Evie is just past 5 months. Where the hell did the time go? I can not believe how quickly she is growing up and changing. My little pixie is now rolling over and experimenting with solids (eating my food!) and getting more adorable every day.
Thanks to her presence things on the homesteading front have been a tad quiet. The winter garden is plodding along producing some spinach, lots of parsley and plenty of scallions but unfortunately I was late getting my seedlings started so they are all STILL sitting in their seedling trays at a grand inch and a half high. After months. Next year I definitely need a better greenhouse set up, perhaps something with an automatic mister as remembering to water them for days at a time probably hasn't helped things much.
We also had a bit of a setback the week prior to last when something, presumably a fox, took our three hens. The chooks hadn't been roosting in the hen house for ages, instead choosing to camp out near the back door and we had given up on trying to get them in. The past few nights they had finally been going back into the coop after months of only using it to lay but I had the door off to use as a compost sieve. I guess we had gotten a bit complacent and figured that if they had been safe for this long, there must not be any foxes around. When we went to feed them in the morning there was no sign of them. We finally found one in shreds up the back and never found any sign of the other two. I miss them so much :( We will get more soon, but this time I will be very careful about making sure they are locked up safe at night.
One happy event though was my recent trip to Jamberoo for the Joel Salatin workshop held by RegenAg. Evie and I travelled down on our own, staying the night before and after at my Dad's house nearby. The workshop was great with some very interesting ideas brought up and lots of new people to meet and talk to. Evie was amazing and quiet as a mouse almost the entire time. I was so proud of her! Although his ideas definitely couldn't just be transplanted here, it certainly gave me lots of food for thought and is more encouragement to think outside the box of traditional agriculture.
Oh yeah, and the other thing - I finally finished my PDC so now I can hopefully start getting some clients to design for. I even have business cards and everything :D I just need to get enough confidence in my own skills to promote myself, instead of feeling like I am not worth people actually paying me for my services. Oh well, all in good time. For now I am loving being a mum and making the most of my life in this gorgeous town!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Cooma Community Garden
One of the biggest challenges of growing food in this climate is the short growing season. Unlike much of Australia we have four distinct seasons with the best one for growing food, summer, being relatively short. Despite this, with careful planning and a protected location it is possible to extend the season and create beautiful productive gardens.
These pictures were taken a couple of months ago at the height of their productivity.
And this here was my addition to an art installation we did. I was pregnant at the time, thus the little pink egg representing Evie :)
These pictures were taken a couple of months ago at the height of their productivity.
And this here was my addition to an art installation we did. I was pregnant at the time, thus the little pink egg representing Evie :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Announcing the Arrival of Evelyn Michelle
Our beautiful daughter arrived in this world one week ago, at 7.35pm on Tuesday 8th March. Labor was 12 hours and I am very pleased to say, completely drug free!!! She weighs 8lb1 (3660g) and is 50cm long. We just came home today and are both doing well, although I am incredibly tired! Very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight and not being disturbed by nurses/lunch ladies/cleaners etc!!!
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Urban Homestead
So, I am far too pregnant and whale-like at the moment to bother with a proper post, although I will mention that the garden is growing fairly well despite massive neglect. The chooks have been taking turns going broody and moulting, so we are only getting one egg every day or two but hopefully this will pick up soon. Bubs is due in 3 weeks and I am eagerly awaiting her birth if only so I can pass her big boofheaded self over to her father while I..I dunno. Touch my toes, or sleep on my stomach or do one of those other things I haven't been able to do for ages now!
Anyway, the point of today's post is just a little bit of activism, to protest the absolute ridiculousness of the Dervaes family being, well, idiots. All respect for them is now completely gone! See Sonya's blog at http://permaculturepathways.blogspot.com/2011/02/urban-homesteading-or-pr-101.html for more information.
x Em
Anyway, the point of today's post is just a little bit of activism, to protest the absolute ridiculousness of the Dervaes family being, well, idiots. All respect for them is now completely gone! See Sonya's blog at http://permaculturepathways.blogspot.com/2011/02/urban-homesteading-or-pr-101.html for more information.
x Em
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Looking Backwards, Looking Forward
Despite never having been one to really get that excited about the whole NYE celebrations thing, I do tend to become rather reflective at this time of year, much like most people. This post is going to be more for my records than anything else, so feel free to skip it ;)
The past year has definitely been the most memorable of the 25 I have lived so far. We became engaged, then married and in between found out that we were going to become parents. I am sad that the wedding for me was rather overshadowed by the horrible morning sickness I was suffering but then, it was just A DAY and what matters more is every other day of our married life together.
The past year has also been a good one in terms of meeting new people and building friendships and networks in the local area and really settling in to life in Cooma (which we love more and more the longer we live here!)
On the personal achievements front...well I got my Aged Care cert - a requirement for work - which while incredibly easy and boring is still something to add to my resume. For me the most valuable part of it was getting my First Aid certificate again, having let my last one lapse by ah...a few years. Oops. The past few weeks has also seen me digging in and being close to finishing my PDC - it will be very nice to get the actual certificate given that with all my reading and designing previously I know I definitely have the required knowledge and skills! The next goal I am contemplating is to do a Horticulture certificate and work on my knowledge of specific plants - this is definitely my weak area!
On the health front I was starting to do well by increasing my exercise and eating better until bubs and the morning sickness hit! Thankfully as a result of that and my lack of appetite since (my diet these days mostly consists of fruit and milk! yum!) I have continued to lose weight throughout the pregnancy so I have a bit of a 'head start' on the weight loss for once bubs arrives.
