Author: Lisa

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!

Hello! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend planned!!
First things first… strawberry rescue!
Thanks to Ruby, I picked up some unwanted polypip and other bits and bobs from her place, so I was able to put together some new nice looking arch frames for some netting

I need to source some more clips but this is a good start!

Now its just the slugs I need to thwart!

And rocket progress…

Today I really really needed to get the carrots in.

I hate twitch… its never ending!!
I spent a long time pulling it all up again. This stuff is bomb proof!
Oh… and still digging up that evil weed matting – that the twitch is now embedded into making things much harder than they need to be!
Never do weed mat!!

All grumbling aside, I felt a bit chuffed with the end result

Satisfying isn’t it?
Went and found some sticks so I know where to expect the seedlings to pop up.
I’ve got three different types in… and can’t remember off hand what they were!!
I decided to give the beetroot its own patch this year and plant more carrots

Slightly wonky overall garden view

Potatoes are pretty much all up and going well.
Lots of weeds coming back. I really really would like to mulch them but the blackbirds would just get in and kick it off as they are nesting everywhere and on major worm and bug quests.

Anyway, I am still following Ruby’s playbook and hoed in between the plants. Disturbing the weeds and aerating the soil

Better.

Lovely Rhubarb, forging ahead!

I started prepping the beetroot plot too

I just gave it a weeding and turned it over.
Its got compost, leaf mould and has had rotting straw as well… I think I’ll add in some potting mix to lighten it up before planting the seeds… probably a tomorrow job.
I am about out of my beloved pickled beetroot so… the sooner growing the better!

Did I post photos of my iris? They are all coming out now

I went out tonight and its horrifying how many snails are living in here though.
I am feeling too lazy to go back out with a bucket…

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cheers!

Hi!
As I type the wind is really kicking up out there! Pip is tucked up under my top keeping warm – and having a major licky-licky bath which is giving me the irrits haha – if he doesn’t stop soon I am evicting him and wrapping him in his towel so he can slurp all he likes on his chair.

How fluffy is the cherry blossom?? Loving it!

So… whats been happening?
I had picked up another load of soil from Sharon and Pauls place, and managed to top up the last strawberry bed.

Took a few barrow loads to get it sorted.

Filled it back up with strawberries. Most have survived although I think today I replaced about 5.

I also topped up this bed. At one end its got black peppermint… which is gorgeous!
Then the following day I did a complicated pattern planting rocket seeds.

Today I noticed that they’ve popped up already! Love how fast they are! I’ll give them a week then I’ll take out the sticks…

Oh! A strawberry. All very exciting until you return and find that the rotten blackbirds chewed it! Time for netting!!

Disappointed

I pulled up the second pot of potatoes in the hothouse. I think this one did better considering it was only one potato rather than three!
They are all gone now… they were sooooooo good!

Did I mention that we sold the log of macrocarpa timber to a fellow that randomly appeared on our doorstop and asked if he could buy it??
I checked with our tree guy who originally wanted to mill it but its been so long and its in someone elses paddock. Tree Guy will be able to take whatever he can when the last of them come down.

I wheelbarrowed 4-5 lots up to the garden and put in a separate heap with the coffee ground.

It should break down pretty well. No rush

I’ve also been getting some (green) firewood from our cousins place. I added to this pile with another load before moving it all today.

Moving things about so we can start storing the new wood and letting it dry out

We also got the leftover milled timber that wasn’t wanted so we can use it for anything we need around here… so we braced the fence end of the timber pile

I say ‘we’ … Jeff pretty much did that

I bought some steel droppers the other day and today scrounged about for timber to put the front on the compost.
Happy with that.

Now… to transform the other two bays haha
Seems like I will NEVER get this three bay compost thing finished to my satisfaction!

The weather has been fickle. One day superb, the next miserable.
Pretty funny when its a gloomy rainy day and I fail to put the fire on.
Pip sits around in conspicuous spots under my feet, hunched up, slightly fluffed out, looking pointedly woebegone.

Lets translate that into ‘You useless human where is my fire and towel?’

I try tucking him up in bed, but he prefers to be out in the open guilt tripping me.

Finally I cave (because lets be honest… I love a cosy fire)
So, human gets everything sorted, towel warmed, cat wrapped and finally I get some purrs.
Spoiled rotten perhaps?? Maybe??

