It is cold here! In town today there was a thick fog until lunch time! We were in a cloud. My blasted fire went out so as soon as I got home I got that going! Now it is going along nicely thankfully! I have a big heap of wood piled up to get me through the weekend.
I plodded on using produce. My big cook up was with pork chops and apples. These are so good. And I had broccoli from my own garden which was so fresh. So this was beautiful and fed everyone.
I still had broccoli so I steamed some lightly then froze it. This works amazingly. You just cannot tell it was ever frozen.
Bonus I have more to pick next week!
This photo is at Chloe's house. Tom is putting away the chooks, ducks and goose. They have one goose. She is gorgeous. Her name is Jemima. She might even be a boy for all I know but still. She looks very beautiful walking around the garden and she also looks in the back door.
It was also a week of wood cutting. There is plenty of wood to cut. It is beautiful just to be out in the paddocks. I took a drive looking around...
We lit a fire of the scraps.
And I drove around the cows and calves. This is very calming for me. It is so beautiful.
I have three huge pots full of baby broccoli. I dug up a few to give away. Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing and relocating them as they are stopping thick! I can take some to the swap table too.
When Tom is here we take a break mid way. Sparkie likes this as chocolate is usually involved.
In a couple of weeks Chase turns 4 and he is at the end of day time sleeps. So he will be coming also for Thursday afternoons.
I also made more strudels. They are so simple and good. And I have used so many apples each week.
At the end of last week I made 3 kilos of butter from free cream. I got it sliced, wrapped and into the freezer.
Today in town I found a bag of apples and a bag of lemons at the swap table. So just as my apples were getting low.... my supply is up again!
I want to share a story as it is inspiring. Clare often appears in comments so some of you will know she had a surgery booked for last Friday and it was cancelled. (Postponed.) Well, I know I would find that very hard as you prepare and get ready emotionally and all the things... and then boom it is all changed. Her surgery was quite a daunting one too which makes what she did next very inspirational. What did Clare do?
Clare had been working on a list of things she would like to get done after surgery when she had recovered enough to begin to do things. They have not been in their home very long so there is a lot to do. So she got out her list and decided to see how many things she can get done now. Go Clare! We always need a plan B but it can be hard to pivot from one plan to another!
On top of this there is even more goodness. Clare's dear Mother in Law, thinking Clare was off to hospital, arrived with a gift she had made. This was placed outside Clare's bedroom window so she could see it when she got home.
It has a little fountain and of course the birds love it. I think this is just such a gorgeous and loving gift. And my mind has been doing over time thinking you could use an old tub... you could do a grotto, a fairy garden, a dinosaur jungle or any theme. It is certainly a gift of love. And Clare wanted me to see. I'm so glad she showed me. With her and her Mother in Laws permission I get to share it. This all blessed my heart. 💗
In a pretty selfish world at times kindness is a big thing. Any acts of kindness even small ones seem big now. In this case it is a huge act of kindness! So beautiful!
Do not get tired of doing good. Do not be discouraged.
God says "I see how stressed you are. Don;t let it steal your peace. Pray and let ME take care of it."
Amen to that.xxx
Annabel and Dear Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteAnnabel what a wonderful and blessed week you have had. So sorry about how cold it has gotten there. Hearing you will have another helper is spectacular, I know Tom will be a great older brother and help teach Chase many things on your farm. Love all your cooking.
The wheelbarrow little garden was a loving gift, to have a MIL share so much love is amazing. Prayers for Claire's upcoming surgery. May the Lord guide the surgeon's hands.
I had a slow week here. I hadn't been up to par so not much got done, mostly just the usual housework. Our garage door opener died and we have to wait till next Tuesday to have it replaced, so we haven't gone out but once as it is a double door and very heavy to manually lift.
I used over ripe bananas and made a banana read for husband, husband has been using the little bits in frig to make meals, even made a small chicken salad with leftover chicken. Our weather has been cool enough to just close house up and keep the outdoor heat out saving us from using our air conditioning.
We stopped at a grocery store in the town husband went to return a lawn edger, it was small but we found some bargains. The store husband purchased the returned the edger to is also a green house, husband purchased 2 pink lilies for me and a basil plant.
I'm still working on a Mommy/Baby blanket, using yarn I had in my stash. Since it is for my Great Granddaughter I thought it was appropriate to make the old original granny squares for it. A small reminder of who made it.
Prayers for all Bluebirds, may the Lord be with all and protect and guide all.
Dear Rosanne, Dont worry I love winter and tugging up and the fire going. Your granny square blanket is going to beautiful! A lovely project. Pink Lillies are my favourite. You have made me wonder... If the electricity goes out will the garage door open? I had not considered that.
