Feather your Nest Friday, 16th April, 2021.

 It was a very nice week!  Many steps in the right direction!  We had a little bit of rain too.

Two of my empty garden beds were topped up and replanted.  I put in rows of beans, broccoli and parsnips.   Last week one of the beds was half filled with carrots.   The weather was good for seed germination with some sunny days.    I love watching for seeds to come through.

Our Autumn weather is so nice for gardening and I had so much luck.   My neighbour let me loose in her very old garden and I was able to pick loads of succulent cuttings.   This was so much fun.   I made up a basket of cuttings for Chloe as well.  



I was also given lots of plants with root systems from a beautiful pale blue creeper and scented Pelargoniums and boxes of bulbs.  Some of them are Easter Lillies.  I ended up with so many plants! 
On top of these I have cuttings of very pretty daisies that I hope to strike.   

Today was a just beautiful day.  I planted and planted and planted.  I lost count.   I have sore legs, aching back and I am exhausted but all in a good way!   Everything is watered in and Chloe collected her basket too.   I know we are all from different places but here a small succulent in a pot is going to be $10.   A creeper of bush in a pot is going to be around  $15.  I thought of this as I planted what a gift I had been given. 

I almost forgot to mention... I also was able to pick a huge bunch of Pampas Grass.   I am thinking some  vases of these,  they are so lovely. 



My cuttings are lined up in jars of water in window sills.   So maybe even more to plant out soon. 

Earlier in the week I made a quick cake to take to Mum's.   With apples to use up  I covered it with thin apple slices then baked it.  So nice.


If you have fruit to use up you can add it to a basic cake mix very easily.  Sliced on top,  berries stirred through....  you could leave half pain and half with fruit.  I have apples so apples it was! 

I met my friend Wendy in the small regional town north of us.   I took 6 dozen fresh eggs for Wendy and she gave me a beautiful hand sewn toy to put away for Thomas.  Also black velvet ribbon (love) and a container of beautiful cherry tomatoes from her garden.  And gorgeous embroidery threads.   Now I know Wendy will show us in The Tuesday Club what she does with all those eggs.   She has no trouble putting them to good use!    
Wendy's husband send me a fantastic gift.   She handed me a small pill bottle mmmm!  In it were Trombone seeds.   As in Trombone Pumpkins.   Dad would be so happy I will be growing these in Spring as he loved Pumpkins and a year ago we were talking about how you don't see Trombones anymore!   

While in the town of course I went to the two thrift stores.  This was really good as I found beautiful little clothes for the boys.  So thrilled as they were brand names that my youngest daughter goes mad over.  I really like to put away clothes for the children for next year and the next.  I have them all washed up and the things that fit now will be distributed.

My investments this week were two things.   A small spade for my car.  If only I had a spade recently I could have dug up my apple tree much better!   So now I will keep a spade along with plastic bags and baskets in my car.   I have my eye on many baby apple trees.  (Amongst other things!)

Also I bought a juicer.  I had one years ago.  With all the apples I have picked and the things I grow I thought it would be good for my health to have a juicer again.    So this was a health investment I think!

Here is a good "put it to good use" report.  I have one raised garden bed left to plant.    Also the soil and hay etc had broken down so it needed to be topped up.  I also had about a dozen Bantam eggs that would be rotten as no they did not hatch.   So I put these in the garden bed and then the soil.  Well, they are fertiliser now, with calcium no doubt.    I had a word to my two bantam hens too and the rooster who is a nasty piece of work.  I really hope they will have chicks next time around. 

I took two opportunities to add to my pantry.  So really between these I added quite a bit to both my laundry and kitchen pantries.

In the gaps I did a little bit of sewing including some farm style pot holders.  These were a hit so I made some more.



I kept working on my blanket for Thomas.


