Where does the time go?

January..... our fridges, hallway and spare room are over-run with half cases (wooden boxes) of fruit, tomatoes and various vegetables waiting to be preserved or processed in some way.
Those empty jars that have been clogging up the cellar are being rapidly filled with all manner of chutneys, sauces, preserves, jams, purees, relishes etc and then going back into the shelves in the cellar.
The vegetable gardens and fruit trees are producing the summertime glut that will see us through the coming year.
Just as I begin to see the last box of fruit go into the big preserving pan on the stove, Brian brings in another three boxes. As far as he's concerned, it's just a matter of leaving it on the kitchen table and it will magically become something edible in a jar that will show itself on our dinner table many months down the track.

Mulberries are the most tedious of all things to pick but they are wonderful for the cordial syrups, jams and jellies that I make. One of our  lovely Farm-gate stall regulars, Anna from Germany, now residing in Angaston with her family, asked about buying some mulberries. I was more than happy for her and her eldest son William, to experience the Australian summer time pursuit of the mulberry.

It is depressingly dry this summer, having had below average rainfall during the past winter and no rain for the past three months. I'm watering established shrubs and trees that have not required any water for many years since they were planted eight to ten years ago. Some have died and now I'm trying to save the remaining ones that are looking so stressed.
Thank goodness for Aggies! (Agapanthus) Although those in full sun are looking mighty poorly.

No matter how hot and dry we are here, we are grateful that we have access to mains water since our garden and stock watering tanks dried up in November. Usually they would see us through until February, when we would switch over to tap water to get us through until the breaking rains in April. 
 I don't look forward to receiving our water consumption account next month, but still we are grateful that we are luckier than so many farmers up North who haven't seen a good rain for many years.

One little patch of lush green is my self seeding garden in the house yard. The tomato cuttings are running rampant with butternut pumpkins, rhubarb, kale, cucumbers, comfrey, chives and various herbs.  It was initially receiving only the grey water from the washing machine, but is now getting a deep soak every three days with drippers connected to tap water. (Up goes the water bill).
The washing machine water is now being directed onto some established shade trees growing near the house that are feeling the stress of this dry summer.  I can cope with losing the odd shrub or plant, but losing a tree is just too much to bear.
I have deliberately allowed the Kikuyu around the edge of the fence to keep growing so I can pick some every day for the laying hens.
Well, that's my excuse for not mowing it and I'm sticking to it.

The bees must have been doing their thing. Lots of Butternut pumpkins are setting this summer.

Rotating the house cows around the different paddocks every three days is easy as they will follow me anywhere.

After making jam, chutney and preserving lots of apricots I've put some fresh and halved, in vacuum seal bags and into the freezer. Last year I tried a few packs this way with great success, using them for pies, upside down cakes and various recipes through the winter.

Tomorrow is another day for tomato sauce making and there will be more plums and rhubarb to preserve into jars too. Surely I must be getting to the end of the plums!

Thanks for visiting. :)