So...on to this year. For the first time, I find myself struggling to identify solid goals because what with the little one on the way, I just can not plan anything nor predict what is to come. This year is going to see our life change in the most amazing ways!!! The only thing we CAN accurately predict of course is that there will be many, many sleepless and exhausted days and nights!
Some generalised goals I do have however are:
to continue to improve my health by eating better and exercising more
to increase my knowledge of plants and the local environment
to continue to develop the garden and produce more of our own food
to be frugal and save us enough money as possible by making more things from scratch
to explore alternative employment options including starting my own small Permaculture business
to be the best wife and mother I can be and to cherish every moment with my husband and daughter :)
So here is to 2011, and all the exciting things to come!!!
The past year has definitely been the most memorable of the 25 I have lived so far. We became engaged, then married and in between found out that we were going to become parents. I am sad that the wedding for me was rather overshadowed by the horrible morning sickness I was suffering but then, it was just A DAY and what matters more is every other day of our married life together.
The past year has also been a good one in terms of meeting new people and building friendships and networks in the local area and really settling in to life in Cooma (which we love more and more the longer we live here!)
On the personal achievements front...well I got my Aged Care cert - a requirement for work - which while incredibly easy and boring is still something to add to my resume. For me the most valuable part of it was getting my First Aid certificate again, having let my last one lapse by ah...a few years. Oops. The past few weeks has also seen me digging in and being close to finishing my PDC - it will be very nice to get the actual certificate given that with all my reading and designing previously I know I definitely have the required knowledge and skills! The next goal I am contemplating is to do a Horticulture certificate and work on my knowledge of specific plants - this is definitely my weak area!
On the health front I was starting to do well by increasing my exercise and eating better until bubs and the morning sickness hit! Thankfully as a result of that and my lack of appetite since (my diet these days mostly consists of fruit and milk! yum!) I have continued to lose weight throughout the pregnancy so I have a bit of a 'head start' on the weight loss for once bubs arrives.
So...on to this year. For the first time, I find myself struggling to identify solid goals because what with the little one on the way, I just can not plan anything nor predict what is to come. This year is going to see our life change in the most amazing ways!!! The only thing we CAN accurately predict of course is that there will be many, many sleepless and exhausted days and nights!
Some generalised goals I do have however are:
to continue to improve my health by eating better and exercising more
to increase my knowledge of plants and the local environment
to continue to develop the garden and produce more of our own food
to be frugal and save us enough money as possible by making more things from scratch
to explore alternative employment options including starting my own small Permaculture business
to be the best wife and mother I can be and to cherish every moment with my husband and daughter :)
So here is to 2011, and all the exciting things to come!!!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Our Little Princess
We took a (rather uncomfortable) trip to Queanbeyan a week or so ago for the 20 week morphology scan. While I didn't enjoy the drive at all (every small bump in the road is noticeable when you have a full bladder in prep for an ultrasound) the result was well worth it. We got to see a very healthy and active bubba with everything where it should be. The most exciting part of course was confirming my gut feeling since we first found out we were expecting - that we are, indeed, having a little girl :D
She was spot on size-wise for dates and we were able to see all her little fingers and toes which was very reassuring.
And here she is!
Now we just have to survive the next 19 or so weeks to actually meet her and see her properly! At least I am past the halfway mark now but I am sure the rest of the pregnancy is going to drag as I get more and more excited.
On the news-other-than-baby front, not a whole lot to report. I have only just started a bunch of seeds but am hoping that they will 'catch up' quickly in the warmer weather. I am really struggling to keep on top of the wedding and bed preparation because I am still so tired from this gorgeous parasite. I got a big pile of bark mulch delivered yesterday though so will be using that and weed mat to try and tidy up out the front around the veggie beds to make it lower maintenance. Hopefully the weather will be nice over the weekend so I can get that done.
On the chookie and duckie front, all is well although we have decided to adopt out the quackers, as cute as they are. There is a local lady who has other poultry who is interested in giving them a home so that is good. She even has a dam so I am sure they will be happier with her :)
Well that is it for now. Off to work, if I can remove this grey kitten from draped over my arm!
Em
She was spot on size-wise for dates and we were able to see all her little fingers and toes which was very reassuring.
And here she is!
Now we just have to survive the next 19 or so weeks to actually meet her and see her properly! At least I am past the halfway mark now but I am sure the rest of the pregnancy is going to drag as I get more and more excited.
On the news-other-than-baby front, not a whole lot to report. I have only just started a bunch of seeds but am hoping that they will 'catch up' quickly in the warmer weather. I am really struggling to keep on top of the wedding and bed preparation because I am still so tired from this gorgeous parasite. I got a big pile of bark mulch delivered yesterday though so will be using that and weed mat to try and tidy up out the front around the veggie beds to make it lower maintenance. Hopefully the weather will be nice over the weekend so I can get that done.
On the chookie and duckie front, all is well although we have decided to adopt out the quackers, as cute as they are. There is a local lady who has other poultry who is interested in giving them a home so that is good. She even has a dam so I am sure they will be happier with her :)
Well that is it for now. Off to work, if I can remove this grey kitten from draped over my arm!
Em
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Mr and Mrs
Last Friday was our wedding day and I am glad to say it all went well! The weather was absolutely perfect with warm sun and just a light breeze, the ceremony went well (although there was a bit of giggling on my part because I kept having tears run down my cheeks - blaming preggo hormones lol) and the reception was a success with plenty of yummo food and good company. The only downside to the day was a little bit of "morning" sickness on my part and a cold I am still trying to shake after 3 weeks! Thankfully we had a gap of a few hours between the ceremony and the reception so I was able to rest for a while.
