Whose that squishing around my squash...

I always have someone down in the garden with me and today it was Miss Annabel.

Basket in hand ready to pick what goodies we might find...

A few months ago I planted a handful of mixed squash seeds behind the chook coop, I really didn't think any of them would survive. Firstly they have to make it through the daily chicken scratch up and after that  its hubby's Whipper Snipper!!!  He likes to keep a manicured lawn (yes,all 5 acres) and if it's not in my one of my allocated garden areas then it's fair game to all...

You can imagine how surprised I was when I noticed this prickly little Squash vine growing up from under my Mulberry Tree.

Last week flowers...This week baby squash...

 

We both admired this baby squash as if it were a piece of Gold..Then we ATE it...as soon as it was picked...It was sweet and crunchy, I couldn't imagine boiling these little treats up for dinner now after knowing how yum they taste fresh and raw...I think I'll be making these a salad vegetable from now on....

There should be a few more to pick by the end of next week...that's if no one else finds them...Sshhh...

And then it all went pear shaped....

  So it turns out that someone was quite taken with the idea of more than just one

Orange tree in the backyard. 



So impressed in fact that he decided to surprise me with a few more delicious  fruit trees just before Christmas. We got to work straight away, with the forecast for a week of rain ahead there was no better time to get planting. The ground was already nice and wet from the previous weeks rain, it was easy to dig and a perfect environment for these new trees to spread their roots... after planting we did our rain dance and the sky's opened....it rained, it poured it rained some more and it is still raining...and this is where it all went wrong...My new trees are totally waterlogged and drowning.....

We are now just crossing our fingers and hoping that the rain will stop and the ground will dry up a little...

We thought we were quite clever directing all our washing water down the slope to where our new Orchard would be but unfortunately this is what has caused the biggest problem....

The ground was saturated before it even started raining....  

 

Pear



Peach

 

Peachycot

  

Nectarine (before)





Nectarine (1 week after)



Hoping they survive now, I would like to be putting my own stone fruit on the table one Christmas soon...







Stage 1

1st January 2011
The boys have started work on the new coop...
I have always wanted to extend the coop into my garden and now that hubby has finished all his special little projects he is happy to work on one of mine.

It  was getting a little overcrowded with all the new chicks that have arrived the past couple of months. So just like our house, we thought we'd add on a few extra rooms to accommodate this other ever growing Family of mine...



The design was approved, The holes were dug, The posts are in place.

What a great productive start to the New Year.

Lollies....





Hanging out to Dry...

Welcome Sunshine...We are ALL happy to have you back...

 

 The warmth of the sun has been missed this last week with bucket loads of rain falling day and night....however I must add that the rain and cool air has certainly brought with it a different feel to the Christmas break this year, it makes a nice change from our usual hot and sticky December. Everything around here is  wet and slushy, parts of my garden are waterlogged other areas flourishing...We are lucky to live on a steady slope so we have no major water problem areas, our biggest disaster would have to be the chook coop...My girls are drenched and it will take weeks for their coop to dry out...and the smell...just like a muddy ol pig pen! Pew!  They are extremely happy today to be out in the sun for a bit of drying time...

Weather for ducks....

 

 

But not for chooks ....

My poor little chookies......all wet and soggy...not a patch of dry ground left to stand on, even the new straw is soaked. 


Hubby has decided to extend the chook coop so If we can can that done in a few days time then we might get some higher, dryer ground ready for the rain predicted again next week...

and that was Christmas.......2010

 If Christmas makes you happy clap your hands..

If Christmas makes you happy clap your hands..

Christmas time comes once a year,

everyone is filled with cheer

Santa's coming everyone so clap your hands..

If your happy and you know it and you really want to show it

clap your hands and sing a Christmas song with me...

Wishing you a Very.....

Are you sure there is only 4 sleeps till Christmas....???

My list of "Things to Do " is slowly getting done...

So much Baking....So little Blogging.....

This year I am hosting Christmas...It's all so very exciting, we have always traveled away to family but not this year.

We've put out our invites and the family are all on there way to our place...

At least the kids are ready!!!

Christmas Cones

         

The heart of my home...

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!

STAY TUNED FOR THE RENO  

COMING SOON

Today I am linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter , 'Pretty over the Kitchen Sink'

Leila writes the most amazing posts about keeping house, all things important in the home and also offers some great advice on raising children. Please allow yourself sometime to read her blog.

