Wacky Weather

Yesterday was chilly to say the least. A good day to be holed up with a book for most of the day. The temperature didn't make it out of single figures but at about 5pm, the sun showed itself as it set behind the hills in a what looked like a summery display.

 This morning looked completely different but surprisingly, wasn't as cold as it looked. Misty mornings are on my favourites list along with rainy mornings, sunny mornings etc.

I hope my friend likes purple because that is the colour I am featuring in a picnic blanket for her. That's tonight's project, sew up the nine fat quarters I cut up last night. I know Friday night is a popular stitching night for many so I'm hoping to catch some of those creative vibes out there and make the top tonight.
Tracy

Keeping Warm

A trip to town today to take the scholar to catch the train back to Sydney for university. The fire went out while I was out and the house was a chilly 9 degrees C (48 deg F) when I returned home (I didn't even check the outside temperature because I don't want to know). Silly me, I have been trying to warm up since.

 

The best way to warm up, a cuddle from my baby.

A piece of caramel cake, a hot chocolate and spicy chicken curry for dinner doesn't hurt the efforts either.
Tracy

The day started quite promising with a gentle drizzle but it really hasn't amounted to much more than that. I was hoping for a day of heavy rain so I could do some craft and letter writing but mostly so it would fill our tanks.

 

In fact, there has been enough dry patches for me to spend an hour or so weeding and tidying up. The herb garden (above) is divided into four distinct beds and I first broke ground there ten years ago. Some of the plants are still going strong, the rosemary in particular, but two of the beds needed a complete overhaul. I've cleared what needs to go and now the best part, replanting. I'll use a few free plants volunteered from other parts of the garden and also buy some new ones too. So the herb garden isn't looking its best but it is neat... for now.

I will probably leave most of the planting until the weather warms up in spring so the new plants don't have to get their bearings in the garden when it is cold or frosty. That will also give me a bit more time to plan things rather than just pop things in where there is a space though that has worked well enough up 'til now. And a bit more time to revitlalise the soil with compost and maybe some green manure.

My favourite herbs are lavender, thyme, basil and coriander. I can't pick just one. Do you have a favourite herb?

This pair of handsome roosters (along with three others) are in desperate need of a new home or they are going to get the 'chop'. I checked the local Gumtree page and it seems fairly flush for roosters so I don't think there would be any joy there. It's not a farm service that I want to offer but a friend had five bantam roosters in her backyard in town and nobody prepared to dispatch them for her. So they are here  now but not for long.

Tracy

Mother's Day weekend

From "The Sydney Morning Herald" 5/5/2103

 

We spent a nice few days in Sydney over the Mother's Day weekend. It was a treat to have us all together under one roof even if it was only for a couple of days. I got to visit my vet in training and part-time Stormtrooper son (he's the middle trooper above), one of my sisters and her children and get very tired in the process. I'm not sure why a weekend of doing not very much (well not as much as usual) makes me so weary.

 

A homemade card with self-portraits. Grace and Hope did a fair job but Tim and Tom thankfully hardly resemble their efforts at all.

We squeezed in a session of roller skating too. If we lived near a rink, Grace would want to skate every week but at $60 for a two hour skate for four of us, I'm not sure I could afford it. Once in a while is quite enough for me. I must say though roller skating is still great even after quite a few years of being off my wheels and it really makes me smile.

I'm still waiting for rain here with increasing levels of impatience. In my area it is nowhere near as bad as other places but very much needed nonetheless. Clouds are building a little today but we shall see.
Tracy

Why autumn is great

The weather for one is fantastic. My only complaint is that we really need rain. The countryside is quite dry but the days are just so nice and clear. It is also the time whe nthe garden puts on a last hoorah before winter. That means it's time to preserve the bounty for later.

 

In my weariness, I have been a bit lax in the garden and apart from watering and a little pottering it isn't getting much attention at all. That is why the zucchini above are so huge. I just didn't get around to picking them in time. Not to worry, tomorrow they will begin their journey to pickledom. I've actually got a fair bit of pickling to do on Saturday.

 Spicy zucchini pickles, capsicum jam, green tomato and mustard pickles and something with chillies.

