Sharing the Bounty

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We try to grow enough food so that we can share some with our extended family.  Some of our efforts are more successful than others.

Here are some mandarins and avocados that I took to Belle.

2012-06-16 01We usually have plenty of eggs, although this depends a bit on the season.  At the moment we have an abundance so I can give them away to various family members.  There are always many more lemons and limes than we can use so I have taken to putting them in the wheelbarrow outside the gate with a sign on a piece of cardboard indicating that they are free.

One of my planned projects is to make a more permanent arrangement using a sandwich board style of sign with the option of changing what is ‘advertised’.  I hope to be able to show it to you once I get around to making it.  Don’t hold your breath waiting, though!

It is great to be able to share.

Outdoor Organising – Woodshed

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The cold, wet weather of the past couple of weeks forced me to do some outdoor organising.  Our only form of heating is the wood-burning heater and this is fueled entirely by wood collected from our own land.

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We have an area next to the chicken coop which we use as a woodshed, however, this was mostly small branches suitable for kindling.

There are several piles of large pieces of wood that are out in the weather to season before being split into pieces that are suitable for the fireplace.  They have been there for at least a couple of years so are well and truly ready for use.

One of the problems with our wood storage system – if you can call it a system – is that it is stored directly on the ground and over a period of time this will degrade into soil.

After much thought over the years I was finally galvanised into action.

Most of the medium-sized pieces had been used last week to keep us warm and to dry the clothes so there was space cleared on the right-hand side of the shed.  I raked up the remnants of kindling and then used a couple of offcuts of corrugated iron to make a ‘floor’ and stacked some pieces from the outdoor pile against the side wall of the woodshed.  Now that the wood is undercover they will be able to dry out and be split ready for use.

We have a spare half-size wheelie rubbish bin which I filled  with small pieces of kindling.  That is now in the workshop and there are also 4 black tubs in the shed stacked with small to medium wood.

This definitely a work in progress but I am determined that the pile of large, wet  and well-seasoned logs in the backyard will be a a stack of dry,split firewood that is ready to use and easily accessible from the house.

The first step of the process has been taken towards this goal.  That is often the most difficult.

Do you have an overwhelming jobs that you do not  know where or how to start?

Follow The Sun

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Generally our winter months are drier and mostly sunny but we have had a couple of weeks of quite cool, wet weather.  This has meant that we have not generated much solar power from our panels and have also had to turn the booster on the solar hot water on every couple of days.  I also used the drier once or twice to finish drying clothes.  They would at least partially dry on the airer indoors.

However, today is a return to the winter weather that I love.  Sunny with a cold breeze – perfect weather in my opinion.

2012-06-14 01I am making the most of this sunny corner of the verandah in the early morning.  The portable clothes airer which was indoors has been wheeled out  to finish drying the clothes in sun and wind.  The hanging frame with pegs has socks, underwear and plastic bags hanging out to dry as well as 2 woollen sweaters on hangers out to air.  The doormat was washed the other day and is draped over the railing to dry.

I have a rotary clothesline in the backyard which I rarely use and my everyday clothesline is at the other end of the verandah under cover.  That is great for wet weather and also in the summer to help prevent the clothes from fading but at this time of the year I definitely follow the sun.

Meanwhile, the solar panels are generating power which is being exported to the grid as we are using very little power here at the moment.  The only things that are turned on are the computer, refrigerator, small freezer and the bedside clock radio.  The hot water is heating up thanks to the solar hot water system.

The sun is beginning to stream in the windows and warm the house, the winter vegetables are thriving because of it and the chickens are out in the yard searching for their breakfast in the sunshine.  And all of this for free!

Bag It Again

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Last week The Duke was given a bottle of wine.  As usual, it was presented in a gift bag.

2012-06-12 01Unfortunately, the giver had chosen to write a message directly on the bag, rendering it unusable.  Or was it?

I was about to dismantle the bag and put most of it in the recycling when I thought again and decided to make a smaller bag by cutting off the top that contained the writing.

Firstly, I removed the ribbon ties then marked where I need to cut.

2012-06-12 02I then cut off the top and refolded about 2cm to the inside and creased the fold to a sharp edge.

2012-06-12 03Finally, I punched some new holes and re-threaded the ribbon.

2012-06-12 04Here is the bag ready for several more uses.

Project Streamline – Skirts

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Following on from my earlier posts on trousers, shorts and dress, here is the latest instalment of Project Streamline – skirts.

2012-06-11 01Grey patterned skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, always get positive comments
CONS – slightly too big in the waist, only one top that I can wear with it
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, alter the waistband to improve the fit, consider this skirt when buying more tops

2012-06-11 02Black skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, plenty of options of what to wear with it
CONS – the style is not as obvious in plain black, I have another black skirt which I prefer
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, probably would not replace it as I really don’t need 2 black skirts

2012-06-11 03Black crepe skirt
PROS – length, weight and style
CONS – NIL
DECISION – keep and continue to wear

2012-06-11 04Black and floral skirt
PROS – good fit, nice fabric, pretty
CONS – only suitable to wear with one top, 7 years old and I am just about sick of it, some of the embroidery is starting to catch and unravel small threads
DECISION – will probably be the next thing to go

2012-06-11 05Black and white striped denim skirt
PROS – good fit, comfortable
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing it in the warmer weather

2012-06-11 06Floral skirt
PROS – good fit, get positive comments, I like it
CONS – only have 1 top to wear with it
DECISION – buy/make more tops to wear with it

2012-06-11 07Pink cotton skirt
PROS – bright colour, comfortable
CONS – several years old, won’t last forever
DECISION – keep it and continue to wear

My skirt collection is all about what I wear in public – unlike my trousers!  I have not included a skirt which I put aside when I first started Project 333 back in April as it most likely will not go back in the wardrobe.

