Feather your Nest Friday, 11th October, 2024.

I have a cup of tea while I look through the weeks photos and notes.   There was no Back to Basics post as Monday and Tuesday I felt really under the weather.  BUT I bounced back and the rest of the week was pretty productive!  It was also a week of increase!  I will get to that a bit later.

Last weekend I got busy making Lemon cakes to use up some eggs and lemons!   I made four.

This one was going to Chloe's along with Orange extract and Pumpkin for Lily.

I am collecting two dozen eggs per day!  Happy dance!   Take a look at this.  I took a photo because I am sure people don't believe some of my stories.

I got a bag of bananas on special so this weekend my cake will be banana! 

On Wednesday I went to town to see my friend Wendy.  I took her eggs as she is a great cook and she gave me a whole bag of fabrics and gorgeous ribbons! 

A great trade!  Also... on the list, for next time Harper and Scarlett are here,  I have making scrunchies. These fabrics would be beautiful.  The plan is they do most of the sewing, I do the tricky bits and we make enough for them and their friends.

Wendy also gave me something else in this bundle which I will get to in a bit!

Last week I said I was hoping for calf number 8.    Well... Wednesday afternoon I wondered what on earth is up with the cows?  There was a lot of bellowing and carry on so I hopped in the ute and went out.   First I discovered calve 8 had been born either overnight or earlier in the day!  And calf number 9 was just hitting the ground while several cows made a whole lot of noise about it.    

When the girls were here I explained that signs a cow is having a calf are when she goes off on her own under a tree,  away from the rest.  Scarlett said she thought she probably wanted some privacy.   I agreed.   This cow was not getting any privacy at all poor thing.  But everything seems to be fine.

Yesterday I went out to do the rounds and check on them all.   Normally if I drive in none of them bother to get up or move but they all got up and ran flat out across the paddock in the opposite direction to me.  The poor little calves were trotting along way behind.   It was like I offended them.  I was mystified.   As I drove further I found out what it was all about.   Two Kangaroos were bounding along the fence, not on THEIR side but the other side.  None the less they were not putting up with Kangaroos.

Once they were satisfied the Kangaroos were gone they turned around and ran equally fast back to me! 

I don't go too close to the newborns as I don't want to cause any problems.   But the bigger ones are all very relaxed.

All week my table out on the deck was a mess of wildflowers as I make bunches and some to bring inside...

As I made breakfast yesterday I heard a whole lot of cheeping.  Suddenly I realised it was the eggs in the incubator hatching.  I was not expecting them until today but they had other ideas. 

Three had hatched and had a whole lot to say about it.  Six more were hatching!

I have ended  up with thirteen.  One is a tiny bantam because the incubator was full but I found room for two tiny eggs.  One of these has hatched but he is still in the incubator until he dries off.

So 2 calves and 13 chicks is pretty good for a week!

In the store I found bags of baguettes marked down dramatically and I got them for making the lunches when my helpers are here.    (Plus the bananas I already mentioned.)

I began to go through my present cupboard.   There is a lot in there!   I have a lot of towel sets and tea towels.

On Tuesday I will post all the photos in The Tuesday Afternoon Club to show the different things I made all year.  Except some things I can't show without the wrong people seeing!  😊

After making soaps with the girls I have the bug to make more.  Chloe picked me a bunch of Rosemary as I went to do a mens chunky green soap....

This is a weekend project.  IF it works I might do a back to basics very simple soap recipe.  Making your own soap is truly a basic and sooo much fun. 

Now for a little story.   I was talking to a friend who turned a whole spare bedroom into a pantry.  She was showing me photos. It was completely awesome,  like a shop. 

In this house I am lucky enough to have a heap of bedrooms and one was Andy's office.   The most I've done with that room is to pinch a desk for my cutting out table.

Even though I have done a lot of things I had never turned off Andy's computers to this day.  Well,  until Tuesday.   

On Facebook buy, swap and sell I had seen this cupboard...

I loved it and Nan had one so much like it.  I dreamed about getting it and racked my brain where I could put it but came up with nothing.    So I decided to try to forget about it.

For some reason I had a mental block until the moment my friend told me about her room.  It had never occurred to me that Andy's desk area he had set up does not have to be there anymore.  I felt fairly confronted by this.  I cleared the desk but I found it so difficult I asked my helpers to pack up the computers.  

Anyway when I realised... I searched to see if the cupboard was still for sale!   And it was!  And strangely it was being sold by my helper Tim and his wife!   So delivery was guaranteed!

On Tuesday the desk, chair and other office things went out and the cupboard came in.  Then it tuned out Tim and his wife were keen on all of this so we did a trade and no money changed hands! 

When I saw Wendy she gave me this apron... which also reminded me of Nan and her kitchen.  

They were meant to be together.  💕

I plan on lining the cupboard with pink rosey paper and continuing to work on this room to be a pantry (plus cutting out table!)   I am really glad I had help on this. 

Another story...  I was in the thrift store and the lady serving me bumped her arm on a shelf and although it was a tiny bump she got a small cut.  And although it was small it started to bleed a heap.   She asked the other ladies if anyone had a bandaid?   Clearly she didn't.   She asked if the store had a first aid kit. It didn't.  Clearly no one even had basic first aid in their cars!   I said,  "ok here would you like an alcohol wipe?  Here is a bandaid?  Do you want a sterile pad?"    These things are always in my purse.  She was most thankful.   When I got home I replenished my little supply.  However if I had needed more I could have gone to the car and got out a full emergency kit.    My handbag carries a tiny cosmetics purse with soap leaves, tissues, bandaids, wipes and that is pretty basic and easy to fit.  But the car carries everything including a wool blanket, water and a snake bite kit.    At least have the basics.  If you have not already done it take a look through my 30 days to better preparedness series. MANY ways to be better prepared are totally free! 

Everything including the kitchen sink has been thrown at our American sisters. I hope you are all safe and your families are safe.  It has been very distressing even just to see the news.   Please report in and if you have things you learned please share them with us.

I hope you had a good week. How did you get ahead, build your pantry, home, garden or present cupboards?  We LOVE to hear!xxx