Goodby 2022

Sitting outside. There is a breeze blowing keeping me cool. 

There is the sound of the lawnmower and dogs barking. 

Distant traffic and birds singing. 

This has been a year full of new and exciting times

Learning new skills, and becoming more comfortable with who I am. 

We will have a quiet New Year’s Eve. 

A bbq. A few drinks and then probably in bed before the midnight hour. 

So I’ll say good bye to the year.  Thank you all for visiting my blog. 

Thank you for sharing your lives with us and I wish you all a happy, healthy and wonderful new year. 

Let’s hope we have lots of exciting things to post and many happy days to share. 

Quiet

Swam this morning. Hubby has gone off motorbike riding with some mates 

I’m basically just flaffing about at home. Doing bits  and pieces, as I feel like it. 

It’s all pretty relaxed.  Knitting in between bursts of energy 

It’s much cooler today.  Almost cold. 

Just a few more days left of 2022. 

Going to ease out of this year and not stress about anything 

Back to normal

Well for a few days anyway. 

Got up and went swimming. Not busy at all. Until around 7.30. When a mum and kids turned up

So we got out and headed off for coffee. 

We don’t like all the splashing.  We don’t swim to get wet hair you know lol 

After coffee I headed home to do a few things and now sitting and working on a pair of socks 

Actually using proper sock yarn.  

This is from bendigo wool mills. It’s lovely and soft. The yarn is variegated 

So it will be exciting to see how it looks once it’s knitted up. 

Yesterday we had a very hot day. 

Last night the temps didn’t drop much and stayed in the mid 20’s  Celsius 

We have had a change and it’s much cooler and it’s raining on and off. 

So a perfect day to craft 

It’s nice to rest up after all the excitement and busyness of the last few days. 

Boxing Day

Granddaughters checking out their presents 



Lots of food to eat and enjoy 





Cousins investigating and learning together 

A blissful and calm day. 

Happy granny am I. 

Christmas done and dusted for another year 

Christmas Day

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas 

Happy holidays to those celebrating other just as important festivities 

And to all I wish you lots of love and laughter with your family and friends 

Enjoy this magical day 

Christmas Eve

It’s finally Christmas Eve 

Hubby is still working on his garden make over 

It’s so easy with his big toys 

I’ve gone and bought last minute fresh fruit and salad makings. I usually have the salad makings but the garden is not playing by the rules 

Washing on the line

Rooms tidied 

Just have to do a quick vacuum 

And I’m ready. 

Well I hope I am 

Feeling yuck

Not feeling the best today. I had an Ouchie massage Tuesday afternoon and she beat me up pretty good 

My hips especially were very out   

The weather changed again today and we have rain. So that isn’t helping 

So I’m sitting up in bed,  and have returned to my blanket. 

Just for a change of pace. 

I’m sure I’ll be ok again tomorrow 

But today I’m just going to rest. 

Hope your all doing ok 

Solstice blessings

To all in the Southern Hemisphere blesses Litha 

Enjoy the long summer days for they will now start to shorten 

To all our brothers and sisters in the northern hemisphere 

Blessed Yule. 

May the sun return and shine brightly on you all 

Big job

Over the weekend hubby tackled the front garden. 

Will all that rain it had grown like a jungle and it’s way too long a garden bed to weed by hand when it’s that bad. 

So he hit it with the whipper snippet and cut right down to ground level 

Then with his front end loader mulched it. 

Turning  this 

Into this 

Much better. And now I don’t have to worry a snake will come out while I’m walking past 



I really don’t like spraying poison but I’m thinking for this 

Garden bed I might just have too. 

Gone are the days I can spend hours weeding 

I wonder just how many more years we will be able to stay here. 

It’s a lot of work maintaining all this land. 

