Feather your Nest Friday, 2nd May, 2025.

It's May!  Already!  We are still having summer like weather (rather than Autumn) and no rain came ... so the bit of grass that came up is now gone.  This is grim.  Speaking of grim tomorrow there is an election in Australia.  I guess I should avoid politics but I have never in my life experienced such an atmosphere of hopelessness.  It is like do I shoot myself in the left foot or the right foot?  Or will I be more creative?  

Then I have to report... I always follow the local towns buy, swap and sell sites,  market place etc. and as you will know, if you have been around here for more than five seconds,  I love to thrift shop!  I have been noticing a huge increase in what people are selling.  A lot of things I didn't used to see ... ie five dollar items and things people might once have donated.  Also things that are entirely unsellable because they are just past the point of no rerun... but they are trying anyway.  This all is telling a story.  There is an upside I guess, despite the indicators being sad.   Recently I bought a fantastic generator at an amazingly cheap price because people were selling up fast.  There is good preparedness stuff to gather. 

After having school holidays last week this week was a bit of a catch up.  And .. despite all the above points we still have to make hay while the sun shines!  Each evening I still can easily come up with more than my ten things to be grateful for!

I got on with using up my boxes of produce.  I attacked the pumpkin and sweet potato first.   My biggest slow cooker was filled and as it cooked down I kept adding until it was completely full.   Then I lifted out two cups of pumpkin and set that aside to make scones. 

I made one batch GF for Mum and myself and the second batch with regular flour.

The soup turned out so well.  It got shared around and was several lunches and dinners for me.   I gave some of each, soup and scones,  to Chloe.

When the kids were little they struggled with soup although they liked the taste.  I told Chloe to make spiral pasta and call it pasts sauce as the pasta makes it edible with a fork.  This worked! 

Then next I tackled the eggplant.  During the day I fried up a batch at a time.  Then late afternoon I began a meat and tomato sauce with grated zucchini thrown in.    When it came to assembling Lasagne I did two layers of pasta and one layer of eggplant per tray.   My goal was to get as many meals as possible!

One was in my biggest baking tray which I would say makes eight generous serves.  I got three all up and then extra pasta sauce to go with spaghetti.

The chickens are loving the weather and busy laying.  This is so good!  

I had a couple of days off cooking but this morning I got the mushrooms, onions and capsicums going with some beef.   Again as this cooked down I added more veggies on top.

I have carrots but there is no room so I am going to cook up a heap of those and serve on the side with mashed potato.  IF I have filling over I will make meat pies.  Because... pies freeze are a whole meal ready to go!  Oh, a pie with a mashed potato topping is the best!  

I invested in a new winter dressing gown (thinking the cold will come eventually) and new leather boots, since I live in boots on the farm.  We should, if possible, have back ups to the things that are most essential.  My new boots become town/church and my old ones become farm boots.

In town via buy, swap and sell I got beautiful Agee jars.  Also some books for Mum.

These are my favourite jars.  I rummaged through my lids drawer and found a lid for each one!  (And washed them up ready for use.)

My lovely friend came with the gift of cups and saucers...

Lily's blanket is coming along very slowly.  I have been lucky to manage two rows at night.  But now I am just going to aim for those every night and it will grow!

Only the gardeners will understand but I am so excited because today my helpers decided to tackle the goat yard.   Trailer loads of the worlds best compost (complete with worms) have come out with more to go.  I'm going to guess around ten loads.  

This will be all mixed in to the existing compost heap by moving it around with the tractor.   I think this will be the best compost I've ever had!

A lot of work has been happening on the top house.  Some rooms of the interior are almost done!  It is looking amazing!   Ok... maybe you would have had to see how bad it was before to think so...  but it was eek and now it is pretty nice!  It has taken 15 months to get this far and the outside still needs painting but it is such progress.

I don't have to cook anything over the weekend and plan to maybe make headway in the sewing room. 

How did you feather your nest this week?  We love to hear and encourage each other.  xxx