Month: November 2020

We put another rather large day in the garden today… those photos on hold until tomorrow
These were from the day before yesterday.

I did some soil sieving of the soil I got from Sharons… It was heading to top up a plot for tomato plants so I wanted all the debris out

Saved!! No worm mincemeat…

There is something really pleasing and satisfying about this!!!

A couple of barrow loads of that and some home made compost and I was able to transplant some self seeded tomatoes into their new home.

The corn!! Finally got to the corn!

Weeding the ever persistent twitch
And found these:

Honestly… how can you dig a patch a million times and STILL find stuff like this?? Those bolts aren’t small!!

Anyway, in goes the corn.
And a good watering followed

Loving the potato patch and cant wait to be feasting daily on new potatoes again

On to the hothouse!

Seedlings need a home

These were some of the self seeded tomatoes that I planted in the new plot.

I really wanted my chillies in the soil

And I am retrying the luffa so I can use it in my soapmaking.

(I’ve left the snow peas in… they will die off as the luffa grow. I’ve also mixed in my compost to help them along.)

And then to tackle Tentacular!!

I didn’t prune him at the end of last season as the season went so long… now out of control!
So I started hauling off vines and chopping into him. He was full of snails!! Also too much vine… the fruit was small so far and lots of branches stunted and squashed.

I’d taken out three massive armfuls of vines and ripping out some more when I see a black form slithering up into the last bit of the foliage left in the corner!!

TIGER SNAKE!!

Fan-bloody-tastic!!
How long have I blithely been working with this creature???
With no gloves and dodgy shoes?? (Crocs haha)

Bring Jeff in to join the fun. Poking about with stick. Snakey keeping pretty quiet up there.
My working speed dropped off considerably as I cut Tentacular back a lot more than intended.

I guess that explains the drop in the mouse population.

(Turns out its living in there. Saw it today through the plastic as I was mowing. Slithered off the table down and out the door and under the pallets in the wood pile area. It probably thinks its my buddy. I reckon its been there a good long while. Not too big (yet) less than a metre I’d say)

Sooo… we did a lot more cleaning up of debris and chopping stuff back

The side garden has gone from this (above) to this (below)

Of course with moving all the weeds etc the gates were open a bit so the opportunistic chooks had a lovely time escaping out of their end of the yard!

So… bit by bit we are getting through the yard and the gardens!!
Have a lovely day everyone!
Cheers

(Jeff and Flossie-Veloci)

Hmmmm Seems I have an overload of gardening photos… might break everything up into a couple of posts so I don’t bore the socks off you all 🙂

So many things overdue to be done in the garden. Oh well…
In the words of our beloved Ruby “Don’t break your heart over it”

Time for the raspberries to be weeded and netted etc

Already showing fruit so thats pretty positive!

Jeff mowed… got it all down pretty low

We weeded with expert chook help for as long as our aging backs would allow us.
The buttercup has really gotten in and spread and its a nightmare to get out.
The roots have octopus tentacles that hang on

We got a fair way through weeding… then got the netting back up.
Good use for some of those macrocarpa scrap lengths of timber that were leftover from the guy doing the milling. They are holding the netting down pretty well.

Once I finish the weeding, I’ll give them a good feed and mulch them.

I’ve hooked up the bore again and been giving the whole area daily soakings. I didn’t realise how dry it has been.

Sigh. Another job adding to my list of unfinished jobs!!

Now that I netted the beetroot patch and stopped the birds digging it up, the beetroot have had a chance to pop up!
I didn’t net the carrots since they were so small… I wish I had. I’ve lost about a third as I think it was a bunny that came in and nibbled most of the small tops off!
Must replant. 🙁
Its also netted now.

The zucchini are really zooming along in size… even bigger than this today… I took these snaps two days ago. I don’t dare take their ice cream containers off at night yet… just in case.
Will net this patch too.

