Flash Floods and Favorites for February...........!!

The weather is such a mystery so far this year....... extreme heat, bushfires, hail, cold wet days, lovely sunny days and then flash floods......I was caught up in this one last week ...took a picture of the water and landslide over the road on my way down the mountain from Emerald... the rain was absolutely torrential....!

Flash flooding on the road.

While gardening this little guy ran across my foot....gave me a bit of a fright but I dashed inside to get my phone to take his picture....it's not a good shot as he was rushing to get away from me ... he was way more scared of me than I had been of him....the colours were amazing so I did a google to see what kind of spider he was.... St Andrews Cross spider...really love the diversity of criters that live in our permaculture garden ...a call out to anyone using pesticides or chemicals in the garden...Please Don't !!

St Andrews Cross Spider in my garden

This is what they actually look like when photographed correctly !!! ..just sayin'..

Professional look at a St Andrews spider...amazing

A lovely bunch of flowers from my man ....... we don't really do Valentine's day but they were a lovely surprise.

Flowers from the Willow Branch....  lovely florist and we always try to support the locals.

Currently reading this book for the second time.... one of the ladies at bookclub mentioned it and I knew I owned a copy but read it so long ago forgot the storyline....loving it second time around...funny about that. 

My interest of late has been spiked by the use of medicinal herbs... I follow this lady on instragram and managed to get hold of her latest book..... it's a little out there but has definately encouraged me to look at Herbal Apothecary and growing more of my own herbs.

Marysia is a Green Witch... all about gardening, weeds and herbs.. don't be fooled by the title 

I took a quick trip to Korumburra to check out a couple of local stores... Grow Lightly is a great community produce store....all the veg are grown locally and chemically free... great price and to top it off they have milk in glass bottles for just $3.80...
.............so happy to support local farmers.

Milk in Glass !!    .... Hooray

Sunday was my birthday... had a beautiful day and as always received  loads of love and beautiful gifts... very thankful for my wonderful family and friends.

61 now...officially in my sixties.

The latest Green Tea pic ..from The Borough Dept Store cafe.....
had the most delicious Ginger cake... highly recommend it if you are ever down that way.

The obligatory green tea pic... they just keep getting more and more quirky.  

Here's hoping Autumn gives us the beautiful late summer weather that is my favourite time of year. 

Finding February ......!!!

Just when you think things are settling a little we get hit with cyclones, torrential rain and floods following our catastrophic bushfires .... personally we also suffered localised hail stones on Friday that pelted our caravan just as we were hitching up to go away for the weekend. ...lots of small dents peppering the roof and some on the sides... a call to the insurer is required, but after so much calamity already facing the country it could be a long wait.  .... We still took off for 3 nights to Stratford....the weather wasn't kind to us but we still had a lovely time....We took a quick trip in to Maffra and I fell in love with this gorgeous tree in the main street....it was incredible.!

Enormous tree in the main street of Maffra...I think it's a Morton Bay Fig.

The beautiful mass of huge branches forming the canopy

Full of all sorts of nooks & crannies

A different aspect from every angle....amazing

The exposed root system...such an incredible tree

We had a lovely visit from our G-Boy for a day during the school holidays....a trip out to a local cafe for lunch....Pancakes of course..... followed by a matinee session of Dr Dolittle remake....which I have to admit I totally enjoyed..
(I saw the original with Rex Harrison when I was 9 years old )......... but so much to love about  Robert Downey Junior !!

My G-boy tucking in to his pancakes

We've had a pair of blackbirds nest in our yard again this year and they've raised 3 different nests of eggs over a couple of months ...had no idea they could do this...twice in the same nest and then again in a new nest in the grapevine....the babies fledge very early and hop around the garden instead of flying off and the parents continue to feed them.... my furry girls were way too interested in the baby birds......eventually they have all managed to fly and feed themselves.

If you look closely you can see one of the baby birds in the bush waiting for a feed from mum or dad.

What would a post be without another quirky cup of geen tea !!

Loved this pottery teapot with the eclectic mix of crockery

Last night was a super Full Moon...unfortunately so overcast didn't even get a glimpse !!
I like to think it could have looked something like this. 

There is something so fantastic about the full moon. 

#onmyagenda......

I don't have a twitter account or do facebook but want to do my little bit to get the message out to the G20 summit on climate change.  Please go to this link sent from OneMillionWomen campaign and add your voice if you agree that Climate Change should be an item on the agenda at this meeting.

