Out to the Garden....

What amazing Autumn weather just perfect for gardening.
I have had some great help the last week, Thomas a German hepxer has been staying with us.
Thomas has been doing all the heavy work and cleaning up after I madly weed and prune every thing.

Lets have a look in the productive vege Garden. This is the entrance from the road above. The white bougainvillea is all out in flower and looks so pretty.

This is the gate from the back yard.
Lets go inside shall we.

My faithful old dog Molly is never far from me these days.

I only have the top four beds planted out.
There is
Kale
Lettuce
Casicum
Bok choy
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Carrots
Leeks

The glass house has been getting cleaned up and ready for winter, which is only 4 days away...

The green house has had a clean up as well. I have a tomato which grows continually in the green house with the best tomatoes on the vine. This year I am planting all the self set tomatoes in the glass house so we have plenty through winter. Thats them all coming up in the bed next to the glass house.....I am also going to grow lettuce in there.

Now back out to the garden, I will show more of the garden later in the week.

Blessings

Mandy,

Gardening and Pizza.

How is the weather treating you?

It is hot here, I am following the shade around gardening.

This morning I have been working in the vege garden and back garden.

There is always some part of the garden in shade so I can spend most of the day out there.

 

 

My red table and chairs is a nice spot for a cool drink in between.

Below is a Peach tree that has never flowered or had fruit. Does any one have any ideas why this would be. The nectarine and Apricot near by have lots of fruit and they are all the same age. I am thinking I may need to get a new one, and I'm not sure whether to rip this out or leave it as a shade tree.

 

 

I am busy putting mulch all around today to keep the gardens moist, but it is getting to hot so I've come in to blog instead......I've left my Italian back packer doing the rest.....

 

I have also been planting up lettuce and cucumber seedlings in the green house with the mister on. Now I am thinking of moving my hammock in there this summer and that's where you'll find me.

 



 

I mentioned my Italian back packer before, well I have a lovely couple staying, they were married in May and are here on their Honeymoon.

Sunday night they made pizza for us for tea....All I can say is

yummmmmmmmmmmmmm so good.

 

 

They are welcome to make pizza any night they want...

 



 

 

Well I had better go and get every one lunch ready then after when it cools down I will be back out in the garden..

 



What a mess.......

I wanted to show you the work from the week end. Below is all the new tongue and grove panelling that went up in the dinning room. 

Below you can see it was just plain board and I wanted  it to match the rest of the house.I have decided to go only as far as the windows though with a chair rail going around to finish it off.

Yes it sounds confusing but I can see it in my mind ( looks good there hahaha) 

Also all the little skirting board came up, this is the last room to get done.

 And it was replaced with some nice wide skirting board, the wider board makes it look finished. After 12months the dinning room is finally getting finished....Just the painting to go and you all know that I don't like painting.

 Enter back packers.

Yesterday while I was at work Mark from Denmark(below) sanded the room for me, so when I got home there was a great big b***** mess to clean up. Fine blue paint EVERYWHERE, but did I sit down and cry even though I wanted to? noooooo I just got in and cleaned it all up thinking that it's not that bad as I didn't have to do any sanding.

Today he is busy doing the ceiling, so more fine dust when I get home..

I no I have said it before but having back packers have been the best thing I have ever done as so much is getting done...yes I am even going to get him painting...

I will keep you up to date.

Blessings

Mandy

New Girls....

What a glorious Tuesday this is...

Why you ask....day off for me today...

I wanted to show you what I've been up too, last Friday on the way home from work I stopped in at the local op shop. Above is my score,6 crystal glasses, 5 crystal wine glasses, a sweet jug that will be good for a vase and a plate..Picking these items up is what got me out to the garage sales on Saturday. Now that cabinet I got on Saturday, I may just be needing it for all the china I am picking up!!!!!

Look what I have growing in the back yard!!!

A pineapple...I planted this top out in 2009 when Greg was sick as he enjoyed pineapple juice. Well it has taken a while but it has fruit....I see it as I walk out my back door it is the cutest little guy, I just hope it will taste as good as it looks.