In my effort to increase my "live local" efforts I have started to shop at the local butchers instead of the supermarket.    Ok, I will still watch for great deals wherever they turn up,  but in the main I will now shop at the butchers and form a relationship with them.   I have always made a strong point of getting to know the local chemist and making the most of their help.  They are amazing.   The chemist in my main shopping town is just wonderful.  He is so knowledgeable and helpful.  What an asset.   I know if there was a shortage he would try to help.  If we needed an alternative medicine he would help.   Pretty much in any instance he would be such an asset.    There is a lot to be said for these relationships especially when someone knows you and your own medical history and that of your family. 
Also I want to buy real whole food from growers as much as I can.   I really want to buy from home based businesses and there are some businesses that I plain do not want to support!   We have more power than we think with our choices.   Recently I gave up another of my very last remaining things I would watch on TV because instead of an enjoyable sport it became a weekly lesson on what we should think/believe etc.   I put up with it for a while but in the end I decided no this is just evil in plain sight.  Now I have more time for sewing I guess :) but I am not supporting that.   We can feel defeated and that there is just no use but this is not true! 

 "Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes."  (Eph 6:11) Amen to that.

Well,  that was my week!  Some nice times and good opportunities! 
I hope it was a good week for you.   How did you build up your home, pantry or garden?  As it grows darker and darker earlier here some of you are planning spring gardens!   The change of season brings new things and I love it!  xxx




















Comments

  1. Dear Annabel, those baskets of succulents look like they are straight out of a florist. They are seriously such a picture. What a gift your neighbour gave you. Think plants would have to be one of my favourite gifts to be given. They just keep on giving, not to mention if you can strike cuttings etc. I love how you and your friend swap beautiful things. What a lovely meet up. I like how you were given pumpkin seeds and how they reminded you of your Dad. Then I also like how you visited the op shops. Well done on finding such nice clothes for the boys. I try and gather together clothes/shoes in two sizes bigger for the children. I want through the next size up and then sorted into good and extra to give away or donate, and anything else left to buy. I had swimmers on the list and that say at the op shop there was a new pair with tags on for a $1. Amazing. Having sizes up is an investment as i always think no matter what happens the children will be clothed. I think I need to keep shears and some baskets in the car, this is a great idea. I went to the recycling place today and cashed in our bottles/cans. This will then become op shop kitty money and I will stretch it as far as I can. I have some of your parsley seeds coming up, so I am very excited about that and also have some cuttings on my windowsill, I love seeing them. Sending love. Love, Lily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Lily, Thank you! I have quite a few succulents doing well and soon I can start propagating those too. Im just so pleased!
      It was great to find the swimmers! I taught the girls to keep boxes marked with the bigger sizes coming up and to put things away this way. So they have size 1, size 2 and so on for the boys. It is really good to be ahead with nice things put away! I have my special chest of drawers here too with things put away for the children plus future gifts. I love adding to that!
      Oh Im so glad the seeds are coming up! Keep them watered pretty well until they are a few inches high. Then they become quite hardy as parsley puts down very deep roots. Then you can save the seeds off them too. A parsley patch is so good!
      I keep small purses of coins for my op shop money. It absolutely amazes me what I can turn this loose change into! I gave Chloe a size 2 jacket for Thomas this week. One dollar in change paid for that. It is Pumpkin Patch Brand and new. So I guess I turned my $1 into maybe $45 or so. I think this is like a fun challenge! So you will turn those bottles and cans into something good!
      Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  2. Dear Annabel,
    You had a brilliant week. I loved reading all about it!

    What a lovely bunch of succulents. I really must tidy up mine. I have gotten so far behind with everything especially in the garden.

    Your apple cake looks delicious and a juicer is a fantastic investment, I use mine all the time.

    Thomas's blanket is looking gorgeous, I am loving the colour. It will be so warm for him to snuggle up in when it is finished.

    No rain here, it is really dry, we have missed out all round so far this year.

