Vege Patch Update

Vege patch?? What vege patch??

Honestly all I have managed to get done is put in those 3 tomatoes and the potatoes - and that was a while ago.  The hanging tomato is doing well after it's accident (remember it fell to the ground) and the potatoes have grown and are now starting to wilt (could be due to lack of water).

I was going to put corn into boxes out along the back fence, but I have changed my mind.  They are now going into one of the unused beds out the front.  TODAY!!  I will also put in some pumpkin and zucchini seeds and some sunflower seeds.  The sunflowers I will put into the proper garden beds amongst what is already there. 

And the poor lettuce seedlings need to go into the trough I bought for them.

Last year I was was really keen on growing some of my own veges, but this year I really can't find the inspiration to do it.  I don't know if it is a case of too much happening here that takes over my attention or gardening is just not my thing.  I get no help from anyone - not even hubby.  I am lucky if he actually cuts the grass more than twice a year.  I know he hates mowing grass but he is reluctant to rip it all up and put in plants and mulch.  That does not make any sense to me.

The whole front yard needs re mulched.  I think it has been 5 years since it was last done so you can imagine the state it is in.  Weeds grow like wildfire and removing them is difficult.

I've got 5 roses out the back that did not get pruned during winter.  They are all supposed to be bush roses, but 2 are now so tall you could call them tree roses.  Another one is buried under a daisy type of shrub - that one never did grow very well.  It is actually the eldest's rose - I think it suits her to a 'T'.  No that she's short or anything, just that she doesn't do much.  Just like the rose.....

I found 1 single strawberry down the side 2 days ago and ate it - sour thing it was.  Not sure if it the variety or just not getting the attention/food/water it needs to be sweet.  The rhubarb is doing ok.  Stalks are quite thin and it looks like whatever was eating the leaves has stopped - maybe it died, after all they are poisonous.  The fern that is growing out the side of the garden bed is doing quite well.

I think I need to feed everything - maybe this week........

Concert Programs and life after the concert

Busy right now printing Concert Programs for the eldest cali club. 

The darn printer keeps jamming on the paper though.  And it is starting to annoy me!!

Not the sort of thing I can say - blow it, I'm not doing these anymore.  They have to be done today so I can hand them over to the lady who will bind them for us.  That is once I collect the colour pages from the printer and collate the whole lot together - then she can bind them.

So it looks like I have to sit and baby sit the printer until all 880 pages are done....

Life after the Concert - looking forward to that.

I have a batch of laundry bags to make for Aussie Hero Quilts as well as some quilts to put together for them.  I may have to make up tops only and send them off to their coordinator for her get quilted.  There are just too many in my head wanting made up!

Plus there is the vege garden that desperately needs attention.  I only have tomatoes in at the moment!  So much for putting in zucchini, pumpkins and corn.  Plus the seeds I put in really need to be potted on and fertilised so they can grow up big and strong.  The poor lettuces have not done much at all.

I think I may put sunflowers in amongst the weeds, um, flowers out the front.

EEWWWW !!!!

Just opened up the dishwasher to get out a clean mug for my mid morning cup of tea.

EEWWWWWWWWW......

The smell!!!!

It was atrocious.

Checked the filter, and yep, full of yucky mucky smelly crap.

And I thought it was the sink that was smelly.  I even treated it a few days ago to try to get rid of the smell.

So dishwasher is now going thru it's paces again - dishes and all.  Hopefully that will do the trick.  If not, then I'll have to put some bicarb thru it too.

Tomatoes and Potatoes

here we come.....

Well hopefully anyway.  My experiment to grow a tomato bush upside down came to ground this morning - literally.

Whilst putting washing on the line the whole pot (if you can call it that) fell to the ground with a thud.  Thank goodness I was there to quickly rescue the poor thing and put it back up.  I did loose part of the plant - the middle shoot!! 

I gave it a drink with some seaweed extract in it, so hopefully it will recover.

I also planted out the other 2 seedlings I purchased at the same time as the upside down one in the front yard beds.  Currently they are in potting mix in boxes.  You can see one of them in this pic.

The bed will get the straw and compost/maure treatment too.  Tommorrw seems like a good day to do that.

The poppies are fom last year - I am surprised they did not die off over winter.

These are my potatoes.  So far I have topped up the bags 3 times and I will do another lot soon.  The empty bag is not really empty - it just has the store bought potatoes that have not done anything yet.  Maybe they never will......

