Monday 3 June 2019

Hooray for Winter

 Winter in our home means wood fires, cups of tea and comfort food. 


Autumn brought rain and we are thankful for every drop. Our tanks are filling, the crops are pushing upwards and the pasture paddocks are green.


 As lovely as it would be to hibernate in front of the wood fires, drinking endless cups of tea, our work goes on. 

 Chicken processing over two weekends has filled our freezers to capacity.

Nothing was wasted. These giblets and hearts will be added to chicken bone broth and vegetable soup.

The outdoor kitchen is still a work in progress, but there has been significant headway made. The light-fittings and power points were wired in yesterday and we couldn't wait to try the lights last night.  I snapped this photo from inside while standing at the kitchen sink. 

The old stove is finally bricked in place. The plaster board is all up and undercoated. Fitting the fireplace flu and roof capping is Brian's project tomorrow while I prepare the recycled timber floorboards for the bench tops. We have tried to use as many materials as we could recycle  and have found some discarded tiles that will be perfect for the splash back. 
Brian has taken two weeks of annual leave so we hope to complete this project before he returns to work.  It seems to have dragged on and on, but in all fairness, there have been so many other things going on that have required Brian's immediate attention. And not forgetting that he works full time, allowing only weekends to work on farm and animal maintenance and other projects.

Low food miles -  Spicy Indian Chicken made entirely from our small patch, except the rice of course. 

I've been busy in the garden, tidying up, cutting back and planting new water-wise plants that will  have a better chance of survival during our next hot and dry summer. I believe that we need to face up to these dryer and hotter conditions and adapt our gardens to cope with less water use.  
All of my plans to write every day have gone by the wayside as I try to catch up on maintenance around the farm and house that were the least of priorities during the demanding summer months. Now the inside kitchen needs a fresh coat of paint and some cracks plastered as soon as we can finish the outdoor kitchen. 
It never ends.
I've also been reading, (when it's too dark to be outside), Liane Moriarty "What Alice Forgot" is on my bedside table at present. I think she has become one of my new favourite Australian fiction writers.
And when working in the kitchen I'm listening to podcasts. 
Today's listening was one of my favourites - "Long Distance Call".
Geraldine Doogue - ABC broadcaster- and her daughter Eliza Harvey, who lives in Beirut, Lebanon, with her husband  Adam Harvey- ABC reporter- podcast their weekly skype conversations.
Do you listen to podcasts? What are your favourites? 

Late night blogging and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin.

Thanks for dropping in, thanks for making it through to the end.  I appreciate that you did more than I can say, and I'd be tickled pink if you left a tiny comment.

XXX Sally










22 comments:

  1. Wonderful to know what you are up too! Here in South Florida I am getting ready for another hot summer, and :( hurricane season. Early mornings are spent working outdoors, pruning and planting. Like you said, one project is finished, two more are added to the list.
    Thank you for sharing your farm, and life with us. It is so appreciated.
    Patricia Fl/USA

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    1. Patricia your summers are mighty hot, plus you have the fear of hurricanes. I should just be grateful that we don't have that to worry about and stop my whinging about summer. ;-0

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  2. So glad to hear you are getting a bit of rain down your way. Winter has arrived on the far North Coast, and with it I caught a raging cold bordering on the flu! 🤧 I HATE wasting time and I’ve been confined to the lounge and bed for 3 days, I can’t even concentrate on my cross stitch! Here’s hoping today sees me up and about!

    Your home looks so warm and cozy!

    How wonderful it must feel to produce a meal from your own land and the work of your hands! I get snippets of that feeling when I pick a bit of this or that from my garden! My oranges are just starting to ripen, it’s only a young tree, and this is the biggest crop to date, feels great to pluck an orange straight from the tree and eat it then and there!

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    1. Hope you feel better Cheryl! I have missed your blog updates. Glad the orange tree is given you a crop. My lime tree's harvest was a bust this year. :(
      Patricia/ USA

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    2. Oh thank you Patricia. I’ve lost my blog mojo at the moment, I hope it returns one day 😊

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    3. Oh Cheryl I do hope you'll turn the corner towards wellness today. Do take plenty of rest and allow your body to regain strength. I know the feeling of finally getting some oranges from our own tree. Our Washington Navel has had three moves to try to boost its growth, and now finally there are six oranges of edible size. It has only taken ten years.. ;-0 Ah that insidious disappearing blog mojo. I know it all too well, but it will return when you're ready and we will look forward to ready your inspiring posts again.

