Eggs at Last............ !!

 Finally a little surprise in the henhouse ....... the girls that I raised from fertilised eggs that I posted about here and here  have laid their first eggs....albeit a bit funny looking....the colour doesn't appear to be uniform on the shell but they were fine inside..... it's the first time I have raised chicks that have laid eggs....previously in 2013 when I put eggs under the clucky mum they were both roosters....this time I got 3 girls.... it's great.

My two funny little eggs......at last they are laying.

All the girls foraging beneath the fruit trees.................they love it.

The six girls out foraging under the fruit trees....three old girls and three newbies.....I just love watching them peck around the garden..... they are such a natural addition to the yard and worth the effort.

The Human Spirit.......

I am always in awe of the human bodies ability to endure......my daughter and a team of friends entered the Oxfam Trail-walker fund raising event.  They managed to walk the 100km in around 35 hours walking through the night, only resting briefly....a true test to their will and determination to succeed......they are all in a lot of pain and blistered feet (which thankfully they were able to have treated by podiatrist's during the event)...but very pleased with their achievement....congratulations girls!!

The team as they headed off at 10:30am on Friday morning

The team when they finished at 9pm on Saturday...a bit worse for wear but still smiling.

My best friend joined me for a stint as support crew at one of the check-points....we fed and watered them and then sent them back on their journey....The Melbourne event raised over 2.5 million for Oxfam... a fantastic cause...to aid global poverty.

The Good....the Bad....& the Sad...!

 We had a lovely Easter....home made hot cross buns on Good Friday..... a lovely sleep in on Saturday...then an Easter egg hunt in the back garden with the Gboy on Sunday morning, followed by Brunch.....and a visit to our parents in the afternoon....My man having 4 days off in a row....perfect.

All ready for the oven......very wonky but who doesn't love imperfection !!

All brushed with sugar syrup and ready to eat..

This week I got around to making tomato relish from some of the last of the crop......followed the recipe I found on the internet and I did think 1/2 cup of salt into the chopped onion and tomatoes seemed quite a lot.....2 cups of malt vinegar also.... and it took forever to reduce.... upon tasting it is very very salty....I checked the comments on the recipe and they all said way too much salt.....I bottled it up anyway and will see how it tastes in a couple of weeks time...such a nuisance using a recipe that I wasn't too sure of.....would love to hear from anyone who has a great tomato relish recipe!


after a quick dip in boiling water the skins come off nice and easy.

Red and a couple of yellow heritage tomatoes, onions.......and loads of salt !



Will see how it goes, but I think it is going to be a bit nasty ...!

 And sadly the little chicken who hasn't been well for quite a while died yesterday......when I went out in the morning to let all the girls out she was just standing there not moving and let me pick her up.....she was so thin......I placed her in a small cage and put her on the porch in the warm sunshine...she laid with her eyes closed all day only waking occasionally.. and the fluffy girls and I sat with her in the sun for ages....she seemed quite peaceful but I wondered if it would have been more kind to put her down....It is such a dilemma but I let nature take it's course..... she had been eating and running around the day before.......hopefully her last day she was peaceful away from the others who were starting to peck at her....I buried her in the backyard under the lemon tree.

Daisy and Daphne sat with me keeping their eye on the poor thing...she was very weak and listless.

Monthly 9 Link-up for March 2015......

 

 Joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 for March.  Where does that time go?

 Nourish:  I was lucky enough to be invited to pick my fill of apples from a local orchard.  Gave loads to friends and family, stewed and froze some and also added my own rhubarb and made a delicious crumble.  Have an abundant supply of rhubarb running wild in the vegie garden so was great to put some to good use.

Apple & Rhubarb Crumble  ..... didn't remember to get a pic until it was almost too late.



 Prepare:  Made a batch of tomato sauce from my tomatoes....not so many this year.  I have another load on the kitchen bench as I write which will hopefully be turned into tomato relish this afternoon!

Homemade tomato sauce....it's a little runny but still tastes good.

Reduce:  Plans are in the pipeline and we may be moving!  Am spending quite a lot of time clearing out cupboards and storage getting rid of all things unwanted.  Trips to the local charity shop are on the horizon.

Green:  Two great books found their way into my hands.  Free-cycled from one of the ladies at book club who was giving away several of her unwanted books.  The Book Thief and Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela ..... I couldn't resist them and happily gave them a new home. 

Free-cycled books....

Grow:  Plenty of fruit on the lemon tree but doesn't appear to want to turn yellow...not sure what's happening there.  Also lots of fruit on the fig tree but it is a constant battle with the local Currawong's to get to them first....those birds wait until they see the purple start to appear on the figs and they are onto it .... looks like I will need to get the bird netting up!

Lemons that don't want to ripen...one is getting almost grapefruit size

Planted out some additions to the vegie garden now that the summer crops are out.  New bed for the potatoes.... and also planted out some snow peas, baby spinach and lettuce.  Another two beds for Broccoli, Cauliflower and Leeks. 