    I am planning to set my sewing machine up permanently and start making things. I used to make my own clothes and babies clothes in my younger years but it is something that I let fall by the wayside. I have been thinking about crafting a lot lately so will get myself organised so I can get busy. I will be doing a huge declutter as I have way too much "stuff". This was my goal for this year but has been postponed due to Mums bad health. I have reconsidered what is important to me lately...family is number one and my new grand baby will be here any day now and I want to be able to enjoy her. Must get busy and make some meals for my daughter to help her out in the early days/weeks.

    Much love and blessings to you,
    xTania










    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Tania,
      We are very dry here and we also missed the big rains that were around. We had a little but then so much wind everything is just dry. I am praying for rain!
      I am so happy you have a new Grandbaby on the way. I think having your sewing machine set up and ready to go helps a lot. I try and make it the I do 15 minutes a day. It doesn't sound like much but its amazing. Your skills will soon revive! With the worry of your Mum your garden and craft time is important if you can get it. Worry can be all consuming even when we have faith and do all we can we are human and feel the stress terribly. So make sure you get time for the things you know are good for you.
      I have been cooking extra a lot as a time saver for our own meals but also I did a lot of meals for the girls when they first had the babies home. I know this helped them a lot.
      I hope we both get some rain in the new week! With love, Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  3. My, my you had a busy week.
    I have been only watching home and gardening, food, and natural living shows of late. Gave up on all the other programming because somehow they always worked in politics and social injustice - I don't need any more of that. Just too much garbage on TV.
    My week hasn't gone as expected at all - but I go with the flow. God had other plans for me, so I will not question.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Cheryl, They are the best shows. I like a lot of you tube channels for homesteading and cooking etc. I took a while to find them. I might list some in a blog post.
      I really liked your post on what you have stocked up and what you need more of. I hope this week goes more as planned! With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
    2. Yes, Annabel, a list of recommended YouTube channels would be great! I always like to hear about great channels I have not yet found on my own!

      One of the things I always try to keep in my car is a pair of gardening gloves, clippers and some containers. A small spade is a great idea...will have to keep my eyes out for a good and inexpensive one.

      Delete
  4. Lovely post, but I miss your animal photos ;). I agree with one of your last comments, I have given up various tv programs for the same reason, I do not need to be lectured.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh sorry, I thought I had posted too many animal photos lately! So I will make sure I have some next week. Which will be easy as I have ten new chickens coming! I am really trying to get baby goats too! Now they will be very photogenic! Have a lovely weekend. With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  5. Debby in Kansas USA16 April 2021 at 08:04

    Beautiful stuff! I love that the potholder looks like Scout! And all the succulents. We had loads of those planted around our home when we lived in Southern California. We lived in the foothills in a high fire danger area. We used them as a perimeter barrier as they are full of water. Ours bloomed a beautiful dark pink. I have one lone Christmas cactus I brought from there!

    I had a flashback giggle when I read about your rooster. My brother and I would visit an aunt in summer when we were young. They had a ranch and it was our city escape for a couple of weeks. One summer, my brother just wouldn't leave the rooster alone and my aunt kept hollering out the window that he was gonna be sorry. My brother continued following the rooster around and shuffling his feet. That rooster turned around, his head feathers went straight up, his tail feathers straight back and went after him. My aunt and I laughed our heads off watching them streak down the driveway with my brother screaming. When he came inside, he was crying and hiccuping. He was about 10. He thought he was gonna get sympathy and my aunt would have none of it!! Then my uncle came in madder than the rooster and yelled at him for scaring him to death with his screaming. My uncle took him out by the ear and put him to work cleaning up animal poop!!!
    He said he obviously didn't have enough to do! My brother never messed with that rooster again and walked clear around him for years after that! My brother still laughs about that.

    I gave up sports too. I've always been a huge fan but got disgusted with all the extra junk. Like you, I have plenty more fruitful hobbies.

    Enjoy your week!