On the baby front, all is going well. I am 16 weeks now and starting to actually look pregnant, not just fat! The morning sickness has finally eased in the past week. I havent been sick in days! YAY! Only a couple more weeks till our next scan when hopefully they will be able to tell if it is a boy or a girl.
The best thing about feeling better (and our week long honeymoon-at-home) is being able to get stuff done in the garden. I am sheet mulching one side of the front yard to put down potatoes and will start planting out a whole bunch of things shortly. I plan on growing lots of corn and spinachey things for the birds to keep them happy. The other side of the front just has some self sown stuff from last season so far. I am yet to plant anything else but that will start in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately the birds seem to be well aware that it is spring time - one of the ducks went clucky and was determined to sit on her nest up in the back junk pile where she had hidden her eggs. After a few days of taking her off the nest she has given up thankfully. One of the chooks however is far more determined! We keep taking her out of the nest box and leaving the lid and doors open so it is bright but she keeps going back. At least we are getting her off long enough that she is eating and drinking.
Well I am off to enjoy this perfect spring weather we have today!
Em
On the baby front, all is going well. I am 16 weeks now and starting to actually look pregnant, not just fat! The morning sickness has finally eased in the past week. I havent been sick in days! YAY! Only a couple more weeks till our next scan when hopefully they will be able to tell if it is a boy or a girl.
The best thing about feeling better (and our week long honeymoon-at-home) is being able to get stuff done in the garden. I am sheet mulching one side of the front yard to put down potatoes and will start planting out a whole bunch of things shortly. I plan on growing lots of corn and spinachey things for the birds to keep them happy. The other side of the front just has some self sown stuff from last season so far. I am yet to plant anything else but that will start in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately the birds seem to be well aware that it is spring time - one of the ducks went clucky and was determined to sit on her nest up in the back junk pile where she had hidden her eggs. After a few days of taking her off the nest she has given up thankfully. One of the chooks however is far more determined! We keep taking her out of the nest box and leaving the lid and doors open so it is bright but she keeps going back. At least we are getting her off long enough that she is eating and drinking.
Well I am off to enjoy this perfect spring weather we have today!
Em
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Busy Growing...just not in the garden!
Troy and I are proud to announce that come March next year we are going to be a family!
I am currently about 11 weeks along and have been doing well with the exception of some rather unpleasant morning/all day sickness over the past few weeks. Thankfully it is starting to ease so I might soon be feeling well enough to get outside and get the garden ready for spring!
I had originally planned on doing a big garden out the back this season but now, keeping in mind how big I will be over summer and how hard bending will be, I have decided to stick to the same front area we used last year as well as the other half of the front yard which I will use for a no-dig potato bed. This will save me spending too much time weeding, plus will keep it safe from the vandals. And by vandals, I mean ducks, of course.
The little escape artists manage to get out every time the wind blows (our gate doesn't latch) and of course as soon as they are free they waddle off down the street, across the road or into the neighbours yard... it is beginning to get frustrating having to herd them back in all the time. I wasn't too concerned when they stuck to our front yard but I worry about them crossing the road. They must be getting some good forage in their wanderings though because the girls are laying like crazy. Unfortunately due to the morning sickness I cant bear the thought/smell of eggs, especially the duck eggs so they are mostly going to waste. I have had a chat to the bloke at the health food store and he is happy to try and sell some of them for me so we will see how that goes.
The chookies are happy friendly little munchkins, also laying well. The only problem we are having is that Gerald, the drake, keeps hassling them. Apparently the two ducks arent enough to satisfy his manly needs. He doesn't seem to have done them any harm yet but I will be keeping a close eye out...
Oh yeah, and less than a month till our wedding. Woot!
I am currently about 11 weeks along and have been doing well with the exception of some rather unpleasant morning/all day sickness over the past few weeks. Thankfully it is starting to ease so I might soon be feeling well enough to get outside and get the garden ready for spring!
I had originally planned on doing a big garden out the back this season but now, keeping in mind how big I will be over summer and how hard bending will be, I have decided to stick to the same front area we used last year as well as the other half of the front yard which I will use for a no-dig potato bed. This will save me spending too much time weeding, plus will keep it safe from the vandals. And by vandals, I mean ducks, of course.
The little escape artists manage to get out every time the wind blows (our gate doesn't latch) and of course as soon as they are free they waddle off down the street, across the road or into the neighbours yard... it is beginning to get frustrating having to herd them back in all the time. I wasn't too concerned when they stuck to our front yard but I worry about them crossing the road. They must be getting some good forage in their wanderings though because the girls are laying like crazy. Unfortunately due to the morning sickness I cant bear the thought/smell of eggs, especially the duck eggs so they are mostly going to waste. I have had a chat to the bloke at the health food store and he is happy to try and sell some of them for me so we will see how that goes.
The chookies are happy friendly little munchkins, also laying well. The only problem we are having is that Gerald, the drake, keeps hassling them. Apparently the two ducks arent enough to satisfy his manly needs. He doesn't seem to have done them any harm yet but I will be keeping a close eye out...
Oh yeah, and less than a month till our wedding. Woot!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Once again I have been absent for too long but I have a few good excuses. One is that my computer isn't working - am using T's laptop for now. The other is that our darling Ginger Ninja, Loki died and I haven't wanted to come on here and have to write about it. It happened two months ago and I still cant think about it without crying. He was our baby and we both loved him so very much.
As for the good things in life - well, wedding planning is going well but I am starting to get the panicky feeling like I havent done enough yet - we still have 3 months and 1 day to go but I am sure it will pass by before we know it.
The animals are all going well. We adopted a new kitten, Zac, from the RSPCA to try and fill the hole Loki left and to some extent he is succeeding. He is such a cute crazy ball of fluff and every bit as affectionate as Loki was (it must be a boy thing - my girl cats have all been snobs). The chookies are laying well and we got our first duck egg on monday, smack bang on midwinter as Mrs Duck Herder had said they would start laying. What smart ducks! Gerald, the drake, has grown up into a big handsome boy and is doing a good job of looking after the girls. The neighbors all like the birds and I have heard the bloke next to us quacking in response to them when he didnt realise I could hear him haha.
That is about it for now. Hope everyone is well.
Em
As for the good things in life - well, wedding planning is going well but I am starting to get the panicky feeling like I havent done enough yet - we still have 3 months and 1 day to go but I am sure it will pass by before we know it.
The animals are all going well. We adopted a new kitten, Zac, from the RSPCA to try and fill the hole Loki left and to some extent he is succeeding. He is such a cute crazy ball of fluff and every bit as affectionate as Loki was (it must be a boy thing - my girl cats have all been snobs). The chookies are laying well and we got our first duck egg on monday, smack bang on midwinter as Mrs Duck Herder had said they would start laying. What smart ducks! Gerald, the drake, has grown up into a big handsome boy and is doing a good job of looking after the girls. The neighbors all like the birds and I have heard the bloke next to us quacking in response to them when he didnt realise I could hear him haha.
That is about it for now. Hope everyone is well.
Em
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Long Time Gone...
Finally, what everyone has been waiting for... piccies!
Well, here they are, the worlds cutest little vandals. They are well and truly settled in and getting along just fine with the cats. In fact, I think they take a little bit too much pleasure out of chasing Loki and watching him run away. Hehehe. Naughty ducks!
This was taken looking out the back door...they know where the food comes from!!!
The chooks are also going very well with one laying, and the other two not far behind. I think we will get our first eggs from them this week. In the meantime, we are loving the fresh delicious eggs from our one special girl... it doesnt get any fresher than cracking an egg into the fry pan, still warm from being laid!
Our very first egg on the left, next to a full sized egg from the shops.
The extension to the chook house went well and the ducks seem quite happy with their new abode. It took them a few days to get interested in it but I suspect the cooler weather helped encourage them to make the move away from their open-plan living area into the cosy new room!!!
The garden - that which is out the front, and therefore out of reach of clumsy duck feet and hungry bills - is still going fantastically giving me more tomatoes than I can eat, a tonne of spinach and a few other goodies, like butternut pumpkins. I will definately plant a tonne for tomatoes next year though as these have barely given me enough to can. I have put 4 jars up, preserving them in my brand new super duper electric Fowlers unit. SO much easier to use, and as a bonus there is no risk of breaking the new flat glass cooktop, unlike the old stove top preserver.
What else is news? Not much else going on... went up to Picton last weekend to my mums new place which is in a very pretty spot on a few acres. Had fun with the family and our niece and nephew and got a good bit of exercise carrying our 2 year old niece all the way up a very big steep hill and back down again!!! As well as being easter, it was also the first time I had seen the family since the engagement, PLUS it was my 25th birthday so there was much in the way of presents and feeling very spoilt. The drive was also much more tolerable, not having to go anywhere near the city and cutting a good hour and a half off the trip compared to where mum was previously living.
In closing I shall leave you with a very content Gabby, enjoying the sunshine and lush grass a few weeks ago :)
And Loki, knackered after a hard days work supervising me and guarding the birds!
Well, here they are, the worlds cutest little vandals. They are well and truly settled in and getting along just fine with the cats. In fact, I think they take a little bit too much pleasure out of chasing Loki and watching him run away. Hehehe. Naughty ducks!
This was taken looking out the back door...they know where the food comes from!!!
The chooks are also going very well with one laying, and the other two not far behind. I think we will get our first eggs from them this week. In the meantime, we are loving the fresh delicious eggs from our one special girl... it doesnt get any fresher than cracking an egg into the fry pan, still warm from being laid!
Our very first egg on the left, next to a full sized egg from the shops.
The extension to the chook house went well and the ducks seem quite happy with their new abode. It took them a few days to get interested in it but I suspect the cooler weather helped encourage them to make the move away from their open-plan living area into the cosy new room!!!
The garden - that which is out the front, and therefore out of reach of clumsy duck feet and hungry bills - is still going fantastically giving me more tomatoes than I can eat, a tonne of spinach and a few other goodies, like butternut pumpkins. I will definately plant a tonne for tomatoes next year though as these have barely given me enough to can. I have put 4 jars up, preserving them in my brand new super duper electric Fowlers unit. SO much easier to use, and as a bonus there is no risk of breaking the new flat glass cooktop, unlike the old stove top preserver.
What else is news? Not much else going on... went up to Picton last weekend to my mums new place which is in a very pretty spot on a few acres. Had fun with the family and our niece and nephew and got a good bit of exercise carrying our 2 year old niece all the way up a very big steep hill and back down again!!! As well as being easter, it was also the first time I had seen the family since the engagement, PLUS it was my 25th birthday so there was much in the way of presents and feeling very spoilt. The drive was also much more tolerable, not having to go anywhere near the city and cutting a good hour and a half off the trip compared to where mum was previously living.
In closing I shall leave you with a very content Gabby, enjoying the sunshine and lush grass a few weeks ago :)
And Loki, knackered after a hard days work supervising me and guarding the birds!
Monday, February 15, 2010
I think we need a boat...
This is a picture of the creek at the end of our street taken about half an hour ago. It is still rising and with this rain continuing I imagine it is going to get a lot higher before it starts to recede. Thankfully we are far enough up the street that I think we would need rains of biblical proportions before it affects us. We have probably 2m elevation from where the water is now.
This is the googlemaps view to show how far we are from the creek...Currently the whole area spanned by the blue line is under water. You can see the willows in the photo and in this pic...
Hard to believe but I am actually starting to wish the rain would ease up!!!
This is the googlemaps view to show how far we are from the creek...Currently the whole area spanned by the blue line is under water. You can see the willows in the photo and in this pic...
Hard to believe but I am actually starting to wish the rain would ease up!!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Homegrown Goodness
Well I have again been slack in my blogging but I have a good excuse! I have been spending all my time playing in the garden!!! The past few months it has really started getting productive and with the constant soaking rain in the past week everything is going crazy. We are eating meals from the garden regularly now with corn, spinach, silverbeet and carrots featuring heavily. I also had a nice meal of blackberries from down at the river last week. I got maybe a punnet or twos worth - not a lot given the scratches I received but YUM. I also tasted the first (single) raspberry off our canes out the back. Again, absolutely amazing! I could happily live off berries of all types. We shall very shortly have our new chookie and duckie additions to the family and will hopefully begin getting eggs from the chooks within a month. The tomatoes are all covered in green fruit and the pumpkin is getting some small fruit on it as well. The couple of vines out the front are certainly doing their best to take over the garden, rambling across the path and all through the tomato bushes as well. It is such a beautiful mess! I cant wait to turn the rest of our space into garden :D
This is the front vegie patch at the moment. You can see from the grass on the kerb just how much rain we have been getting!!!
And this is part of tonights dinner. I wont pick the corn until the water is boiling away. I am thinking a spinach and ricotta lasagne plus the other vegies and we have ourselves a cheap, delicious, nutritious and mostly local meal :)
This is the front vegie patch at the moment. You can see from the grass on the kerb just how much rain we have been getting!!!
And this is part of tonights dinner. I wont pick the corn until the water is boiling away. I am thinking a spinach and ricotta lasagne plus the other vegies and we have ourselves a cheap, delicious, nutritious and mostly local meal :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Who Killed Dave? Book Review
I was recently lucky enough to be one of a number of people who recieved a copy of Linda Cockburns latest book 'Who Killed Dave'. At first I was a bit unsure if I would like it or not because I have never been interested in the murder mystery genre but, well, I finished it in two days so that says something for it!
Who Killed Dave is a hilarious account of a typical Aussie street thrown into chaos when one of them winds up dead. It follows one of the residents, the quirky Robyn, as she becomes a suspect, is seduced by the investigating cop and helps discover the truth behind the murder all the while managing to get into all sorts of trouble and embarrassing situations. If you are looking for a good laugh and some light reading, do yourself a favour and grab a copy!
Who Killed Dave is a hilarious account of a typical Aussie street thrown into chaos when one of them winds up dead. It follows one of the residents, the quirky Robyn, as she becomes a suspect, is seduced by the investigating cop and helps discover the truth behind the murder all the while managing to get into all sorts of trouble and embarrassing situations. If you are looking for a good laugh and some light reading, do yourself a favour and grab a copy!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Announcement!
I am engaged! Troy proposed to me yesterday and I, of course said YES. We are both crazy-happy and I am still grinning from ear to ear. We havent set a date yet but have a timeframe in mind... :D
Em
Em
Happy Holidays!
I think I am just about recovered from Christmas now – it was a rather tiring couple of days. We left for Sydney on the 24th, arriving there in the afternoon. Christmas eve was spent at Troys mum and step dads place overlooking Lavender Bay. Except for the brightness of the lights and the noise, it is a pretty spot there. We went for a walk across the road in the park and down into the ‘Secret Garden’ which was absolutely amazing. It has been built on railway land by the ex wife of Australian artist Brett Whiteley. I felt like such a kid, wandering along the paths which curve in and out and around through the gardens. The thing I liked about it the most though is that the bottom area has been designed in the style of a food forest. There were fig trees, citrus and what I think may have been a Davidson Plum as well as strawberries and other herbs scattered around the place. It was a little patch of paradise and gave me some great ideas for designing our gardens down here.
Christmas morning we headed up the road to my mums place where we had a nice lunch with my side of the family then over to Troys dads place for a couple of hours with that part of the family before heading for home. We had a good run getting out of the city and then a nice easy drive all the way back home, arriving here a bit after 10pm. It was tiring, especially for Troy who was driving, but well worth it to be out of the city after 24 hours! It was good to see our families but I have no desire to go back to the city any time soon. It was such a huge relief to drive back into town and of course, to come home to our cats who we have never been away from overnight.
So now we (and the garden) are enjoying this gorgeous weather and a little bit of a holiday feeling before I go back to work tomorrow.
Hope everyone else had an enjoyable and safe christmas!
