Feather your Nest Friday, 25th November, 2022.

Writing this I just realised it is the 25th...  exactly one month until Christmas!  I think over the weekend I need to have a serious review of how ready I am! 

It was a great and busy week!  Today was crazy busy but in a good way.   A friend arrived this morning to stay in the cabin for the weekend.  Our cabin is his get out of the city for a while home away from home.  He arrived with a huge box of veggies and two carry bags with more!   This was so fantastic.   Despite travelling this week I came home with very little.   Fruit and veggies are all very high in price.  As I unpacked everything I was surprised over and over!   He even brought biscuits for the cows (their favourite kind) and chews for the dogs.   

After getting everything washed up I made a salad to go with dinner.   Now I am planning the menu around what we have.   That is my first rule... if fresh produce comes in,  live on it!   Then what cannot be used in time... preserve that.   It is a real life bounty! 

I plan to make Beetroot relish or pickles over the weekend.   I think one of the cucumbers will be made into Tzatziki as I want to make Lamb Koftas.   Lamb,  tzatziki and beetroot are a match made in heaven! 

So I have lots to work with! 

Another visitor came today.  A man we met recently (and had a great chat with) rang me up and asked if I would like some chickens that he hatched in his incubator.   They are special and I have forgotten the name.  Of course I said "yes that would be amazing!"   So out he came.  We quickly set up a cage ready.   They are like any chickens I've ever had!  He gave me two hens and a rooster.   They are white with black spots.  Like Dalmatian chickens.   Right now they are shy and nervous but I will try to get photos before next week.   He would not take any money for them so I came inside and got him one of my fruit cakes,  all wrapped up and ready to go,  and a set of three of my crochet dish cloths.  He was so thrilled with these!   And this is how bartering happens naturally.   It was all so nice.  

My cows came up to the front fence.  This usually means rain or a storm is coming.  They are huge now.  It might be my imagination but some of them look pregnant... which they probably are but now I think I can see it.   This is one time when being a fat cow is a good thing.  Calves coming in March and April!   Because of this I am feeding them extra biscuits.  They come enthusiastically for biscuits but my logic is when they have calves if they will come to me then they will bring their calves up to the fence and the calves will be tame as well.  Plus I will get close up!   

Our farmer friend asked me a series of questions about this.  He asked WHY did I think it would be a good idea to feed them biscuits in the first place?  Then how often do I do it?   He seemed genuinely curious.  It never occurred to him to give a cow a biscuit.   I told him when cows or sheep are tame you can't herd them or push them anywhere as they are not afraid.  That only leaves LURING them.   So you get them addicted to something they like and then they will follow you where you want them to go.    The second answer was once they like their treat it might be a couple of months in between feeding them, other times it might be a lot more often.   So that is my thinking.   If they come up with new born calves then I will be happy! 

After this we did get a big storm!  They are my weather forecasters! 

I sewed up some flannelette (an old sheet) into hankies for Thomas and Sidney.

In the op shop I found beautiful brand new girls pyjamas and a lovely little boys size 3 jacket, just right for next winter.  

I made little cakes for the girls and scones for Mum.

My zucchinis are producing and I picked my first one today.   Very happy about this!  

Andy printed Mimi's vast recipe collection for me and I have been making them into folders and as I'm putting the together it is like a study.  So many brilliant ideas.    You can find these money and time saving recipes, gift ideas, tips... here in "Mimis Tray of Bliss.... living a life beautiful for less group."    Go to the files,  you are wanting Mimi's memorable munchies.   I am re mentioning this as some of you had trouble finding them.   Because some of her recipes involve cooking with residual heat they save electricity... so you can see there is a lot to like about them. 

This week I did something different!  I attended a class and painted a deer.   There is a lady who runs all kinds of classes on her homestead including cheese making, pickling, cooking and painting.   I decided I would really love to attend one, especially cheese making.   Then a class came up to paint a deer.    I just thought this is it I'm in!   It was really fun and I learned a lot.  

I THINK I could do it again on my own this time and would like to do a much bigger painting.  The teacher said to watch for framed prints in the thrift stores and paint over them but try not to paint over a masterpiece.  haha 

I will now watch for future classes to learn more... and still do cheesemaking as that would be a fantastic skill to have.  

So I am very happy with my week and tomorrow I will get to work on produce and some freeze drying.   I hope you had a good week too.   How did you feather your nest/build up your home?   How are you tackling rising prices?  And finally... how are you doing working towards Christmas?   It has been sneaking up and here we are! xxx