A Quick Chat Over the Fence

The cumquat trees that grow in big containers on the side verandah are loaded with fruit. We're not in need of any more marmalade, chutney or sweet things so I put them in the farm gate shop.

For late Spring, we're doing well on beautiful weather that's not frying eggs on the side path. How about this? Perfect one day and beautiful the next.
Cool enough to have the kitchen wood stove alight and cooking up all sorts of useful delicious-ness.

Lamb shanks in red wine, tomatoes, fresh picked garlic, and herbs. With a few other flavorings thrown in for good measure, and into the wood oven to cook slowly for dinner.

I'm starting to prep the food for the Bee-keeping workshop this Sunday. The last for this year.
There's one dietary requirement request of non-dairy, so I made a batch of muesli biscuits. Coconut oil and honey are used instead of butter and sugar. Lots of healthy nuts and seeds in there too, perfect breakfast biscuits for when we leave the house in a hurry and need a snack mid morning.
I've made a list, and another list, ordered the bread rolls, and plan to do the other baking on Saturday.
  Sunday morning will be an early start, making up the lunch baguettes filled with various fillings, so I'm then free to participate in the workshop alongside Brian.

Well.... as the oven is hot, it would be silly not to use up some more of this delicious fresh garlic, with spuds, and cream that was past its use by date.

Why do I always feel so virtuous after I've made up a fresh batch of laundry detergent?
It took thirty minutes, three ingredients and an estimated cost of $2 in total to make. I use generous dollops in our washing so this will probably last a month.

I took a friend to an evening with William McInnes who was loosely (very loosely) talking about his latest book "Full Bore". Actually, I still don't know what the book is about, such is his way of story telling, goes off on tangents. (A bit like me) Oh well, I'm in good company then. ;)
What a hoot! He's a brilliantly funny story teller.
Yes, there we are, I'm on the other side of  lady wearing a green top.  ;)
My friend took a bottle of her home made tomato sauce to give him, as she announced in the car as we were driving there.
She was first in line when he sat down to sign books being purchased, she whipped out the sauce and presented it to him (with no intention of buying a  book that she couldn't afford). He was completely taken aback, grabbed a book from the top of the pile, signed it, and presented it to her.
What a lovely man, and what a thrilled friend.

 Outside activities are no fun with the pesky flies we get out here in the country. My best weapon, this old hat and veil.

The gaggle.

It must be exhausting doing the paddock rounds with me. 

The dinner is cooking, the cows are moved into a new fresh paddock, the eggs have been collected, weeds have been pulled and fed to the piggies...oh the pigs, you'll want to see a recent picture of them won't you??

 Laa la laaa!!

And for Sherri, from Making Haven here is our nettle that grows wild here in South Australia. The holy grail nettle, the nettle of many great things. See here for my post about nettles.

I do hope all is well within your world, as it is in mine. Thanks for visiting, see you again soon. :)