Montly 9 Link Up for February 2015.....

Happy to be joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 for February....Wow it's already March.....time flies when you're having fun.

Nourish:  At last the girls have decided to favour me with a few more eggs....thankfully I was able to get out a few zucchini slices...needed to use up the glut of Zucchini's that I had.....also stewed up rhubarb....it was delicious and there is plenty more out in the garden so I'll need to get onto them.

Zucchini slice is a bit favourite...also uses up excess of zucchini's and eggs.

Prepare:  I had planned to make the MOO washing powder this month but unfortunately didn't get around to it....I did prepare 4 new garden beds ready for planting...a big load of soil and compost to top up the beds....need to plant out some lettuce mixes and whatever else is in season.

Reduce:  Still working hard on trying to reduce food wastage....had some dried apricots that had been hanging around for way to long....used them up by making an apricot slice...had enough to make two of these during the month.

The slice was a bit crumbly but tasted lovely....great way to use up old apricots.

Green:  Nothing new to report here unfortunately ....  the compost bins are slowly turning to compost...should be ready in the next few weeks....worm farm is going well.  Trying hard to be conscious of electricity usage....and water conservation.

Grow:  Things are winding up in the vegie patch although the tomatoes are finally ripening...seem very late this year...planted heritage variety and they have been very poor producers....the Grosse Lisse have done okay though....I love home grown tomatoes....people are also very appreciative to receive the excess.

Tomatoes ripening on the bench....the chooks won't leave them alone if I leave them once they start to ripen.

Create:  Devastated that I have nothing to report here.....have been so busy ...I know...poor excuse...but I haven't had the chance to work on the mosaic or the quilt ....have done a couple of chapters on the novel though so it isn't a complete waste of a month.

Discover: My man and I took a couple of days holiday last week... stayed at a friends coastal property which was great (nothing like a free holiday)....my daughter and grandson joined us for an afternoon and we went on the ferry to Queenscliff....I rediscovered this beautiful town...haven't been there since I was a child....it was an amazing day out....spending time with the little guy is one of my favourite things...he is fabulous.

Even managed to take the dogs on the ferry....Daphne is a nervous passenger so I had to nurse her

Enhance:  As always my love of reading which I truly believe enhances our everyday lives..... this month book club is The Invisible Girl...a memoir written by the father of a young woman who dies of anorexia....its was incredibly sad and moving...not sure that it helped to understand this terrible illness but it was a very poignant reminder of the vulnerability of the young.

Have also gotten back into my yoga classes....haven't been for ages and I really missed it...it's difficult to find the right teacher and luckily I have found an amazing women who if just perfect... it is Ashtanga yoga which is new to me...have done Hatha  yoga for many years on and off... it's similar but I think a lot more spiritual....I love it.

Enjoy:  I celebrated my 56th birthday this month....nothing more enjoyable than sharing it with my husband and daughters, complete with a homemade birthday cake decorated by my gboy....... I received loads of lovely gifts and was very spoilt as always....

Making my birthday wish with the help of my gorgeous Gboy.....Grandchildren are one of life's treasures.

 My absolute favourite gift  was a painting from my special little man...it's a painting of us all..my husband and I on the left (that's me with the grey hair and my red headed man), his mum and auntie on the right and him in the bottom right hand corner...I have hung it on the wall in my home office.

He finger painted this for me .... with a little help from his mum

I had such a busy February...so much to enjoy.... had a few difficulties with my fathers illness and not reacting well to his medication and suffering early dementia.... but you have to take the good with the bad.....am loving getting back into yoga...it's so helpful in dealing with tough times...Namaste !