It never used to feel like it though 

Todays agenda

Brought in veggies that were ready for harvest 

We will have some zucchini and squash for our  dinner tonight 

The rest I’ll cut up and freeze 

The rest of the beetroot was pulled out 



And the last of the onions 



I sliced up all the onions and I’ve put five baggies in the freezer for stews and soup 



The rest went into the pot with the beetroot to make  relish 



My food processor died so I had to grate all the beetroot by hand. What a job. So I grated as much of each bulb I could , the little bits left over were thrown in a pot with the smallest tenderest leaves to be eaten cold like a salad 



I ended up with these jars and a tad left over to have with our roast lamb tonight 

A grand morning’s work I think 

The rain has gone for now and we have a slightly chilly wind. So bed stripped and hung out to dry

They should be ready to bring in and make the bed

But I’ll leave them a while longer to be sure. While I enjoy a lovely cup of coffee. 

Enjoy the rest of your day 

Learning

Well I’ve finished my first pair of socks and I learnt lots 

I started these with the smallest needles I had but they were too big. So the socks are a tad in the large side 

I also learnt that even though a yarn might say 8ply it doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same thickness. 

I used a different yarn on the heels and they were small compared to the rest of the socks. So they look a bit funny

Hubby was very nice and said he would wear them proudly 

I now have the proper sized circular needles and have started a second pair   Already they look much better. More like socks should look like 



So I’m happy I gave it a go. I’ve wanted to learn how to knit socks for a long time. 

Hopefully I’ll soon be able to just make them without even thinking 

Got to keep learning and trying new things 

Feeling poorly

Monday started as usual. Went swimming then home to get my days chores done and then to get stuck into

Knitting. 

Unfortunately DIL got a call from daycare saying Anas temp had skyrocketed and could someone come get her. 

Her daddy went off to collect her and bring her to stay with grandma. 

She was very hot, but except for one eye looking a tad swollen. She was fine. 

Doctors prescribed drops and that was that. 

Nope it wasn’t. She was sick Monday night 

Screamed with pain for a few hours before falling asleep with her exhausted parents 

So back to grandmas yesterday and she really didn’t look good at all 

So grandma suggested another visit to the doctors to check ears and throat. 

Yup. Ear infection.  Sinus blocked and a very unwell little girl. 

All she wanted yesterday was cuddles   

So most of the day she just cuddled and slept in grandmas Arms. 

Until grandpa came home. Then I was dumped like a hot spud! 

So today her mummy is staying home with her

And if she’s still not well tomorrow her daddy will 

And regardless of how she is Friday she will be with grandma again 

Meanwhile grandma has woken up with a sore throat, blocked ears and a headache this morning 

So she is going to rest today and tomorrow so she’s all good to have Ana again Friday 

I Blame this silly weather 

Top of 15 degrees Celsius expected today with showers. 

At this rate we might just get a white Christmas,  it wouldn’t shock me at all 

What happened

Woke up to rain. Lots and lots of rain 

I was a good girl and went off to swim. I got out a little earlier as the girls didn’t come so I was back home by eight. 

I now have a lake out front. 

This is the reason that garden bed was so bad and why we couldn’t get near it to weed it 

Thankfully it all got finished yesterday. 

At least the plants will get a good soaking 

A big big day #2

Yup it’s such a big day we have to post twice 

The small orchard is now planted out and mulched 

The Greek spinach pies are done ready to eat 



The beetroot is canned. It will be ready in a few weeks 



We had a problem with the beetroot. I’ve haven’t had it before but the bulbs had little hairs, like they were trying to grow roots. 

And not just the big ones. Some of the smaller were the same

If you look closely you will see them. 

I ended up not using those  so I threw away a heap. 

I’d rather quality than quantity 

And the second garden out front is done 



We are both exhausted 

But it’s all done for now. Apparently we are in for storms so 

The rains will be great 

I think a hot bath , dinner and a glass of wine for me 

A big big day

This morning we went off to Bunnings to get more veg seedlings 

I had fun buying all sorts of vegetables but also plants for out front. 

Once home the work began. 

I cleared all the overgrown, gone too seed plants out of the raised beds. 

I harvested what I could and the rest went as stock feed 

I decided to use the space between the trees here to grow corn,  two types of pumpkin, cantaloupe and watermelon. 

