LOVE

  I should be Washing, but I can't stop crafting...

Just quick easy stuff to satisfy my creative desires...

Reading, gardening and diciduous trees

I happen to stumble across two great gardening books recently,

they are easy to understand and seem to make a lot of sense.

 Now that I am experiencing a new climate with seasons, bulbs, deciduous trees

 and extremely cold temperatures

 a couple of easy read books like these are going to very helpful.  

Did you notice the Forsythia,  

This one just happen to find me in the nursery last week,

 it seems like quite an interesting shrub,

I imagine it will be very pretty  both in the garden and in a vase.

  I am excited to try the flowering twigs this year.

Do you think it could work for my Crab apple (above) as well, 

I'm guessing it will. 

I can not wait for spring again, this flowering Crab Apple

 would have to be one of the most beautiful trees that I have ever seen. 

You just wait and see.

Also last month, a patch was plotted for my Vegetable garden.

  I dug up a bit of soil to play with and popped in a few seedlings.

Everything was growing well...

well,all until the cows stuck their head over the fence and ate the tops of my cabbages!  

Hubby tells me that I have to find a new spot!

Do I really have to start all over AGAIN?

One day after Hubby gets everything done on his to do list then
 he promises me some lovely raised beds like I had before.
 They will also need to be Bigger this time, we have Bigger tummies to feed these days.

Anyway, I managed to salvage a few of the cabbages and just moved them 

away from the fence. 

I have the good old silverbeet growing well,  it's quite a hardy plant and seems to really grow anywhere, 

and Rocket, I love Rocket, can't have a salad without Rocket, and once again, it seems to grow anywhere.

I've planted a few radish seeds and snowpeas and sugarsnaps

 I've dug in a few essential herbs, Rosemary, Parsley, Oregano, Dill  and Spring Onions, 

They all seem to be surviving, but I do have to say 

that I am just a bit nervous about growing here, 

other than the cows, 

there is frost and sometimes there are days with no sunshine, 

I mean No sunshine, none at all!  

Remember I was previously from Queensland,  The Sunshine State!
I may need to invest in a hot house!  Anyone use one?

So, that's about it in the garden for now.
Other than the house and some lovely matured fruit trees
 we really have had to start from scratch,
Time and patience though, we'll get there.
 We're still having plenty of fun, learning some new lessons,
 and making new memories along the way.

For pegs

A strap of Vintage sheet,  a fold and pleat of an Aussie tea towel 

and there you have it 

A Peg Apron.

On my To DO list for ages has been to make myself a Peg Apron.
I usually were a tuckshop apron when I hang out the washing
but I find the pockets are a little bit small and
I'm continually filling up my pockets from the peg basket,
it kind of defeats the whole purpose really.
I'd love to take the credit for creating this beauty myself
but I actually picked it up a couple of weeks ago at my favourite Vinnies store.
Twas just what I needed and I couldn't have made it better myself.
You'd like this one Zara, it looks like something straight out of your collection!
With A Big deep pocket filled with Pegs now,
I'm ready to tackle all that washing again!

Home decorating

 Crafting up some new home decor this week.

There is a lack of colour around the place, Home is not feeling as homely as I would like it yet. 

A splash of crafty goodness here and there should spruce it up a bit,

give it a little more of a personal touch and

 the best part is that it really costs next to nothing to do.

Near everything I use in my home has been op shopped, re-purposed or handmade.

It's a bit mix matched, a bit of vintage love about, retro, 80's and modern.

What I find at my next Op shop visit, 

and what might attract me on the next blog I read, all influences my style. 

I'm getting back into good old habits again now 

and spending a little bit of spare time sewing and crocheting 

and I'm wrapping lots of things with fabric and wool!    very therapeutic... 

Making your own home is rewarding 

and you end up with some very unique and interesting pieces around.

The children will sometimes help or sometimes not.

Do you have any good ideas for a handmade home 

or perhaps some interesting links you may want to share?

*A big thanks to Tif for her lamp shade inspiration.

Fruit Trees, Farming and Family Life {The months gone by}

{September 2013}

{October 2013}

{November 2013}

{December 2013}

{January 2014}

{February 2014}

{March 2014}

{April 2014}

{May 2014}

{June 2014}

{Last week}

So, that's what we've all been up to...
Busy little bees,  I tell you there is never a dull moment around here.
As you can see, we have a good mixture of fruit trees,
and would you believe there has been even too much for us to eat so there has been loads of  preserving,
Fig Jam, Plum Paste and Apricot Sauce...
 The vegetable garden is started but a slow process,
the banging wall is up,
alongside the new Cubby!
there is always renovating going on,
 always a cup of tea around and always something baking in the oven,
The stock numbers are slowly increasing, the sheep that is, not the children!
At Christmas time we welcomed some furry friends, Floyd & Tilly to the family...
This is our first Winter here and it bring so many new experiences for us.
Two fire places keep us warm,
we are waiting for our first frost
and hoping that we may be sprinkled with a light fall of snow in the coming weeks.
Farm life is working wonderfully for us, we are right back in full swing again.

Triking

Have a lovely weekend x