Em
Busy Little Bee
Just a quick update – once again life gets in the way and all the things I plan on posting about on the blog are forgotten or I dont have time for. The past couple of weeks have been very busy between work and the community garden (of which I am now the Secretary by the way!). When I havent been at work, a meeting or a workshop I have been ’spring cleaning’ the house, washing doonas etc. It has been pretty warm and having evening shifts means I dont get much time in the garden as it is either two hot, or too dark when I am home!
Despite my neglect it is all coming on just swell. Troy has been faithfully watering it so except for a few seedlings which werent happy being transplanted, we havent had any losses. We are harvesting a handful or two of snow peas each day and a meal or twos worth of spinach and silverbeet a week. The lettuce are all big and green and healthy looking and we could be eating a salad a day easily with what we have growing. Only one problem though – they are bitter as hell!Oh well, at least the worm farm will benefit… We have also started harvesting the first of the small tart plums from the trees on the nature strip which is quiet a novelty although I think I will be chucking most of them in the freezer to make plum jam when I have enough.
Hope everyone is well and not wilting in the heat!
Em
Saturday, November 21, 2009
More Photos
Time sure flies by when you are busy! The past month has seen me spending FAR too much time at work and not nearly enough in the garden. Damn our reliance on money! :P
Everything in the garden (mostly) is coming along well provided we dont miss a day of watering. It has been so hot and dry here that the plants are all regularly wilting and the spring garden which should have had at least another month to grow and produce is already finishing up with the ruby chard and coriander bolting to seed and the snow peas producing despite being all of about 20cm high! I have thus changed my plans for the garden and will dedicate the whole front area to a cottage garden where flowering early is a good thing, and turn the back area where it is more shaded into the main vegetable patch.
This is the spot which will become to next vegie patch. As you can see there is a fair bit of work to do on it! The branches need to be moved/disposed of (anyone wanna buy me a mulcher for xmas?) and the compost is being used to fill up the raised bed, after which the compost pile will be relocated so we can make the most of the shady green patch under the tree. The old bbq is currently being used as a potting bench but hopefully we will have it fixed and working eventually (it needs a new bbq plate and such)
To the top left of that pic you can see a patch of green which is the apple tree (with a bunch of young trees underneath it). It is covered in fruit so I think we will be eating a lot of apple pie this winter!!!
That tree is one of the only patches of green in the side paddock. This is looking towards the front from a bit further up, near the plum tree. The grass/weeds are so dry it hurts to walk around barefoot now because they are so hard and crispy.
Now for the side and front where we actually have some green stuff!
These are the recently transplanted beans, starting to work their way up the bean tepee.
Behind them you can see the lettuce and silverbeets I planted 3 weeks ago - they are coming along quite nicely and only one died. They are surrounded by tiny lucerne seedlings which will hopefully create a nice green cover in a while to shade the soil and keep it cooler.
The front garden is starting to look pretty good now with the left side mostly mulched and the number of weeds slowly being reduced.
Out of the picture, bottom left, is what remains of the corn after the frost a month ago knocked them back. I have a few more seedlings out the back in the greenhouse which are big enough to join these older ones now as well. It wont be a big harvest but hopefully we will get something!
As you can see the snow peas are producing but with the plants being so small I am not expecting a feast!
I am however looking forwards to a glut of tomatoes, with a tonne of seedlings coming along nicely in the green house and this single mystery tomato out the front. This has come up from seed that was scattered in the pots many months ago in Sydney so it will be either reisentraube, tiny tim or grosse lisse.
And as our final pic, a little bit of pretty! This is one of the lovely old roses in front of the porch. Isnt it lovely? There is also a smaller one of what I think is the same rose on the other side of the stairs.
Until next time, take care and stay cool!
Everything in the garden (mostly) is coming along well provided we dont miss a day of watering. It has been so hot and dry here that the plants are all regularly wilting and the spring garden which should have had at least another month to grow and produce is already finishing up with the ruby chard and coriander bolting to seed and the snow peas producing despite being all of about 20cm high! I have thus changed my plans for the garden and will dedicate the whole front area to a cottage garden where flowering early is a good thing, and turn the back area where it is more shaded into the main vegetable patch.
This is the spot which will become to next vegie patch. As you can see there is a fair bit of work to do on it! The branches need to be moved/disposed of (anyone wanna buy me a mulcher for xmas?) and the compost is being used to fill up the raised bed, after which the compost pile will be relocated so we can make the most of the shady green patch under the tree. The old bbq is currently being used as a potting bench but hopefully we will have it fixed and working eventually (it needs a new bbq plate and such)
To the top left of that pic you can see a patch of green which is the apple tree (with a bunch of young trees underneath it). It is covered in fruit so I think we will be eating a lot of apple pie this winter!!!
That tree is one of the only patches of green in the side paddock. This is looking towards the front from a bit further up, near the plum tree. The grass/weeds are so dry it hurts to walk around barefoot now because they are so hard and crispy.
Now for the side and front where we actually have some green stuff!
These are the recently transplanted beans, starting to work their way up the bean tepee.
Behind them you can see the lettuce and silverbeets I planted 3 weeks ago - they are coming along quite nicely and only one died. They are surrounded by tiny lucerne seedlings which will hopefully create a nice green cover in a while to shade the soil and keep it cooler.
The front garden is starting to look pretty good now with the left side mostly mulched and the number of weeds slowly being reduced.
Out of the picture, bottom left, is what remains of the corn after the frost a month ago knocked them back. I have a few more seedlings out the back in the greenhouse which are big enough to join these older ones now as well. It wont be a big harvest but hopefully we will get something!
As you can see the snow peas are producing but with the plants being so small I am not expecting a feast!
