Tag Archives: winter

Bought A Beanie

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While last weekend was mostly about the Folk Festival there was also a Village Fete which was a fundraising event for the local Community Pantry. We popped in to check out the various stalls.

I was delighted to discover someone with beautiful handknitted scarves and beanies. I have some wool which I intend to use to knit myself a beanie, however, the window of time between now and when we leave for Europe in mid-December is closing fast. So I was thrilled with this snug double-layer navy beanie which was $10. I am sure it will be perfect to keep my head and ears warm.

Garden Notes – Signs of Spring

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It is almost a month since my last proper blog post. I took some time away from writing as there did not seem to much of note that was worth writing about. Additionally, I find a certain level of inertia sets in at the end of winter. Autumn and the early part of winter have a certain excitement as we relish the change of season after a long, hot summer and we look forward to bracing walks, some cosy indoor time with our latest craft projects and the opportunity to indulge in pots of warm soups and comfort food. However, by the time late August rolls around I am itching to toss aside the multiple layers and once again be out and about in the sunshine.

We are finally beginning to see some real signs of spring.

The daffodils are in full bloom. You can’t help but feel happy when surrounded by their bright yellow blooms.

Other flowers include borage and the first blooms on the espaliered nectarine.

Lettuce are ready to begin picking for salad as the weather starts to warm up.

There was much excitement today as we had 2 rainwater tanks delivered. They are only relatively small but fit neatly between the shed and the back fence. The water collected will be a useful addition for the garden during the hot, dry summer. They will be connected and ready to go early next week.

I think a final word on the coming of spring here in Victoria needs to go to a Facebook friend who posted this. It just about sums up where we live perfectly.

Wishing you a pleasant weekend wherever you are and whatever the season may be.

Finally

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We, along with a large swathe of southern Australia, have been holding our breath and hoping for rain. The farmers are really desperate.

Well, we have finally received some rain in the past couple of days. It has mostly been very light and barely more than drizzle at times but at least it is rain. We have had 23mm here in about 48 hours. Much more is needed but at least that is a start.

Along with the rain it has been bitterly cold today. Unfortunately, GMan and I were volunteering at the market which is held by the local Neighbourhood Centre. I did have an opportunity to test out my recent ski jacket purchase and it stood up to the job admirably. You can check it out here. The ‘feels like’ temperature hovered around 1.5C for the 2.5 hours that I was standing at the market entrance. I feel as though I am some way to being prepared for 5 weeks in Europe in December and January.

Although the ski jacket and coat I bought a couple of weeks ago were brand-new, the majority of my clothes are sourced second-hand. I was in Melbourne on Friday and managed to find a pair of black Sportscraft trousers for $6. There is no photo at the moment as I wore them yesterday and today (with a thermal layer underneath). In fact there has been nothing particularly photo-worthy so I thought I would share this one from the alcove near the change rooms when I bought my trousers. The sentiment is terrific – the spelling ………….not so much.

Winter Weather

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It is technically still autumn but the weather has been feeling distinctly like winter the past few days.

We have had a couple of frosty mornings. This was the view of the paddock across the road yesterday.

There was a light frost on our back lawn, too. You can see the promise of a glorious sunny day though.

Meanwhile, we have planted some seedlings.

Cauliflower

And some spinach. They are tiny but will hopefully survive.

As if we cannot get enough winter weather here, we are off to northern Europe for Christmas and possibly a white Christmas. Even though it is almost 7 months until we leave, it is a good time to be considering what clothes and shoes we will need.

I bought this jacket in the snow gear sale at Aldi yesterday. It will get some use here during the winter but it is primarily for our trip.

Today we were walking in the main street of our small town when a display in the window of a boutique caught my eye. It was an absolutely perfect coat. I am now completely ready for winter in both hemispheres.

If only it would rain…………I would be happy. Stay safe wherever you are and whatever the weather.

A Trio of Firsts

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Today is Monday, the first day of the working week.  It is also the first day of June and, here in Australia, the official first day of winter.

It is almost like a new year.  While most people restrict their attempts at resolutions to a new calendar year on the first of January, there are plenty of other opportunities to turn over a new leaf if you choose to look for them.  However, the midst of an ongoing global pandemic may not be the best time to consider starting afresh.  Or, perhaps it is.

I am thinking of ruling a line under the past few months and moving forward.