Oh well.

Hope you are doing well!!
Enjoy the week ahead – lets finish with a snap of my beloved herb spiral… looking so lush!
One of my sisters just sent me a link to a recipe for oregano pesto… mmmm

Cheers!

Hi!
These photos are from the other day.
I decided the garden here was too unruly for even me to cope with, so got in and did a major tidy and chop (and weed)

We’ve had a few days here and there of perfect spring weather

I cut the cape gooseberries right back, and also dug one up and gave it to Kirrily (Our old border) I will relocate the other two as well… I didn’t realise how big they were going to get and they are unsuitable for these beds.

I’ve found a few small self seeded lettuce in here too… bonus!

Two have since been eaten! Sigh. But the others I’ll replant when I top up the beds

This side needed a bit of TLC too

I’d like to get some more flowering plants soon for the middle areas

The borage is happily out of control and the sweet peas are slowly slowly growing up.

Such a difference from around 12 months ago when it was just a messy grassy slope!

Still loving the herb spiral

In other news… the hothouse potatoes were ready!
Nail biting moment… would there be any potatoes? (The plants never flowered)

So I pulled the tops off the first pot that I had planted three potatoes in and tipped the pot…

Success!!! Oh how we have missed new potatoes!

Not bad for winter. I feel three was too many to plant, but it was all an experiment and boy oh boy did they taste good!! (Yes, past tense)

See the bowl? That gorgeous gorgeous bowl?
My sister Rosemary has gotten into ceramics and is producing amazingly beautiful works at about the same rate I make soap!
We got this in the mail the other day (Was so nervous opening the box to see if it made it in one piece!)
(I’ll add a photo at the end of the post so you can see it sans veggies)

Still congratulating myself on planting new lettuce seedlings over winter.
And a few snow peas haha

I know… I am still hiding that lovely bowl under food…

Yummo, fresh salad and proper free range eggs from spoilt chooks
(Plus my cup, hand made also by Rosemary)

Rhubarb really going well so far.

The lemon balm I cut back to the ground has sprung up as if nothing happened!!!

I spent a great afternoon in the garden today too… will catch you up on that soon!
Hope you are all having a wonderful week!!
Cheers

Hello hello!!
What a weekend!
Gosh I am feeling weary tonight!
So… yesterday I woke and the weather was less than nice. But I decided since the car was packed (and I am the eternal optimist) that I would go out to the Rhododendron Garden and see how things went.

Maureen also turned up after some debating in the morning because it was pouring at her place!!

The organisers decided we shouldn’t be down in the gardens – too wet and not many people expected in the rain.
We got our gazebos up in the car park and I put out a few things then the rain came down more… even with the sides to help the misty rain just floated in and got the soap damp.
Not going to work

Luckily instead of having to go home, we were able to snaffle a spot inside in the corridor along a wall and put a table up each and do a reduced version of our markets.

We really had a lovely day even though it was slow. We met lots of people… esp the volunteers that run the garden. So sweet and helpful.

(Maureens really cute kids aprons)

We both did better than we thought in sales for the day and the best thing was being able to just cover our stuff and leave it behind, ready for today!

Happily our gazebos did get used yesterday!! The Taiko Drummers couldn’t do their performance in the muddy garden in the rain, so they set up in the carpark!
A real shame about that. Today would have been better for them with more people to enjoy it.
I certainly loved it

This is Ayano… I met her later and we made friends!! Maybe I will be able to meet her again sometime and brush up on my Japanese!!

And today was stunning weather! Its hard to believe this followed the dark day of misery yesterday haha

So we decided to relocate our wares back outside under the gazebos where we had more space to work in and put out more stuff

So many people came by to see the gardens (and buy soap!!)(and craft goods)

Everyone was so cheerful and positive. It was a lovely atmosphere today!

Maureen has done so much sewing this year!!
She is saving her pennies as she is planning to join an expedition with Margie, her daughter in law Marsha and myself to Japan next year!
(You know… if we can ever leave the country again!!!!!)

We are hoping to go in November 2021. Obviously nothing set – who knows what the world will be up to by then! But its great to have plans and goals to work towards!

It was nice having the space today.. I could sit at a separate table behind the main display and wrap soaps for people – like a mini office!
I also enjoy seeing the soaps all out together.
People were being so complimentary about them. I think my head swelled up.

