Spring sprung...

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous first day of spring...blue sky, green grass and a warm breeze.

Although it was Father's Day here, His Lordship & I spent the afternoon in the backyard-mowing, trimming, moving strawberry beds and cleaning out the chicken coop.

I don't think that I've ever shared the interior of our hen's home-they spend the day outside free ranging in the orchard- with access to the coop via a ramp. The layer pellets, water & nesting areas are inside.

You can see the sawhorse roosts, galvanised bin for pellet storage and feeders (all of which are raised on bricks). The floor is a concrete slab; which we cover with some form of straw and then regularly replace ( with the manure rich old straw going on the garden)

Wilma wondering why I'm standing there with the door open!

There is one nesting box built as part of the shed-shown here being entered by a headless chicken!

Looking back towards the door & ramp-we have used an old plastic dog kennel as a nesting box..the lid lifts up for easy access to the eggs.

The Committee of Management waiting for me to vacate!

 



The old manure laden straw is placed on one of the fallow garden beds.





 

Pictures, Progress and Planning...........

Pictures:

A few random photos from around the place this morning....


Water kefir & citrus cleaner brewing on the bench

Our first crop from this Meyer lemon tree

Sir Bebe le Pew keeping an eye on the Bringer of the Bucket

Roxie-our 3 year old Isa Brown

Chickens-busy

I feel warm just looking at this pile

 

 

Progress:

 

We have been having rainy periods interspersed with sunshine-perfect for the garden! In here you will see 3 varieties of cabbage, kale, pak choy, rocket, mixed lettuce and peas. In the background you can just see the broad bean plants.

Vegie garden coming along nicely

Another view

 

Planning:

 

The rear of our home faces North East-which is fantastic for passive solar principles in the Southern Hemisphere ( the opposite applies for those readers in the Northern Hemisphere!) and is why we chose this block & this house plan.

 

From day 1 a timber pergola has been planned for the area outside my husband's study window-it is a large window and the winter sun that streams through helps warm the living room which is just behind the study.

 

The concrete pad has been in position for nearly two years now...and we have finally saved up enough to buy the timber! I'm hoping to have it up by Spring...and will be growing a grape vine over the top.

 

As the grape vine is deciduous it will shade the study window during the warmer months and give us a lovely area to sit and enjoy our BBQ's; then in the winter the sun will be able to do it's job of helping warm our house....and of course fingers crossed we will have grapes to eat as well!

 

The concrete pad waiting for the pergola to provide summer shade 7 winter sun...has been here for two years.

Showing the site of the planned pergola in respect to the house. The covered are you can see in the background will eventually be enclosed as a year round family room-it comes straight off our kitchen dining area.

No idea why blogger has turned this plan! The red lines are where the beams will be-a grape vine will be grown over the top of the structure.





Growing....

Have you ever thought about what it must be like for a pea seed?

 

 

 

Buried beneath a heap of dirt...plunged into darkness.

 

 

Waiting....

 

Till you feel yourself start to swell and yearn.....

 

You break through that heavy soil and strive to grow...

 

 

To reach for the sky-doing what it is you were meant to do.

 

 

That dark, heavy place long forgotten.

 

Yet still hoping that the chickens don't scratch you to shreds.

 

 

 

 Sometimes we all need a fence to protect us from the chickens.

 

 

Chicken yoga....

Our friend's baby has been given an interim diagnosis of Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclunus  ; which is a great result after the stress they have undergone this week.

This morning sees little spots of green breaking the soil where I sowed seeds the other day. The rocket, lettuce and Asian greens are all showing their heads ( so to speak!) and to keep them company, I bedded in 18 odd cabbages today-made up of a mix of savoy, red & drumhead varieties.

 The peas are also swelling and sprouting....

 Some of the ladies are taking serious steps to ensure that they stay in fine form this winter-no battle of the bulge for Roxy as she takes up a form of yoga!

 

Some of the other girls should perhaps take some pointers..... I'm looking at you Lucy!

