Feather your Nest Friday, 29th November, 2024.

It is almost DECEMBER.   Goodness.  It has been go, go,  go here.  I did however absorb some of your kind comments and tips on how to conserve energy.   I have worked into my day some sit down and take a break, cup of tea and some crochet even.  

I kept working on the cotton wash cloths.  The you tube channel I follow is called Creative Grandma.   I have tried out three of her wash cloth patterns so far because you don't have to read a pattern you just follow along.   They are very fun and uplifting to make!  And using all my odds and ends that I have kept over the years.  I will never stop saying how being busy with your hands helps have a happy heart!

Overall I do better if I can just stay home and get my work done.   But when I go to town I try and have a good list so I don't need to go back for at least a week.   Over the weekend I travelled to see Harper in her first ever dance concert.   So on the way home I did my errands and shopping,  picked up seedlings and so much more!  (Aldi, Bunnings, Kmart, Woodland and Woolworths.)  But the highlight was time with my daughters family and seeing Harper out the front on the stage performing because she was the most shy child I could not even imagine her ever going to school! 

Mum also understood this and she suggested we get her flowers for after the performance (ballerina style) and she loved it and understood it was a way of saying congratulations!

Here we are in the carpark,  after her costumes were taken off.   It was a really happy day and Scarlett and Sidney were so excited and loved every moment of the concert.  

Of course while I was gone I needed a baby sitter (calf sitter) for Justice.   Andrew and Tim each took a shift.  Justice couldn't care less who gives her the bottle as long as she gets it.   Andrew brought his Grandson and they checked out the cows,  fed Justice,  had a ride on the flying fox and a ride on the tractor.  His beautiful little Grandson thought this was all pretty good!

It was a week of progress and we had rain.  The first actual decent rain of the year.  We had an inch then a little more the next day.   This is for us just fantastic.   I had already planted the seedlings I got in town and everything just looked wonderful.   Family and friends were all comparing how much rain we got as it was so exciting.

My zucchinis and pumpkins (and everything else too) looked so happy and everything grew visibly over several days.

I picked my first zucchini as I wanted to add it to my spaghetti sauce.  I had planned to make a big pot of sauce and see how many Lasagnes I could make.

This looks dramatic but once it is all cooked down you don't know it's there.   The answer to how many Lasagnes I could get was six!

One,  a medium one that would serve four,  has been given to Andrew.   It was a trade.  My goats always knock over their water.  I was saying if only we had another bath tub that we could turn into a trough.  Andrew said he had one!  When I asked how much did he want for it he said nothing.  So I said how about a Lasagne?  

Ta dah!  Now try as they might they cannot knock over the water and it fills itself up!   What a deal.  😊

The goats, as most of you know, live on an old tennis court.  It used to be fashionable for farmhouses to have a tennis court as Chloe's house as one too. She has geese, ducks and chooks in hers.   I thought about calling my goats names like Andre and Roger.   When the girls were little they told their teacher about Nanas goats.  Apparently the teacher asked where do the goats live?  And the reply was "the tennis court" which I thought was very funny and the teacher probably was wondering what the heck!

So Justice... I didn't think she was eating enough grass and she was sitting in her little house too much.  She should be grazing.  So... my helpers made a makeshift fence around my pumpkin and zucchini patch and I took her into the orchard.  This is a bigger area with a lot more grass.  She likes it.  

In Autumn I had the first experience of not having enough grass in the paddocks for my cows.  Most people in the state (and wider)  had the same problem.  Every hay bale sold out.  I decided this year as soon as farmers were cutting hay I would buy some.   It felt like an enormous commitment but also an insurance policy.   And so the hay arrived.

I was actually ridiculously excited!   

Some is in dry storage so that if it is not needed it will be there the next year.  Some (which will be used first)  has been put to work as a windbreak in the orchard around my veggie patch. 

On a windy hot day this protection will be so good! 

It is a Great Wall of hay.  I am so happy with this!

My blue egg laying chicken put in an extra effort and laid the bluest egg ever.   The egg on the left is the normal blue... suddenly we have wear your sunglasses blue.  😎

An absolute prize winner!  

I worked on Christmas mail and wrapping.  My present cupboard has just been the best ever.  Even when I think I forgot someone I can come up with gifts.  

Finally... 

I packaged up Parsley seed I saved.  These grow so well.  I am all about gifts that fit in a regular card and envelope too.  So now I have started a new collection.

I am trying to transform my dining room table from a wrapping station to a nice Christmas setting.   The first of December has always been my day to decorate.  I am not buying anything just bringing out the pretty and sparkly things.  

I would love to hear how you built up your nest this week.   I did not get much done on my "shop/pantry" but if I can have success with the summer garden this will be an enormous advantage.  Also... the pouring rain did not damage the fruit trees at all.  All the fruit looks beautiful and growing.  I actually think that netting the fruit trees also somewhat protects them from wind.   They are kind of contained.  Well I am hopeful!  

Have a great weekend... and conserve some energy.xxx