And the garlic… swoon

The white garlic looks fabulous. No sign of the bulbs forming but in recent years, seems the last month or so is what makes the difference.
Probably looking to harvest end of Dec at this rate or even January…

The purple garlic is really looking a but scrappy this year… but the bulbs are forming up nicely so it won’t be too bad.

And excitement reigns in the hothouse… tomatoes have started!!

The last of the snow peas I am letting dry out to save them for next season

The self seeded plants are coming up and thriving. I really don’t know why I bother mucking about trying to grow tomatoes from seed…

I wanted to top up the soil in here but lots of things are popping up everywhere!

Even a fancy lettuce!
And tomatoes galore…

The pear tree has a really lovely lot of fruit forming.
I think if I want the other trees down the back to do anything they need fencing off from the possums that have savaged our two young plums.
So far the cherry trees look good, even a few cherries forming.
Going to have to think of a defensive strategy for them soon.

Oh and the rocket. The beautiful lush rocket!
Picked the first leaves for salads yesterday. So happy to have it again nice and young.
It grows so fast!!

Anyway, tomorrow I will regale you of the surprise snake when I continue the gardening chronicles!
Hope your week has started fantastically
Cheers

Well… I am just here to share todays Sheep Saga

Bit bummed I don’t have photos… so you are going to have to let your imaginations run wild.

Little Moo is gone. 🙁 He’s been gone a while.
Before he left he really gave the rickety old fence between our properties a bit of a towelling. Its not a fence that I’d call secure for animals anyway.

So… next door got a sheep. A black sheep that sounds like what a sheep would sound like if it had smoked three packs a day. (Weird Baaaaa)
Clearly lonely. Always comes and shouts at us when we are in the yard and tries to climb the fence.
Is also a bit head-butty.

So, today we are working in the side garden by the paddock, trying to clear it out so it is not a snake haven.

You might be able to see the dodgy fence in the background.

Anyway, we are working away and sheep comes over to BAAAA at us huskily and get our attention.
Jeff gives it attention as he can’t resist an animal. Its trying to head butt him and climbing its little cloven hooves onto the fence.

The inevitable happens… I turn around and there is Sheep IN MY GARDEN.
Oh good. Its got horns too.

Jeff is posted to keep Sheep amused because A. I don’t want it eating and trampling my gardens. B. I don’t want it running onto the highway. C. I don’t fancy being head butted with those horns. So I trot (braless)(who wants to get dressed properly these days anyway?) up to the neighbours house to get them to come and fetch their sheep!

Only Granny is home.
Oh, my son will be home about 4pm (chatter chatter)(I am edging away as I felt I should go back and help Jeff) I get the low down on the slightly dangerous sheep and to watch out for him as he has been head butting her son – who had to smack him with a plank once!!!
She was in full Granny chit chat mode but I escaped, got back to the yard and couldn’t see Jeff… got a rope, was calling out, heard him but couldn’t see him!
Ummm

Oh, thats because he was lying on the ground with the sheep pinned beneath him!!! Poor sheep very stressed and panting like a freight train (and kindly provided me with some sheep poo for the garden… clearly VERY stressed)
We got a rope around him as safely as we could then using his horns as a steering wheel we’ve got him up and guided him down the back to the only place we could think he’d be safe and secure… the chicken coop!

We are in the coop but before releasing Mr Head Butt, I have to evict two chooks out of the coop. One no problems… she’d just have to find another place to pop out an egg… but the other one… more problematic. She is broody and super cranky and bitey. I used some shade cloth to get her out without being savaged too badly and we were finally able to get out of the pen and let Sheep calm down. I went back in to get the rope but he was fine with me. No butting.

Not long after that, son from next door arrives with collar and rope so I go down to help so now he can lead the (by this stage) the very unhappy sheep home. We explain about the fence – really they should have inspected the fences before putting more animals in there – so Sheep will go somewhere else.

We get up to the back door and Granny has arrived in her gumboots after walking down the highway ARMED WITH A LEAD PIPE!!!