Bhut jolokia fruit

Probably some sort of chilli jam or sambal. All I can say about the Bhut jolokia chilli is that it did deliver in the heat rating. The claim is that it is the world's hottest chilli and it is definitely the hottest in my garden this year with the habanero coming in second place. The first one I picked a while back had no heat at all but they have developed and a full glass of milk was in order after a just a taste. I am a sook when it comes to hot and spicy but Tim concurs with me and for him the hotter the better.



Sunny Corner Farm toasted muesli

I didn't get around to making my creamed honey yet but a few days won't make much of a difference. It is a slow food after all in that it takes a while from the initial making for it to become what is recognised as creamed honey. But I did make something quick and everso easy with honey today. Toasted muesli.To make it I just mixed 800 grams of rolled oats with 1 cup of honey and 1/3 cup brown sugar and roasted/toasted it in a slow-medium oven with the fan on for 40 minutes. Allowed it to cool then added the fruit, nuts and seeds. The nuts and seeds could have been roasted along with the oats but I forgot at the time. In my mix today are oats, honey, brown sugar, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, sultanas and cranberries. It is plenty sweet enough for me but I can assure you that Tim will drizzle honey on his for breakfast (or even dessert tonight).

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

Please excuse me...

On the verandah (in the shade mind) today it was 44.4 degrees C/ 111.9 degrees F. Not pleasant for any species. I dread to imagine what conditions are like further west. Please excuse me I think I am melting. That air-conditioned house in town with a pool and a tiny yard is looking more appealing by the day. Stay cool, Tracy

A different kind of post

I think I gab on a little too much about gardening, cooking and farm animals sometimes so today I will post something a bit different. I had to do some shopping yesterday and as I was in town, I headed to one of the town's Vinnie's stores. I went on the right day, it was $1 day and everything was $1 or less. I think I ended up with 10 items for $5 and I was really happy with my purchases.

 

 A coffee pot which Tim found and rightly thought it was just the thing for me. The little green vase is very cute and is made by Brody. I can't bring myself to tamper with it so I won't be drilling holes in it to plant some cacti or succulents but I might put a pot in there instead. Cacti and succulents can have a modern look but planted the right way and they have a real retro feel which would suit this vase totally. (That was borderline gardening so I will stop there).

I think I bought out the entire shop of Christmas cards. I couldn't resist. There are some vintage ones, some charity cards (which are also vintage) and also the pen and ink cards drawn by a year 8 student (or so the card says). I'm all set for cards for next Christmas (no end of the world thinking for me obviously). Too many brackets... sorry.

We had 6mm of rain last night which was so welcome and an overcas and humid day has followed today. And although the 80% humidity is not the best, the 26degrees C is compensation enough.
Tracy

Running on Empty

Empty water tanks that is. We have never had both of our water tanks on the house go dry before but it happened on Sunday night. I'm thinking that there may be something amiss with the tanks because we have had much drier conditions before, had an extra household member and haven't run out of water before. I am definitely giving thanks now that we installed other tanks for 'just in case' because we now need that water. When you live in town with mains water, it is easy to not give water much of a thought. Turn on the tap and out is comes but relying completely on rain water is a completely different matter. Anyway, we have water at the turn of a tap now that we have pumped some into our house tanks from the auxillary tanks. A spot of rain would be much appreciated though just to be sure.

 

California poppy- Red Chief

 I know others are feeling the dry too but unlike the garden at Thistlebrook, my garden is looking pretty good. Things are growing well although the grass areas are quite dry but I have never been one for a manicured lawn so that doesn't trouble me a jot. In fact, if the grass doesn't grow too much then I don't have to mow it which can only be a good thing. Grass in the paddocks is another matter entirely, that I want to grow and be lush and fresh.