Monthly 9 Link Up For August.....

Joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 link up.  The year is flying by and spring is here...such a beautiful time of year and so good to get out into the garden again after the cold wet days of winter.

Nourish: It just takes a few days of sunshine to nourish the soul...last week we had three glorious sunny days to send Winter on it's way...washing on the line coming in smelling of fresh crisp air...one of my favourite things....nothing can compare to clothes dried in the sun with a gentle breeze...

Prepare:  Haven't spent a lot of time in the kitchen this month....did make a big pot of chicken stock from carcasses I had frozen .... can't wait until I have garden goodies to play with. . Did have to prepare the chicken run against predators...covered it in bird netting to prevent overhead attack from predatory birds...lost one of my girls early last week.

Reduce:  When my daughter moved into her new place she took a bit of our furniture to help get settled.  I needed to replace a unit for the spare room and managed to source a lovely little cabinet at the local second hand shop which they had refurbished.....loads of character...they just don't make furniture the same way anymore and it's upcycled..what's not to love about that.

Lovely second hand cabinet for the spare room...displaying one of my old paintings.

Green:  There is always something new to learn about being green....I've only recently discovered the problem of micro-beads...I don't use exfoliants or shower gels but I have in the past never realising what they contained and how it could be a problem.  This Green lifestyle article explains the damage they cause to the ocean and marine life and the health complications when humans ingest seafood contaminated with micro plastics.....food for thought !

Grow:  Last weekend I got very busy in the garden, weeding, turning over garden beds and planting out additional seedlings...zucchini, lettuce and capsicum to add to the broccoli, cauli, garlic, potatoes, strawberries, onions, leeks, beetroot, spinach, kale and peas that have been slowly growing over winter....and have taken off with a bang after last weeks sunny days..

Create:  Am working on a crocheted cushion cover for my daughter....almost finished, didn't quite get it done in the month...but I have included it anyway.

Current project ....will post a picture when completed

Discover:  I've discovered that the current government does not have it's priorities in the right place as far as I'm concerned.  I usually try to avoid politics but I have to say I am appalled at several of the decisions made by these poisonous politicians.....not the least is removing not only the carbon tax but also the mining tax and then in the same meeting they are cutting funding and staff to the Red Cross assisting the refugees, they have also scrapped the renewable energy target thereby diminishing investment in renewable energy ...that says so much about where there priorities are.

Enhance:  Bookclub update for August reading...The Vanishing act of Esme Lennox....very moving novel about a women who has been forgotten in a mental institution for 61 years....and what happens when she is handed over to her only living relative... The Elegance of the Hedgehog....not sure where this one is going...should have finished by now but it's hard going...has been translated from French into numerous languages...maybe something is lost in translation !!


Really enjoyed this one....

Have absolutely struggled with this one....translated from French it is hard going.

Enjoy:  We had a great weekend away to Castlemaine which was fantastic...so great to get away and see all of the sights around the Victorian goldfields .  We also went to see James Reyne at Crown...the tickets were a gift for my man's 60th from my daughter's....it was great, even though I am not a big fan of Crown Casino and all that it stands for.

 

Bit hard to tell from the photo but this is James Reyne...they played all the songs from Australian Crawl Days.



Compiling the monthly list is a great reflection on how I have spent the month and motivates me to live a truly inspired, creative and simple life. Happiness is where you find it.

Surely They Can't be Serious.......

I received an email from a solar company today with this link to an article in the media outlining the government's intention to scrap the RET (renewable energy target).....

They think we should continue with masses of this !!!..........................

Instead of aiming for this where possible.........................

Or this...........

Is this logical???....I am so mad that money drives every decision that this current government makes......what is wrong with people !

Monthly 9 linkup for July....

Many thanks to Linda for taking this on.  I love joining in on this linkup and reflecting on what I have been doing for the month...and also seeing what others have been up to.

Nourish:  Tried my hand at making roast pumpkin hummus.... it was nice but I think I could have tweaked the recipe maybe and added a bit more roasted garlic. Will definitely make my own dips from now on ...it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.


All the ingredients straight into the food processor.




Instant hummus.....it was lovely and creamy initially but set a little after refrigeration...

Prepare: My daughter and grandson have been staying with us and now big preparations are underway to get them into their next home...preparing for a beautiful fresh start....there is a lot to do.

