I don't think this flower will last long, it has been blowing about and bending over but while it's here, it is very sweet.

This morning I also stirred the compost heap. It might not be a pretty task but there is definitely satisfaction in turning scraps and lawn clippings and manure into such wonderful stuff. I would say for sure that compost is greater than the sum of its parts. The beauty is there, you just have to look closer or blur your vision a bit.

Perhaps I am just in a particularly good mood. I even found the hissing mother duck sitting on her pile of who knows how many eggs kind of cute.

I hope you have had a good day too with at least a little bit of beauty.

Tracy

A Tale of Two 'Orchards'

I have two areas set aside for growing fruit which I guess could loosely be described as orchards. And what I learnt today is that they are difficult to photograph (for me anyway).

 



 

The first orchard is mostly well established and provides us with some of our fruit but although I dream of self reliance as far as food goes, realistically it isn't going to happen in the orchard. If I went down that road I wouldn't be eating a mango or banana again and I really want mangoes and bananas in my diet. Last summer we wouldn't have eaten much fruit at all if I relied on the orchards. It was a dismal year for the fruit because I couldn't spare the water for them so they survived rather than thrived and the fruit that set went mostly to the birds who were hungry in the lean year too.

 

 

This year looks a little better. The leaky tank is mended so there should be enough water for us, the livestock, the garden and the trees.

 



 

The newer part of the orchard is immature to say the least. And it's at this youthful stage that it requires the most attention. Plenty of water, mulch, compost and protection from rabbits. 

And even though a lot of the trees are little more than saplings right now, one day (hopefully) they will bare fruit. That's what is all about, planting and hoping and a bit of hard work now and then. The fruit is an added bonus along the gardening journey.

This season I want to work on improving  the soil in the young orchard. It is really not the best soil but it is what I have here. In this part of the yard it alternates between sandy and clay depending where you dig but never the much lauded loam. So that's my aim. Improve the soil and the plants should come along for the ride.

Prune d'Agen

Bee foraging Prune D'Agen

I'm not sure how other people choose their plants but I am a sucker for plants with interesting names and stories. I do also buy regular non-heirloom varieties at the nursery but the seed and plant catalogues that offer Amish deer tongue lettuce, Yellow sausage tomatoes and apples such as Improved Fox Whelp, Sugar Loaf Pippin, Worcester Permain and Geeveston Fanny draw me in every time. And yes, I have all of those varieties planted. I'm being tempted by the newest Diggers catalogue today obviously.

Better than buying anything new though, I am going to head outdoors now and plant some of the seeds already in my collection. Corn today. Planted early with the hopes that any frosts we might still have won't be too severe.

Do you have fruit trees?  What are you planting now?
Tracy

Simply Busy

A brief chat with a friend this morning got me thinking about life and such. Well about my life in particular and how I am happy to be living it. I am well aware of how very fortunate I am to be living right here, right now. Of course things do not run smoothly and on a daily basis there are minor predicaments to deal with but they are more often than not the type of trouble that causes laughter later or even fodder for schadenfruede.

 

Bees, pollen, larvae and capped brood. Looking good.

 

Right now I am busy. Not busy in a crazy too much to do sense but more busy like a bee. I know what I have to do and it is enough. The garden is starting to pick up with new growth with the warm days (and nights recently) we have been having. Unfortunately the one really cold night we had froze the leaves and fruit that were forming on the black mulberry tree but I checked it today and there are new leaves coming on now so all is not lost.

 

We checked the bee hives on Saturday and things are looking good there. This early in the season there is no honey for us but they have enough for them and there is plenty of brood and pollen to keep bee numbers up. Last summer was quite hard on the bees with it being so dry and flowering being interrupted by the hot, dry weather. Here's hoping that this summer there is a little (or a lot) more moisture in these parts.