For almost 3 weeks I have added a blog post every day.  I have never made daily posts for an extended period previously and I have been writing this blog for over 9 years now.  It has been an experiment on several levels.  Could I maintain this level of engagement consistently now that I am retired?  Does self-isolation (mostly) make it easier to write blog posts every day?  Do I want to lock myself into writing every day?  Will I always have appropriate new content every day?  Are readers looking for new content every day?  Could I intersperse blog posts every 2-3 days with Instagram posts on a specific Organised Castle Instagram account?

Dear readers, I am really keen to hear your thoughts on the frequency, length, content and photos of my blog posts.  Also, do you go back and look at older material or click on the related links I sometimes provide?  I look forward to your honest thoughts and opinions.

Meanwhile, I am about to prepare the vegetables for dinner.  We are having one of our favourite cool weather meals – roast vegetables and gravy which I will serve with some green beans from the garden.

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While the oven is on, I will also make a Lemon Delicious and some more Cheese Scones to store in the freezer.  These are great for serving with a bowl of piping hot soup.

Winter Warmer

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We live in a temperate, sub-tropical area with relatively mild winters but that doesn’t mean that we do not need some warmer clothes for about 4 months of the year.

I try to predominately buy secondhand clothes and today was no exception.  We were in our local town and I popped into the Salvos thrift shop to see what was on offer.

I found this pullover which is completely devoid of labels.  I do not know the brand, size, origin or type of fabric.  However, for the princely sum of $5 it came home with me as it fitted and I love the colour.

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It may be too short on some people but is perfect for me.  I really like the fact that it does not have bands on the sleeves or the lower edge.

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I will not be pairing it with the green patterned jeans which I happened to be wearing today.

This piece will fit nicely into my smallish wardrobe.  I will team it with either black or dark denim jeans and one of my collared shirts or alternatively with a patterned scarf.  I will just need to find something suitable.

 

 

Winter Beds

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Although we live in a temperate sub-tropical zone, there are still distinct seasonal variations and we respond accordingly.

Two nights ago we experienced our first cold (for us) night when the temperature dropped to 6C (43F).

The prospect of this temperature was enough to convince me that the very lightweight summer doona would not be sufficient.  I retrieved the feather doona from the wardrobe in the spare room.  For me, it is not only about the physical warmth of the feather doona but the colours I use which reflect the cooler weather.

During the summer the bed is made up using light blue and white bed linen and I love the fresh, cool effect that this brings.

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Although the fabric is no heavier, the darker coloured linen makes the room feel cosier as the weather cools.  I changed the bed yesterday and substituted the winter bedding.

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My bed was not the only one that noticed the effects of the cold night.

The cucumbers were planted late in the summer but we had been fortunate to have a great harvest.  However, overnight the vine went from being lush and green to looking quite shrivelled in parts.  It does not like the cold nor the accompanying strong westerly winds.

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With the prospect of several subsequent cold nights, I decided to remove all of the mature cucumbers and clear out the vine.

The haul was surprisingly large.

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The vine and trellis are now removed so it is time to clear the weeds and prepare the bed for a cool season crop.

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What heralds the change of seasons at your place?

End of Financial Year

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It is almost the end of June and here in Australia that means it is the end of the financial year.  It is tax time and a busy time for many businesses.  My workload is a bit more than usual this week and it has been compounded by the fact that I was out of the office for 3 days last week at a conference.

So, there is not much time for taking photos or doing anything worthy of a blog post.

While I am busy at work you can enjoy these couple of photos from last week.  It is winter here at the moment but you would not know it.

Some of the accommodation at the resort where we stayed for the conference.

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Sunrise at Noosa beach on the shortest day of the year.

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A friend took the sunrise photo and yes, the speck in the water is me.  The morning was cool but the water was beautiful.  Such a refreshing start to the day.

Don’t forget that it is almost July so it is time for another round of ‘Plastic Free July’.  My blog posts for the month will reflect that theme and focus on our commitment to eliminate single use plastic items as much as possible.  Will you join me in trying to make a difference?

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Winter Morning

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Yesterday morning I walked along the verandah.  It was sunny but quite cool and this was the vision that greeted me.

002One of the newer hibiscus shrubs which has only been in the ground for about a month and there were half a dozen bright pink flowers.  I am hoping this is a preview of things to come as these shrubs grow and we have a mass of dense foliage and brilliant flowers in front of the verandah.