Thursday, April 28, 2011

Random photos from this week

Having a go a quilting using old pillow case scraps
 as you can see the kids decided it was a blanket for the pram
 Paint job on my brother car
 My new solar powered energiser for electric fencing
seeds from the Italian Gardener and no I'm not obsessed with onions, one packet is for me the others are for my dad and Nona.

Knitting

my latest knitting project
first photo before I blocked the scarf/hoodie I don't like how the knit stitches at the back stick up
 
 After I blocked it, a little better but still not 100% happy with it


Saturday, April 23, 2011

Lovin

EVERYTHING atm. especially hubby who while I was strolling around in a daze kept pointing out things he thought i would like.. yes please to them all thanks hehehe. All found at the yearly garage sale at the church at Millfield, we did then head over to the Wollombi markets whch were huge in comparison but so were there prices, but they did have lots of local veggies which was great.



Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Inverell op shop find

While we were away we drove up to Inverell but it was a rainy day and to occupy the kids we took them op shopping and my mum spotted the doll house on the left with furniture and dolls for $3, so i had to grab it. Alyra spent the morning cleaning them and rearranging them, and both the kids have declared they love the new one more, so we will be sending our old one to the school where my mum works as she has K/1 so the kids will love to play with it .


all over a bit to quickly

We are home from a trip up to Bundarra, where we stay at a local farm called Sentry Box while it doesn't look like much from the out side its great on the inside and was so much better then staying at a caravan park or Copeton Dam which is where we were originally going to stay. The kids had a great time and loved the goats and it was good to stay somewhere that has more privacy then a caravan park
I really love this photo, mum gave the kids some bubble sticks as an early Easter gift and it was a pure fluke that I capture this photo. I love how they are both inside the bubble.
Boys and there toys hehehe.
On the right of the tree is a wedge tail eagle I'm always amazed when I see them, just how big they are.

When we went to Copeton dam Lincoln forgot his jumper back at the cottage so it was decided a fire was needed.


While this next photo is just showing a paddock, I had been hanging out the window trying to get a photo of a wild sow (female pig) and her piglets running after her, there was around ten of them the kids and Rob we so excited. This is the back paddock of the place for sale we went to have a look at.

The goats at Sentry Box were so friendly and followed the kids ever where.

The outside of the cottage.
And a peek inside, it was really nice and even had a dish washer which we didn't use. I'm to use to doing it by hand.


Food for Free

is there such as thing.. yep if you don't mind scavenging and hunting for it,slipping and sliding in mud and falling of the back of the Ute. While we were away one afternoon driving back to the cottage I notice what from the road side looked like lemons. So of cause i had to investigate, because it was so muddy rob refused to just drive across he paddock so i walked over to find not lemons but quinces hundreds of them.I was so excited both mum and Rob thought i was nuts, but Rob ended up driving down and I picked 10kgs of them. They wernt perfect, some i had to cut out spots where fruit fly had gotten into them but when they are for free who's to complain. So today was spent cutting and cooking them I only used around 3 kgs of them and I'm taking some over to my Nona's at Easter.


update

On the chickens and the garden.
 The chickens are getting bigger and today was there first day out side, they are 3 weeks old.
We spotted the first saffron bulb to flower, I planted these last yr but they were so tiny last yr that they didn't produce any flowers.

Taking advantage of space around the kumquat by planting it out with garlic, These ones are a bit too close together but i can blame that on my helpers lol.

This yr Ive put netting over my cabbages and broccoli to help keep the white moths of them so far its working great. As you can see along the edge of the garden we also put in onions all around the cabbages.

First of the peas, though  yesterday they were that height the whole way along the mesh, the extreme trimming is thanks to ninny goat who scoffed in and had her self a great feed.
This wild looking garden is Lincolns and is full of sweet potatoes and potatoes and also baby broccoli plants
these peanuts came from Lincolns garden he was very excited to pull them up and ate one straight away even though I told him you have to wait.

 The capsicums have gone a bit wild I have been using them in every meal to use them all up

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Crazy kids

My Miss Alyra who refuse to smile for the camera and is more interested in trying to take the camera of me.
 And what can I say about this crazy one who's new favourite thing is headbutting the cushions.

Olive picking

I forgot to take the camera with me so not pictures of the trees, but the olives were pick at my dads place. We didn't get heaps, around 9kg not much considering he has at least 20 trees,  most were still green but this is what I brought home with me. Preserving  olives is a really simple process, I mixed salt in water, how much salt you are suppose to use I'm not sure but I do it the way my Nona taught me which is place an egg or a potato in the water when it floats you have used the right amount of salt, then prick the olives this helps to release the bitterness from them then, leave in the brie, cover so they are all under water and change brie weekly until you think they are ready... I normally go  four weeks but just wash and try one( I know one time my dad forgot he had some in brine and left them for three months!!! but we ate them they tasted fine). Then you can use however you want you can just rinse them and put in jars full of clean water, but i prefer to put in olive oil with roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes, also baking then with herbs then storing in oil is really yummy as well.