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Debby,
      The rooster is small because he is a Bantam but his ego is so huge to make up for it! That is a funny story about your brother. Roosters can be seriously scary. When I was a kid Mum and Dad had geese. They found visitors that had come to see them up a tree. That sort of thing. I was scared of the geese too.
      Surely the sports that drove us away will eventually be sorry they reduced their fan base so much!? The world has gone crazy in this regard. Now I have found some you tube channels I just love and learn from so that fills in some gaps when I would just like to watch something and I crochet and watch. Very nice!
      Have a very good new week. With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  6. We have turned off many programs on our TV as well. The agenda is to change what we think and will accept and we chose not to participate. We are with you on supporting local businesses. We have been shopping more and more at the small discount grocery where they get so many wonderful whole organic foods that are close to the date and hugely discounted. This morning we bought 4 packs of organic probiotic yogurt smoothies for 50 cents a four pack. We have been drinking these daily so we bought 15 packs to last us for several weeks. We are watching for the local farm market to open up so we can get our produce from local farmers. As I have mentioned before my husband dearly loves to eat out and so we budget for that but we spend our money at the small local restaurants.

    Isn't it fun to shop for the grandchildren? Those clothing items will be so appreciated. Why buy new when there are so many adorable and perfectly good used clothing options! Plants are wildly expensive here, too. I am finding that even at the small Mom and Pop nursery where I buy plants though there are many varieties not available this year because of the seed shortage. I love that you could glean so many plants from your neighbor and the pumpkin seeds are wonderful, too.

    Have a good weekend! Spring is at it's most glorious right now for us. The yard is full of flowers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Lana,
      I wondered how the prices of plants were there so thanks for answering that. I am aiming to get much better with cuttings, seed harvesting etc.
      Your grocery stores sounds great. The discounted organic goods are a great option and a way to get ahead. It is so nice as we get to know the local owners of these stores too. They really appreciate their customers too.
      You are right about the programmes and the ads. It is blatant now. I think it was subtle at first but now completely blatant!
      Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  7. We sold our vacation home and will be getting a big infusion of $$$ in about two weeks. (We are retired, so we live off our assets). We plan to spread it around a bit to do some good for others and save and/or invest the rest. While I was looking for the best interest rate, it occurred to me that we would do more good if we put it in our local credit union, even though the rate might be a bit lower. This way we make the funds more available to the community and, in the end, benefit ourselves because we are members/owners of the credit union. This might not be the right answer for everyone, but it is for us.

    Over the past year, we have made buying local more of a priority. You are 1,000% right about building a relationship with your chemist (pharmacist in the US). My son lives in a small town with only one pharmacy and believes that shopping there benefits him more than going to a cheaper place in a nearby larger town...for the convenience as well as all of the reasons you mentioned. If he doesn't use the local pharmacy, one day he might HAVE to go to the larger town.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Maxine,
      That is great you will have an influx of funds. It is very hard knowing what to do with interest rates being so low. That is for sure. Getting ahead on things that are going up in price is a great investment too. My golden rule is to never put all your eggs in one basket. I think a good pharmacist is like gold! They are really helpful and watch out for you. This service is so valuable. Actually knowing people and them knowing you is not so common now but worth the effort! It makes shopping so much nicer too!
      Have a very good new week! With love Annabelxxx