 

Whereas Twinkle has her mind on other things...like some privacy please!

Monday's musings....

We spent the weekend with one of our daughters and her family-they live 3.5 hours away and we drove over so that they could go out for dinner without their one year old..... For The First Time!

 

As they are expecting their second later in the year, this may be one of the few times they get to go out and "be grownups" together for a while!

 

My parents met us there for a daytrip-they are 2 hours from our daughter's home & 3.5 hours away from us. We all took our grandson to the park and four generations of our family had fun together-with the older males all trying chin-ups and climbing a rather large tree- with varying degrees of success I may add!

 

I have such a satisfying sense of continuity when we have multi generational outings like this-how lucky are our grandchildren to know not only their grandparents-but also their great-grandparents and in the case of my husband's grandmother, great-great grandparent? There is every chance that these grandchildren of ours will live into the 2100's-and they will have memories of someone who was born in 1918!

 

 

It is for this next generation that we decided to buy this land & build this home-when our grandchildren visit here they are in contact with the soil and animals which provide food. They help with baking-and eating. As the years go by, without realising it they will be gaining knowledge and skills-and more importantly to me...memories.

We had a casual drive home-stopping at whatever took our fancy along the way ( stuffed camel anyone? I kid you not!) and arrived home to land that is finally taking on a verdant hue after the recent rain.

 

No photos I'm afraid- I was too busy enjoying our time. :)

 

This morning sees MORE rain-deep and soaking. The plants are no longer dusty and seem to turn their faces towards the sky and glory in it's gift.

 

I am working indoors this morning, housework; then this afternoon I will head into work for a few hours. Today, I am content.

 

 

Gratuitous chicken shot of one of our older hens Betty:

 

 

 

Friday.

This is my morning walk......

 

Overnight it has been raining-a week's worth of wet weather now. The 7 days prior had been warm- a glorious Indian Summer. The two combined have caused plants to celebrate-to deepen their colours and burst into growth.

 

I step from the patio and stop to smell the roses....

 

 

 

After crossing the regions of the backyard, I enter the vegetable garden-on my left the newly planted raspberry canes ( yes, I braved the weather yesterday to get them in-dedicated or delusional, I'm not sure which!)

 

 

I check on the two beds planted with seeds- the one in the background has been laid solely with broad beans; after harvest these will be used as green manure for Spring planting. The bed in the foreground has had peas, spring onions, lettuce mix, black Kale & red pak choy planted-you can see the divisions roughly laid out by the stakes & scrap pieces of wood.

 

Onto the orchard gate-where the Committee Of Management await. They worship me as Bringer of the Bucket-as it is I who brings the scraps they so desire!

 

 

Follow the Great Bringer of the Bucket girls-quickly now, displease her not!

 

 

Oh leaving are you? Well, we have this lush section of damp, worm ridden soil to investigate......so, please excuse us if we don't follow you back. Have your people call our people and we will see what we can do about chatting another time ..........maybe....................

 

 

 

Enjoy your weekend.

 

Chickens and change....

I didn't post a Thursday thrift yesterday because I spent my hours before heading to work outside-with my chickens.

As chicken converts will tell you, it is far too easy to become enamoured by chicken antics. Yesterday I cleaned out the straw from their coop-closely monitored by the Chicken Committee of Management! Ruby and Betty head this committee- although our young rooster Bebe Le Pew would like to think he rules the roost!

I raked the old manure filled straw out the door-where the girls happily pounced on it, scratching madly and snaffling any bugs they found. If Bebe found any tidbits, he would politely cluck deep in his throat and duck his head a couple of times, indicating to "his" ladies that " Look, I Rooster, have located this prime piece of protein purely for your pleasure!"

Bebe Le Pew's presence ( as unplanned as it was) has added much to our flock. From the early morning shenanigans ( when he wakes up in a "loving" mood and the girls try to dash past him when I open the door) to his standing sentinel to protect "his" ladies from the local Magpie Mafia; he entertains us daily!

