Busy but not like a bee

A busy bee on my mint

Today has been one of those days actually the last two days have been those days. The kind when you are busy chasing your own tail. I have been to the hospital, to the doctor  and we will be back at the doctor tomorrow too . Tim was bitten by a red back spider on Sunday afternoon and although he didn't think too much of it at first, he is reeling a little now. All of the typical symptoms but it his blood pressure which is of greatest concern to the medical fraternity. He has only slept for about an hour since Sunday night and it is terrible seeing him so out of sorts. It is both amazing and alarming what harm such a small being can do. He will be all right and keeps assuring me he will be btter tomorrow but I think it might take a bit longer than that.

On to happier things. I just found Amber's great blog and she is having a giveaway . And although I would really like to win the book myself, I think it is nice to share the chance with my blogging friends. That's what friends do. Even if I'm not the lucky winner, I am glad I have found a new blog to read.

Take care,
Tracy

43 today and the winner

 

We celebrated Tim's 43rd without too much style here today. A trip to town for a pink slip, grocery shopping and some exorbitant school uniform purchases. I prefer to spend special days (actually any day) at home and make more of an effort but unfortunately this year, I was a slacker and bought a cake for the birthday boy. Tasted good anyway and it's the company that counts... right.

 

 

 

When we got home, Tim drew the giveaway winner and ...

 

 

the winner is Liz. I will package up your parcel and have it in the post in the next week Liz.

 

Thanks to everyone who actually reads my blog and a special thank you to those who leave comments from time to time. I know sometimes when I read a blog I am in two minds as to whether or not to comment because it does take a few minutes but I am going to be a more active commenter from here on in.

 

 

Tracy

Pictureless

I'm feeling rather bland today and have decided to opt for a pictureless post which is strange because the blogs I love the most are those with pictures... great photography or even just a plain old snapshot of everyday life. I guess I am more visual than I realised.

We have been so boring of late. Staying at home mostly and heading to Nundle (to swim in the nicest public pool I have been to) on the particularly hot days. There has been a reprieve from the heat but not for long. I have even fired up the oven for pleasure rather than just necessity.

Tomorrow is Tim's birthday and he will be drawing the giveaway so please enter if you want a chance to have a little bit of my stitching sent your way.

Tracy

Thanks to my blog

 I often usually have my camera on hand no matter what I am doing. I take it in my handbag just in case there is something that is photo worthy whether it is good, bad or just amusing. The beauty of digital photography, no wasted film or even printing of those ridiculous shots that were never meant to be. I take the camera when I am out and about on the farm and click away to my hearts content then edit and delete when I get home.

Today I was enjoying the bean flowers and thought why not take a picture. At a glane, they are  understated but up close they are quite pretty. And I thought, yeah why not take a bean flower picture for the blog. I'm glad I did because...

 I found some beans. The first for this season. So thanks to my blog, we will be having beans tonight (not enough for a feast but the first taste is always the best). If I didn't get up close to that bean flower, I wouldn't have found the beans amongst the foliage. So I am one happy gardener and cook (Hope won't be as happy).

See, I really do take the camera everywhere. Even when feeding sheep though they don't really need to be fed, they just like it.

This afternoon I am packing and preparing for a train trip to Sydney. It is Tom's birthday tomorrow so I am heading down to be with him for the evening at least and he can even draw the giveaway (though I would really love to give everyone something). I'm going to catch up with a friend from school, do some sightseeing in my old hometown and then bring my boy home for the holidays. Good times ahead. I'm making some shortbreads for the trip and packing some hand stitching. 6 hours  on a train is a long time so I hope to get at least a little bit done.

Tracy

Catch Up and don't forget the giveaway

 

A bit of a busy week to-ing and fro-ing. I managed to do some  Christmas shopping on Thursday and donate blood as well. Then it has been farm work which was made a little less pleasant by the heat. We have had temperatures in the high 30 deg C and have been told to expect the low 40s by the end of this week. I'm not looking forward to that. Although I like to embrace the seasons as they come, I really don't like excess heat and if it is coupled with humidity then it is not for me.