      Delete
  8. Had a lovely week in our home. Sunday was a deep cleaning day and a day to 'gather fragments' which is what I refer to leftovers and items that I find in the pantry or cupboards that are bits and pieces. I made a lovely coconut banana nut bread using a can of coconut milk. Also a delicious chicken curry used a cup of the coconut milk as well.
    On Monday I spent my last day in the cemetery we have been clearing up. I said it was getting warm and snakes would start to come out. John walked over today (Friday) and guess what he found? A big black snake! He told me I was right to say we were done until cold weather returns, lol.
    I did a lot of spring cleaning including washing up curtains in all the rooms and cleaning windows.
    We spent one day out running a load of errands and got many things done at once. Another day we went into the local auto parts/hardware store to have our car battery checked. It is four years old but we were assured it has plenty of life in it yet.
    One thing I learned this week is the necessity of making notes in my Home book about how many bags of mulch each flower bed takes or when the car battery was put in or last checked ...
    Today I took advantage of a silly digging doggy who tore up a space to lie down under the huge rosemary bush. There was a lot of loose good dirt there and I got up a big bag of it and took it over to my new last year flower bed and spread some of that nicer soil over it. It was so much easier to get up after the dog dug it than if I'd had to dig it all by myself, lol.
    Now it is Friday evening and I am looking forward to a day of rest and then we start all over again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Terri,
      I like your "gather fragments" cooking! I will adopt that!
      We have to be very watchful for snakes here also. Clearing up type jobs are especially when you will find them!
      You got things done inside and in the garden! If I could train Scout to dig in the right spots this would be good!
      Have a very good new week. I feel I need to do some Autumn cleaning here! With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  9. Hope you're doing well...Andy, too. The Pampas Grass is beautiful! I hope you will be able to plant it out. How neat, getting all those lovely plants to start at your place. I used to be BIG into scented Pelargoniums (tried to get all the varieties: lemon, mint, chocolate, rose?).
    How fun for Chloe to get some of your bounty to beautify hear place with.
    What a delicious-looking cake you made for your Mom. Bet that was yummy with tea.
    Our crookneck squash is goin' to town! We have some chive sprouts (they're so tiny, they look like little green hairs!), some sweet pea leaves have come up, quite a few lettuces are (barely) up....still waiting on the hollyhocks to show and the tomatoes. I think there may be a couple of tomato sprouts. Mike said: "We'll have tomatoes by supper!", --LOL!
    It is so satisfying/gratifying to see those little plants come to life before your very eyes. Spring is wonderful for that.
    It sure sounds like you should have a very productive Fall garden, too. Have yourself a nice bubble bath! You deserve it.
    Praying for Lucy, still, to get the answers and relief she needs.
    xxMary in SDxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Mary, I would love to get more scented Pelargoniums and Geraniums. I am going to work on that since they both grow well from cuttings!
      You have lots coming up! That is great. I think its exciting when things sprout.
      A bubble bath is my idea of a good suggestion! A soak in the bath is something that I love.
      Thank you re Lucy. I really appreciate the prayers Mary. With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  10. When we first moved into our home, nearly 3 years ago, I painted the front door. While the house is my "dream cottage," its exterior color, light grey, was drab. I wanted to give it some punch. The Bahama Blue paint I chose did not deliver. So for the past 3 weeks, I have been painting all our exterior doors. 2 on the house and 2 on the garage. They are all now a beautiful dark blue! Several can be seen from the street and really add curb appeal.
    In between working the garden beds and starting seeds indoors, I've been canning. My daughter's are picking flowers in the park and yard. We now are enjoying Dandelion Syrup and Wild Violet Jelly. Also I have jars tucked away for gifts.
    Also I plan to make some Dandelion Lotion Bars that were linked from Jes' site: Stranger's and Pilgrims on Earth.
    Thanks for all your inspiration Annabel and Bluebirds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Leslie,
      The dark blue sounds really nice. Paint has so much power to transform things! I love it!
      Wild violet jelly must be the most gorgeous colour! You have achieved heaps of nice things this week. I would love to hear how the lotion bars go too. Jess has great recipes! With much love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  11. Dear Annabel,
    Well done with everything you achieved this week, I too have had a busy but good week. We have a big mouse problem in our area. I haven't lived in a house with mouse problems for some years. It has made me clean out and re think my second pantry in which I had a lot of second products in bags waiting to go into the jars in my main pantry. I have been grateful for my collection of jars (which I was thinking was getting excessive) but I needed them all. I am slowly trying to eliminate as much plastic as possible from my house and collecting jars and tins from op shops. This week I found a gorgeous wooden box perfect to replace a plastic tub beside my fire to hold paper and lighters to start the fire, it has a cute painted possum on the top hiding his eyes with his paws - I love it. I spent part of the week with my parents and was secretly delighted to watch my Dad carrying the blanket I crocheted him for his birthday last year to a spare bed to have a little afternoon nap. Take Care everyone, love Clare