 

The two rams also had a hair cut on Saturday and the ewes will be shorn next week. The younger ram, Darrel, is a pleasure to shear when compared with Crinkles (so Tim tells me because I do not go into the paddock with Crinkles). He is 100kg plus of bossy ram and I'm sure if there was a picture in the dictionary of headstrong then he would be there ready to butt and bully.

Darrel at front looking unimpressed with his new hair cut and Crinkles wearing a lewd grin.

I think his attitude was picked up when he was a lamb. He was born and raised on a school farm and had more handling and human contact than necessary.

 

 

Fiona shared a picture of her wisteria (perhaps just on Facebook I'm not sure) a week or so ago and mine is just opening up now. How sweet it is.

Wisteria almost seems too good to be true. Gorgeous blooms and a scent that doesn't overpower but lingers in the air.

So having said all that, I am busy. Simply so. And in the evening if we have nothing else we want to do, we have started watching our River Cottage/ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall collection again. At the moment we are watching "A Cook on the Wild Side". Makes me want to take a trip to the UK and cruise around in a Landrover or travel along in a canal boat just a little bit.

Tracy

Four extra hours

Today I have managed to score four extra hours at home to work or not. How? I certainly can't conjure time out of thin air that's for sure. If I could I would be very popular. As it happens, Monday is my 'town' day. At 2pm I clock off here and head into town for music and drama classes for the girls. I also do our grocery shopping for the week. Perhaps that is one way I keep our grocery budget to a minimum, I spend next to no time in the shops because it is a busy afternoon. Anyway, today my trip is cancelled due to a flat tyre. I didn't feel right driving the car with the small emergency spare tyre so I'm staying home and hopefully using my 'extra' time wisely. The tyre has been mended so most likely the hours I have today will be taken back tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

 

What am doing? Sorting out my mess of seeds. As soon as I log off here I'm going to plant out those mint seeds on the top of the box. I have just the spot near the back step. And I think it is a perfect afternoon for sowing some radish seeds and maybe some carrots too. I keep them in the box in alphabetical order(sort of) to make it easier to locate the ones I want. The seeds in the basket are those for direct sowing soon. I also keep a couple of those desiccant sachets that come in shoe boxes in with the seeds. It hasn't hurt them any.

I'm also going to do a workout but that is not worth talking too much about.

 In yesterday's post I had a list of things to do this month. Happily I crossed a couple of jobs off this morning and the roses and front gardens have been mulched. The shed garden has been weeded and the compost is moved across a bay and there is a new batch started. Thrilling stuff... not... but it makes me happy.

I have been meaning to add a link in a post to a new to me blog that is really rather sweet. Sharon blogs at Miss Townmouse about all manner of good things including her lovely garden.

I hope I don't bore you too much with bee pictures in the coming months. I just like them so much and really it can't be boring because most likely it isn't a picture of the same bee twice though I really can't tell.

How would you spend a couple of extra hours?

Tracy

Hard workers

My Grace would be 'grossed out' if she knew that I had my hands in the worm farms today. She loathes worms. It's the way they move that gets to her. They don't bother me at all. And believe it or not, one of the first things I dissected when I was at university was an earthworm which I can safely say was much more pleasant to dissect than a cockroach. 

 

These are composting worms which live in our worm farms. We have two of the black plastic kind but I would like to add a bathtub type of worm farm to my never ending wish list. They are such hard workers and all they ask for is food scraps and a little bit of protection from the elements. In return they give you great plant food in the form of their castings and a tea (for plants not people) made from the liquid which drains from the farms.

Today I fed them and gave them a new hessian cover to keep them snug. And that's almost all there is to their maintenance.

The other hard workers here were busy again today. The sun is shining and the bees are making the most of the flowers which are out.

I hope they find the broadbean flowers which are just coming on. The bees need the flowers. The beans need the bees for pollination and, I need the beans because they are one of my favourite vegetables. It's a winning relationship. Then there is the honey too.

