Feather your Nest Friday, 6th January 2023.

We are off and running for 2023!  Thank you to everyone for your supportive comments to Laurie!  And also for the comments on our "How Nana" was busy with her hands!   Many of us were blessed with busy Nanas!   What a difference they made in our lives and what a difference we can make in the lives of our children, Grand children and Great Grandchildren.  In fact I am sure far far beyond.   

Much of this week was taken up with caring for an orphan calf which in the end I could not save.  Yesterday was my bad day over this.   A thick black clouds hung over me and I felt awful.  I put my whole effort in.   Today I am better thinking I did my best and thinking of the animals all around me that I have saved and hope there will be more that I can.

Some of the ways I got ahead and built up our home were:

Mum was coming so I made scones and that day had Apricots stewing.   I also made more Apricot jam.

Then I had cherries cooking and ended up freezing multiple batches.

I also made Cherry Jam.  I couldn't face pitting this many cherries so I threw them all in and later I poured the jam through my colander which has quite big holes... big enough to let most of the jam go through and small enough to keep back the pits.

I think this is the nicest jam I have ever made!   I still have a few cherries left so maybe I will make another batch.  I got 8 large jars from this lot.

One of the best things is to make a bread and butter pudding with a berry or cherry jam in the base.   Then at the end turn it out and the berries are the top and look gorgeous.   This looks amazingly fancy.  There are sooo many uses for jam.  But we will get to that in our Nana posts.

One of my goals this week was to get some seedlings to fill in spaces in my veggie beds.   I went to town and came home with a couple of boxes that I was so pleased with.  

Today I got them all planted.    

My other goal was to fill up the pots Andy gave me for Christmas.  I saved egg shells that went into them along with compost and each were topped with some potting mix.    There is a deck out the front of the house and the area where my kitchen window looks out which was a kind of wasted spot.   It also has mesh fencing which I thought would be great trellis for climbers like Cucumbers and Snow Peas.   So my two goals went together and I got them both done today.

Also.... this area gets morning and midday sun,  shelter from afternoon sun,  protection from wind... and later, in winter, frost.   

Before dark I will go out and give everything another water.  The rest of the seedlings filled spaces in my container gardens out the back.   Tomorrow is going to be pretty warm.

When in town I found an amazing deal.  Tomatoes have been around $8 a kilo up until recently.  (So about $4 a pound.)  I found 10 kilos boxes at 59c a kilo!   Beautiful tomatoes too.  So I got two boxes.

At the butcher I asked for bones for the dogs.  He must have had too many as for $5 I got about all I could carry!  

Tomorrow I need to get working on the tomatoes.   In town there is also an amazing deal on Strawberries. I would dearly love to get them!  But town is an hour away so I have to see if someone is going as to go especially doesn't work out. 

I made a heap of gift bags and a few cards.   An old calendar had great images so I got two Birthday cards made.  The dog one is for my Son in Law who has a Kelpie just like this one. 

The work boots in the image are just right too!

As I go to water I will sit my biggest slow cooker out ready for tomorrow.   I need to get as many tomatoes going as I can.  The slow cooker will help.  I might have some Zucchinis I could add and make a good pasta sauce.  

How was your week?  How did you build up your pantry, freezer, garden, gift cupboard or any other area? We love to hear! xxx