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Clare,
      I am sorry the mice are in your area... I have heard about the plagues but so far we just have the usual few. I lived through a plague when we lived further north and it was dreadful.
      Jars are so good. I am glad you had them. I have found a lot of tins in op shops and they are really good too. It is so nice for you to see your Dad using his blanket! It would be very special to him!
      Your wooden box for near the fire sounds nice too. I have baskets and an old cast iron pot... I look at everything as potential containers now! I hope you can beat those mice. With love, Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  12. Annabel you got so much done with your beautiful succulent collection, investment purchases, sewing, crocheting and gardening :) . Eek I never realised how expensive succulents were to buy so that is a huge saving.

    It must have been a week of preparing and planting vegetable gardens and we did some trimming of shrubs too in the gardens.

    Opportunities to trade -
    - We met a new couple that moved into the area and they are starting up a new garden so we gave them places to get hay for mulch cheaply in our local area. Turns out they have sheep and manure under a shed on their property. They were saying they wanted vegetable seeds and we mentioned we save our own vegetable seeds. We have decided to swap some of our saved vegetable seeds for manure which should save us both some money.

    Finances -
    - Paid an extra part payment off our mortgage saving both time and interest on the loan.
    - Made a new budget to account for price rises in just about everything so we have a more accurate financial view moving forward.
    - Reduced our grocery budget by $50 a month now we have our stockpile in place and hoping with savvy shopping we can reduce it some more now that specials and markdowns have returned however more sparsely than before. We are working on the if we see something at a good price to just buy it and stock up a few more than we have used as we have noticed in many cases the specials are getting further apart and are being reduced by less in most cases. I have also been exploring new supermarkets to shop at as well.

    In the kitchen -
    - Made 4 loaves of bread in our bread making machine saving $13.96 over buying them locally.
    - Cooked all meals from scratch.

    In the gardens -

    - Planted 1 garden bed with carrots and beetroot seeds and another garden bed with saved broad bean and snow pea seeds.
    - Pruned 2 large star jasmine and a lilac bush with our hedge trimmers.
    - Used all the trimmings to fill in a hole where the soil has eroded on the back boundary of our property.
    - I weeded and cut back the sweet potato vines growing out of the garden bed.

    Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead :) .

    Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Lana,
      It is great to meet the new people and be able to help each other and trade also! The old manure under a shed is really good stuff I have found out.
      I am thinking that now your gardens are established these will save you more and more too. I have noticed the price rises and the less wonderful specials. Also a lot of the specials are nothing to do with food. But now your pantry is build up it is cheaper to maintain it than to build it. And there will be all kinds of opportunities that are unexpected too. That is because we are always on the watch!
      I would love to have a Lilac Bush! I better check into if one would grow here.
      You had a good week. Wise to re assess things as the budget can be set then the goal posts move as in rising prices in unexpected places. It can creep!
      Have an excellent new week. With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
    2. Annabel if you can grow a lilac bush there drop me an email as we still have the top of it to trim and I can pop some cuttings in the post for you :) .

      Good you have also noticed the price rises and less specials as well and I am so glad we built up our stockpile when we did as now it would be so much more expensive to do so. You are right we are always both on the watch for opportunities to add to our pantries and any needed items in our homes and take advantage of them when we can.

      Redoing the budget was good as it turned out much better than we thought and expenses less too :).

      Have a great week :).

      Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

      Delete
  13. So many lovely finds and things gifted to you this week. I love how you see the value in everything and make the most out of it.
    I picked passionfruit off our vine this week and made it into oh so delicious passionfruit cordial. I think if I made the syrup a little thicker this would be wonderful over icecream. With the amount of passionfruit we have coming on, I am going to get to practice.
    The garden is starting to come into its own. I have been staggering the seed sowing as I want to be able to do some succession planting. This way I will be harvesting, adjusting soil requirements and replanting . This way there will always be food coming into the kitchen.
    On the sewing front, this week has been all about getting new curtains made for the caravan. My 100 yr old Singer Sewing Machine, Irene, has been doing a marvellous job. My electric machine is a good one, but does not like the block out aspect of the curtain material, and the stitch length is all over the place. Irene just glides through the fabric and the extra thicknesses.
    I am up to the second sleeve of Tilly's jumper. I have until July to get it finished for her Birthday. Once the sleeve is done the jumper needs to be sewn together and the neckline knitted in. I am hoping to be finished by the end of next week. This has been a process as I have spun the wool for this jumper and am now knitting it up.
    It is still quite warm during the day here. The nights have cooled down and we now have a crocheted wool blanket on the bed. I still just have a sheet pulled up for most of the night and only pull up the blanket in the early hours. I am loving this weather.
    Enjoy your week. Life is good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Jane,
      Thank you! You and Bluey are the same... set it and put it to good use!
      Passionfruit has such a good and unique flavour that sounds delicious.
      Staggering the planting is really good. It is also easier to keep up with the harvests. I am glad you are enjoying your old sewing machine. I love them. The treadle is like with spinning, it is soothing!
      To spin the wool then make the garment is really special. Nana did this start to finish and it was wonderful.
      I cant wait to see Tillys jumper!
      Cooler weather is way better for sleeping I think. For me it is. I do heaps better.
      Have a lovely new week to you both! With love Annabel.xxx

      Delete
  14. Dear Annabel,
    Your week in review looks wonderful. The blanket for Thomas is beautiful. Your day out with Wendy a real treat for you both.
    We are just getting to springtime here and my irises are up, the bushes and trees are either in bud or bloom. While it's not time to plant I have started my "regrow" garden on the kitchen windowsill. Last year when seeds were in short supply I did this with great success and decided to do it again this year even though I now have a good supply of seed. So far the romaine that is regrowing has sprouted leaves and I have a celery bottom and 3 onion bottoms in water taking root.
    We are very fortunate here in that shopping locally means we can go straight to any number of farms and buy direct from our neighbors, meats, chicken, eggs, cheeses, milk and cream fruits and vegetables, etc. And we can call our order in and just have a contactless pickup. It has worked out so well over the past year. With all the mess in the media we have basically ceased watching most TV . I think our favorite thing is reruns of "Little House on the Prairie".
    On the cooking front I've been stocking the freezer with extra meals . This week 3 dozen banana chocolate chip muffins were baked using almond flour, 2 dozen carrot muffins using coconut flour. These are now my favorite gluten free flours to use. Laine has mentioned many times that she makes lentil bread so I searched for it online and found a recipe and made several loaves for the freezer as well.
    For crafting I've been making notecards and greeting cards to put into the gift pantry. We've also cleaned out the garage and closets and donated what we don't need or use. Hope everyone has a safe and productive week ahead. Blessings, Cookie




    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Annabelle,
    You were so lucky to receive all those succulents and saved lots of money. Your Mom is so lucky to have you for a doughtier to make up those delicious looking cakes to take to her. I hope she is doing well since the death of your Dad. That is going to be one beautiful blanket you are making and more cute pot holders. That is a great opportunity to meet up with Wendy and exchange things. Our temperatures have been up and down. Could get snow one day this week. I will be glad when it settles down as have to cover my two blueberry bushes in containers, and a blackberry bush in a five gallon container and my strawberry raised bed and remember to put my cold frame cover down. If it is warm enough outdoors I carry my tomato plants outside for awhile. My tooth broke off when flossing Friday night so have to add that to list of seeing about. Have another wonderful week like your last one. Nancy

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts