Feather your Nest Friday, 31st October, 2025.
October is over! Tomorrow I am going to begin on Christmas presents. It has been a beautiful week of sunshine and rain! Last night we had a downpour and it was timed so well as I just planted five new fruit trees!
I was given the gift of three chard plants. These will fill some spaces!
The trellis has been extended another few meters. This end will be pumpkins, the other end is cucumbers...
I am very pleased abut this and all the materials were on the farm. If the vines cover the trellis you will be sure to hear about it!
The fruit tress.... both pear trees are covered in thousands of tiny little pears. I love watching them form and grow! I don't know the names of them but one is a huge green pear and the other and long purple pears.
I think in the next week or two we will net these trees. Then I will be watching the apples form as that tree is next.
I had my helper on the job. One thing on the list was moving and planting the five new fruit trees.
Doesn't she look guilty but pleased? She ran up the hill to my friends house and scratched at the door. Now she was on the lounge having a great time. I was amazed since she is so small! But she got this great idea you see...
I always say to make hay while the sun shines. This week "redeem the time" keeps coming to me. Then I saw "she is not afraid of the future..." and thought in part this is due to using the time well and making the most of every opportunity. But I wondered what does redeem actually mean? It means to make the most of every moment, using time wisely and for a purpose, not wasting time. Treating time as a precious commodity. Time can sift through our fingers like sand or we can do a lot with it. That is not to say rest is bad either. Sometimes rest is our best investment. And it can be a hard balance.
But overall I am happy with what was achieved this week and there is more rain coming which will further help my fruit trees and seedlings. AND I gain time then, not having to water! This gives me time to put into other projects!
Today I took several dozen eggs into church. Some of the older ladies really seem excited to get them. Once said she will be making a quiche. Growing and producing food is not just for ourselves but it helps us to help others. Well, this brought joy to my day!
How did you build up your nest this week? We love to hear. There is a fair bit going on in the world. We have some interesting shortages such as potatoes. And some items that have become really expensive such as olive oil, chocolate, butter and coffee. Building our pantries is one great thing we can do. That is a buffer. An insurance policy! What are you doing to beat rising prices?
Have a safe and wonderful weekend.xxx
Annabel, what a lovely and productive week you have had. Your little helper is amazing, he isn't scared to do any job. Love that Tom was able to get into the fire truck for a ride, it had to be so much fun for him. Sparkie is definitely spoiled.
ReplyDeleteWe had a busy week, between appointments, stopping at grocery store. We started washing windows, my windows on first floor are 6 feet high, they are heavy, they flip in to wash, it take 2 people to handle the job. I have 37 windows to wash and only 6 done.
I used leftover pumpkin puree to make 2 loaves of pumpkin, raisin, walnut breads, one for freezer and one for eating, husband had a hard time waiting till after dinner to slice into it.
I'm trying to use what we have and stock my pantry with specials. Prices just keep going up and up. I've kept a price book this year and it is amazing seeing the cost of items rise, some they do slowly, some just double.
We brought the outdoor furniture into the sun room for the winter, a big job and now forget even walking around that room as there is no area left. Though everything is inside. Husband still needs to get grill and smoker shut down and placed near house wall to keep deck cleared. We can get feet upon feet of snow and it's essential to keep the deck clear as the weight of the snow can collapse it.
Craft wise I have my squares all connected and 2 foundation rows completed around it, now to find an easy but pretty edging to crochet.
Cooking every meal at home using what we have helps me save money. No eating out as restaurants are very expensive these days. I like your quilt block. I’m making some large casserole hot pads for Christmas presents this year.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice that Tom had a surprise visit from the fire engine, he deserves a treat and what could be nicer.
ReplyDeleteGreat news on the rain for your fruit trees. Sparkies eyes tell the story! Where would we be without children and pets.
I have just finished making the Christmas puddings, I make enough for two years because they last so well.
My batch cook this week was macaroni cheese with bacon and mushrooms. My husband doesn't like it so I have several meals in the freezer for evenings when he is out at meetings.
We had two wooden tubs by the back door which were so old they had rotted away. I emptied them, potted up some of the plants, put the soil on the compost heap and took the broken down tubs( they fell apart!) to the tip. We will replace them probably with pots we have on hand.Also took some rags, old pillows and old books to be recycled.
I decluttered and cleaned the utility room this week to stop it becoming the next 'dumping ground'.
We ate cooking apples, kale, carrots and tomatoes from the garden. I roasted one of our butternut squash and half a marrow which I will turn into soup.
A sister in law suggested our generation stops giving each other Christmas presents as we all have grandchildren to spend on and we all live far apart so the postage was getting expensive too. I am quite relieved about this, when we visit each other we can take a nice gift with us but it cuts a bit of the cost at Christmas. Cards and nice messages will suffice.
Grocery prices are crazy, I know it's the same everywhere. Stocked up on toothpaste this week.
Take care lovely Annabel and Bluebirds.
Penny in the UK
Hello Annabel
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have 5 new fruit trees in the ground and then rain to settle them all in! Your garden just keeps getting bigger and better.
If Tom doesn’t grow up to be a farmer I’ll eat my hat! LOL He’s a natural and even though I’m only seeing a photo his enthusiasm shines through 💜
Your patchwork squares are very pretty, the quilt will be beautiful.
Many, many years ago I bought some white timber letters and I glued them on to my bedroom wall, and they are still there today. What do the letters say?
“It’s all about time”
This was an epiphany I had one day a huge insight into life and meaning and purpose, so strong was this message that I decorated my wall with it as a permanent reminder. Time is a gift and it is precious.
On the subject of shortages, I predict apples will be our next shortage. I was reading an article this week where apple farms in a particular region have had little to no fruit set 😔 So your apple trees will be even more valuable!
We had rain here and my new tanks are half full! I will be able to use tank water for my plants now, I’m so happy and grateful.
I’ve done a lot of baking this past week to try and get ahead for Christmas. I made 3 apple pies, 2 cherry pies and a pumpkin pie! These are all in the freezer some for a party next weekend and some for Christmas. And I made my fruit mince, which is maturing in the fridge. I hope to have my Christmas baking done by the end of November.
Have a lovely week everyone 💜 Cheryl