Vegie gardens freshly planted....homemade trellis for the peas using recycled star posts and wire.

Create:  Haven't got to any of my creative projects this month with the exception of the novel.  This is taking up quite a bit of time. Writing Group each Friday is very inspirational and motivating.  Who knows maybe one day I will actually finish it . 

Discover:  It was really a re-discovery, but a beautiful day at the zoo reawakened my inner child... the majestic lions, elephants, gorilla's, birdlife and butterfly house.  Just fabulous and a magical experience to watch my Gboy be enthralled with all that he saw. If only we could all see the world through the eyes of young children.

Enhance:  Bookclub  this month was Her Father's Daughter by Alice Pung.  This is the second book we have had by this  author.  It's a little similar as they are memoirs but still quite a good read.  Also on the nightstand I am eagerly waiting to read my daughter's copy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. So many books .... so little time.!

This months' book club read

 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.....just sitting there waiting for me to pick it up!

 Enjoy:  So much to enjoy in March.... not the least the last of the good weather.  We celebrated a significant birthday in the gardens at the Zoo....it's not everyday you turn 4.  Several dinners out with friends, a 21st, an afternoon Tea to celebrate several birthdays...and a 50th where a little too much wine turned into everyone's worst nightmare ...Karaoke !!

Birthday picnic at the zoo for the super GBOY !!

Here's hoping March held something special for everyone else.  Happy Autumn.

All About Autumn.............

You know Autumn's here when the apple tree branches are weighed down with the last of their fruit and the pumpkins are being harvested.  Have managed to give away heaps of the apples I picked...also cooked some up to freeze.  They are great eating apples too.  I tried to juice some in my juicer and after it made horrible brown foam I realised that you usually cold press apples.....lesson learnt!!  Wish I had an apple press....if I ever get apples on my own trees I will definitely have to look at getting one.


Cooked up some of the foraged apples to freeze ...... should make a lovely couple of crumbles with those

Pumpkins were a bit a problem this year....lots didn't make it to adulthood.....dropped off of the vines...the ones that did make it however are so appreciated....I love pumpkin.

Have got the pumpkins outside under the veranda for the next couple of weeks to dry them out before storing.

Cut up my first pumpkin for the year.....roasted some up and into the risotto !

The tomatoes this year have been quite disappointing also..... there are still quite a lot on the vines but they are still green and not sure if they will ripen up..... haven't been able to get enough ripe ones at the same time to make my sauce....2 years ago there were so many tomatoes (I was picking about 50 a day).. I didn't know what to do with them all.....it's funny how each growing season appears to be different.


Only 3 bottles of my homemade tomato sauce this year....tomatoes are very slow on the vine



Compared to 2 years ago when I harvested about 1000 tomatoes over about 5 weeks...!!

Did manage to pick my potatoes this morning.....I emptied the potato patch so that I could replant it out again to keep a constant supply of spuds coming along... I have two potato beds now so should hopefully get plenty...they are very easy to grow.

 



picked the potatoes.....will put into hessian bag and keep in a dark cupboard...they last quite a while that way.



I think Autumn in the hills is my favourite time of year....the leaves are all starting to fall and the slight chill is already starting to reach us even though the sun is shining...the air is fresh, it's beautiful. 

Let Loose in an Orchard......

For the first time in my life I've picked apples fresh from the tree..... the lovely lady who teaches the community writing group that I attend let me loose in her orchard. ..... I always bring her any goodies I have growing in the vegie garden and she said she would bring me in some apples but I said I was happy to go and pick them myself . ... She is widowed and in her 70's ( although very fit for her age) and the orchard has become quite overgrown and a little neglected but there were masses of apples just waiting to be picked......it was fabulous and I ate one straight from the tree and somehow they just taste so much better ...... simple pleasures I know but such a lovely experience.

The orchard is a bit overgrown but there was masses of fruit on all the trees... no pesticides so make great eating.

So many had already fallen wasted onto the ground...... such a shame.

Now I need to get busy and work out how to preserve some of them.....maybe apple sauce or cook them up and freeze.

Delicious apples......I even grabbed a couple of lemons and a few pears....

When I got home I checked the vegie garden and picked tomatoes, rhubarb, a couple of small eggplants and some new potatoes.  Beautiful to have so much lovely fresh produce around. 

Picked from the garden today

Only one little lonely egg today....the young girls still haven't laid any eggs yet but they can't be too far away. they are nineteen weeks old.... so hopefully egg production will be on the rise again soon.

Aging Gracefully.......

