Slowly............

I can't beleive this is the fourth week I have finished up work!!!!!!! It has been so good to slow down and get things done. With the hot weather it is good to have lots of kombucha in the fridge, I like mine just plain so I just bottle it and pop it in the fridge. I have had the same mother for about 20 years now and honestly it just keeps going no matter how much it gets neglected....

I have also been making cheese again,just a basic cheese but I will start making chedder again soon as I can not stand the taste of bought cheese any more.I have always made bread but I need to make a starter and make sour dough again.

The kitchen isn't the only place I have been,I have been having fun in the garden as well.

My side kick Mac is never far away from me which is good as we have seen a couple of brown snakes already this season....

I have edged all the gardens as they look so neat and tidy when done. If their is a tool I love it is my edger. I have had it over 10 years now and use it so much as it makes light work of the edges for me.

In my front garden this happy sunflower has come up....What joy it brings me looking at it...

I have also been busy cleaning out cupboards in the 2 spare bedrooms....So much STUFF sheets, blankets, cards, clothes and shoes not mine but of the kids and grandchildren..I am slowly going through the house one room at a time...All bedrooms and bathrooms have been done.....

Yesterday I sorted out a room in our shed that has become a junk/drop it all room. This room will become my studio for my soap and candle making, this then will free up the kitchen...Hopefully I took before photos! Still a long way to go as I filled both wheelie bins.....magazines my goodnes so many magazines I think I was boarder line hoarding hahahahaha I can not wait to get this room done, it will be a slow project and I will show you when I have finished it.... Today is the pantry well more the bottles again boarder line hoarding haha. I am going to tidy and sort all the bottles and take most of them down to the larder and then bring them up as I need...Thats the plan anyway. Enjoy your day...... Mandy

SOAP DAYS

Hello and welcome, it is a beautiful overcast day here today so makes working in the garden so much more enjoyable. Last week I used the last of my frozen goats milk to make more goats milk soap..

Thankfully my beautiful girls have had their babies and have lots off lovely milk again, so milking is back on the daily list. You have to freeze the goats milk other wise it will curdle when you make the soap....

Then blend just like normal with your oils, I don't put any color or scent in the goats milk as those that want it like it plain.

I also made lavender soap, the lavender needed trimming so was a good time to make it. I soaked the lavender for 24hrs flowers stalks and all and then drained it...I ended up with a nice lavender tea that I then used to make the soap....

Once it all comes to trace you pour into moulds, above is my goats milk in moulds and all other soap I used bar moulds.

Then leave soap to harden for at least 24hrs this depends on the weather and soap you make, the lavender takes longer to set then the goats milk... I then cut it all up and stamp....

I have been making soap for over 20years now and never not want to make it...I love coming up with new ideas for my soap adventure. Over Christmas I had fun making Christmas soap using paprika, green clay and activated charcoal for colours.

And yes I didnt take photos off them, hahaha these are the round ones but the block looked so much better.... I also made a Summer Nigths soap. Sitting outside the sky was red and orange as it was starting to get dark and then the new moon was there as well..It was one of the most beatuiful skies I had ever seen, so I made a soap to remember it by...And it is ready to go this week.

Once I have made my soap it goes into the racks to cure for 6 weeks, I try to make soap every week so there is a new soap coming out each week. Did I mention I love making soap hahaha...My garden inspires me as well as the night sky..

These are some I have made with roses,calendula,nettle, peppermint and also a night skies one....The spring one has dried oranges in it and is amazing the oranges took a bit to dry but well worth it. I also like to decorate my soap with dried flowers.... I hope you enjoyed my soap making journey.... Blessings Mandy..

Vege Garden..........

Welcome to winter...

❤

Love love love the cold weather, in saying that it is a mild day today.

I have been spending most of my time here in the glass house drinking coffee and planing the vege garden...The glass house is one of my favorite areas in the garden.

I enjoy that it is in the vege garden so I can sit and plan.

Lots of seeds to raise, all my seeds are heirloom and they continue to come up year after year.

We have all our winter veges in now with only the onions to plant out.

During summer we cleaned out the green house and let the chooks run in here to clean it

all out and also let them run into 

 the onion patch...Then Bruce made some new tables for my seed raising. 

We also got a load of rocks for the bottom tier of the vege garden and then  painted the

back wall of the shed and glass house.

Every thing looks so fresh and bright now, it needed a good freshen up.

Below two pics is before we put the stones down, it was a never ending

job to keep the weeds down.

I tried bark and that didn't work, i love the look of the stones.

The top tier is grass and is easy to mow and manage. 

We are getting so many  little jobs done with the cooler weather.

It is a pleasure to be in the garden.

I hope

you are all enjoying the cooler weather and catching up on those

lists of never ending jobs....

Mandy

 

Vege Garden.............

Considering the heat wave we had last week the 

vege garden is doing well.

With the spring rain we had and now hot weather every thing is growing.

Tomatoes are ready for picking... The lettuce bolted though and I am waiting for the new ones to grow a bit more.

The leeks and onions are nearly ready to harvest as well.

We have had purple snake beans all winter and they keep self seeding so 

we are getting a never ending supply of them.

The zucchinis are also being picked and these little round 

yellow ones are perfect for burgers.

All of our veges seeds are heirloom so I find that they continue to self seed. I always

leave plants to go to seed. I have not planted lettuce for ages as they pop up every where.

Grapes..

We use grapes as shelter in the vege garden.

The green house and glass house below benefits from the vine growing on them and it helps to keep the seedlings cool in mid summer.

The grape vine we are training as it will then shade the strawberries and asparagus...

We also have a trumpet vine growing ,but this year I think the grape will be big enough.

A window to the garden beyond.

Grapes are so small but they are every where. It looks like

it will be a good season this year. I can't wait to have enough to make wine!

We also grow our grapes all around the vege garden which makes for a cool micro climate in the middle of summer. This is important here as we are still in spring and have already had 40 degree heat 3 days in a row.

What are you growing and harvesting atm.....

This afternoon after work I am planting apple trees, but that is a post for another day..

Enjoy your week end...

Mandy

Family and Farm...............

Hello to all,

I am hoping all Queenslanders have been getting this rain.

We have had over 5 inches now for the month of Oct.

This cheeky little rabbit is my youngest Grandchild William (Billy)

Billy is going to be a big brother in May 2018

Grand baby No 12

God has blessed us so much with our children and continues to bless us with grand babies now.

Our quiver is still filling..

Cassie & Billy were home for the weekend. Love having this girl home, she is truly a bright light. Always fun (naughty) and has such a loving heart for all those around her...And a fantastic Mum to Billy and wife for Ben....

We had a market on at our local hall on Sunday.  I think this is the first market I have done this year.

Too busy with the shop these days.

The market is the reason Cassie came home. Her hubby Ben is a saddle maker,

and leather worker so Cassie had a small stall as well.

These 2 are the newest members on the farm... They are doing a great job of keeping the snails down as well.

 The Jacaranda tree is in full bloom and the front yard is a carpet of blue.

As is the veranda

 The Flame tree is out early this year as well.

This is the Tea Garden

I have all tea herbs in here. Lemon verbena to Vanilla grass.

and all in between.

This was a hot unused area in the vege garden and is now the prettiest with the calendulas flowering in there. 

With all the rain I am getting my exercise mowing.

My ride on died so I am push mowing the yard, Between the edging, mowing and 

wiper snipering I do about 2 hours a day to stay on top. 

I tell you what I better start losing weight !!!!!!!!!

Blessing

and have a great week.

Mandy