DeleteHave a lovely weekend and I hope you can work on the blanket! With love Annabel.xxx
You have been busy. Clare's mother in law is so nice -that is a beautiful wheelbarrow! Summer is in full strength here and so is my garden. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vickie! I hope your garden is doing wonderfully! xxx
DeleteDear Annabel and lovely Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures! Especially the one with the cows and beautiful sky. A glimpse of Heaven. The butter - is amazing how good it looks, well done!
I can imagine the good times you and Sparky will have with Tom and Chase - not a moment of boring stuff!
We are, as many parts of Europe, too, in a red code of extreme heat temperatures, 40 Celsius (104 F) so it is watering every day, morning and evening, my containers garden. The rest of the orchard and vineyard looks ok and green, and offer a nice shadow for ducks and chickens. Yesterday I started picking the sour cherries - they make good tasting jam and sour cherry liqueur.
Clare*s gift is very beautiful. My first tought was Fairy Garden! I love it and maybe I will try to make myself one - as an invitation for the fairies in the garden., as I already have a quite bit of containers with plants.
Container growing is a great method for me, I add more options to my traditional garden and it is easier to look after and work. I put the tomatoes near the south facing wall of the house and it gets more sun and plus heat to rippen.
I use whatever I can put my imagination to, that can hold good compost and water. I fill that section with fertile soil and grow whatever I think can thrive in there.
This year I am using:
- two thick trunks of cut trees / stumps. An interesting “container” because they will break down as the growing season goes on and they are containers that will feed my plants as they contain them. That’s pretty cool! I take pictures and I will show them as a before and after. Fingers crossed.
- grow bags. I grow plants like potatoes, pole beans and squashes in them, placed some near the fences to climb up or help them up on trellises near the vineyard. Looks great, like a fresh green curtain.
- rain gutters - One of the very best for growing strawberries and lettuce
- 5-gallon bucket – tomatoes, chilly peppers, cucumbers,
- rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and mint in larger pots or crates.
Oh, and they are harvested much cleaner, no slugs, dogs or kitties around there.
It is very hot, the air is hard to breathe. I was promised a short trip on Sunday to the lakes, our fave place, 20 minutes away from home. It will be the first swim of this year.
Take care everyone and have a nice week end.
Laura_s_world from Romania
Dear Laura, Wow, well 40 is hot for anyone and awful. Also for the garden, farms and animals.
DeleteI look at things as potential planters too! Also just now I know I want more bird baths so I am looking at things as possible DIY bird baths. A friend is giving me an old cement laundry sink for a planter. I love your hollow tree stumps idea! Going swimming sounds perfect in this weather and lovely to have a lake to go to. I hope by now the heat is over! With much love Annabel.xxx
Thank you for sharing your week, Annabel.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to hear about how Clare pivoted after having her surgery postponed. Way to go, Clare! Thank you for being such an inspiration. And, wow! What an amazing mother in law you have.
My week was full of serving loved ones rather than feathering my nest.
I was able to shop my pantry in order to bless 2 daughters with food till pay day. :) A good friend is in the hospital. And I have been able to visit her each day. An older friend hired me to garden and clean house. We always get in some great talks, plus she shares so much plant wisdom with me!
I bartered eggs and baked goods for some fresh fruit and sandwich bread.
God is so good to me!
Thank you for this space. So grateful for all of you, Bluebird.
Love, Leslie
Dear Leslie, Thank you for your beautiful words for Clare! Helping your daughters to make it to pay day... this is why we have a stocked pantry! Visiting your friend daily in the hospital is very nice and I hope she is doing well and getting better. Also your friend you clean for I bet she looks forward to your company and chat as much or more than the work you get done. Always you do some good bartering! I hope you are having a great new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteChocolate is poisoness for dogs. They are unable to metabolize some of the content.. You can Google this.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are so beautiful!
ViRGINIA. U.S.A.
Thanks so much! Dont worry she has a lick or tiny bit like all my dogs over the last 50 years have, not a chunk. She has a very healthy diet, no pet food ever. xxx
DeleteI understand everyone's concern about giving chocolate to dogs, but a tiny lick of something chocolate flavored shouldn't hurt. I thought I would share what I learned when my dog got into the Christmas stockings and ate solid chocolate. I had to take her to the emergency vet on Christmas Eve. Later I used the same method as the vet when she got into something else. (I think it was dead.....)
DeleteThe important thing is to make the dog vomit as soon as possible. You do this by having the dog take 3 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide. The dog will begin vomiting within a very few minutes. Everything will come up including the peroxide.
I used one of those spoons with a hollow handle that are used to give infants liquid meds. (Ask your pharmacist for one). My husband held her down and I gave the peroxide. Also, having learned how quick it works, I put her in the bathtub without water to facilitate cleanup. We never got the whole 3 tablespoons down our 20 lb dog and it still worked.
Another tip is to get a pet first aid book. You can look things up on the computer but having an actual book is handy. I bought a used one online.