Chameleon rose (always in bloom for Grace's birthday)

So, even more careful water usage is on the cards here.Mulching the garden(almost all done), perhaps using a wetting agent, watching for ways to reduce evaporation of stock water and being vigilant in the house. I'm not sure if the predictions for a hot, dry summer are going to come to fruition or not but I am going to act as if they are and take the right actions and precautions. It doesn't hurt.
Tracy

Blustery weather

 We have had a sudden turn around in our weather.It seems to be fairly widesdpread with snow close by, a frost here this morning and wet, windy and cold weather for the past two days. Not really unusual for this time of year but my outdoor thermometer is telling me that there has been a difference in over twenty degrees C in the maximum and minimum temperatures in the past couple of days. I think that's what has the most effect. You get used to be warm and then all of a sudden it is cold again. Thankfully I hesitated in planting out some tomato seedlings (though I did plant out a couple of rosells) on Wednesday because it was too hot. I'm sure they would be fine in the cold and wet but perhaps not the frost that we had this morning.

And in what seems to be the way of things, a ewe had to be assisted with delivering twin lambs yesterday in the rain. They are big lambs and both had their left front feet facing backwards. Just a little bit of a helping hand and they were both on the ground and up and about in no time. Sometimes it is very hands-on and not for the faint hearted.

Puss gets to live the life though. We have had the fire on all day and she has hardly moved. Being a cat, I'm sure she thinks it is just for her benefit.

Tonight I am going to get a bit of sewing done. It is just the weather for it.
Tracy

Christmas Weather

Cool and wet.
It is another rainy day here. The weather although very wet is actually quite lovely. Just right for spending time together.
This has been my daily attire. Boots and raincoat. Much different to what I have been reading on Tania's blog where it is HOT. We haven't had a day this month that has reached 30 degC in our valley and almost 100mL of rain with more falling right now.

Lambs and ewes are in the paddock all day but bed down in the shed overnight. It is one toasty, cosy and cute place to be.

Tracy

Tomato

Our first tomato for this season. I am behind with tomatoes this year after the hail storm last month destroying 29 tomato seedlings. I thought it was 30 but one lone Brandywine survived. I have planted out some more tomatoes so I am optimistic for some more home grown goodness soon. Until then, I will support the local organic growers who were spared in the storms.

The first tomato from the garden actually came from Hope's little garden bed. It weighed in at a huge 16 grams which didn't go very far with Tim and I sharing. It might have been tiny but it was delicious.

The weather is still playing tricks here. It has been unseasonally cool and very wet. Gardening and farming are both endeavours which are at the mercy of the weather and a positive attitude is your best friend.

Tonight I am hoping I have enough energy left over after a day in town to do some Christmas crafting. I love this time of year and the flurry to make some special little things for those I hold most dear.

Tracy

Rainy Days

We are having some rather wet weather. A wild night of hail, wind, rain and lightning on Tuesday dawned to the morning above on Wednesday. The sunshine was very short lived however and I spent the day indoors and without power. The electricity was out for 11 hours which really does make you think. It made me realise how much I rely on the power coming in for so many things. Cooking, lighting and even just to get water into the house we are reliant on an electric pump. The day was good though. I made a start on some crocheting I wanted to do for Christmas, made some lists (because I love lists), I tidied up some cupboards which needed it, cut out some sewing patterns and fabric (no sewing though). I even had a siesta in the afternoon.

If the meteorologists forecasts are accurate, and sometimes they are, then we have a wet summer ahead. I now have an area in the garden which is prone to becoming a bit boggy after a downpour. It then dries out cement hard. I am thinking that it needs a little creativity to get it right especially with more rain on the way. Perhaps Phoebe's swale idea could work here. I'll ponder it a little more. Anyway, it is another crocheting kind of day along with orchestra and an art show this afternoon.

Tracy

Rain At Last

After recent hot weather the soaking rain that we have had for the last few days is such a relief. The tanks are full and the creek has a healthy flow.The picture above is of the torrent flowing through what is left of my herb garden.The garden bed to the right of the picture will have to be replanted once the grasshoppers are finally finished.All they have left there are brown skeletons of what used to be lush green herbs.

The girls have some fun splashing in the puddles.

I have some quiet time listening to the cricket and cross stitching.The only drawback is that I have had to turn the electricity on to the solar hot water system that we had installed in November to bump up the temperature.It is the first time since it was installed that the temperature has been low enough to require some additional heat.I probably wouldn't have bothered but those girls playing in puddles will want to have a bath when they finally come inside.

Happy Days

Tracy