 



Heads down enjoying their hay

 This week we marked the lambs. That is tail docking and castration of males which aren't suitable for breeding. Our lambs are ear tagged when they are younger to enable us to keep track of their pedigree which is important when dealing with registered pure bred animals. It really isn't a pleasant task for farmer or animal but necessary for longterm animal welfare. Sheep with tails are prone to flystrike which can be deadly quite quickly. I know in some cooler climates where flies aren't the problem that they are in Australia, sheep can keep their tails but not here. Anyway, we carry out the procedure quickly and with care and with the animals' best interests at heart.

 We had a red bellied black snake make a visit on Thursday afternoon. I had  been over to the turkey house to visit mother turkey and her new chicks and all was well. Forty-five minutes later there was much ado in the house. Our male turkey, the other female and mother were flapping and carrying on a treat. I initially thought they were attacking the newly hatched chicks (although they have never done anything like that before) but no, the three were teaming up against the above snake. I know they are defensive but I had no idea that they would fight off a snake in defense of their young. The good news is that no birds were harmed though the snake didn't fair as well.

After a lot of craft and sewing being done recently, I haven't even toched any fabric until tonight. My mother gave me a bag of squares which came through the op shop she volunteers at. They are gaudy and bright, 1970s looking and not my style but they apparently belonged to someone who cared about them so I'm not letting them go to waste. I do need a bit of inspiration working with bright fabrics and there is plenty to be found here. I hope to have this little project finished by Tuesday night because come Wednesday, I am heading off on a big train trip to Sydney for Tom's birthday and also to bring him back home next weekend. I lose my sewing zone then because he will want his room all to himself I'm sure.

Don't forget the giveaway. It is only small but good things come in small packages. Right?
Tracy

Giving

Bhut jolokia

My newest plant arrived in yesterday's mail. It is a Bhut jolokia chilli which is apparently the world's hottest. I can assure I will not be testing the claim, I will leave it up to the resident chilli fanciers. My tolerance for spicy things has waned in the last two years for some unknown reason but I will probably have a little try and regret it after. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried this chilli and how it rates heatwise.

 I love getting mail (bills excluded) and our letter box has been very active of late. Secret parcels coming in and now I have a few to post away.

All of my remaining swap parcels are being posted tomorrow and I hope they will be well received at their destinations. I enjoyed getting to know my swap partners by reading their blogs but it does feel a little creepy strange looking in on their lives without even saying hello because everything is top secret.

I'm making a day of being in town tomorrow and doing some Christmas and birthday shopping and also donating blood. And while I'm in the giving mood, I would like to offer a set of  my felt ornaments as a giveaway.

 

I will leave the giveaway open until next Wednesday, 28th November and then draw a name. Just leave a comment to be in the running. Like Sunny Corner Farm on Facebook for an extra chance too.

 

Tracy

Paying it Forward-seeds

Carrot- purple dragon

Seeds are big deal to me. Almost everyday I am planting seeds or collecting them or even eating them. Most of the seeds I use are heirloom varieties which come with a history and often a little more flavour too. Swapping seeds or even giving them away is great way to keep things growing. Last week Gillian offered some of her excess seeds and I took up her offer.

If you would like to learn more about the plight of seeds the impact on food production/freedom then there is a film that can be downloaded from here.

Anyway my little bit for spreading seed is to give some of my own seeds away. I have some beans (climbing princess) and a few moon and stars watermelon seeds(I don't have a lot of these)  that I will give away. Unfortunately I can only send these within Australia and not to Tasmania or WA because of quarantine restrictions. But other than that I am happy to post them. Just send me an email (sunnycornerfarm  at  hotmail dot com    or there is a link on my profile page) with your name and address and which seeds you would prefer.

happy growing
Tracy