Much and all as I have loved the floral embroidered skirt I think it is almost time to let it go.  Other than that the rest will stay for the time being.

Firepower

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The only heating we have is our wood heater and since we are out of the house most days it does not get used a lot.  It costs us nothing to run as the only wood we use is fallen branches from trees on our property.  This weekend it has been wet and cold so the fire has been on for the best part of each day.

While any heating is designed primarily for heating the room to a comfortable temperature it can be used for other purposes at the same time.

2012-06-10 01I put the kettle on top of the heater to heat some water and you can also see the wood drying out which will be added to the fire later.

2012-06-10 02Our wood fire is very versatile and will dry the clothes as well.  I have a clothes dryer which I use from time to time but the fire is better as I can even dry knitted and delicate items which I would not normally put in the dryer.

So the humble fire can keep the room warm, dry out the firewood, dry the clothes and heat water – all at the same time!

Can your heating do double duty?

Taking Care

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One of the most important things you can do is to take care of the possessions that you have.

This can come in many different forms such as sweeping and vacuuming floors regularly so that dirt does not get ground into the floor-covering or washing clothes using the appropriate method such as handwashing woollenknits.  Another is keeping your shoes in good condition.  You can extend the life of them significantly and keep them looking good with a few simple tips.

  • If they get wet, stuff the toes with some scrunched up newspaper while they dry so that the shape is maintained.
  • Polish your shoes regularly.  This reduces scuffing and maintains the suppleness of the leather.
  • Have heels and soles repaired or replaced before they get too worn.

2012-06-09 01This is our shoe cleaning kit which we keep in a lidded container in the cupboard under the laundry sink.  There is an assortment of brushes, rags and different coloured polish for our various shoes.  We also keep a couple of sets of spare shoelaces so that we have some on hand if we break a lace.

2012-06-09 02Here are my shoes and boots to be polished.  I always remove any laces before polishing so that I can effectively polish the whole shoe, including the tongue, without getting polish on the laces.

2012-06-09 03Polishing my shoes regularly is a routine which we were taught as young children.  Every weekend our school shoes had to be polished ready for the week ahead.  Some things never change.

Lunch – Local and Leftovers

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I dislike seeing food being wasted, so whenever I am at home during the day my lunches can be interesting, to say the least.

2012-06-08 01Here is what I found for my lunch today.Clockwise from the top – last of the home-made tortillas from the freezer, some leftover coleslaw, a bell chilli, an avocado, spoonful of cold, mashed potato and the block of cheese.

The chilli and avocado are from the garden.  I then picked a perennial onion and a bunch of parsley.

2012-06-08 02The avocado skin had been nibbled by some of the local wildlife and there was dirt on it from where it had been lying on the ground but the inside was smooth, creamy and perfect when I cut it.

2012-06-08 03I spread the potato on the tortilla and then cut and piled all of the other ingredients on top, created a wrap and toasted it in the sandwich maker.

2012-06-08 04Here is my toasted gourmet wrap and a glass of lemon cordial.  I finished my meal with a mandarin from our tree.

What do you eat for lunches – at home or when you are at work?

Family Comes First

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My complete lack of blogging for about a week has probably left some of you wondering if I am OK.  I am absolutely fine but have busy with other facets of my life.

Last weekend my mother spent the weekend with us.  Whilst this is not unusual, we had a weekend full of activity although it was limited somewhat by the heavy rain (190mm or almost 8 inches) on Friday and Saturday.  We managed to dodge the worst of the rain when we went to the local Agricultural Show.  There was dairy cattle judging to see, poultry breeds to check out, gorgeous alpacas and one of my favourites – the wood-chopping events.  We spent a lot of time viewing the various fine arts and crafts and also the produce section.

The washing doesn’t end just because it rains for a few days but it does become a more challenging task.  Hanging it on an airer in front of the fire meant that I just put a few things in the dryers for a short time to finish them off.

I cooked and prepared food for meals on the weekend and also for future meals and snacks.  Cooking from scratch really does give you an appreciation for the food you eat when you know the time and effort that has gone into the preparation.  I made pastry (and a steak and kidney bean pie), Lemon Delicious, pasta (to freeze) , orange and poppyseed muffins and pumpkin scones.  The Duke squeezed a bucketful of oranges from the tree and made bread.

There was plenty of time for relaxation, too.  We played several games of Scrabble and learned lots of new words in the process.

Then it was back to work on Monday and for the last couple of days I have been staying with Belle and help to look after Miss O and Izz before and after daycare while Belle has done some extra work.

I will be home tomorrow and get back into blogging in earnest.  Thank you for staying around – there will be some interesting posts and photos coming up.

What has your week been like?