Back into it

It was lovely to get away. Even if it was for only a day 

We got home in the late afternoon, in time to water the gardens and harvest 

More produce 

I’ve spent this morning making relish, more ratatouille mix for the freezer and there is currently another batch of 

Tomatoes in the dehydrator 

Hubby has gone to get some fire wood from a friends place 

Autumn is as busy as spring 

We don’t mind. Come winter we will be toasty warm in front of the fire

Eating home grown food from the slow cooker 

And I’ll definitely be making more pretty things from my yarn stash 

Maiden voyage

We finally got to sleep in our van 

We are staying at a friends property visiting after the long covid years 

Chris and Jody are also here so it’s been a love catch up 

This is the view out there back door 

I don’t think I’d ever get sick of it 



I’m enjoying my second cup of coffee 

While the boys are cooking Breakfast on the BBQ

Enjoy your day 

Ta da!

Well I’ve finally finished the Athena blanket 

I think I would make it a tad wider if I make it again 

I’m sure I’ll use those patterns again but maybe not exactly like this 

Not sure. 

But it’s perfect for sitting on the couch, it’s lovely thick and warm 

Now I need to decide which pattern I’ll make next! 

I think I have settled on a name for the new feathered baby 

He looks like a spike! 

He has settled in perfectly and everytime I go out the back he whistles and watches me. 

The cage is right at the back door. So I say hi everytime I go out 

The empty nest. Not so empty 

Universal abundance

Today at knitting someone asked  about a lady that used to come to knitting but we haven’t seen her for a while. She used to breed cockatiels and a few ladies had received one from her 

I lamented that I never adopted one but life interfered and I missed the chance 

Well tonight while crocheting I received a massage from the bird lady asking if I knew anyone who wanted a bird. She needed to rehome one 

I said yes me lol 

Half an hour later her hubby dropped of bird and all paraphernalia 

Including enough food to last six months 

He doesn’t have a name so I’m going to think of one 

He’s a boy and he is nine years old

All suggestions welcomed 

Isn’t the universal wonderful 

Cooking

I cut up the veggies and made another batch of ratatouille 

I’ve frozen three containers for use in the slow cooker during winter 

I’ve kept some cucumbers to have fresh and the rest is in these jars 

I don’t mind doing small batches. It’s much easier on my sore legs and back. 

I had made some orange and lemon jam a while ago. But it never really set properly and 

No one was eating it on bread. So I’ve been using it to make cake 

These will go to the workshop for morning tea 

I used the last of the jars today 

I’ve got some other jars of different flavoured jams so I’ll continue to use them to make cakes 

It’s one way of using up everything you have 

Having a little rest before I continue doing bits and pieces 

In between jobs I sit and crochet a few more rows on my Athena blanket 

The dishwasher has just yelled out, it needs emptying 

So off I go again 

Natures bounty

A big bowl of tommies 

Cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini and beans 

Looks like more ratatouille to enjoy and freeze 

The pumpkin vine is going crazy 

I’ll have plenty of pumpkins to enjoy and share with my children

The weather has turned. It was lovely today but the heat has gone

Don’t know if that means an early start to winter, or it’s just gearing up for one last 

Blast of heat in the coming weeks 

Whatever happens I’ll keep harvesting for as long as I can 

Finally Friday

This morning I got up and was at the pool by 5.30 again. 

I did 45 minutes of swimming and then got home before seven to receive delivery of the precious Ana 

I canned them second batch of tomatoes 

As the first batch are so delicious I’m sure they won’t last long 

At knitting on Wednesday one of the ladies asked me to crochet a bib one of her granddaughters wanted 

The pattern was so easy I finished the one she supplied the yarn for during the two hours we were there 

It was such as easy pattern I came home and made two more for her in pink 

I’ve quickly written it down I think this is a lovely one for cute baby shower gifts 

Ana is not well again 

That first year in daycare is never an easy one 

They catch everything 

But right now I have given her a bottle and she is fast asleep

Hopefully she gets over it quickly 

It horrible when they’re not feeling well and there isn’t very much you can do to help them 

Getting back to normal

I’m slowly feeling better and I’ve been able to get back to the pool 

Two mornings in a row now 

Getting up is hard but I definitely feel better having Been 

Second lot of tomatoes getting dried for preserving 

I’ve tasted the ones I did the other day and they’re really yummy 

Slowly getting on with the blanket 

It’s not that it’s hard. It’s just getting big now and it’s hot working under it. 

The weather has turned today so I’ll do the next  pattern repeat today 

Because it has been not working with the blanket I decided to try and make a bag using 

Cotton I picked a simple mosaic pattern and got going. 

I’ve not watched a video this time. I’m going just by what I have learnt

So I’m hoping it looks ok when it’s done 

I’ll be resting today 

I plan to be at the pool at 5.30 again tomorrow morning 

Do an hours swim and be home in time for Ana to arrive 

Wish me luck! 

Wordless Wednesday

Experimenting

Today I decided to pull out my dehydrator and see if I could turn some of my tomatoes 

Into yummy semi dried ones 

So I spent about 15 carefully slicing all the little tomatoes 

And layering them on the shelves  

About six hours later I got this little jar of semi dried tomatoes 

I’ve added good quality olive oil and some basil

I’ll leave it for a week in the fridge so the flavours can mix and then we will see how they taste 

If they’re a success I’ll process more and can them so they last longer 

I finally took my scrappy quilt top to the quilt shop in kooweerup 

And it will be quilted in the next few weeks. 