Vege Patch 2012

Today I finally got around to mostly sorting out the front yard vege patch after winter.  The grass around them was clipped down and then put into the beds.  I think this will be ok and will provide some green manure.  After all it all breaks down in the compost bin doesn't it? 

I have 2 beds nearly ready for some seeds to go in.  They still need another layer of compost and straw and then they'll ready.  The other 2 beds have yet to be redone - they both have flowering poppies that were planted last year growing strongly.

I will put in tomatoes, pumpkins from some seeds I saved from bought one, zucchini again and broccoli.  Maybe some capsicum too - if the seeds germinate.  I received the tomato seedlings the other day so they need to be planted out soon too.  I want to try doing one upside down and still need to find a place to hang it.  Maybe on the clothesline in the centre.

I also got my corn seeds.  These I will plant out at the end of the month into filled cardboard boxes.  Since they take only 12 weeks from planting to harvest this should not a problem, at least that's what I hope.  I think I will put these out the back along the fence - hopefully the dogs won't dig into  them.

My planted out potatoes seem to be doing their thing.  The seed spuds are anyway.  The couple I kept from the supermarket have yet to rear their heads above the dirt.

Wardrobe Organising

I have this on my mind for a while now.  Actually it pops up nearly everytime we go away.  I only take around 5 to 6 days worth of clothing with me and recycle them again and again.  (I do wash them in case you are wondering.)

So I have bit the bullet and opened those wardrobe doors and had a good hard look at what is in there.  It was getting to the point where not much more would fit in!

I found a list of clothing that I feel is an acceptable amount, given how I wear my clothes and often I wash them.  The list is this:

3 pair of long pants - jeans, dressy, tracksuit, etc

2 pair of long leggings

3 pair of shorts

2 skirts

3 singlet tops

4 long sleeve print tops

4 short sleeve print tops

2 long sleeve white shirts

2 long sleeve t-shirts

2 jumpers/sweaters

2 fitted cardigans

2 dresses

2 cropped jackets - these to suit my hour glass figure

1 trench coat

So after filling 1 and half large garbage bags this is what I am left with.  I can now move things around in the wardrobe and not have to use too many muscles!

6 pairs of long pants - 2 jeans, 2 black dressy, 2 trackys

6 pairs of leggins - 1 long, 5 mid length

3 pair of shorts

3 skirts - 2 black, 1 brown

6 singlet tops - these will be culled

10 long sleeve print tops

11 short sleeve tops

4 knit tops - 1 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve, 1 sleeveless

0 long sleeve white shirts

1 long sleeve white t-shirt

4 jumpers/sweaters - only 1 is what you might call thick; we don't have the weather for those here

1 loose cardigan

5 day dresses - 4 without sleeves

3 maxi dresses

2 evening dresses

0 cropped jackets

0 trench coat

1 overcoat

Not quite the same as the first list and I do believe some of the remaining items will end up going too, but I think it is a pretty good start.  Not sure if I will add in the white shirts or the cropped jackets, but I do like the idea of the trench coat.  I may have to get sewing again.

If only I could go thru hubby's clothes like this!

Vege Garden Update

Well the seeds I put in for Broccoli and Lettuce are really doing well.  They are both getting tall (should they do this?) but have yet to get their first set of real leaves.  I am still waiting on the arrival of my tomato seedlings.

I really need to weed out the front yard beds - but I can't be bothered!!  This is not a good way to be for someone who is trying to be a tiny bit self sufficient.  I keep coming up with excuses - too cold/wet/windy - BUT I really need to get to it SOON.  Otherwise I will have seedlings and no where to put them.

The Potatoes are snug in their bags and showing no sign of growing up just yet.

On another note - Hubby is home for the next 2 weeks.  The company he works for has no work for a lot of their staff.  He works on constructions sites - the last site he was on had 25 guys sacked!!  Some were with the company for over 20 years.  Things will be a bit tight here for a while me thinks.

Carrots

Just pulled up the last of the carrots that were planted AAAGES ago.  Every single one of them is puny beyond belief.  There is 1 or 2 that may be fit for people to eat - I'm thinking dog food for the rest.

Watered the potatoes - locked my self out of the house and had to go get the spare key - thank goodness the last person to use it had put it back.  No sign of spuds growing much yet.