She thought it might be needed for the dangerous sheep!
Wide eyed I am looking at her saying “I think if you used that, you’d find yourselves having lamb chops before you were ready!!!”
She’s quite sweet really but said she’s too old to be knocked about by boisterous animals. (I am totally dying by this point)

More chit chat and eventually Granny and her lead pipe equalizer trotted back up the highway to her house.

I think after that we really lost our motivation for weeding!
Jeff had to head into town to pick some stuff up and I am like Wait!!
Had to pick sheeps wool out of his goatee!! Not a good look haha

So… Was anybodys elses day more interesting??
Life… not often boring!

Cheers!

Hi!
Just a quick note from me tonight. So behind in sorting photos!!
Fiona and I got together yesterday morning (proper morning)(not a Lisa Morning) and went and did a long overdue loop of Anniversary Bay…
What a gorgeous day.
We saw a heap of animals (A bandicoot, wallaby, two snakes, black cockatoos, various lizards and best of all an echidna)
Glorious weather!

We did huff and puff a bit since we are out of shape, but hey… still loved it!

Graduating from handfuls of strawberries to bowls.
Have plans for these and the ones I got today to make a tiny batch of jam.

My sister Rosemary suggested a while back frying up sage leaves in butter with salt and pepper until crispy and stirring through pasta…
Today I added oregano, parsley and the garlic scapes.
I also added a bit of my fav. Japanese mayo, (Kewpie) and voila! Perfect side dish.

And a little bit of sky drama as I went out to lock the chooks up tonight!
Tomorrow Jeff and I will make some plans to ‘do stuff’ haha
He has about a month off work (yay!) which will take us up to and possibly past Christmas.
The days are longer, the weather nicer so endless possibilities!

Hope you’ve been having a lovely week!
Cheers!

Hi there!
The market at Elliot went really well.
Its the first time its been run in a while and a couple of new ladies had put it all together.

I had lots of rhubarb so I chucked some of that in too

I got in at about 8am (I had to wait for Jeff to get home off nightshift so I could grab the car)
And by the time I set up, people were coming in buying so I didn’t have much time to take a bunch of photos around the place

Most stalls were inside but happy that Maureen and I had our gazebos and the weather was lovely, as we had much more room to display our wares.

We were lucky re the weather – the day before and the day after were windy and rainy!!

They want to put on another one mid December – hopefully more people will utilise the outdoor area as its a lovely big space and I am sure people would enjoy wandering out there among the stalls.

I sold just a little over $400 worth of soap (Market Happy Dance) and Maureen outstripped my sales by more than $60 so she is also totally rapt!!
We just had people constantly browsing by and buying!
Great day!

Hope your weekend was fabulous too!
Cheers

Hello!
The weekend is nearly upon us again!
Firstly… apologies, something in wordpress automatically updated and the net result is that it won’t accept my replies to comments again!!!
Eyeroll. Yet to dive in to muck about and sort it. Bear with me 🙂

So… the garden!
I got in and put three of the cucumbers in the ground so they can start their long climb up the trellis! (They look so tiny now)

Then I made room for some of the basil I bought the other week as seedlings as mine always seems to take an eon to get going

They were in their punnets a bit long… a bit of soaking and all good!

The remaining punnet of capsicum had also been in their pots way too long… so finally set them free as well

I noticed a good portion of my new rocket had disappeared overnight!!
Damn… slugs on the rampage.
I thought. Until I walked out the back and spotted a fat baby bunny in the middle of the patch!!! Scoffing my rocket!! Oi!!!

Between the bunnies and the blackbirds digging up everything I’ll be lucky to have a garden!!

The oregano is going exceptionally well, so I picked a heap to dry

Carrots making an appearance!

I put in a fair days work in the garden the other day… got the beetroot in
Mind you since then I’ve had to net that patch too as the birds are enthusiastically digging it back up!!