Reduce:  I failed miserably at the no plastic in July...not too proud of that I have to say...certainly an eye opener....did manage to continue to recycle the office files and my man installed a small water tank in the chook pen ..which I blog about Here

Green:  Finally tried to make the face cream I had been going to make for some time...the recipe called for coconut oil, beeswax, almond oil & macadamia oil (any quality oil really), Palmarosa essential oil & vitamin E...however I don't think I did it quite correctly because it didn't go as creamy as I was expecting...in the fridge it set beautifully, but at room temperature it is a little runny...still using it though as it is a great moisturiser. 



Home made moisturiser....need to work on the recipe again.

 Grow:  Not getting much out of the vegie garden at the moment just waiting patiently for the seedlings to do their thing....but a lot of flowers are already appearing a bit early.....I love the fragrance of Daphne and am madly picking the flowers and filling the house with their beautiful aroma...  Spring must be just around the corner.




My favourite flower....or maybe it's a tie between Daphne and Hyacinths....I can't split them.



Create: While I haven't had the time to spend on my own creative projects, I have been teaching my eldest daughter how to knit...I found this simple throw pattern which is knitted with 3 strands of 12 ply on big needles and knits up in no time...she is very chuffed to have created her own blanket in such a short time...I think she has finally found the joy of knitting......

 

My daughters rug is this pattern but in Teal, Grey and Cream...her new home colours

 Discover:    This month the crisis facing many countries overseas was overshadowed by the tragedy of flight M17... This horrific event deservedly received world wide attention for weeks with many Australians being victims of this atrocity....yet wars, death, destruction, starvation and man's inhumanity to man continue daily and hardly a tear is shed here for their suffering...it appears if it doesn't involve Australian's we don't appear to care so much ....a discovery I wish I had the power to change.

 

Enhance:  My husband turned 60 this month as we celebrated with a big party at his Golf Club....the evening would not have been the same without the appearance of Batman !!!  He certainly enhanced our enjoyment.....just as he enhances our lives ..he is quite the character.   

What would a party be without the guest appearance of Batman.

 Enjoy:  The July luncheon was hosted by the big K and Robyn....the theme was comfort food.... entrée was Cauliflower soup from J&M...have to say I am not a fan of cauliflower but this was one of the most delicious soups I have ever had....tracking down the recipe which I will put up as it is so tasty and a great way to eat cauliflower...Main was Maple Glazed Lamb shanks ..once again the big K excelled himself, it was scrumptious...desert from Jan & Al was sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and toffee thingy...YUM...I got the easy bit, I just had to make bread and I also made the roast pumpkin hummus and crackers... very comfortable afternoon all up !!


Worlds best cauliflower soup...flavours of mustard and pancetta...wow

Beautiful sticky Maple Glazed Shanks, onion, potatoes and fresh green beans!!



Goes without saying....delicious sticky date PUD !!!

The diners all looking very comfortable I have to say...

 So that's the month as it was.....lots to look forward to in August....stay warm, enjoy what's left of Winter.  Hug someone close to you and spare a thought for those less fortunate.

Thursday Thoughts....

It's been hard to find the time to blog lately...there's quite a bit happening on the home front. I was going to try and link in with NO PLASTIC JULY....we had my man's 60th birthday celebrations .... unfortunately with over 90 people,food, balloons, lollies,  etc.  everything came wrapped in plastic .....all of it left at the Golf Club to dispose of .. Yikes...after such a disastrous start where there was so much single use plastic I gave up...huge awareness now of the terrible amount of unnecessary plastic we generate.  Totally need to rethink large celebrations and their impact. 

The end of the financial year means setting up all the office information for the new year.  I have recycled the same two sets of office files for the past 5 years...I just white out the previous years and update with the new...I have around 20 files so while it's not huge it does save a bit...

We have installed a small water tank in the chicken run using the water run off from the shed roof....much easier than trudging up to the tap all the time and also captures the rainwater.



Tank stores the rainwater and bottom tap into the water dish

recycled pieces of pipe shaped to fit around the wall....

Daphne checking out the some of the girls from behind the fence.....

 Spending lots of time with the G Boy....can't call him baby anymore ....a wildlife display with a small crocodile, wombat, snake and frog....yes he was more scared of the frog than the crocodile...go figure !!

My beautiful G Boy a bit shy of the frog....