No broadbeans yet though so I am off to pick some nettles to use in tonight's pasta. Trust me, nettle pasta is yum.
Tracy

Autumn hive checks

 

As we head into the cooler weather and less flowers for foraging, it is a good idea to check the hives to make sure things are as they should be. That was what we did this afternoon. It really was just a quick look and see to make sure there was enough honey for the bees.



 

 There were still plenty of comings and goings and quite a few bees with their heads down filling the honey chambers.

And bees with lots of pollen too to feed the baby bees. I haven't always had a bee bonnet so at first I wasn't as hands on with the beekeeping. I would still be on hand but not actually handle the frames just in case the bees decided to take offence. I was never stung by our bees even when I didn't have protective equipment and I have  no fear of bees. Though I do know what a sting feels like because I can remember all three stings I have had in my lifetime and the first one was when I was only in single digits. So I understand the fear that some people have.

Beekeeping is one of the few activities we have here that (even though I don't like cliches) keeps you 'in the moment' which I find hard to do at other times. You really concentrate on what you are doing, you have to be calm and not rush and multi-tasking is really out of the question. It's one of the things I like about it.

The result of our hive checks was that they are healthy but one is a little low in honey stores which we will have to keep an eye on. Our honey stores are dwindling too, we have actually sold out of honey. I'm happy that we have had people buy it and then come back and buy more. That's the best compliment.

Tracy

A slow day

I think that lately I have been running on a high from my iron supplements but it caught up with me yesterday and today too. I am feeling a bit worn out and have slowed down today. That's probably for the best though I am I believe quite an impatient person when it comes to myself and what I want to achieve on any given day.

 

Well, as I was having a slow kind of day, I decided to do some things that are quite a lengthy process. Growing garlic for one.

 

 I'm sure I usually have my garlic in the ground before now but better late than never. Not all of the bulbs I stored from last year have started shooting but the ones that have have been sorted and separated and planted. By mid spring, there should be plenty to unearth for cooking and growing next year too. I calculate our garlic usage at approximately 1 bulb per week so I usually plant out 100 garlics to have plenty for regular meals, pickles/sauces, the garden and to share as well. This amount doesn't take up as much room as it would seem for 100 plants, but if I didn't have the room, I would halve the amount and buy in new bulbs each year.


I took a look at our honey reserves too. This season has been on the leaner side as far as honey production goes so we have less for sale. But, our aim is for optimal production over maximum production. Quality not quantity. We inspected the hives last week too and although there is plenty of bee activity, they don't have any to spare for us right now. I think it is due to the rather extreme season we have had which has probably disrupted flowering and nectar flow in the eucalypts which make up the bulk of our bees foraging. The hive closest to the gardens is fairing the best, benefiting from the flowering plants we have planted.

 

Although our hives are permanently situated and the honey is multi-flora, there are still seasonal differences. The honey on the left, is harvest from earlier in the seaason whilst the honey on the right is a late season honey. And they taste markedly different too. The darker honey is more robust in flavour and my personal favourite. 

 

I checked the progress of my creamed honey this afternoon. I made it last weekend and it is definitely going through the candying process. I haven't made creamed honey before but it was simple enough, the biggest test is patience. There are plenty of websites and books with instructions on how to make creamed honey so I won't bother with a how to here. Suffice to say, it just requires some runny honey and creamed honey and time. Slow food.

I'm tempted by these hot chillies to make a Sriracha sauce but I may just get lazy and string them up to dry out. Even with all of the pickles, relishes and chutneys I make with chillies, a string of dried chillies is still my favourite way to preserve them.

 I'm always open to suggestions for new ways to preserve what I harvest so if anyone has some special recipes using chillies, I'd love to try them.

Now I am going to do some cross stitch which is just the right kind of craft for a slow moving day.
Tracy

It's a jungle out there today

 It is that autumnal time in the garden when everything is taking off. The weeds and grass and garden plants too are looking like a jungle. I think it is the vegetable plants ploy to hang around as long as they can. I mean how can I pull them out to make way for wintery goodness when they are still going so strong? I can't. I have a few empty beds now so today I have planted some more radish , weeded three beds and spread compost. All in a mist that gently fell. 'Twas lovely.