Checked the other seeds in their mini hot house.  The lettuce is coming up and so is the broccoli (they're towards the back).

Bought a long trough to transplant the lettuce into once it gets big enough.  Need some more potting mix to do this.  Still waiting on the tomato seedlings to arrive.


Yesterday being Sunday was Joyday.  So I took the day to start making a new dress to wear to a weeding we are going to in 3 weeks.  The fabric I have is a mid-grey with cream spots satin.  The dress pattern  was a bit small, but I figured with my sewing skills I could up-size it to fit.  Cut it all out adding in extra fabric where I thought I needed it.  Sewed up the bodice - includes a wrap-shawly collar.  Thought I had better see if this will fit.  So chucked it on and got eldest to see if it would do up in the back.  Noooo, it won't!  Boo Hoo.  So back to the fabric store for more fabric and the larger pattern...  This is what I get for not buying the correct size pattern in the first place.

I have visions in my head of this being a really nice dress. 

Plantings

Yesterday I bought some straw, manure and seed raising mix for this seasons vege patch.  Today I potted up, in an egg carton mind you, some seeds for Tomatoes, Capsicum, Broccoli and Lettuce.  The carton is sitting in my mini greenhouse with the lid on.  There's not much to show, so no pics.

I have also bagged up my potatoes.  5 bags with 2 potatoes each, 8 are the Nicola variety and the other 2 are Cream spuds.  These 2 are from the supermarket, so I will see what happens with them.  The others are certified seed spuds. 

Interesting about potatoes - they say you HAVE to use certified seed spuds in order to grow disease free produce.  The company I bought them from is heavy into Heirloom seeds - those that are free polinated without any genetic mods, etc.  You'd think spuds would be the same deal.  Surely in this day and age the spuds you buy at the supermarket would be disease free?  Hhhmmm   Now to put them in a sunny spot in the front yard.

I will also be re-doing the 4 vege beds out the front for pumpkins, zucchini, the broccoli, tomato and capsicum seedlings.  I also have another $4 upside down container for tomatoes.  This I will be using for Tigrella variety....  Just bought 3 seedlings - they should arrive late this week or early next week.  I also bought some corn seeds - will try those up against the fence in the backyard - hopefully the dogs will leave them alone.....

MMMM Caake...

Found a new recipe the other day and so far have made it three times in the past 2 weeks.  It's a whole orange cake.

Very rich, not too orangey with a crsip outside.  Would be really nice iced - if I could be bothered and could keep the vultures, um family, away from it long enough.

The recipe came from a book I purchased after seeing there were 28 people waiting to get their hands on it at my local library.  The books called Down to Earth and was written by a Queensland lady called Rhonda Hertzel.  You can read her blog here - probably find the recipe too.  She talks about all sorts of things relating to trying to live a simpler life.

So back the cake.  The first one I made was with 2 mandarins that were in desperate need of being eaten.  Popped them in the food processor and set it going, and going, and going.  My food processor does not have a chop blade, only a mix blade so it took some time for the mandies to be in small enough bits.  Added the eggs, butter, sugar and flour and set processor to mix again.  Turn the mix out into a lined and greased loaf tin, cooked for 35 minutes.  Deliciously mandarin taste.

Then next one was a pineapple one - used some left over crushed pineapples.  Also nice with a slight pinapple flavour.

This lastest one, the orange one, has butter that I actually measured - I didn't measure with the other two - not margarine which I used for the other 2.  I also used the blender to break down the orange not the food processor.  I think is too buttery, so next time I will cut down on the amount used.

Rhubarb and Tomatoes

I don't know about any of you, but I love rhubarb.  It's that tangy sweetness that gets me every time.  Problem is, I now don't get to eat it very often.  I have bought some from my local supermarket on the odd occasion, but the rest of the house doesn't like it (more for me then). 

When I was still unmarried and living at home Dad had quite an extensive vege and fruit patch in the back yard.  We had apple, apricot, nectarine, peach, quince, loquat, pear trees as well as a multi grafted plum tree.  That tree used to get so much fruit on it Dad would have to prop up the branches so they didn't break off under the weight of the fruit.  So stewed fruit and home made jam was always available.  There was even a couple of rhubarb crowns.  Dad also grew tomatoes, lettuce, silver beet.  One year he grew pumpkin - we had so many in storage they covered the bench in the garage!

