Glad to be home

 A very quick trip to the city and back (to take Tom 'home') might mean delicious and decadent treats in cafes.

 And it might also mean catching up with family (in this case my sister and niece) but, I am ever so glad to be home. I am tuckered out from to-ing and fro-ing. I get teary when I leave Tom in Sydney and think maybe we should just move there too but by the time I am half way home, I am fine and not a bit enchanted with the idea of moving home. He is fine of course, the girls don't really care a bit and Tim is quite stoic by nature. I have my very own life here and that is as it should be.

Lavender

 And that life is full of prettiness right now. Many of the lavenders are in full swing. The bees are completely taken with them.

Lavender and bees

 The bees work fairly methodically. They generally land at the bottom of the lavender flower and work their way up to the top sipping from each tiny true flower along the way. They are very clever and I can and do watch them for quite some time. That's where I have been having my morning cuppa each day, amongst the bees in the herb garden.

Snow pea

 This is pretty to me too. Snow peas are delicious. The girls only eat them raw so many don't make it out of the garden to the kitchen but that is just fine. And besides, if you can't beat them, join them I say. They make a great gardening snack.

Globe artichoke

 Pretty ,pretty globe artichokes just poking up their heads. They are a fairly recent addition to our table and even if we didn't eat them at all, I would grow them anyway. They make such a spectacular addition to the herb or flower garden. Though I have this one in the vegetable garden, I won't plant another one there, they take up too much room.

Purple sprouting broccoli

Pretty in my opinion too, the purple sprouting broccoli. What can I say, I am a vegie fan and I don't think there is one I don't like even the much maligned Brussel's sprout is on my favourites list.

Now I am off to do a spot of baking because my sister is actually visiting me at home tomorrow for morning tea. Morning and afternoon tea is my favourite way to entertain.

Tracy
P.S. My good friend Vickie told me that she has had trouble with commenting because of the verification codes being difficult to decipher. Hence, I am switching it off and turning on comment moderation in its place. Hope that helps any wannabe commenters and maybe even causes some 'delurking'.

A quick road trip

Tim and Tom

 A quick road trip for me tomorrow to take Tom back to Sydney for the final stretch of university for this year. I will also be picking up jars for our honey too. He will be back home for a long break at the end of November but until then, he is on his own. We won't be able to get away for a while because it is lambing time which is always busy and tiring and cute and fun.



Brenda

 We moved the ewes down the street to the lambing paddock today (they actually know the way and I just have to open the gates) . The grass here is green and new so they have been enjoying the change. It is a bit of a laugh to see sheep make their way through a new paddock, it's as though they have never seen grass before. Well they have never seen this grass I guess.

The beehives also had a bit of attention. It is the busy time for apiary too, more hive checking. New supers on the pink and white hives. The blue hive will have a new second super next week ( I have to paint the box).

Thanks goodness for the school holidays, I even managed to squeeze in a power nap this afternoon.
Tracy

Today

I am at a loss for a title today so "Today" it is. The school holidays are in full swing and I have Tom at home for a week too. That means more leisurely mornings but I have a sneaking suspicion that my kids take a little bit of an advantage of me. Never mind, I love them and they love me back.

 Masses of strawberry blooms are taunting me. This variety is Chandler and they develop into fairly large and super tasty berries. No berries to pick for now and the only homegrown fruit I have to offer is citrus. There is some small rhubarb stems in the vegetable patch to offer something fruit-like but most of our fruit at the moment comes from the store. I think fruit is the hardest item to keep up with when trying to grow your own at least in the climate I live in anyway.

 Potatoes are another thing that remain on my shopping list. No matter the size of the garden, you have to make a decision of what to grow and what to leave out. I always grow some potatoes but to be self sufficient in potatoes would take a lot of space which for me  can be used more productively for vegetables that are either not readily available at the greengrocers or that are just far superior grown at home.

There really is a buzz in the garden though. I planted some pumpkin seeds today, radish- red meat and a new to me vegetable, okra. I am keen to try okra though I have heard mixed opinions about it. You never know until you taste it yourself I guess.