Meanwhile I’ll keep working on my Athena blanket 

It’s a good thing I use the stitch markers to mark the pattern repeat 

Because I almost got my stitches in the wrong spots   

You have to be careful to get the single crochet right after the double as sometimes it hides 

Good thing I know what I’m like and took precautions against my bad eyes lol 

Makeover madness

I know two posts one day. But that’s how busy we have been 

I tried to find a before shot. Didn’t get one as I was busy in the kitchen but the bush that was here grew  so much we had to keep cutting it back to be able to use the gate 




All that cutting back must of been bad as half the tree died 

So after yet another big prune it failed to shoot any new growth so out it came 

I had a dwarf mulberry in the black pot you can see and it needed repotting 

We bought two white mulberries so three wine barrel pots were purchased and all three are now in there new homes 




I bought a pomegranate tree for the black pot. It will stay there till it outgrows it. We will deal with the next step then 

But for now it’s totally opened up the area  

The mulberries are all dwarf so they won’t grown huge. 

Making collections very easy for someone vertically challenged as I am 

Now I can access the side gate without having to pretend I’m in a jungle  

Prep day

Yesterday I did the prep work on this zucchini relish 

Your supposed to leave it over night but as I had got it organised in the early morning I finished the job last night after the party 

Today I made more ratatouille 

These two will be frozen and there is a third portion for us to eat today 

When I visited my parents this week they gave us a big bag of sweet chillies. So hubby cooked them on the bbq. Skinned them and 

I’ll freeze this lot for later use. Again a third portion is for today 

I bought lemons for limoncello 

I think I’ll need to add more rind, which I’ll do in the next few days when I get more lemons 

The juice was made into lemon cordial 

And I tried a new recipe for dill zucchini 

I kinda added my own twist but using red neon in the big jar.  Just to see 

Winter is looking very delicious right now 

I’ve literally used up all the zucchini I had. 

I know. I’m shocked too! 

But I’m sure more will be available in the next few days 

Hubby is currently working on something I had on his list so they will be a post for another day 

Enjoy the weekend 

Birthday girl

Melody turns 6 this weekend so a small party was held for all her little friends and some of us oldies were invited too

My clever daughter made this ballon arch and it even has lights!  We left before it got dark but I’m sure it will look spectacular 

Of course the jumping castle was a big hit with the little ones. Kept them entertained for hours 



The birthday girl 



Blowing out her candles 

Her little sister waiting to give her a helping hand 



Brianna loved the party favours and was adorable running around making sure all the kids had one. Including her littlest cousin 



And here she is tasting birthday cake for the first time. 

She definitely approved and almost pull her mothers plate off the table demanding more lol 

I really can’t believe Melody is now six. Her nana and I just refused to believe it 

Unfortunately it doesn’t make any difference. No matter how much we try to fight it. They are growing up way too fast 

Friday. Finally!

It’s been a long week and I’ve earned this!

My health is greatly improved and I had fun today with Ana 

Other than that. I’m glad this week is over 

Bring one the weekend 

Sick day

The last day or so I’ve been laying under this quilt on the couch feeling totally exhausted and in a goodly amount of pain 

Tuesday night I was very tired so I was in bed very early   

Luckily I bombed and slept like a dead person from around seven till one in the morning 

Then it all went pair shaped 

I felt so sick in the tummy I had to rush, and that’s hard with sciatic pain, to the toilet to be sick 

This kept happened every fifteen minutes or so pretty much for the next four hours 

I moved from the bed and came to the lounge so I wouldn’t disturb hubby anymore than I had 

And stayed for the rest of that day 

Pretty sure I got it from my son and/or daughter in law as they had it the week before 

Hubby came home early that day as he was feeling “off” 

But a day of forced rest, napping on the couch was nice, and then having a decent nights sleep I’m much better today 

Although vomiting isn’t greqt for your back. It undid all the good the massage had done 

So I’ll be resting again today 

Don’t want a relapse. And slowing trying to get a few things done

I should be fine to have Ana tomorrow 

Here’s hoping 

Garden treasures

I’ve just come back from my Ouchie massage 

I missed an appointment as sue had covid so I was very very broken 

She had to do a lot of work on me and I was on strict orders to go home and not do much at all

So I thought I’d go out into the garden and see what treasures I had 

These are the tomatoes I pick them when they just turn red and leave them out on the counter for them to finish

Ripening. I actually get to have tomatoes that way 

The beans weren’t very productive but I’m happy for what ever I get. I plan to make a big pot of ratatouille 

So they will go in and add to the flavour 

Hubby said he checked the zucchini two days ago and he’d collected all of them 

Well I sent him this pic 

That really big one was growing down the side of the garden bed and was having a lovely time in the sun 

My one eggplant. It must be the long skinny variety 

But I’m happy with it 

A butternut pumpkin growing nicely can’t wait until autumn when they are ready 

I hope to have plenty to share with my kids 

Still lots of green tomatoes 

And even more in the established plants these were only planted a few weeks ago 

The spaghetti squash growing nicely 

The corn didn’t germinate so I bought some seedlings. It might be a tad late but you will never know

Unless you try to grow 

My little okra plants 

Still not sure if they will grow and produce but will keep you informed 

The tomatoes that were picked a few days ago. 

Now nice and red and ready to be added to the ratatouille 

Although I’ll keep some to eat fresh 



So that’s it for now 

I’m going to be good and rest. 

I’m feeling very bruised but at least now I can walk again without 

Limping or fear of falling