I am however looking forwards to a glut of tomatoes, with a tonne of seedlings coming along nicely in the green house and this single mystery tomato out the front. This has come up from seed that was scattered in the pots many months ago in Sydney so it will be either reisentraube, tiny tim or grosse lisse.
And as our final pic, a little bit of pretty! This is one of the lovely old roses in front of the porch. Isnt it lovely? There is also a smaller one of what I think is the same rose on the other side of the stairs.
Until next time, take care and stay cool!
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Growing Garden
Just a quick picture update today...
Here are all my babies in their cozy new home. Dont they look happy? Some are waiting to go out, I just need the weather to improve and to build some climbing structures for the peas... oh yeah, and work out WHERE I am going to put them.
This is the progress on the side garden - first path dug out with the topsoil going onto the beds. Once I have finished the other paths I will try and get my hands on some saw dust to line them all.
I have already planted out some spinach and lettuce I brought home from the swap and the strawberry plants in their pots here were planted out this morning.
And this is last nights dinner - the most freakishly yellow pasta I have ever seen! This was made using the free range eggs I bought from one of the ladies at work. The yolks are just amazing!
Till next time,
Em
Here are all my babies in their cozy new home. Dont they look happy? Some are waiting to go out, I just need the weather to improve and to build some climbing structures for the peas... oh yeah, and work out WHERE I am going to put them.
This is the progress on the side garden - first path dug out with the topsoil going onto the beds. Once I have finished the other paths I will try and get my hands on some saw dust to line them all.
I have already planted out some spinach and lettuce I brought home from the swap and the strawberry plants in their pots here were planted out this morning.
And this is last nights dinner - the most freakishly yellow pasta I have ever seen! This was made using the free range eggs I bought from one of the ladies at work. The yolks are just amazing!
Till next time,
Em
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Just Like Christmas...But BETTER!!!
Well it has been a busy couple of weeks here at the Itty Bitty Homestead. Well, not so much here, as up the road where I work. 4 days last week and 5 this week (all 7 am starts) makes for a very sleep Em. I have however survived and am getting used to the hours and routine. Of course just to keep things interesting, all my shifts for next week are 3-11pm. Oh well, at least I get to sleep in.
Except for the early starts, the new job is going really well. The clients are lovely and (most of) the ladies I work with are too. Plus, how is this for an awesome day at work - on Wednesday myself and another carer took two of our clients down the coast for lunch. Fish and chips by the beach in the sun, lovely spring air AND to top it all off, we saw a whale! Very cool but of course, no one had cameras. It was showing off and having a good splash around....I love my job :D
Continuing with the theme of the busy week, Wednesday arvo we had a visit from Troys mother and step dad who were passing through town on the way back to Sydney. They stayed in town overnight and Thursday we went out to dinner to one of the nicer places here. It was a pleasant evening although I felt the ache from the tiny bit of wine the next morning. Oh and they got us a lovely housewarming gift - a mini greenhouse! So now I can have my kitchen bench and windowsill and dining table and mantle back.
The house is being somewhat overtaken by seedlings at the moment but some are about ready to go outside. Also, we had the seedling swap today so I got rid of a heap of the peas and beans I was raising (and I gotta say, they looked to be the healthiest seedlings there - go me!). In return I bought home 2 raspberries, 2 strawberries, a loganberry, a tiny plum 'tree', a bunch of rosemary cuttings, some basil, broccoli, a few different flowers, lettuces, chards and maybe a few other things, plus some red wiggler worms to start our worm farm! Yay! I have them all set up in their new home and ready to start doing their thing.
Tomorrow I will be digging out spots for the berries and planting them out and more pottering in the side garden. It has taken a lot of work but I am getting there. Pictures to come of the progress of course. For now, here are some I prepared earlier!
This shows the weeding in progress - the entire patch was foot high grass and weeds. You can see the pile on the right which I had already ripped out at this point.
Here we have some baby plums, I think, on one of the fruit trees.
Kitten practicing being a tiger amongst the weeds up the back.
One of the many 'weeds' around here - a pretty little Poppy
This is what I brought home from the seedlings swap today. Arent my new babies so cute?
And these are most of the seedlings I am raising at the moment, sitting in the sunniest and warmest spot in the house. Good thing I have been too tired to make pasta all week!
So there we have it, another week, another plant or hundred added to our little 'stead. Stay tuned for more updates!!!
Except for the early starts, the new job is going really well. The clients are lovely and (most of) the ladies I work with are too. Plus, how is this for an awesome day at work - on Wednesday myself and another carer took two of our clients down the coast for lunch. Fish and chips by the beach in the sun, lovely spring air AND to top it all off, we saw a whale! Very cool but of course, no one had cameras. It was showing off and having a good splash around....I love my job :D
Continuing with the theme of the busy week, Wednesday arvo we had a visit from Troys mother and step dad who were passing through town on the way back to Sydney. They stayed in town overnight and Thursday we went out to dinner to one of the nicer places here. It was a pleasant evening although I felt the ache from the tiny bit of wine the next morning. Oh and they got us a lovely housewarming gift - a mini greenhouse! So now I can have my kitchen bench and windowsill and dining table and mantle back.
The house is being somewhat overtaken by seedlings at the moment but some are about ready to go outside. Also, we had the seedling swap today so I got rid of a heap of the peas and beans I was raising (and I gotta say, they looked to be the healthiest seedlings there - go me!). In return I bought home 2 raspberries, 2 strawberries, a loganberry, a tiny plum 'tree', a bunch of rosemary cuttings, some basil, broccoli, a few different flowers, lettuces, chards and maybe a few other things, plus some red wiggler worms to start our worm farm! Yay! I have them all set up in their new home and ready to start doing their thing.