In my attempt to grow some of my own produce today I purchased 2 rhubarb crowns from my local hardware/garden store.  Yesterday the rhubarb seeds I bought turned up too.  So in a couple of days the crowns will go in and I will pot up the seeds into some seedling mix to get them started.

This may seems like a lot of rhubarb to planting - and you may be right - but did I mention I love the stuff??  And who knows what is going to survive and how much of it is going to die - specially over summer when we go on holidays.  Note to self - must remember to set up automatic watering system whist we are away.  One that the child staying home doesn't have to worry about.

I also got myself a plastic bucket that I am going to have a go at growing a tomato bush in upside down.  This sounds crazy, but I have seen it done with success. 


Like this.

The variety I will use is Tommy Toe - a 3cm variety of fruit.  Grew this last year with some success.








Will keep you updated on that one.



I have also thought of how to grow veges down the side of the house.  This area gets lots of sun all year and has a raised garden bed - actually the top of the bed is level with next door's ground level (we had to dig our house into our block of land a bit).  The bed is narrow - around 40cm wide - and the soil is terrible.  Compacted and little or no organic matter.  Last year I added some straw as a mulch and tried to grow melons in it.  Birds dug up all the straw and ate the seeds.  There is no way I can raise the height of the bed wall myself - I'm not that capable and the back side is wood fence (my neighbour would not be impressed to learn I have compost and dirt up against it).

So I think the best way to utilise this area is with a plastic rectangular tubs that have had the bottoms of them removed and fill them in a no-dig manner.  Kind of like gardening in pots, but a slightly larger scale.  Now to find some cheap tubs.  (I think I know where I can get 1 or 2 - local dance club has some with no lids that I may be able to steal, um have).

If I can also get 2 more of the bed frames I started with last year I will be happy.  That will give me 6 mini plots in our front yard and will not interfere with car parking.  Need to start them back up again.  One is full of grass, the others have very little grass/weeds in them.  The poppies have survived over winter and look nice and healthy.  I pulled out the broccoli the other day.  That will get chopped up, pushed down and covered over with straw and manure to rot down over summer.  All food for the next crops.  I also need to think of something to put around the beds to get rid of the grass.  Loath to spray with glyphosate - it might leach into the vege beds and then we could be eating it!

On another garden type note - I would love to able to organise a neighbourhood vege co-op.  One where neighbours grow veges and fruit in their own yards and then swap/trade with others in the
co-op as the produce matures.  Can see the benefits - getting to know the neighbours, not having to grow as much variety but still getting it, etc.  Can also see the down side - people not co-operating properly, someone not getting any produce but yet giving out their growings, etc.  Much to ponder......

Look at the dirt

on the trailer....

This is after 2 days of driving in dusty conditions on dirt roads.  It was fine dust and got into everything; thru the zips on the tent cover, inside the trailer....

Inside the silver box in front of the tyre.....



Everything was covered in it....

Once we reached civilisation again we hosed the trailer down and found that the paint had actaully been dust blates off the metal!!  The silver box was even dented across the front from all the stones we flicked up.

Hubby has had to repaint the whole trailer - inside and out and underneath. 

But getting to see places like this makes it all worthwhile.

Back from our trip up North

and I would rather be still on the road staying in places likes this.....

We certainly had more than our fair share of car problems - blown head gasket, auxillery battery had to be replaced, smashed a rear window, replaced a fan pump, got dust in the brake drums/cylinders, and have a cracked front windscreen. 

Saw some lovely spots for fishing.....

Met some brilliant birds.....

Saw some gorgeous coast......

We did not quite make it to the very top but are happy with how far we did get, all things considered.

Met this guy at a roadhouse camping spot....

He had 2 brothers.  Never having been this close to a peacock before I was surprised by how large a bird they are.  Very inquisitive too.  There was also an Emu at the same place.  It would not move whilst we set up camp and came to inspect everything too.

Happy Holidays....

Well not so happy actually.  We have been stuck in Bundaberg Qld for the past 2 weeks with car troubles.  Hopefully we will be outta here on Tuesday.....

We have had more than our fair share of rain; we broke 2 hand pumps for water on our camper and the tent leaked. 

This was our Saturnday night's entertainment on Fraser Island.....



Yep - watching a bucket fill up with rain water!!  Rivetting stuff....