The zucchini patch…

The zucchini seedlings were more than ready to go into a bigger space

They look a bit lost in here but it won’t take long and they’ll fill it all out.

Moving right along to this seasons butternut pumpkin patch

Bonus potatoes found in the clean up

The butternut seedlings were also ready to burst out of their pots

And done..

And my final task for that day was to start prepping the area for this seasons corn

Raked all the straw back off and dug it over… again removing the horrible twitch that creeps in everywhere.
I still need to dig through some blood and bone… and perhaps get around to putting seed in the ground?? That will help

This afternoon my friend Maureen is planning to pick me up so we can go over to set up the gazebos for tomorrows country market at Elliot.
Hoping the weather doesn’t do anything horrible.
I think a little rain is forecast but will be optimistic and hope for the best.
Will be nice if I can offload a bit more soap!

Picked a proper handful of strawberries yesterday!! So sweet too!

Anyway, best be off to get ready!
Have a super weekend!
Cheers

On our last day down south… we went alllll the way south!
As far as the road will go basically! Its the furthest south you can drive in Australia.
Then a short walk.

To a lookout with a life sized sculpture of a 3 month old Southern Right Whale

Of course, humans being human, back in the 1800’s they went on a whale hunting frenzy and just about hunted them to extinction.
Their name came about because they were the ‘right’ whales to kill. Slow moving, high in blubber and their oil burned more cleanly than the Northern Hemisphere whales.
They estimated before they started hunting there to be about 100,000. Today, only 2-3000 remain. 🙁

Right whales grow to around 15 metres and on average weigh 55 tonnes, although they can get up to 95!!

Cool and blustery here, but very pretty.

There are not many people further south than you when you stand down here.
Next stop is Antartica!

Looking around

And then almost tropical

Not a day for swimming though!

Popping down to the beach for a closer look

Pretty!

Time to head home…
With a quick stop so I could go see the start of the South Coast Track (or the finish)

By the way – we were in a National Park

This is not a hike for the faint hearted but it is on our ‘List’
6-8 days and a lot more rugged than the Overland Track.
You need to be experienced and completely self sufficient. No fancy huts on this trail!
Most start at the other end and finish here.
The start requires you to fly or boat in!!
There are full on river crossings, coast, beach, plains and mountain hiking.
It can snow any time of the year!
From what I’ve read there is a lot of mud involved haha

Have a peek at the walk notes here if you are curious.

Anyway, a lot more work is required and some serious mental preparation too before we embark on that one!

Hope you have had a fabulous weekend!

Cheers!

Hello!

We are back from down south.
Was a lovely few days away – even had some nice weather! Was actually HOT for a bit! (Only under a sheet the first night but back to blankets the second haha)
We got up pretty early and I drove about half way before I had to hand the vehicle over to Jeff as I couldn’t keep my eyes open!
So I napped a bit, then when I woke up…then I snapped a bit to show you some of the passing countryside!

I love the lush green

Rhododendrons out in full bloom everywhere.

Fab old homes

Water…

Down this way there are a lot of orchards… apple and pear mainly

Possibly all of this not my best photography work haha – never mind. You can get a bit of a sense of what we were seeing this way.

Flowers!!

I didn’t get any photos of our accommodation… pretty non descript, onsite cabin, shared campsite shower block etc.
All slightly… basic.
The cutlery drawer cracked me up. Not so much the mismatching items as the provision of ONE teaspoon, three forks, two soup spoons but several more dessert spoons. Two butter knives… and the most puzzling… two cheese knives!!!
The little things that amuse…

Anyways, out to the digging sites we go.
We did some random digging and fossicking on the first afternoon but got more into it the second full day.
We went to the place Jeff had started digging when he took his last lone trip. We extended his dig either side.
I haven’t sorted through them yet but we found plenty of petrified wood and hopefully one or two tree fern fossils.
The above agate also came from that first area!! (My find!!)