Anyway, after clearing the old straw ( and laying it on one of the new vegie garden beds) I laid the new. That's when the Chicken Fiesta started! The flock of 9 launched themselves with glee into the fresh layer, munching up any bugs and spiders they could find. This went on for an hour or so before Rusty headed to one of the laying boxes; unfortunately not long before Betty decided that she too needed to attend to her daily contribution to our egg collection.

Rusty refused to budge, Betty became more demanding-even trying to push Rusty out with her ( Betty's) rear end! By the time that Betty climbed on top of Rusty I was in hysterics! Despite the fact that there was another available laying box, neither girl would give ground and eventually both laid their eggs. :)

Refreshed by my time with the flock, I headed off to work with a smile on my face.

Tonight we are expecting our youngest daughter, her partner and their 2 week old daughter for their first visit since our grand daughter's birth. We will also have two of our grandsons staying over.

This visit set me to musing about our lives and our current place in them. His Lordship and I were young parents and thus find ourselves in our mid 40's with 5 grandchildren-we wouldn't have it any other way!

Many of our friends have young families or are just beginning their's now-and many of them lament the fact that if their own parents are still alive, that they are often too old to have the energy to spend a lot of time with their grandchildren.

In days of yore, our situation would have been the norm; but these days "careers" have become so important that the median age for first time parents is becoming older and older. Ergo, as is that of the grandparents. Thus many parents are finding themselves relying on childcare and without the supportive wisdom of the older generations.

I wonder if this is truly a good thing for society?

Lovely, luscious lamb.....

After nearly succumbing to takeaway on the way home from work last night ( came home and made homemade pizza instead and dessert was sourdough banana bread from the freezer!), I decided that tonight I would have a meal hot & ready when I get home from work.

Of course, that means my trusty slowcooker is now on the bench, cooking me a lamb tagine-bless it's generous and reliable slowcooker heart! :)

The lamb is the scrag ends left after we bought a lamb a couple of months back. They were browned then tossed in the pot:

Then 2 diced onions were dry fried with some curry powder and a sprinkle of chilli flakes, before 2 cans of chopped tomatoes and a handful of dates were tossed in:

Then it is all left to simmer away until I'm ready to "plate up" tonight.

I have made mention of the fencing we have been doing for two reasons-firstly to keep next door's brat of a dog out of our orchard and secondly to keep our hens in!

Have you ever seen more beautiful fencing? ;)

Thursday Thrift..........

This week's Thursday Thrift is full of garlicky goodness!

I adore garlic-not only for it's pungency in cooking, but also for it's multitude of uses around the home. It can be used as a natural antibiotic ( ala Florence Nightingale!), a wormifuge, organic pest spray, companion plant and of course-a home strewn witth garlic is professed to be vampire free! It must work because thus far we are yet to be visited by vampires!

Last year I planted around 40 cloves-which I happily harvested in December. This harvest is to be used mainly in pet food ( both dogs & chickens) and as garden treatments...because although I love the taste of garlic, His Lordship suffers unfortunate side effects from it!

Garlic is an easy and cheap crop to grow-I tend to plant and forget about it! It doesn't require a lot of water or fertiliser, although avoid planting in heavy soils as it can rot.

Today I'm using some to add to both the dog food I'm making and the warm garlic & apple cider mash for the chickens. The chicken mash is just some rolled oats mixed with water and cooked in the microwave, then mixed witrh some crushed garlic and about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar-then girls love it!

Musings........

I've just finished mowing around much of the block. At the front of the house we have a section of grass ( in a semi-circular shape) surrounding a beautiful gum tree. As the grass is mown there, the smell of eucalyptus melds with that of the freshly mown grass-it is pure heaven!

Up  the back of the block is the orchard, chooks and vegie beds ( fenced off to keep the hounds out!) with grass pathways-so as I mow there I am checking the growth of the trees & vegies. i throw some snails to the hens and muse that we have apricots, nectarines, apples, plums and quinces forming-not bad considering all the trees were planted last winter!

As I head back to the house, it strikes me how lucky I am.