Hi! Remember I said that date to leave was coming up fast? Well… it got faster! Been running about like a maniac… working through lists while my brain is being mean to me and thinking up all these ridiculous little things it thinks I should do! I also did another soap workshop! (haha… yah. I am an idiot)(but it was fun)
Anyway… bags mostly packed, presents organised. Did some eucalyptus soaps… and got my friend Nozomi to translate some details and care instructions so I could add that into the little bags
I did a good day in the garden the other day – mostly planting everything that Jude has given me that hadn’t made it into the ground.
When I come back I am going to ask her what everything is … I can never remember! (Bricks as an anti-chook device)
A nursery for all the small plants and cuttings. I’ll put them out somewhere when we return. But they will be happier in the ground! Netting… another anti chook device! (Mind you I lifted it a bit while Jeff mowed yesterday and didn’t put it back… Coco was STRAIGHT IN THERE!!)
I moved the avocado tree
I will espalier that too later in the year
Planted all the bulbs I had!
Found a spot for this sweet plant!
Potatoes coming up!
Put in a few carrot and beetroot seeds Failed to weed second side
In the hothouse I have Japanese giant mustard growing (in the pathway not the beds lol)… so excellent in salads… lovely and peppery
I also moved some self seeded tomatoes, planted basil and some cucumber seeds Lettuce still amazing
The tomato seedlings are doing fine too.
I planted another hydrangea (At least I know the name of one thing)
The cuttings I put in ages ago are putting out new little leaves.. good sign
This is a tree. Tea tree? No… dang it. Will have to ask. Anyway its been in a pot forever the poor thing… so into the ground it went
Oh… I was given some wormwood too! Good for bug repellent in chook yard. So in it went. (Is it bad I keep thinking that absinthe is in my future?)
Forget me nots everywhere
Anyway, so yesterday we did another yard stint… Jeff mowed again (grass is growing fast!) We cleaned up a bit more stuff. I sorted firewood – filled kindling box and all boxes with firewood close to house and in the baskets inside. Just so Maureen has a nice start without having to do too much hard yakka first up. We also hooked up all the sprinklers and bore and fixed some of the watering system nozzles that were broken or blocked. Today we sorted the house so its not too tragic for our lovely house sitter.
Tonight I’ve just been doing the little annoying tasks that have been on my mind. The plan is that tomorrow isn’t a frantic day. A few small things to do but nothing crazy Hopefully the next time I swing by the blog, it will be from The Land of the Rising Sun! Have a great week xxx
Well… this job I put off… But its been hanging over my head as I really wanted them in the ground before we jetted off to Japan (Date coming up ridiculously fast)
But the weather has been… testy and I kept half heartedly having a random dig and not getting anywhere
Damn this was a pain. I dont enjoy sticky soil! So it took an eon and I felt it in all my muscles!
I got through it then, scattered blood and bone in and dug it through for a second time. Finding more weeds I had missed of course!
At this point bending to put the spuds in was… fun. (Such a drama queen!) I did add a handful of organic compost in each hole too.
Finished off with some straw mulch and today its being rained on… so nice timing! I am going to be glad of getting this done come December!
Did I show you this? Another of my Oh Dear garden issues haha
This was a while back. My friend Jaana gave me some lettuce seedlings that are doing well… we picked and ate some yesterday!
The other day I also managed to weed and mulch the garlic and do half of the other bed.
I plan to get some carrot and beetroot seeds in this other bed ASAP
I dont have a before shot of this, but just assume disaster level plot.
The soil level had sunk a lot so I topped it up with compost I got from Jude which really helped. Then put the alpine strawberries in and replanted the regular ones in too
Ive also netted them as our little darlings have been allowed up the other end of the property in the afternoons and they have been enjoying getting into the beds and scruffing them up!
Speaking of the chooks, we invested in a bok bok box (treadle feeder)
We were feeding them in a tray and were losing so much to the sparrows and other birds. It was getting ridiculously expensive. I found the hanging feeder bucket lid so I topped that up too and the girls went into training on how to operate the feeder
Coco and Mamma were the first ones to sort it out… overall they were all a bit… Slow! Haha. I think they’ve all got it sorted out and immediately we have noticed a difference in the frequency of restocking. Every $$ helps these days right?
I still get to Judes mostly once a week. Happily she always seems to have something to burn! I am such a pyromaniac at heart so I am in my element. I do return home stinking though! Worth it!
Always something pretty in her gardens!
Oh, and I’ve been enjoying making little baskets recently. So satisfying to finish something in a week or so and not five months!
Very Wee!
I’ve booked Rachel and myself in for a bamboo basket weaving workshop in Japan (Sorry can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this) and I wanted to have some little flax basket to take for the instructor.
Then I made this one… with a bit of cordage embellishment
I got carried away and added a lid
For some weird reason I had a bunch of gumnuts… perfect for the bobble on top
And some random work on the underside to help it stop sliding off. And some silvery gizmo just because…
OK… I better go consult my list and see what I need to be doing! First up… light the fire as I can’t see it getting any warmer today!
Well!! There she is! Tasmania has been hit with insane weather and power/internet has been down everywhere- for some for a stupidly long time. We were lucky with only a 12 hour outage – along with a few days of on and off power. Oh… and the equivalent of dial up internet speed once we had power back So… tucked up in front of the fire in the dark I donned a head torch and finished off my basket!
Ooooo and getting down into the last middle bit was a total snot to complete. It does bulge out a bit weird but it does it evenly in the triangle shape so it doesn’t look stupid.
I’ve left some of the sticking up sticks as they are…
All part of the rustic look!
I then made cordage from the flax to re tie the mess at the top and cut that away. I also attached the handle down slightly differently so it was sturdier and more even. I think it can carry a reasonable amount of stuff safely – just not going to load it up with 5 litres of milk or anything!!
Pretty sure I started this in April? I’ve really enjoyed working on it. Mostly I only spent time on Friday mornings at basket weaving (Which is in no way a solid two hours work since there is chit chat, coffee and buns haha) I think I’d like to do a similar basket again but maybe not so big… and for a little while I will work on some small projects before getting the mad idea to do something like this again!
Hello! Wow… we are about six weeks out from when we are booked to fly back to Japan, and I’ve just managed to finalise booking all the accommodation and locations we intend to be! That was QUITE the challenge this time. Anyway … more on that another time!
Raspberry Patch! Oh my! Look at it!!! We made a start and I ended up just biting the bullet and saying “Lets just dig up the LOT and start again.” I am sure Jeff was more than thrilled!
It took us one day to clear the patch – I was also setting aside canes to replant or give away
And seriously! How is it possible to dig up this much ‘archaeology’ in a patch that has been used for years?? And why the coat hook? I’ve tried to envision a reason WHY a coat hook ended up buried in my raspberry patch, but I am failing. Suggestions (no matter how outrageous) welcome!
Anyway, we got to this point (below) before having to quit for the day. (Ohhhh my creaking bones and aching muscles!)
The next day we got back into it. We re dug the entire patch to help get out extra weeds and a few more potatoes (yes… there are ALWAYS potatoes!)(And another bit of crockery or two)
So good!
Anyway, I didn’t want to use the clothes line like I have in the past to give the canes some structure to help with the wind We used the bamboo to make a more rigid framework to tie the canes to.
It turned out looking pretty neat and reasonably solid. Then I dug trenches in each of the sections, added compost and manure and chose the best canes to put back in. Also leaving a good space to be able to walk around for picking – not like last years disaster of a jungle with added excitement of the tiger snake!
I was so over it by this stage but couldn’t quit…
And the finishing touch was to tie them all to the structure! I reckon it looks a million bucks better! Not sure what the harvest will be like but it was high time to do this. Too many weeds were ingrown into the raspberry plant bases to be able to get out and lots of canes just growing wherever they pleased. It was anarchy out there! Once we put the net back up we can mulch it… no point until then as our precious chooks would just kick it all out of course!
Anyway, not much else has been done in the yard but I am happy to have this massive job out of the way! Hope everyone is doing well! xxx
Hi! So… we’ve stampeded through the year and here we are in August!
It hasn’t really felt like a proper winter. Apart from frosts… days are still mostly sunny with a distinct lack of rain. The pretty flowers are random ones I spotted at Judes
On my day up there, we set a tree on fire. On purpose.
It was dead, and we did say sorry. Its part of the orchard clean up. We cleaned up and burned lots of rubbishy sticks, branches and leaves, then cut into the out of control fig tree and wrestled blackberries (always satisfying to chuck them on the fire!)
I am not sure if I took a very good before shot, but the space between the trees in the middle of the above picture… just wasn’t there earlier in the day!
Judes husband got home and broke out the chainsaw to take the rest of the tree down so it could finish burning more easily.. Soon the orchard will be open enough to get in and prune everything properly and give it all a chance to flourish next season. With one thing and another, it hasn’t had attention in a while! Very satisfying. Plus I love bonfires
Camellia out… took a snap before the forecast showers ruined it! So perfect!
And a new fluffy carnation!
Photo no. 4 – hard to get Rusty to not wriggle about!
I had an idea for a design… It turned out ok…
But honestly not enough WOW factor for the trouble and time. I can’t see people wanting to pay more for this than the standard easy to make soaps. But its fun to try new stuff
I have a workshop tomorrow so below is a demo soap (Patchouli) for students to cut.
Here is a random dinner photo… love home made hamburgers…
I only took this snap to send to my friend Yuri to make her jealous. She enjoyed my hamburgers… and RELISH haha
Update on the rug… Nearly there! Just going around the outside now!
And my crazy basket update! It really has attracted a LOT of interest and enthusiasm in basket weaving class. So I am pretty much obliged to finish it!
We always say baskets tend to just do what they want to do. Apparently mine wants a triangular bottom! No idea how that happened. It is going reasonably flat though. I wasn’t sure how that would turn out since I am working from the top down instead of vice versa.
Once I fill in the bottom, I’ll make some nice thin cordage and replace the dodgy ties on the handle and tidy that up. Will also tie down some of the vine to the side… currently its a big sticking out stick. I think it will look interesting attached to the baskets side. Looks good in my head. Time will tell if I can make it do what I want!
Rusty on the leash while Jude and I work in her yard… Something about trying to eat the rake, the shovel, the wheelbarrow and sticking his tongue in your ear. Rather slows the work process! (Still cute tho)
I did a bunch of weeding and Jude made an excellent start on clearing the driveway of grass.
Back home… We had the extra unwanted challenge of our house pump dying.
I didn’t take a photo of the nice shiny new one. Of course it died on a Sunday. We just survived until Monday when the fellow came out and pronounced it properly dead. RIP Pump and RIP wallet. (The bill hasn’t come in but… sigh) Rates also came in. Double Sigh. Be nice if these things paced themselves out a bit hey? Not all at once!
Thursday turned out unexpectedly nice – we took to the hills for a hike around Blanfordia Hill.
This view never gets old!
The forecast had predicted doom & gloom with a lot of wind and rain.
We packed the wet weather gear expecting the worst and had a gorgeous couple of hours walking.
Hello! (Wow… clearly bright and sunny!!)
So much… up!
We walked up the tough way first, then came back down Blanfordia enjoying the superb views
Not bad at all!
And just a quick sneaky look at a soap I cut this morning. A slightly new version of the Christmas tree in snow. Usually I’d just do snow sprinkles in a grey background. This looks way more dramatic! Enjoy the rest of the weekend xx
Still not excessively winter like although we have a few days of rain supposedly coming up!
Out at Judes place yesterday helping clear more spots, wrestling blackberries and lighting fires. Always a good day! Came home with some cuttings and food!
10 photos of Rusty… one without his head blurred!!
Today we spent a little time outside stacking wood. I bring home wood from Judes, some is green and some burnable. It needed to be all in their proper places!
I also planted some hydrangea cuttings out the front where we cut back the tree-bushes!
There are still a few flowers around
Ive forgotten the name of this sweet little blue flower (also plants from Judes!) They were put in so small and are now spreading around. Unfortunately the onion weed is going crazy. I spent some time pulling a few out but it needs a concentrated effort.
And the flowers are pretty… so I left some for the second.
I love the Hellebores!
Pics are a result of me randomly aiming my tablet down low.
I finished another long row of crocheting the rug together: One more long length to go and I can start on the short lengths!
I best mosey off to bed! Basket weaving tomorrow. Looking forward to my coffee and buns and getting a bit further on this basket! Have a lovely weekend everyone
Hello there! Early attempt at keeping up to date better! Above is the view from the Somerset Surf Life Savings Club where basket weaving is now held! How good is that? Last Friday we were all out on the balcony because there were whales frolicking about out there. Sadly, I had my tablet only so the pics really didn’t show them at all. Still… its nice to show you our view!
We got a Bok Bok Box… Well… its called something boring like a chicken feeder. I like to say Bok Bok Box out loud. Jeff just gives me a … look. haha Anyway, the treadle when stepped upon opens the lid so the chooks can get to the food.
They are in training with it at the moment. Its set so its mostly open but when they step on it the lid moves up a bit. At first they all just took off in horror! They are getting braver, and the small movement isn’t bothering them as much. They can sit in the coop area with it tomorrow morning for a while to get more familiar with it. I’ll lower the setting again so its almost shut so the lid movement is more dramatic. Hopefully it wont take long for them to master it and their fears! We have been losing SO MUCH feed to the wild birds. So if we can get the chooks eating out of it properly, we will save a lot of $$
Speaking of the precious poppets… I’ve been letting them roam up the house end of the yard later in the afternoons. They get so excited to go through the gate.
The garlic!
I got keen and dug up the rest of the oca. (Starchy winter veggie according to google) I just learned you can eat them raw like a carrot! I must try it. Mostly I just bake them with the other veggies
Some stray potatoes that are now in my tummy!
Well… its been 12 or so years but the little lemon tree, after three replants, has finally done itself proud with lots of lemons!!!
Our new friend Benyu. I don’t have a photo of his fiance Rachael, but they are a lovely young couple, travelling around Australia with their caravan and house sitting here and there. Benyu did our skylight. They went to basket weaving and a few other classes at Farm it Forward Tasmania which is where I met them This is Benyu entertaining the masses at the twilight market in Wynyard!
Last weekends class soap pics!
The ladies had fun! I only had three but it was a good class. I got my last participant because I was on breakfast radio talking about soap! (How I managed to string a sentence together at 7.30am is beyond me haha)
hmmm – thats the link! Fast forward to the 1hr:45 mark if you want to listen to me stumbling though an interview!!
A better picture of the demo soap
We popped back down to Oldina for a hike!
Most of the tracks are nice and muddy – lots of puddles since we had a little rain recently!
And checking out whats left of the various fungi!
And whats life without 35 projects on the go? This collection of willow pattern granny squares was done quite some time ago… I am talking years now I think! Clearly I saw something shiny and got distracted Anyway, my best friends daughter turned 18! So I thought I would put it together and she can have a car or a couch ruggie!
I am nearly through attaching the third row tonight!
Thats about all… I think I will head back to the fire to complete the row then play some random game before bed! xxx (Below – the bulbs I put into the stump have well and truly popped up!! Mid winter!! Shows how off the weather is! At some point I’ll find something for the little pot!)
Hi! I know I know… I absolutely am not on top of anything resembling organisation or consistency! I hope everyone is doing well. Its been super icy cold… clear skies and frosty frosty mornings
Our current neighbours dont seem too bothered. Mind you… they are the noisiest bunch of cows we’ve ever had down the back. Once they spot you in the yard, they all start bellowing at the top of their lungs and come stampeding over to stare at you! Hilarious.
So… I just uploaded a bunch of photos,
I get out to Judes about once a week to work with her in her gardens and property. She feeds me awesome lunches and we do random jobs. Sometimes clearing leaves and making leaf mould compost and just using the leaves as garden compost, sometimes moving rocks. Other times rediscovering pathways and clearing gardens!
Last couple of visits we had been working on this pathway which had all but disappeared. Very satisfying to unearth it.
In the garden on the left, Jude dug up this horrifying monster. Its an Australian Paralysis Tick!! Obviously it must be full of blood but we didn’t recognise it as a tick at first because… HUGE!
Our garden has so much work to be done in it! Every now and again I prioritise fixing up a section, but its pretty slow going.
The last time I cleaned the chook coop, I made some better steps for Gympie. Now they all happily use their new steps. Although its going to be a pain to take out and clean with the next coop spruce up. I’ll have to think of something better but for now, Gymp. can get up to her spot without the agony of me watching her try to half fly and fall because she didn’t like the last arrangement of log steps!
A few weeks ago I finally put in a garlic patch! The garlic was jumping out of its skin trying to grow in the box. Now I am procrastinating about cutting up the rest to make garlic salt!
They have liked the frosts… this pic was just before they went in (so I am not even sure why I am posting this haha) but I checked them today and they are all up a couple of inches or so high already.
Frosty nasturtiums
Frosty calendulas
And yay for slack gardening skills letting the rocket go to seed… as I have a nice patch to collect fresh leaves from!
Another bigger thing we got done was the skylight! Our old one was pretty much on par with a colander. The leaks went from a one container affair to an 8 bucket event! A friend did the work for us… pulled out the old one (it was dreadful!) and we ordered a new one – double glazed! The roof was covered back over while we waited for the new skylight to come in and it was so nice not to have it raining in the dining room. Benyu did a great job fitting the new one in – considering the mismatching size of hole vs new skylight! He has also left it so we can look up to the sky instead of the old perspex that was in the ceiling.
Mind you… overall its been worryingly dry. Autumn had hardly a drop! Even now, at winters halfway mark, very little rain has fallen.
On the soapy front… I have been trying to stock up. I’ve quit Arty Duck. It was good to have my soap there, but I was finding it stressful to have to spend a whole day over in Smithton – plus the $$ to drive the hour there and hour back. With the insane prices of olive oil as well, my margins are a bit slim. Since the sales weren’t super huge, I just decided to step back from that one.
(Above Golden Honeycomb and the three layered soap is pineapple and papaya (divine)) I am supplying a couple of more local places which is enough. No more markets booked in at the moment, but mostly doing a workshop each month. And I changed my recipe so I am not having to re mortgage the house to buy the ingredients. The new recipe cuts way back on olive oil, increases coconut oil and I’ve added in both rice bran and sunflower oils.
And yes… I’ve had to start making my Christmas soaps! Have I mentioned we are booked to return to Japan? This time I am taking Jeff! I have used all the soap $$ I got from the Cruise Ship Markets to get us the tickets back. We are booked to leave mid October and wont be back until end of November. We have mostly planned to go to more rural areas to do hiking here and there! Its been fun researching. Of course we will spend some time in the usual areas as thats where a lot of our lovely friends are so we are looking forward to catching up.
Our friend Rachel is coming along, so we have been talking a lot about plans. She is also now friends with a bunch of my Japanese friends – So I am sure its all going to be quite memorable.
Over the next three months, I’ll pre book any markets that I know are upcoming and have my soap stocks up to scratch so I am not the maniac I was over last summer.
Definitely need to do this design again… a Nautilus swirl. I did it as a demo for a workshop. Mind you. It was my first try ever!! (living on the edge doing it in front of students haha)
I absolutely LOVE how it turned out so I am super keen to do some more.
OK… what else on the craft front? Above was just a sampler as I saw another lady at basket weaving do this crochet pattern…and weaving in a chain stitch into the double crochet gaps! Filing this idea away in my brain for a later project…
I attended a card making workshop… that was a lovely afternoon. Farm it Forward Tasmania has a ton of papers and whatnots to do such great cards and a very nice lady guided us through.
There was only two of us – but look at all the pretty cards that were made! Mine were the red ones and my friend Michelle did the blue ones.
My friend Kazz ran her first workshop – to make Elf Ear Jewellery… so I had to go along to that! (Who doesn’t need elven ears?) Its a slow process… esp if you haven’t done wire work. But it was fun to do. We all managed to get one ear done. I have the stuff to make my second one when I get a chance! I loved it though!
And basket weaving! I am a bit strict with myself to set aside Friday Mornings to trot along to weaving. Its a real treat. Someone brings you a cuppa, and there are buns and cakes etc! A whole big bunch of really creative friendly people attend, so I get my social fix for the week! At the moment I am working on this ambitious project. I found the vine like wood at Judes while we were cleaning up something. I couldn’t bear to throw it on the bonfire so it came home with me. I’ve twisted up the top and handle, then have worked from the top down with the flax. (Usually everyone works from the bottom up.) So… its just evolving slowly but I am loving the look of it so far! It just takes SO long to do a lap around!! Mostly I’ve only had the time to work on it Friday mornings… while I am not eating or talking! Hence the … slow.
OK… That is about all thats going on… besides hiking so I have some chance of not cracking up on all the planned Japan hikes!
Stay cool if you are in summer and stay warm if you are in winter!
Hi! I am going to go out on a limb here (not really intending the pun, but… it possibly works) and say this is the greatest before and after shot I own…
My friend Jude dropped by and pointed out a few garden hints… and we just went chop-happy!
Jeff was tackling this garden… taking out the evil rose… the one with thorns upon thorns and a mean sense of humour.
Its not fully finished, but the way is clear for us to do something a bit different.
Naturally there was a LOT of garden waste.
So… bonfire time? There are no fire restrictions now so we could FINALLY get rid of the ever growing pile, and once it was going… added all the new stuff.
Super dodgy pics. Just using the tablet to document!
I felt it was safer just to start with one pile and then chuck more on as we went rather than a bonfire that took out half the district.
Its been an insanely dry season – actually its only really just turned cooler and we are on winters doorstep! So there was no issue getting this to flare up!
At times there was a worrying amount of flare!! Still, as it calmed down I could rake it in to a smaller area and kept piling on the new branches.
With a quick pause for twisting up a loop for a future basket…
Feels good to have that gone!
Jude also gave me not only advice, but a bunch of plants too! Working on filling in this area with pretty stuff! (Perlagoniums and salvia and some succulents.) We dug up daffy bulbs from the other garden so I popped a couple of clumps in here as well,
I am really looking forward to seeing this grow in!
Nothing like a bit of mulch to really tidy things up!!
I’ve also planted bulbs in the stump… and I’ll think of something to plant in the pot. Time will tell if this is a success or not!
Jeff has continued along in front of the house in a hacking frenzy. Its looking insanely spacey!
Looks like another fire on the horizon!
There is work to be done on the house and veranda so clearing out this area is going to really help get everything accessible too. And below was at the end of today.
I am pretty sure I haven’t shared this before. But this is Pips spot. Jeff puts fresh flowers almost daily. And little by little we’ve added the rocks and plants.
There is a stump to sit at when we feel like it. We still miss him so very very much. It really doesn’t feel like its been well over a year… We find it almost as hard as when we first had to say goodbye. We keep busy, but Jeff tends to the spot and I get involved a bit – I find it harder to linger there. I see where he is meant to be in the house daily. Right now he should be wrapped in a fire warmed towel on the couch.
Jeff pulled up all the ever present onion weed, I gave the grassy plants a severe haircut and did the edges. I plan to go to the op shop and find a jug that looks cool so Jeff can replace the not as aesthetic old plastic coke bottle that holds the extra water for the flowers.
I was also super excited to get my very own cushion plant! (I’ve called them pincushion plants in the past which I like) This species isn’t quite the same as the ones up at Cradle, but its almost! I’ve planted it and added some random rocks and now I just have to wait for it to grow!
The back of the garden before the great haircut of 2024
Its all pretty pleasing to see some progress. It also inspires us to do more.
People do ask if we are going to get another cat… I tend to try to answer briefly then move on before I cry and things get awkward. But I am sure we will. In the bigger news of the year, I took a lot of the cruise ship market soap money and bought tickets for Jeff and I to return to Japan in October/November. So certainly no new kitty before then as I’d die of anxiety to leave a new family member.
We are looking forward to a five week adventure, seeing friends and eating lots!! Mostly this trip we plan to do lots of hiking. We’ve been investigating pilgrimage routes and looking to go to more rural areas that aren’t swamped by tourists. Markets have wound down, but we still have to work out budget so we have enough to cover our food and accommodation – and some fun money!
Hope everyone is doing well and either getting ready to be cosy this winter or gearing up for a fabulous summer!