Above and below are the new chooks we got Sunday.Above(sorry bad photo) are the Golden Laced Wyandotts and below are the Sicilian Buttercups. Don't you just love the names of them? The buttercups get a more lighter head as they get older. They are both rare breeds, we are getting a collection of different chooks now. On Thursday we are starting the new chook pens, at the moment they are in the portable one.

William loves them and spends ages out there playing with them..and we even got our first egg Monday afternoon he was so excited.

Now we just need to get some names for the New girls, any ideas????

I mentioned I'm not working today, that is because I have to go and pick up a back packer arriving in Gatton at lunch time. Only thing is I will have to go up to the workshop and play catch up in the morning..Tomorrow is Australia day here so is a public holiday...

So after work it will be starting on the chook pen then a good Barby to end the day...

Enjoy your day

Blessings

Mandy

The last day of 2011...

 So this is the last day of 2011.

 2012 is nearly here isn't it? I thought about reflecting on the past year, instead I am going to tell you about our new project.

Above you can see a lovely paddock of tomatoes growing, and below more being planted. With all these tomatoes that Damien and Chloe are growing we need pickers....

 Introducing the Backpackers..

Well some of them any way...You have already met David and Anise, but let me explain why I have backpackers.

 For a long time I have wanted to join up with Helpx. This is a site that people holidaying can come and stay at your house. They will work 4-5 hrs per day in exchange for accommodation and food, also Internet and I do supply a vehicle so they can get to Toowoomba.

(above Oceane French)

 I also have 2 Japanese staying with me for 3 months.

Below is Koo doing cross eyes at me as he thinks that is funny.

Below is Ayia and Cassie. Koo and Ayia are not back packers, they are through Shake Hands with Oz..This is a exchange where they come to live with you for 3mths to learn to speak English. With this they also work 4 hours a day in exchange for room and board. But it is more than that, they become a part of your family and through this they learn our way of life and to speak English.. Koo is a Architect and Ayia is a English Teacher so she speaks English all ready.

I hope you are following all this?????

So the Table below is all the back packers staying here at the moment.  2 live in The Old Dairy and the other 2 French girls live at Chloe's and Damien's to help with the tomatoes.

The Old Dairy is now no longer my craft room but a back packers resort...hahahaha. How things change in life. We are enjoying them though and my gardens are looking great..Come the new year the farm is going to start to get the horrible lantana cut out and tidied up.

I may not be able to travel the world so we are bring the world to us.

What are your plans for 2012?????

Why not share them so we can all follow along on your journey...

May the New year bring you happiness and joy.

Mandy

Christmas catch up....

Christmas has been and gone for another year....

Grandma Bob got so many pressies I had to give her a hand to open them...

and of course we had our own doll to play with..William was very happy to be holding on to Grace wouldn't give her up to open his presents even.

Alanah and Chloe had fun decorating the ginger bread house that they got from there other Grandma..Alanah reckons it wasn't as good as the one grandma used to make though...

Here we all are sitting down for Christmas lunch 23 in total.

The girls at the front are the 4 backpackers and 2 Japanese we have staying.

At the back is all the family and our neighbors Pam and Lindsay who are like family any way.

Now though it's time to get ready for the new year, what are your plans. We are having an outdoor movie night with drinks and nibblies with the neighbors...Should be a fun time...

Enjoy

Mandy

A busy week end....

Happy Monday every one...

This week end we were very French, I had French house guests and William and I travelled to see the Eiffel Tower....Toowoomba style that is.

 We enjoyed a picnic at the beautiful Gardens in Queens Park .....

 Meet David and Anise our lovely French couple staying here. As you can see there has been lots of wine being drunk and good food being eaten..Anise  has cooked a couple of times O lala (said with very bad french accent)

 Whats this????Grace how did you get in here???

Look at those cheeks and that sweet face, that looks says" I miss you Grandma" and I miss you Princess Grace.

We went for a walk after our picnic lunch through the Cobb and Co museum.

William sat on this horse through most of the tour through the museum, he is having a cob boy phase at the moment.

The others had to fight him to get a turn on the horse, the horse with a Santa sleigh

.

The week end was finished off in the garden having tea  by candle light. The evenings have been so delightful that you can't help but  to dine out side.

Yes we had a very busy time on the week end relaxing and enjoying good company...

Some times it is good to do this insteaf of working all wek end..

Mandy