If you've ever wondered how toxic chocolate is to dogs, my husband's cousin's mini poodle died from it.
Thanks Maxine. I will tell you a story about Andys cat. Before we were married he had a cat. In the lounge room on the coffee table he had a fancy decanter of port wine on a tray. One night he came home and there was a scene in front of him. The port was tipped over. The tray was filled with port and the rest was on the floor and the cat was laying dead next to it. So the cat had evidently snowed the decanter over, through it tasted good and didnt even make it from the crime scene. So I guess if you have a cat port is out.
DeleteHave a great new week. We have rain! With love Annabel.xxx
Thank you for this lovely post. The world can be so ugly but acts of kindness, like that of Clare's MIL, are so heartwarming. A nice reminder that a kind gesture, large or small, can do much to brighten the day for someone.
ReplyDeleteConnie
Dear Connie, You are exactly right. We have the power to spread so much joy and kindness. It is really true to be a light in a dark world. Many thanks, Annabel.xxx
DeleteHi Annabel
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear that Clare has been positive and started on her to-do list when it would have been easy to have the glums because surgery is postponed. What a beautiful present the planted up wheelbarrow was, so thoughtful.
Hope all goes well later for Clare.
Your photos show another good week, I like the look of the pork chops and apples and the strudels, this will inspire me when apple season comes around again. It will be good to have another helper along with Tom ( and Sparkie of course!).
It's funny to think of you lighting fires when we are sweltering in the UK, temperatures in our area crazy hot and we don't have Aircon. My husband and I set the alarm extra early and walk the dogs, garden, water etc before retreating indoors ,then go out again late evening. This is very frustrating because the garden needs so much attention and we just can't go out there. We have spent some time indoors doing life admin but we've also napped quite a lot too! That's life.
I made banana loaf cake with 2 overripe bananas.
We've picked strawberries, raspberries, broad beans, lettuce,spinach, carrots, radishes, mint,oregano, chives and parsley. I picked lots of sweet peas for the house and gave a bouquet of garden flowers to a friend.
I made chicken broth from a carcass and froze it.
I inventoried the freezers and reorganised the drawers. This made it much easier to see where gaps were and I've started to buy meat to fill the gaps. I will keep my eyes open for meat deals, the prices of food can be dispiriting but I'm determined to beat the system!
I sorted a big drawer of shawls etc and found a lovely pashmina I had completely forgotten about so that's a bonus for next winter.
I took garden shears to a mobile sharpener van and he did a super job for £5. Worth every penny to have tools that work properly.
Good luck to all Bluebirds, hope we can all stay positive if possible.
Penny in the UK
Dear Penny, I hate the heat. However we have so much of it we have air con. But still... it's a matter of keeping the garden alive and retreating inside during the hottest hours. You got on with it and hot lots done! I LOVE how when sorting and organising things are found! Even better if they can go into use! I have pinking shears I would love to get sharpened I just need to see someone who will do it. Now and then someone advertises they have a van and will be in town...
DeleteI hope the heat has passed nd given you relief! With much love Annabel.xxx
What a wonderful gift for Clare! God’s perfect timing.
ReplyDeleteAnnabel your fruit and veg amaze me. Do you have a special blend for your soil? Do you fertilize often?
Have a busy and blessed week Bluebirds.
Dear Annabel, that verse is something I really need right now ! I have a awful living situation and have been praying and praying to move but nothing. I have to be honest at times I think God has forgotten me ! I am sometimes so exhausted all I can say is Lord I need you ! My spirit has been work down. I can't just move as I am in a govt rental and I can't afford to pay $750-800 a week for private rent anywhere in Sydney or even out of Sydney this is the cost and I need to be here close to my specialists. I am prepared to travel but even two hours out of Sydney this seems to be the cost ! So I need a bit of a miracle! In fact I have been waiting years for a new place, and I. Really not sure why God won't answer me ! I need prayer !
ReplyDeleteYou had another wonderful week. It sure also has got cold in Sydney. I pray for her homeless we have so many blessings !!love Sonia. Sydney
Dear Sonia, I seem not able to reply. This is a test...
DeleteOh that worked! I am praying about your situation! There will be an answer. Maybe something outside of the box!xxx
DeletePlease don't give sparkle chocolate.
ReplyDeleteIt is bad for dogs and can kill them.
She is too precious.
Your grandson is to adorable.