Our cheese knife complete accommodation was only 10 minutes or so from the digging area so we sensibly went back for lunch and a coffee (and to rest our aging backs haha) before going back to the agate rich area to see what we could find there.

I went back to a mud hole I was digging in the first trip and extended that.
It wasn’t all that fragrant… and the mud was pretty sticky… but I got a lovely lot of stones out of it.

I am yet to scrub up most of them but I did get a few cleaned up and took some photos so I had something interesting to share with you!

So many different colours from one stinky mud hole.

Did I mention leeches?
There were leeches.

A bit like a caramel.

By the way, leeches aren’t awesome.

Other couples have short trips away that don’t involve stinky mud, broken fingernails and leeches.
There might be something wrong with us!! 😀 😀
Anyway, I have a few more snaps to share of our last day which I will save for tomorrow or the next day (Our drive to The End Of The Road)

Have a splendid weekend!
Cheers

The 2020 Millar Family Portrait!! 😀
Cherry blossoms still lovely.
Pip fairly unimpressed…

I had some other garden/yard photos but of course there is some glitch with the internet connection tonight….
So I won’t muck about with it!

Catch you later in the week!
Cheers!

Hello!! How is everyone?
Did people do something for Halloween?
I think a few local kids did some trick or treating in town and the staff at the supermarket dressed up a bit 🙂

So – I peeled some slivers from an orange and chucked them in the dehydrator. I was a bit excited about a new fragrance called ‘Orange and Bitter Chocolate’
Oh yes… yummo!
I wanted to put some actual orange peel on the soap as a decoration.
That kind of thing needs to be dehydrated though otherwise it will go mouldy. (Not a good look in soap haha)

Well – the fragrance made the mixture thicken up SUPER quick. I practically had soap in the bucket before I could get it into the mould!

Panic panic.
It did make for a really interesting texture and the colours underneath once unmoulded looked ok too

It does smell delightful.

Another one I did prior to this also did the same acceleration to the ‘trace’ (thickness of the mixture in soaping terms)
I was going to do a drop swirl with a new Strawberry and Champagne fragrance… it ended up going into the mould in layers as it was so thick!

I haven’t remembered to get photos of the cut version…

Then there was a new batch of the Oatmeal and Stout (Smells divine)

Again no unmoulded photos yet, same as the one below which is another new fragrance which I am loving already ‘Coconut and Lime’

Then there was another attempt at the embed mould of the Christmas tree…
I really liked the stripes better on this one

(Little hearts)

Funny thing though… the tree got a bit fat!!
Too much pre Christmas Cheer… or I didn’t snick the sides of the mould together quite firmly enough and it… bulged haha

This whole loaf (12 bars) is destined to be sold in a local shop that one of my friends owns!! I’ll be able to hand them over in the first week of December as they should be (just) ready by then.

I got a fantastic order from my parents – 35 soaps!!
They’ve asked around their retirement village who wanted to buy some. So I put a box together and even made up a special request (Round soap with pink)

My parents showed the lady in question the photo and she really liked them and also requested a couple of the ones with the purple too! (Lavender and Cedar)

And last but not least… attempt number two on my ‘Fir Tree in a Snow Storm’

Charlie Brown would be proud… 🙂
I remembered the olive granules in the bottom layer as a scrub and had the mixture thinner this time.
The indigo powder does streak … and I think I need to put the green in spread a little wider to get a less lopsided tree….
Still a work in progress but so much fun to create!

Okies… thats all from me!
Hopefully I’ll pop in tomorrow evening to say hi, as we are planning to disappear south again the following day to hunt more fossils and agate (and yes I know I haven’t even taken photos of the last lot properly)
Jeff was all fired keen to go again (cough… nerd… cough). I wasn’t going to go as it was all to hard with the animals, but apparently Wonderful Cousin Beau is free to stop in for a couple of days!
Yay… trip for me too!

Cheers!