The fungi have been proliferating in the wet weather. Some only last a wee while but some hang around and become giants. There was even a cute fairy ring in the driveway but I was not ready with the camera while it was still cute.

 The bees are really making the most of any break in the rain. They aren't returning to the hives when it is misty rain, only when we have a downpour. Too busy to be indoors I guess.

The flavour of the day for them is the rosemary. I kind of like it too and will pick some (flowers and all) for our tomato tart we will have for dinner.

School lunchbox baking now.
Tracy

Smelling Roses

I have a busy week nay fortnight ahead. There is the usual work and the housework as well but on top of it all, I am Grace's roadie/ driver for rehearsals and performances for a musical she is in. Our schedule is usually quite simple but for the next two weeks, I have written where I have to be and when because I'm a little afraid I just might forget. I'm not one of those people who enjoys driving or even being a passenger much, it's just a means to an end. That's not to say that I don't make the best of the driving time with a bit of thinking and music listening but I'd still rather just not. Tim on the other hand, loves driving. A perfect match maybe. I hope so.

 

Hope

Because I am going to be busy I thought I should take a few moments this morning to literally and figuratively smell the roses. They have been poor performers this season because of the heat and dry but now that we are cooling down for autumn and have had some rain, they are having a flush of blooms. Not too many yet, but enough to allow for some whiling away of minutes if not hours conferring with them.

Seduction

 Unfortunately all of the roses which are offering up precious blooms, are of the low scent variety. Never mind stopping to smell the roses still felt good.

And I'm always on the lookout for bees when I'm out and about. The buddleia seems to be full of nectar if the buzzing is anything to go by. When we first thought about getting bees, I wasn't that interested. I wanted them but it was really Tim's baby. Now I'm just about as keen as him maybe moreso sometimes. He is more responsible for the heavy side of things like lifting supers and the like whereas I tend to the indoor activities like the wax processing. I think my biggest interest though is in their behaviour. Observing which flowers are favourites and which they don't bother with, the differences between the hives. I can easily see why some scientists dedicate their working lives to a creature which although tiny, has an important role in the wellbeing of the planet.
Tracy

Sunday



 

The asparagus flowers are the place to be right now if you are a bee that is. The flowers are nondescript individually but on mass they are quite nice. The humble little bee though appreciates every tiny flower. I heard them amongst the flowers before I saw them. The plants are bushy and as the bee flies between each flower it visits, you can hear it buzz and buzzing they were. They appear to be taking in some nectar but it's those pollen bags that are impressive. Bright orange and full.

 It looks like a pumpkin but in fact it is a Ronde de nice zucchini which I left for seeds. It is huge but weighs hardly anything at all given its size. It is just all hollow and seedy. I didn't leave it on purpose but by the time I found it, it was too late for anything else. There are still a few zucchini coming on but it won't be long and they will have to be pulled up. There are definitely touches of autumn in the air. You can feel it best when it is early morning. I love those chilly starts to the day.

 

At long last ( I thought it would never happen) the bhut jolokia chilli is bearing fruit. I was drawn in by the claim that it is the hottest chilli in the world right now. I'm sure there will be another to take its place but for the moment, this one will do me. Now it is a waiting game for the fruits to ripen in to the orange/red that they become. Tonight however, I will be picking one or two for the curry I am making for dinner.

Over the years, I have developed less of a tolerance for chillies but I'll still give it a go. I have habaneros too to compare it to so we shall see if it is indeed hotter. Tim and Tom are rather fond of chillies so I will let them be the judges in the end. If looks are anything to go by, it should be super hot because it really is one of the ugliest chilli fruits I have seen.

 

 

 

And just for good measure with the weather which has been all over the place this week, we are having a sunshower. Perfect opportunity to spend the rest of a relaxing Sunday indoors making and baking.