I have been waiting for the right moment to do a kitchen post and well I guess it just falls right into place now.

My kitchen is small but practical...... Oven on the left, sink in the middle, dishwasher to the right and fridge just an arms length behind me. It is by far my most favourite room in the house.  It is situated right Smack Bang in the middle of my house and adjoins our main living area.

My day starts and ends here....

• Good Morning Kisses with my husband
• Lunchboxes made and packed for my school children
• Lunchbox and thermos made and packed for Hubby
• Breakfast prepared for the little ones
• Dishes Done
• Coffee time...
• Fruit time...
• Lunchtime...
• Bottle time...
• Coffee time...
• Dinner Meal preparation time...
• Dishes Done...
• Afternoon tea time...
• Coffee time...
• Babies dinner time...
• Final Dinner Meal served...
• Dishes Done
• At least once a week I also Bake.... 
• I also keep all my daily "To Do" list on the Fridge, my calender, my shopping list and all my school notes... 
• This is  the place where my children come to talk to me, cook with me, spend time with me.
• It is the last room I leave when I go out as I grab last minute food and water for the little ones, 
• It's the first room I enter when I get home,  usually to put the kettle on ready for my next coffee...  

The Old Wood Stove... now my fruit bowl shelf and potato keeper

Centre stage, not the most practical item to be sitting in the middle of my living room but the favourite of my collection...

My Kitchen is a very busy but organised place.....

 I also love that this place is now home to my collection of old kitchen utensils and wares...I  wonder what the story is behind each and everyone of these pieces, what kind of kitchen did they originally came from...?

The result...

 Thick Creamy Curds

with Texture and Flavour...

and Colour...

and the Whey tastes like buttermilk....

Dear Santa,  Pleeeease can I have a Cow for Christmas :)

Farm Fresh

Milk....

I still dream about having a Milking Cow, a  little milking shed down the back by the chooks....

But in the meantime I have a  friend who has a friend who has a dairy....and I got 10 litres delivered today. 
Yum!  

My mother was raised on a dairy farm. I'm sure my mother  would probably rather forget having to get up at 5am to milk the cows, (then peddle 20 km on her bike to school) then have to do it all again in the afternoon...you know the story......

It was this farm that has given me some of the most  cherished and memorable moments of my childhood.  By the time my cousins and I started hanging out on the farm in the school holidays, my grandfather had passed away, and the days of the working dairy were long gone, however we were still lucky enough to have my Nana, and Fresh Milk from a couple of house cows that my uncle milked. We had fresh (sometimes even still warm) milk on our cereal for breakfast, and when we were thirsty we poured ourselves a glass of cold milk...I remember Nana saying "make sure you shake it up first" as the cream would sit on the top. That was my favourite part, I never did shake that bottle.

Its been nice to sit here, drink my glass of milk and take a long pleasurable walk back down memory lane....

Hubby tells me he was also raised on fresh milk, growing up on a remote property in New South Wales, it either had to be farm fresh or powdered...He is such a big strong man now!

Now, back to work...in the time I have taken to write this post, myself and the kids have already guzzled down 2 litres! So, that leaves me with 2 litres more to drink tomorrow and 6 litres to make my cheese, just enough.  I have heard that the cheese made with raw milk adds an extra depth and flavour, so this I soon shall see....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

 Rudolf with your nose so bright...won't you guide my sleigh tonight....

Two more hungry mouths to feed

I found these two on the weekend at the Markets, I just had to have them!  They are PekinX and have the most adorable little fluffy feet. Don't know yet if they are rooster or hen but am hoping to breed a few more little fluffy feet's around here...

When I first bought them home I put them in a closed off area of the coop I keep for mummy's and chicks

'The Maternity Ward'

. 

My Speckled Hen was not impressed! They immediately identified her as mum and started nuzzling in to get a little bit cosy. 

 Mum had other ideas about this though...

She already had 7 chicks to take care of and the thought of an extra two must have really freaked her out...She got a little upset with the fluffy feet's treading on her turf...Not a Happy Mama.

Not that you could tell by these photos...

Just like the best of  us mums she’s really trying to LOOK like she’s got it together!!!

Poor little dears,  I quickly moved them...

They now have a new temporary home with the Quails,

just until they are old enough to hold their own in the coop.