Even though we had heaps of rain the ground is hard and dry. 

The beauty and the curse of sandy soil. 

We planted it all out and while I got the sprinkler going hubby got the mulch 

Here I gave the babies some green. They didn’t know what it was but I’m hoping their curiosity will get them to taste it and they will love it 



Hubby using our tractor to bring the mulch from the huge pile we have 



It’s going to look good and the mulch will help keep the soil wet 



Meanwhile I processed all the silverbeet. Four bags in the freezer and I saved dons for spinach pie 



We have LOTS of eggs. So two spinach pies were made 

I only used half of that zucchini the other day so I julienned  the rest of it to add to the pie mix. Why wouldn’t you 



The beetroot is boiling away 

Once cooked I’ll let them cool. Skin then and add them to glass jars. I’ll then make up the pickling juice, top them up and seal them 

Pies in the oven 



Beetroot bubbling away. 

I feel like the witches in Macbeth  the stick pot is huge 



So now I wait for pies to cook and beetroot to cool. 

I might even do those much later today. My feel are killling me 

At least it’s sunny and I might even if got a slight tan!

One can only hope 

Sunny Saturday

The sun is out and it’s warming up 

I didn’t this morning giving all the pots and veggies a nice big drink 

The are the little yellow squash coming along nicely 

Zucchini, we will soon have lots to eat and freeze 



Planted so many beans but they were all eaten once they germinated. These ones have survived. Hopefully we will get lots 



My first tomato plants all have fruit. We need it to get warm now for them to ripen 



Today we had our art lessons breakup. 

A lovely long lunch. So many giggles 

I love our little art trio   So blessed to have found some wonderful friends 

While was at lunch hubby tackled this flower bed 

He used his excavator and dug it all out 




When I got home it looked like this. 

Big difference 



I’ve got lots of plants in pots that can go in here 

And of course is so much fun going to nurseries finding pretties to put in as well 

Currently sitting out back enjoying the warmth 

How’s the serenity 

Santa’s grotto

Today we went in grandmas car to visit Santa’s grotto AKA Nanny Diane’s house. 

Her three little granddaughters were also there and at first Ana was a little overwhelmed by all the decorations and all the attention from the girls. But soon she was playing with them wandering around looking at everything 

The girls were bringing out all the toys and showing her how to play with them 



They were so ver good with her. Ana was having a ball 



Then they all sat together and had a snack 



The littlest of the three girls is Riva she was so wanting to play with Ana. In a short time they were best friends 



Evie the oldest made sure Ana was looked after and Quinn 

The bubbly middle princess was just so sweet with her 

Eventually it was time to go. There high fives all around and Ana fell asleep just as we neared home. 

Currently sleeping in the cot. 

It was a lovely afternoon 

Thanks so much Nanny Diane and girls 

Chickens

The little babies have graduated into the bigger cage 

This is the bigger half of the cat enclosure 

We blocked it off so they can’t get into the second enclosure 

They have plenty  of room In here 

Big chickens have had some bread for breakfast. 

I’ll go back this afternoon and feed them some mixed grains 



Two of the girls were missing. 

They were both in the hen  house 

This is the larger  of the two nesting boxes 

The lid was easy to take off and this hen is so chilled she doesn’t even mind me putting my hand under her to feel for eggs 

The other one was occupied by a grumpy girl. Who started to make angry clucking noises so I left her alone. 

I’m ok as long as the girls are happy and quiet. But if they make panic noises Pendles the rooster comes running. And he is so big I get a little anxious 



And finally a sock update. I managed to work out the life line section. This will later be the place for the afterthought heel 

I still have the lifeline to separate the two socks and second heel. 

I haven’t read further, it confuses me and I get overwhelmed, but I assume the separation is where you do the toes. But I’ll worry about that later 



Right now it’s lovely out. Sheets are on the  line. But under the back veranda. More rain is predicted for this afternoon 

I think it’s time for a second cup of coffee