Great outcomes though. Sold over $500 worth over the two days and now I have some space so I can happily make more!!!
Yay for markets!

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend too!!
(I hope to go back to the gardens ASAP so I can actually have a look around!)

Cheers!

Hi there!!

There is a market this weekend- over two days at the Rhododendron Gardens not too far from here.
I haven’t checked the weather but I am booked and packed! Fingers crossed
I’ve been sorting soap this week and boxing it up… good grief I have a lot!!

Been trying to get Christmassy colours happening. None of these will go with me on the weekend. Will save them for the Nov. Markets closer to Christmas.

I am getting better at the wreath design. Chose better colours that dont run… and a fragrance (Peppermint) that doesn’t discolour the base mix.

This one was a bit of fun. I did peppermint again… going for that candy cane feel??

The butterfly embed soaps unmoulded nicely and are rather sweet.

And lastly before I take myself off to bed (shockingly before midnight) my first attempt at …
Well… I am sure you are all seeing a fir tree in a snow storm right??
This was the closest one to the mark.
Made me laugh a bit but all my FB friends and family are being very kind about it

I will try again with my normal loaf mould and a fragrance that doesn’t accelerate the trace. It got a bit thick to work with so things didn’t quite go my way.
BUT – I think I know how to fine tune it. And I’ll cut the snow smaller too.
Goals…

Have a great weekend everyone
Cheers!

Just some pretty spring stuff tonight.
Will have a soap update soon… been making more but mostly organising for the planned market this weekend!

Our lovely cherry blossom has finally fooffed out
But was feeling a bit sad today thinking that I usually got Ruby standing under it for a photo session. She did love the spring flowers and blossoms…

Funny how these iris are just popping out too – I don’t really remember having them before and so far about 4 have bloomed!

Not as pretty, but mega exciting… potatoes coming up everywhere!

The white garlic seems to have recovered from being ravaged by the chooks

Flea ended up getting one of her wing feathers trimmed the other day. She was flying up and over the garden fence then happily digging up stuff… like the snow pea patch!
Seems like that’s done the trick!!
We might be finally chook-proof!

Poor snow peas. Will have to replant a couple of sections.

Still don’t need the broccoli patch so happy to leave it for the bees

Hmmm – the population of fat happy rabbits is growing!!
All cute until they have a party under the house at 3am. I think they are trying to bounce (or something) and keep bashing their heads on the floorboards. Soooo relaxing!

Calendulas continue to be a wonderful bright spot in the garden

The last tulips …

The sage has flowered. Not having had it before it was nice to see what it looked like!

The chives are a bit of a mass of purple now too!

Anyways, loving the warmer weather and the spring colours.
Mind you… I still have the fire going in the evening and the electric blanket at night because… well I like cosy!!!

Hope you are all having a lovely week so far!!

Cheers!

Hello! Welcome to the end of another week!
I hope yours has been a good one and you’ve a splendid weekend planned ahead!

Got the snaps together for my walk back to the cabin after Sharon, Lottie and I walked around Dove Lake.
There is a boardwalk that goes right back to the rangers station before you enter the park ‘officially’ that we’ve never walked. Its not long enough or challenging enough to make a whole days drive to Cradle just to do it. Its also another 5-7kms that you just don’t always feel like tacking on to the end of the day when you might have walked up a mountain already!
So, I thought it was a great chance to check it out.
Sharon and Lottie were done and were heading back to the cabin, but I still had some energy and keenness for hiking left!

Its a lovely boardwalk. Nothing to the challenges of a crazy muddy path with roots and rocks to trip you up, but I loved it anyway!

Turbo Chooks!!
Tasmanian Native Hen… I love their nickname tho… and you should see them run at full tilt!! Insane! They’d run down a cheetah! haha

Scat ID time… Hows your poo recognition skills??
What animal does a square poo??
Yup… its a wombat! (You all got that right?) Still a mystery how a square poo comes out of a round hole haha.
The things that keep you up at night pondering. (Stay tuned at the end for cute wombat photos)

It was so nice meandering along the boardwalk. I crossed a river a couple of times and a few streams

Looking back to really great views

The sun was in the right place to take photos of where I had been rather than in the direction I was going!

