Sunday, May 13, 2012

Pleased with life...

It's been raining here so everything I've planted so far is growing really well.  Coupled with some sunny days and we have even had a couple of feeds of fresh mushrooms from out in the cow paddock.

I have a few peas that haven't come up so will stick some more in sometime over the next few days.  I pulled some caterpillars off a couple of the broccoli seedlings.  I was a bit disappointed with that as I thought the netting I have over the garden would protect the plants.  Apparently not so I may have to get out the old net curtains that I sometimes use.  *Millions* of lettuce have come up so I will need to shift heaps of those.

Slaters have built up again so I plan on taking the camp stove out there and boiling water to pour over them.  I have set up food stations for them with choko leaves and they are gathering under those and munching on them so if I keep the leaves up in that place I will then be able to pour the boiling water on them.  Quick, easy and saves on having to use poisons.

The wet weather is bringing snails and slugs out so I am patrolling for those most mornings. When I think about it.   There aren't too many so they should be easy to get rid of.  I have a rat living somewhere among he choko vine.  I have seen it and am finding gnawed on chokos on the ground.  I have traps set but haven't caught anything yet.

Chokos are in full production so I will make some bread and butter pickles using those instead of cucumber.  Capsicums and chillies are the same.  I made some Capsicum jam last week, just a small amount to test and taste.  It turned out OK so will make some more but add *something* else to give it a tad more flavour.   I have run out of Sweet Chilli Sauce too so will try my hand at that.  Next time the fire is going which will probably be next week sometime. 

Not much else is happening.  The chooks aren't laying much, maybe it's the cold, maybe there are too many of them, maybe they are laying but in a secret nest...Hubby did find one of those in the Isa pen.  Oops! 
We have too many roosters again so a job for the husband over the next couple of weeks.  I really think I should be able to do this but I know I couldn't chop the head off of a live chook.  If I could use the gun better that might be a way but really, if he didn't do it I wouldn't be eating chook.

I have started, again, at trying to get fitter by moving more often.  Going OK with that so far but am a long way from where I want to be.  Closer than a few weeks ago but not as close as I will be next week!

And I have a few *adventures* in mind so they will have to be fit in somewhere...I might have to spend less time on this thing!

All in all though, life is pretty good and the things that aren't are my own fault and totally fixable by me.  Who needs more than that.



2 comments:

  1. Hens don't lay well when worried to death by too many pesky roosters. Then, with it being cold, they are probably facing multiple stressors I heard that putting red pepper in and on their food makes they lay better. I don't really know if it helps. However, they really like red pepper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes Linda you're are right. The roosters will go in the next week or 2 I hope. I have plenty of red peppers, I will try that, thanks.

    ReplyDelete