Tracy

Back to the routine

I'm so happy that Tim is well again. He returned to work today after twelve days at home and already I miss having him about. It has meant that my day is settling back into its normal routine. I have a bit of a plan of what's to be done each day and I'm back on track. Of course there are always things that crop up to create a diversion but today so far has been smooth sailing.

 

I even had a few spare minutes after I put the kitchen to rights to make these lotion bars. Fiona suggested them and the tutorial is here.

 

They are a perfect  for someone like me with beeswax on hand . They are emolient,easy to make and the few drops of lavender oil I added to the mix made them smell simply lovely. Now I hope they work wonders on my goat-like gardener's knees but that might be just too much to expect.

But those gardener's knees are worth it because I get to spend time amongst the flowers. The marigolds are simply stunning right now. I no longer have to sow seeds for marigolds, they pop up here and there when they are ready. The place they grow most readily here is the vegetable garden which is a boon because they are such good companions to many plants.

I picked up this lovely plant from BigW on Wednesday. I had to be in town for my regular blood donation (that didn't end up happening) and decided to treat myself to a plant or two. I actually only ended up with one because nothing else really caught my eye. I know what type of plant it is but I can not get the name to come to mind. I must be trying too hard to remember.

Today is gusty and cool, It's nice to have to rug up a little to go outside for a change.
Tracy

A change of plans

Freshly drawn comb

 Yesterday my plans for today involved a fair bit of fencing and marking lambs but none of that eventuated. The lambs can keep their tails a day or two longer. Today was pretty near perfect for hive checking and maintenance so that is what we did. It was sunny but not too hot, a breeze was blowing but it wasn't windy. Sounds like pretty good conditions for almost anything really but the hives really are best checked when the bees are active and happy. All was good and there is a lot of new comb being drawn out in the new supers and some honey being made too. Just as it should be. I did manage to get a bee in my bonnet but thankfully both bee and me were unharmed.

 The bees have been busy in the kurrajong tree which is amass of these bell shaped flowers. They remind me of Christmas bells but it could be that I am just seeing Christmas everywhere because of the ornaments I have been making. Right now I am making a few crocheted baubles using this pattern which is I'm glad to say easy to follow. No pictures tonight because the light is not right for photography.

 I'm looking forward to the agapanthus flowering. They are however quite enchanting before the flowers open fully if you have time to look.

Morning tea

 Changing plans and reducing todays to-do list allowed us to have a proper morning tea rather than a quick cuppa. Scones for elevenses is always nice and extra good today because I made the strawberry jam just last week.

I even enjoy washing up after morning tea. Looks much nicer than the pots and pans from a dinnertime cooking spree.

All in all, a great day even if there was no rain despite the forecast being for wet weather.
tracy

Broad beans

Today is HOT. It is amazing what a difference that week makes, sub zero temperatures last Thursday night and the mid thirties today. I have taken off the flannel sheets and replaced them with light weight summery ones. Grace was most impressed yesterday with her fresh bed linen and said it felt like a motel bed. I must have tucked hers in extra tight. Hope has even requested a swim tomorrow but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that.

In preparation for the heat and the even hotter and most likely from predictions, drier weather ahead, I have been spending the mornings in the orchard replenishing the mulch around the trees and berries. I am certainly getting a cheap workout.

I think this week I will mulch the vegetable garden too. The soil is warm and if left unmulched, it dries out quickly and in summer some plants would need more than one watering a day. I use lucerne mulch that I get from the same place we buy our lucerne hay which we feed the sheep when necessary. They usually have bales which for whatever reason are not suitable for stock feed but are more than adequate for the garden. The only drawback is that weeds are introduced to the garden that haven't been here before, Johnson grass and Thorn apple just to name two.

Today I have been processing beeswax. And slowly but surely, each time I do it I am for one thing getting better at it and for another, I am actually starting to enjoy the process. Thank goodness for that.

It is time for chickens to be fed and that's my job too.
Tracy