Thank you! Dont worry she has a lick and thinks it's exciting. She is fed very well. No pet food at all. xxx
DeleteAMEN!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny!xxx
DeleteHello, Bluebirds, from the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia . I love Jemima! I did not do much this past week to feather my nest, but instead, Mr. Fix It and I drove across the state to help my sister. She needed a lot of repairs to her townhouse. So Mr. Fix It did a LOT of repairs and I helped my sister organize her kitchen. Now she knows what she has and will not have to buy groceries for a few weeks. My sister has cancer and loves below the poverty line. I wish we could have done more but our time was limited. We will hopefully return in the fall to do more. When we returned I cut some basil and parsley from my garden and will dry and freeze it. I had 2 kohlrabi ready as well. We have a little container garden but it provides us with lots of tomatoes and green beans which I can saving me from buying tomato products and green beans at the store. My sister lives near several military bases and my husband is retired Navy so we stayed on base and picked up a few things at the commissary for our pantry. I bought cans of ham and salmon, yogurts, cheese, and cold and flu meds (OTC) because their prices were so good. While helping my sister organize we found a dozen canning jars. She does not can and saves lots of jars after using the food, so she let me have them so I am set for canning jars for seasons to come. Clare's attitude and her mother in law's kindness are an inspiration to us all. My sister has been very depressed lately but after our visit she now sounds more herself and is motivated to continue to do some additional organizing to get her house in order. I know it will help her state of mind. Annabel, thank you for your lovely posts and inspiration. It is always a highlight of my week.
ReplyDeleteDear Marley, You are wonderful and also Mr Fix it... to go and help your sister and repair and help her with so many things. I know you made a huge difference.
DeleteThat is amazing about being able to shop the commissary... I have heard of this. And that you could stay at the base. And you got canning jars!! I know you will pit those to good use. You really did a beautiful thing and Im glad it sounds like it gave your sister a boost.
Thank you so much for your kind words. With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, what a lovely post. Thank you for sharing Clare’s story. Clare, you are very inspiring. It is a powerful reminder to do what we can with what we have. I love what Clare’s mother in law did- how beautiful! Your cooking looks delicious. I love the photo of Tom and Sparkie, so cute! How lovely that Chase will get to join in soon. It’s raining here, perfect for a little crocheting. Lots of love, Bridget
ReplyDeleteDear Bridget, Thank you for your kind words to Clare. It is very gloomy, cold and rainy here. I seriously am having an indoor day (except for collecting eggs) and staying warm. I might make some soup I think! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel
ReplyDeleteI love the goose it's just beautiful!
What a lovely gift to Clare and Clare is very inspiring. Yes we have to just keep going and do what we can, as we can, when we can.
Thankfully we've had a respite from the heat, but they are saying by the 4th of July we will have extreme heat.
We had a broken wheel barrow that I wanted to plant herbs in. Rick scrapped it though. I guess that's ok since it would have been hard to keep the chickens out of it.
I'm learning how to make baby bottoms to go with a few of the little dresses I'm working on. I don't love working with elastic haha, but I'm getting better.
I'll be trading a pair or two of them for a small amount of produce. Its great when I think something is not good but somebody else wants it because they think it's really good.
We've had a few good rains so the gardens are taking off. That's a good thing because we planted late.
Your butter looks fantastic by the way.
By the time the weekend is over I should be a great auntie to twins. I'm so excited to meet them.
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Vicky, Your sewing has been lovely and so has your trading. I LOVE old wheelbarrows. I have one that currently needs replanting. And congratulations as I know the twins arrived safely and look beautiful! How exciting and special!
DeleteI am looking forward to the Fourth of July I have an idea it is going to be huge! With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel and all the Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your kind and encouraging words and prayers.
I have learned a lot from Annabel over the years on her blog and also learnt and been given inspiration from reading the comments from you all. Annabel has created a blog that made me strive to be a better person. I was very disappointed for my surgery to be postponed but have tried to use my extra time wisely and this week got a few things ticked off that list.
This week I have enjoyed my MILs little barrow garden so much. The lights light up once it gets dark and in the day time I have seen little fairy wren birds hopping about on it, and once a little female wren landed on the tiny windmill and set it spinning. It truly is a most thoughtful gift at this time in my life.
I pray all the bluebirds have a productive and happy week ahead. Miracles do happen and I pray for Sonia that a perfect living arrangement pops up soon.
Love Clare
Dear Clare, Well you inspired me this last week I thought of you and also changed plans and went to plan B. So thank you and for allowing me to share the story and photos. Blue wrens in this scene would be magical! How beautiful! And the fact that it lights up and the water fountain... its amazing. Everyone has loved it. I hope they reschedule your surgery so you can plan again but well done on how you handled it! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello, Annabel. What a beautiful week. Oh, good job to Clare to just forge ahead. What a beautiful gift her Mother In law did for her. How absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou had a wonderful productive week as always. I love the pictures of the cows. It does sounds like a peaceful thing to do. Drive and enjoy the nature and creatures around you.
I would love to make my own butter one day! I always love all your post! So inspirational.
Thanks so much Chrissy! Cows are surprisingly beautiful and calming. I just love them. But nature... birds... the gum trees. I love it all!. Thank you for your encouragement! xxx
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