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.





The bells of St Clements..

Oranges and lemons, say the bells of ST Clements...or so the old nursery rhyme goes! That particular refrain was running through my head all weekend after I finally planted the oranges I been wanting to get! His Lordship's 93 yr old grandmother gave us money for Christmas, so a dwarf Washington Navel and a dwarf Lane's Late Navel were purchased!

When we built this house last year I always planned to have a citrus "grove" along the back of the garage wall. It's an area of brick wall which is sheltered and faces North East-perfect suntrap here in South Western Victoria-which can be on the "cool" side! My MIL gave me a Meyer lemon when we moved in, so that had already been planted and now has two friends!

Due to the clay soil we have, all the citrus have been planted on raised mounds-which allows for perfect drainage.

Now all we have to do is wait a year or two!