I had the misfortune the other day to be sitting in a waiting room and the TV was on one of the morning programs and they were all excited about a new eye cream that someone has invented that when applied instantly begins to reduce the wrinkles around the eyes.  The effect lasts for up to 8 hours the spokesperson went on excitedly, and yes you could actually see the skin tightening when the camera was on the models face.  All I could think of was why would anyone want their wrinkles gone for just 8 hours and how much are they prepared to pay for that.  The fascination with how we look really is an eye opener.  I guess I am on a bit of a bandwagon since I made the decision to let my hair go grey....would like to think that I will let myself age gracefully without the need for surgical, lifting, plumping, or magical potion assistance.  Mother nature truly has taken care of us as we age....greying hair is supposedly less harsh against a women's skin and our eyesight gradually weakens so our wrinkles and nasty bits are not so for us easy to pinpoint. The media and cosmetic industry would like us all to think there is something wrong with aging.

Eileen Kramer the most amazing woman is still dancing at 100 years of age.

I happened to tune into Compass on the ABC the other night and saw the most fabulous story about a truly amazing woman. Eileen Kramer is 100 years old and still teaching dancing and also dancing herself.  She is a beautifully eccentric woman who has lived an amazing life.  Her story is truly inspiring.  We could all take a leaf out of this ladies book.

A Perfect Day.....

We spent Monday at the Zoo celebrating my Gboy's 4th birthday.....he wore his superman costume which he has already grown out of .... he is a very tall four year old...but so cute !! He has Batman, Superman, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Spiderman and now Captain America costumes...he loves super heroes

We all had a cupcake for his birthday....he had superman...what else !

He couldn't wait to take me into the butterfly enclosure as I had told him that it was my favourite exhibit and that the butterfly's would land on him....he was ecstatic when one landed on his cap.  He stood so still waiting for them to land on him.

I love this photo... the innocence in that little face......so excited to have a butterfly land on him...

The Butterfly's are such amazing colours.....it is definitely one of my favourite places to be..... I don't really like the idea of Zoo's as such...much prefer animals to be left where they belong....but I have to admit kids love seeing all the animals.... at least the enclosures are a long way from the cages that were at the zoo when I was a child.



Love the sentiment on this sign at the Zoo.....

The lion's were beautiful...even though I disagree with taking animals out of the wild....



 We had a great day and were lucky to enjoy lovely mild weather....sunny but not too hot...just perfect.  If you haven't been to the Melbourne Zoo recently it's well worth a visit...they have done an amazing amount of work there and are focusing on protecting endangered species and educating children about wildlife.

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 !

Remembered With Much Love......

It's 12 months since my girlfriend passed away from liver cancer....time goes so fast...her family chose to commemorate the anniversary of her death by inviting family and friends to a memorial at the lake where her ashes were spread last year.  It was very moving to watch Richard and the kids release balloons which we had all written messages on ..... a really beautiful tribute to her memory.  She is so sadly missed.... but I think I could feel her presence there... RIP beautiful Heather.

Rich and the kids ...hopefully time will heal their hearts.

One of Those Days ......

Yesterday was one of those days.....the ones were nothing seems to be going right... one of the light sussex has gone broody again just 14 weeks after the last lot of chicks....  a few of the said chicks flew over the coop fence into the yard... they got into the greenhouse and ate all of my seedlings....and destroyed the strawberry bed...... one of the old girls doesn't look too well and she has been laying soft shelled eggs which keep breaking.... A zucchini bush has developed mildew on the leaves....  . the tap on the water filter started leaking and dripping all over the place... argued with the guy I work for.....this was all before breakfast......then while I was having breakfast  I saw this little worried face watching  me.... somehow your pets know when your not happy....made me realise none of the things going on were insurmountable....just annoying.



The beautiful Daisy........she was worried....doesn't normally put her head on the table.

Broody hen is now in the broody buster ( my husband's trailer).... today I will clip the wings on the teenagers...separate the sick chicken to see what's going on with her....pull out the mildewy zucchini plant ... salvage any seedlings from the mess and save what I can... and get the water filter repaired..... then off to writing group.

Loving the Little Things......



Spent a lovely Sunday morning at Burnham Beeches in Kallista with my daughter & Gboy....it's a great spot and amazingly popular...we had brunch at the Piggery Cafe  then a walk through the Alfred Nicholas Gardens...

 

The very impressive Burnham Beeches....a lovely spot to have brunch ... organic local and sustainable foods.. very rustic



 Brunch was smashed avocado with poached eggs and bacon on artisan toast....I love avocado but there was more than I could get through on that plate..... the atmosphere in the café is fantastic.

Brunch is different things to different age groups.....Gboy ordered almond pancakes with pear and banana... unfortunately he wasn't all that keen when it arrived...I ate some of it and he polished off my bacon....... He then ordered a cookie which was nearly as big as his beautiful little face !

An impromptu snap of us walking out of the gardens.

 Our walk through the gardens took us past the old mansion which is going to be restored to a boutique hotel... the lake had been emptied as they are completing restoration work there.... it's an amazing property and to think that the Nicholas family used it as a holiday house....

Monday is my day to mind the little guy..... we started Monday with his swimming lessons and then off to do some lunch and shopping with his Auntie Moo Moo  (my other daughter)  ... Monday also included a long overdue haircut......

He loves his swimming lessons..

He looks so grown up with his haircut....he will be four next month....where did those years go ??