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  3. Sally, I am envious of that stove this morning as it is freezing and I don't want to turn on the heater and am hoping to warm up in the sun but it is very windy here today. I have weeding to do outside but that won't happen today. You probably don't sit still long enough to get too cold :-)

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    1. Chel you're quite right, I do keep on the move but I love my wood fires. XX

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  4. Hi Sally, your outdoor kitchen is coming along nicely. We plan to build one in the future and I have an old wood stove to fit right in when we do.

    We have had rain but not enough follow up, so things are drying up once again. It has turned to winter here too, with really cold days and I believe we may get our first frosts this week. Later today I will cover up any plants that need protection.

    I am finding it easier to do blog posts at night time at the moment. I don't know how long that will last though. The aim is to do shorter day to day posts, so we will see how it goes. I am staying off the social media sites a lot more to put time into the blog. I was spending too much time scrolling and not enough time doing.

    Stay warm in this weather.

    xTania

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    1. Tania I've taken some inspiration from your new blogging frequency and am going to attempt a similar pattern. My blog was originally intended as a form of journal, but my drawback is that I forget to take photos, forget to carry my phone. Frosts are on their way, as soon as we start getting clear nights with no clouds. Currently another day of drizzle after yesterday's showers left 3mm in the rain gauge. XX

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  5. The outdoor kitchen is coming along so well, and the oven is beautiful! Brian is so clever. I'g glad your getting the rain you need, our down pipe had been knocked off our tank by the wind and I didn't notice, and I have missed the whole days rain! Gah! A total pain as it has been super dry here for this area and our tanks are so small we need to capture every drop until we are better set up. I'm a big fan of Long Distance Call too, just a wonderfully interesting podcast.

    I hope your enjoying the change in weather dear Sally.
    xx

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    1. Thanks Em. We're both lucky that our blokes are clever at building and fixing things aren't we.

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  6. Hi Sally, I’m also enjoying the fruits of your labour - I preserved the apricots that I bought from you and this week I’m enjoying some with my breakfast porridge! I’m also picking two lots of apples, and limes and lemons from my own trees (planted in my little garden in my downsized home since moving here four years ago), plus oranges from the tree that was already here. It all tastes so much better straight from the tree, doesn’t it? Cheers, Maxinr

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    1. What a good feeling it is Maxine, to be eating the fruits of your labour. Patience is required. I'm excited to finally get six oranges from my orange tree that I planted over seven years ago. ;-) Thank you so much for your comment.

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  7. I did post a comment yesterday Sally, but it disappeared who knows where! There's a lot of enjoyment to be had reading your blog, and the photos are wonderful. Seeing how much you get done has motivated me, though I doubt I'll be matching your energy levels! Thank you, Margaret

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    1. Margaret thank you so much for writing a new comment after the first one disappeared. It's so frustrating when that happens... and I wonder if they go to the same place as all those missing socks? It's wonderful to read your comment, I don't really think I get as much done as I'd like to and I too enjoy gaining inspiration and motivation from reading about what others are doing. XX

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  8. Sally, that picture of yummy goodness is wonderful to see. It has certainly been chilly here with a decent amount of rain. Cooking is so good at this time as the house feels warmer and more cosy. Looking forward to reading more on the developments of your outdoor area. Enjoy.

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    1. Hi Brigie, today has been freezing but really invigorating outside in the paddocks. Inside the house I'm on constant wood fire duty, piling logs in to keep this old house warm.. and cooking of course. Thankfully there's always something to cook...lol XX

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  9. my wish is to have a wood stove or fireplace to sit by in these chilly mornings! have to make do with an electric throw across the lounge while i do a spot of knitting.
    love your outdoor kitchen, can't wait to see the finish, you're all so clever & full of neat & cozy ideas!
    lovely post
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Selina thank you for your encouraging words. I too just can't wait to see this project finished. XX

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  10. I'm just coming out of winter lugie, hibernation. Caught it from the kids, who no-doubt, caught it at school. So hello winter, lol. The best thing about getting sick, is when you get better again. I hope the lugie season, manages to escape your household this year.

    I think tidying up after summer, is a great way to reassess how to proceed forwards. What worked. What didn't. That's why building a great garden, takes many, MANY years, to get right. A lifetime, in fact, lol. Enjoy your farm adventures, going into winter.

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    1. Hi Chris, I hope you're over the winter lurgies now. I think it's par for the course when we have young ones at school bringing home the latest in germs. Sorry I haven't sat at my computer for awhile and although I didn't respond, I did enjoy reading your comment when I found it on the iphone. XX

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