Almost two thirds of the way through winter now...the garden is very slow...after checking out Celia's garden here I am thinking of planting all my seedlings much closer together....  Whenever I feel I need a laugh I visit John here... he has an hilarious blog....he is quite the character....So much trouble around the world at the moment.....I wish the whole world could see the bigger picture...work to save the planet and humanity ...not spend millions blowing it up and killing each other.....Lastly good luck to the Aussie athletes as they start the Commonwealth Games...ironic that sport continues while war goes on in other parts of the world.....we are so removed from the terror that others face daily.

Monthly 9 Link Up - April.......

We are well into Autumn but the chill in  the air today makes me think Winter is not far away.  I am joining in with Christine with my monthly 9 link up for April.

Nourish:  I thought I would share something that I chanced upon here  this blog is enchanting and an  absolute "feast" for the eyes....I spent way too much time scrolling through all of her posts...the photos are just mesmerising...I love it...nourishment for the soul !!

Prepare:  I thought I had prepared my harvested pumpkin for storage....I left them outside for 10 days to dry then bought them inside and stored them in the laundry cupboard...that was two weeks ago...I noticed this morning that they are growing fluffy fungus on the stalks...I think it is too warm in the laundry....have read that you can wax the stalks so I am going to remove the fungus and coat the stalks with organic beeswax....hope it works...anyone else ever had this problem?

horrible fluffy fungus growing on the stalks of my pumpkins....all suggestions welcome.

Have added new mushroom compost / soil mixture to a few empty garden beds to prepare them for the autumn / winter planting....hopefully lots of goodies sprouting here very soon.



two beds almost prepped and ready for planting...just need a nice day to get out there and do it.

 Reduce:  I managed to have a wardrobe cleanout...not that I had all that much to get rid of as I am not much of a hoarder....but it was good to sort out things I haven't worn for ages.... and the charity bins were happy to get them.

Green:  As always am avoiding plastic wherever possible...juice and milk are in cartons, all food is stored in glass jars...even only buy take away drinks in glass bottles.....still haven't found a way to totally avoid gladwrap......will keep trying to come up with options...wish they made recycled plastic wrap...now there's an idea !

Grow:  Have my seedlings waiting patiently to be planted .  Baby capsicums were pickled , filled and bottled....last of the tomatoes have been put in the freezer...things are a little quiet in the garden this month......the lone fig however now has many friends....hopefully all will ripen up soon...


Lettuces, beetroot, broccoli, silver beet.. ,all waiting patiently in the greenhouse..

Onions , leeks, kale and chard .... bugs have already attacked the kale .....hopefully it will be okay when planted..

The first ripe fig....the start of things to come....he looks a bit like an ant eater... !!

Create: I managed to knit the cushion I planned in my March post.....that was one of my projects I wanted to finish...there's always May !!

Finished the knitted cushion from March post....a gift for my daughter.

Discover:  This month I discovered Pinterest....I know ....I'm pretty late getting on board but you could lose days looking at that stuff.......some of the photos are truly bizarre...there seems to be a bit of a fascination for people to put their pets in ridiculous outfits and odd places....I'm an animal lover and I'm not sure if it is cute or cruel ????......it's definitely odd.

I don't know.....kind of cute but also disturbing !!

This one seems a little cruel...don't know how they got him into that little jumper...he doesn't look terribly impressed

He looks like he is saying...okay you've had your fun, know get me out of here !!

 Enhance:  Then you finds things like this on Pinterest....this would certainly enhance my backyard

Then you see gems like this.....how beautiful does this look outside...

There seems to be a bit more than moulting going on in the hen house....this girl is the bossy chook and usually spends her time pecking at all the others.. ...looks like the other girls tried to enhance her tail....she has a big bald spot...maybe there is a pecking order challenge going on....has this happened to anyone else's feathered friends?



Quite a bit of feather loss on this poor girl.,...not sure if its moulting or hen pecking

Enjoy:  April was  a lovely month...Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year....the smell of wood smoke in the air as everyone around lights their open fires....we had a lovely trip to a winery...then celebrated my son in law's 30th birthday at a micro brewery in Mornington..a sunny afternoon.....beer tasting paddles and woodfired pizza's ...my man was in heaven.....needless to say I drove home !!

Hope everyone out there enjoyed April as much as I did.....May is our birthday month....my two daughters and step daughter all celebrate this month.....keep warm and stay happy !!