Still a bit of snow left dusting the top of Cradle

Over the river again

And again

And a shadow selfie of me waving hi to all of you! (See… I think of you all when I am out and about in places like this!)

I love rivers. I think I am a river girl in my heart as I grew up in river country!

Bit cold for a dip though…

The path went through a few different landscapes too

Oh look… more river!

Above photo looking ahead rather than back!
(I got Sharon and Lottie to do half this walk back with me the next day which was awesome… they both enjoyed it although at one point we needed to pep Lottie up with a muesli bar haha)

Dead tree landscape

See the path snaking down through the scrub. I suspect the reverse hike would have been a bit more challenging. I did a little bit of up, but I think overall… more ‘down’

The currawong following me… still seeking a sandwich.

What a beautiful afternoon!

Small stream trickling down and under the boardwalk.

There were a few rest spots placed strategically along the path too
This was like a rock throne or something!

Still getting glimpses of Cradle at times!

I really didn’t have a sense of how far I had to go until I got over this stretch… where I could start to see the lodges

The rich afternoon light just made this golden!

Back to the rangers station, I decided to walk back up to the cabin because it ‘couldn’t be all that far’

Well, yah, it was. A bit far. At that time of day. Plus I had to walk by the road which isn’t as much fun as the boardwalk EXCEPT… all the animals!

So many wombats everywhere!!

They just don’t care that you are there. Busy. Eating.

Plenty of wallabies and pademelons too

And good reason for the permanent slow speed limits here.

Not sure if the above is a Bennetts wallaby or not.

Taa Daaa!
I made it. I was ready for a hot chocolate and a sit down.
The girls were already snugged up in bed watching the Sound of Music!

Such a cute little cabin… complete with neighbours!

Reckoned she might have hopped in if we’d let her!

Anyway – hope you enjoyed the walk and the animals!!
Have a lovely weekend
Cheers

Kiss the Ground.

I hope I did that link right!!!

Someone on one of my gardening pages recommended this doco/movie and another member sent me this link.
Its available on Netflix and we watched it late this afternoon.

So interesting and full of hope.

I try to share what I have learned with others re gardening and looking after the environment, perhaps especially, feeding the soil and not just the plants.
The documentary expands on this greatly.

As you know, we only have a smallish (in the grand scheme of things) plot of land but pull plenty of food out of it. With no chemicals etc either.
It was great to see large scale operations using biodiversity to strengthen their soils – and their outputs and increase their $$
Monoculture is not doing us any favours.
Anyway, I won’t spoil the plot haha – just to say we really really enjoyed it and it makes us enthused to try harder to do better with what we’ve got…

If you’ve watched it – would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers!

Hi!
Hows your week going?
Yesterday I had a bit of a day of rollercoasting emotions. I found all my chooks in the veggie garden DIGGING UP MY GARLIC!!
There was a very ungraceful eviction and a lot of yelling. (And a lot of bok bok bokking from the garlic killers)
Then I got a note in the letterbox for me to collect a soap supplies order… excited but still mad haha

Chooks!! I tell myself I was fantasising about soup (sans garlic) but of course I love them. I straightened up the garlic and uncovered the ones they buried and will hope they recover ok.
The bottom gate that we don’t use somehow got open!!! Its now tied shut.

The soaps above have set nicely and the creamy bits have lightened up so they are looking prettier. I had the butterfly embeds and thought they might look cute

Can’t wait to use one of the new fragrances… raspberry and vanilla. I’ve sniffed it 10 times already and I am in love and I wish I got more than 50ml

Note to Judy: We didn’t go for a specific walk as Jeff promised but we did kinda get out and walk because Margies little dog Macca disappeared so we went down to join in the hunt! He was missing in action for over an hour!!!
Found in a yard nearby ignoring the calls and whistles as he was ferreting out rabbits!!!!
Glad he was found safe and sound – and looking like butter would not melt in the mouth haha

Loving the herb spiral… although I spent a sticky half hour or so out there tonight collecting slugs and snails and jumping on them. Eurgh

If I had the will, I could be out there for hours and collect buckets of the rotten things!!
Anyway, I put a small dint in the population.

I still need to cut back the cape gooseberry and really get the gardens ready for planting… tomorrow is supposed to be our last nice day for a while so better get into the garden and stock up on fire wood at the back door.
Lucky I have lots of soap stuff to play about with!

Cheers!