Does anyone have experiences to share good or bad with okra that might be useful. Growing, cooking or eating.

Tracy



Cheating just a bit

 I really want tomatoes a.s.a.p. so I am hoping that cheating a little by growing an advanced seedling on the verandah will have us in tomotoes sooner rather than later. The spot is pretty much perfect, sheltered, sunny and right near my bedroom.

 Things are looking promising, there are tiny flower buds forming already so hopefully some lovely, ripe and tasty Wapsipinicon Peach tomatoes will be on the kitchen bench soon. I grew this variety last year and it was great. Very sweet and soft even if a little fuzzy on the skin. It adds to its charm.

One place you can't trick, cajole or rush nature is in the hatching stakes. I noticed some peeping this morning and a little patience on my part rewarded me with the first glimpse of the newest residents on the farm. Baby turkeys. Cute for now but not for long. Mother turkey is still sitting on the eggs so hopefully there will be some more chicks tomorrow.

Spring is wonderful.
tracy

A new year for me.

 It was my birthday on Thursday so I have officially started a new year in my life. I spent it the best way I know how, with my whole family together. It meant a trip to Sydney (Tim was working there for a day so we were going anyway), visits with my sisters and some sightseeing. The closest I came to gardening or farming was stopping in at the beekeeping supply shop for well... beekeeping supplies.

 Grace, Hope and I had a great day in the city. We mostly skirted the shopping precinct and spent our day on the harbour foreshore and at the botanical gardens.

The gardens are a real treasure and definitely more than one trip is needed to appreciate them and have a good look around.

Now though it is back to real life at home. Asparagus needs to picked, I made sure that I harvested all that looked remotely promising before we left but there is a bunch or two in the garden that must be consumed... today. It is very much a right now vegetable and waits for no man. If you hesitate too long, it is gone. It unfurls its fronds and you are too late.
Tracy

Just a couple of reasons

...why I love where I live.

My ducks lining up in a row

I really think I am meant to be in this place. It isn't the right place or lifestyle for everyone but it truly suits me just fine. I guess I can say that I am really me here. If that makes a scrap of sense.



Friendly neighbours

 We have been toying with the idea of moving for a promotion for Tim's work if the opportunity came about but I think we have decided to definitely stay put and leave work ambitions to the ambitious(it would mean living in the city indefinitely). Of course we have things we would like to achieve just like everybody does. Including our current aim, to get our honey into some nice jars and make a little pin money from it and be proud of the product that we the bees have made. It is tougher than you would think. There are a lot of  options for containers and it is a matter of being spoilt for choice which makes the decision harder. Not important in the big scheme, just little choices.I am leaning towards glass over plastic and just two sizes, 1kg for those with a sweet tooth and maybe 500grams. Anyway, hopefully it will be a done thing soon enough. Any ideas or suggestions that might help would be gratefully accepted.
Tracy

I'm not counting my chickens

 ... or turkeys or ducks for that matter before they hatch but there is some serious nesting going on around here. This one everyone seems to be laying eggs in and I collect the chicken eggs everyday, they are for us. We don't have any chicken we want to breed right now but I am hoping to buy a few new chicks next week. They have (what I think is) a lovely nesting box to lay in but they choose to make their own nests wherever they fancy. I guess they know best.

This nest is exclusively duck eggs and is out in the open. The ducks usually build their nests outdoors and don't mind the elements. Hopefully someone will decide it is time to sit and incubate this clutch soon. I'm looking forward to some ducklings, they can't be beaten for cuteness.

There is another clutch of eggs in the poultry house. There is a very protective mother-to-be sitting there so no photos today. Although I love my birds, I am more than a little bit scared respectful of her when in a broody mood. Anyway, they shouldn't be too long before they are hatched but it is her first attempt at motherhood so who knows, many things can go awry.

It is just that wonderful time of the year when there is so much happening, much to do and many things to look forward to.
Tracy