Tomorrow I will be digging out spots for the berries and planting them out and more pottering in the side garden. It has taken a lot of work but I am getting there. Pictures to come of the progress of course. For now, here are some I prepared earlier!
This shows the weeding in progress - the entire patch was foot high grass and weeds. You can see the pile on the right which I had already ripped out at this point.
Here we have some baby plums, I think, on one of the fruit trees.
Kitten practicing being a tiger amongst the weeds up the back.
One of the many 'weeds' around here - a pretty little Poppy
This is what I brought home from the seedlings swap today. Arent my new babies so cute?
And these are most of the seedlings I am raising at the moment, sitting in the sunniest and warmest spot in the house. Good thing I have been too tired to make pasta all week!
So there we have it, another week, another plant or hundred added to our little 'stead. Stay tuned for more updates!!!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Seed Raising Frenzy
Despite the fact that it is still FREEZING here, it is apparently a great time to be starting seeds - inside at least - so I have been busy cutting up milk cartons and so on in order to get enough containers to start all my seeds in. I now have beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, kale, sunflowers, rockmelons, squash, luffas and maybe a few others I have forgotten, plus a bunch of flowers, all happily sitting on the mantle above the fireplace. Hopefully the heat rising up will keep them warm enough to germinate and grow happily until they are ready to go outside.
These ones are near the fire - the mantle isnt big enough for all my babies!
All lined up, nice and cozy :) The ones down the far end are the seeds I am raising for the seedling swap in a couple of weeks.
This is why they are INSIDE! Check out the pictures Troy got the other day while I was at work.
Looking left from the front of the house.
Looking right...
My vegie patch...
Looking out the back at the neighbours wood pile...
It was very pretty and I felt like such a kid getting so excited over the snow but it is only the second time I have seen snow actually falling. It was all gone by lunchtime but was a real treat while it was here. I was very happy to see when I got home that the seedlings already outside weren't bothered in the least by the cold white stuff falling on their heads.
On the work front, I had two full shifts this week, one morning, one evening, and have met some great ladies and some lovely clients. Next week I have been given four shifts which is great in regards of the money I will be getting, but I have a feeling I will be very tired by the end of the week - they are all 7am starts! I picked up my first pay check yesterday and of course it was burning a hole in my pocket so I toddled off to the hardware store to pick up some more seed raising mix and of course a few seeds. I tried to resist! I really did!
I got a call while I was there from the lady I met at the gardening workshops so ducked in to say hi to her as she is just around the corner. We had a great chat and I got to see her garden set up and get some local advice from her. It has given me a few ideas for this place. She has just gotten a few chooks too so hopefully I will be able to learn from her beginners mistakes hehe. One of the things they have done is build raised beds to plant their fruit trees in, which can be unscrewed and taken with them when they move out to their property. I thought this would be a good idea for us as well - by taking the structure apart the dirt will fall away and you will essentially have a bare root fruit tree which can be moved easily, instead of having to dig a big hole to get it out of the ground. So brilliantly simple! And it will make the trees much happier than being in pots. Now to beg or borrow a trailer and head up to the tip recycling centre one weekend for materials :) And of course a visit to Mr BVVF to see what manure we can scrounge! Whoever woulda thunk I could get so excited about the prospect of getting my hands on some free sh!t!!!
These ones are near the fire - the mantle isnt big enough for all my babies!
All lined up, nice and cozy :) The ones down the far end are the seeds I am raising for the seedling swap in a couple of weeks.
This is why they are INSIDE! Check out the pictures Troy got the other day while I was at work.
Looking left from the front of the house.
Looking right...
My vegie patch...
Looking out the back at the neighbours wood pile...
It was very pretty and I felt like such a kid getting so excited over the snow but it is only the second time I have seen snow actually falling. It was all gone by lunchtime but was a real treat while it was here. I was very happy to see when I got home that the seedlings already outside weren't bothered in the least by the cold white stuff falling on their heads.
On the work front, I had two full shifts this week, one morning, one evening, and have met some great ladies and some lovely clients. Next week I have been given four shifts which is great in regards of the money I will be getting, but I have a feeling I will be very tired by the end of the week - they are all 7am starts! I picked up my first pay check yesterday and of course it was burning a hole in my pocket so I toddled off to the hardware store to pick up some more seed raising mix and of course a few seeds. I tried to resist! I really did!
I got a call while I was there from the lady I met at the gardening workshops so ducked in to say hi to her as she is just around the corner. We had a great chat and I got to see her garden set up and get some local advice from her. It has given me a few ideas for this place. She has just gotten a few chooks too so hopefully I will be able to learn from her beginners mistakes hehe. One of the things they have done is build raised beds to plant their fruit trees in, which can be unscrewed and taken with them when they move out to their property. I thought this would be a good idea for us as well - by taking the structure apart the dirt will fall away and you will essentially have a bare root fruit tree which can be moved easily, instead of having to dig a big hole to get it out of the ground. So brilliantly simple! And it will make the trees much happier than being in pots. Now to beg or borrow a trailer and head up to the tip recycling centre one weekend for materials :) And of course a visit to Mr BVVF to see what manure we can scrounge! Whoever woulda thunk I could get so excited about the prospect of getting my hands on some free sh!t!!!
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