2 Days to go ....

Until hubby and I head off for a 3 month adventure.

All my bags are packed (well nearly), I'm ready to go (not so sure on that one).

Queensland here we come!!

Long Time No See, err Read

Wow, did not realise it had been this long between posts!

My apologies to all who read this.

There's no excuses on offer - just been a bad blogger......

In 11 days Hubby and I head off on our Cape York Adventure.  We are towing the camper trailer behind us and driving all the way up to the very most northern point of Australia - not is a direct and straight line mind you.  We will be taking plenty of stops along the way doing what all tourists do - having a good look around the place.

Spending a day on the Gold Coast, a week on Fraser Island, a day at Bundaberg and then who knows what.

Tha plan, if there is one, is to find a spot that looks nice and set up camp for a day or two and then move on to the next spot.  I will have to take lots of piccys each day - I intend on taking a photo of camp each time we stop in an attempt to keep track of where we have been.  May even get to upload some whilst away - depending on wifi connectivity.

So if you don't hear from me between now and Septmeber - this is why.

Tax Time

I really hate the time of year when hubby decides it's time we do our tax return.  I don't put in a tax return as I don't earn any money.  So why do I have do all the work for his return??  He's had 8 months to get his act into gear to do it.  Now when it's crunch time, he gets all upppity when I can't find the info he needs....

URGHHH

Driving and Donating

My baby girl is now licensed to kill - with a motor vehicle that is.  This morning she passed her driving test.  It didn't take her long to get out on her own either - like only 2 hours after the test.  She was so pleased she passsed.  Congrats to her.  No more playing taxi with her for me.

I donated 2 large bags of usable stuff to a local Kinder today.  A lot of knitting yarn (half a bag full!!), fabrics, pipe cleaners, ribbons and braids, all sorts of things.  There was even a bag of teddy bear dress ups.  Hopefully they will put it all to good use.

Now to finish cleaning up the craft room.  I have lots on the shelves - they're full - and still lots of bags beside the shelves.  Not sure if I want to only keep things like fabrics that are earmarked for a project or whether to just go thru all the fabrics and make 2 piles - 1 of those I like and 1 of those I don't like.  I have a friend who, as part of a quilting group, make quilts for a local hospital.  That's where the discards will be going.  I'm quite sure that even if I only kept the projects that were already together - those that are ready to be started - I would not get thru them all before I drop off the planet.  Mind you I have no intentions of doing that any time soon - I just have collected (and boy is that agood word for it) lots of kits.

Decisions, decisions.........

Challenge

Today I re-read parts of my $21 Challenge book.  I will again do this challenge.  Last time I did it, I only spent $6.80 on feeding the family for the week.  Yes you read right - $6.80.  I went through my pantry, fridge and freezer and found that I had enough food stashed away to feed us (5 adults) for the week and only had to purchase some fresh veges. 

I feel it's time to do it again. 

Not because I have a pantry full of food that I want to get rid of, but that it is a worthwhile exercise.  One that I hope to do on a regular basis.  The best part is having meals planned 1 week in advance - no getting to 5pm and wondering what on earth I will cook for dinner.  I put the menu planner on the fridge so the others in the house know what's for dinner (if they care to look that is).

There's not a lot in the fridge and I have yet to check out the pantry or freezer, but there will be enough I am sure of it.  It was quite weird not going to the supermarket 2 or 3 times during the week last time I did this.  I felt quite proud of myself in keeping away.  I should take note of how much I save when doing this and write it down somewhere so that at the end of the year I can see how much I actually saved ov a long period of time.  It's all well and good to say 'I saved $100 on groceries this week', but to put into perspective on an annual basis would be enlightening.

A Day In Your Life

I have just come across the most amazing quote. 

"What you do with each day is important because you are exchanging a day in your life to that activity."
Author Unknown

I came across this in a comment on Becky Higgin's blog.

It is quite profound, that quote, when you sit and think about it.  Most people would not even think of their life in that way.  Days spent in meaningless activity (searching the web for scrapbooking page maps - how I came across that quote) really are a waste of a day.  Now you may consider page maps to be something you need and are important - that's ok.  Some may think I spent the morning doing nothing - that's fine too.

I urge you all to think hard on this quote and what it means to you.  I intend printing it out and sticking it on the back of the toilet door - a place to be often reminded of it.