Bloomin' Weather.

It's the end of August so still technically Winter but the fruit trees are busting into bud around here and I think it is all the beautiful spring days that we have been having.

Apple flowers.
Must remember to net before the parrots come.

It's early so we are hoping that they will still give us some fruit and not get all confused and lose it.



This apple tree is one of 4 out in the dam are but is the only one in bloom.  Two others have only recently been transplanted to this area and 1 is a seedling Granny Smith so we don't know if we will ever get anything from that.


The Apricot tree has flowers but no leaves and the seedling Peaches are starting to get leaves but no flowers.
I just hope that they all know what they are supposed to be doing and when because I have no idea.

No Buy Veg Challenge...August.

Tomorrow is the last day of August, can you believe that.  It seems to have come so quickly.  I think I say that all the time but it always surprises me, and disappoints me that I haven't achieved anything new.

No vegetables were bought during August so that is 8 months success.

I am missing the broccoli that the cow ate though but SoninLaw says he has heaps and I can have some of that so that's real nice of him.

I have been picking peas and asparagus though so they are new to the menu. Well, I don't actually have a menu but if I did...they wouldn't be added to it as we eat them straight from the garden as we are wandering around out there. 
Hang on...I did cook up some peas a couple of nights ago, grandaughter J. was out here and she helped pick, and eat, them.  She wasn't too impressed with the cooked ones though, said they were *yukky*  Now I'm not saying that I overcooked them or anything but Hubby also said that they weren't all that nice. 
That's OK, raw is good.

Now we need to get through September, should do OK but things are looking skimpy.

Getting Fitter.

I have been riding the pushbike most days over the last few weeks, walking on the days when I haven't ridden.

I am pleased to say that I think the iron tablets have finally kicked in and started to work.

I had another bloodtest a week or so ago and need to go see the doctor for the results but I can tell that they are working by the way I am feeling.

I am no longer gasping for air before I get to the corner and though I am huffing and puffing still it is a good huffing and puffing, not an "I'm gonna die" one.

The doctor did put me on another lot of tablets as well a couple of months ago and I think it was those that have made the differece.  I have been taking the iron tabs for nearly 9 months and there was not a lot of improvement and all the tests were showing that there was nothing wrong and no reason for having no iron in my blood so I am pleased that it looks, feels, like something is finally working.

Now the hard work of getting fit is needed.  But as I can breath and am no longer getting chest pains when I try to do anything it shouldn't take too long.

It's up to me and I need, and want, to be healthy and fit as it makes things a lot more fun.  So I'm off for this mornings ride.  Who wants to join me?  I'm only going around the block plus up to the bridge and back, all up maybe 25 minutes.  Coming?  Lets go then...

Goosy Goosy Gander...

Walking around outside early yesterday morning I noticed some new visitors to the dam.

You might have to click on the photo to make it bigger but there are a pair of geese there swimming with a pair of ducks and a couple of ducklings.


They all stuck together and later on when I saw them crossing the paddock they were still in a group.

I'm thinking that the ducks are staying close to the geese as they would offer some protection from foxes.

Lemon Spread...Taste Testing.

I wrote about how I used all lemon juice instead of water for my latest batch of LS so over the last few days I have been getting different family members to taste it. 

Husband. "Ummm, very lemony"
Son.  "Taste like lemons".
Daughter T.  "gasp gasp, splutter, splutter, where's the water".
Granddaughter J. 3 years old.  "Water, discusding"

So, results were not promising...but I like it, it is lemony, that's the point People!

Daughter L. might like it, she eats the lemons and drinks the juice straight. 

I eat it from the jar.  I do use a spoon, I'm not a total feral.

Heston's Feast

Heston's Feast  is a *cooking* show on at 8.30 on SBS, Thursday nights and is one of the few shows that I enjoy and watch.  he has a different theme each week.  Tonights was *Fairy Tales*
He cooked up a stuffed boars head...yumyumyum....Maybe we should try this next time we do a pig.
Or lets not but say we did.

This guy is amazing and nothing that he cooks up and serves to people is expected.

The big house from the Hansel and Gretal story that he made for the dessert was pretty cool.  I would eat that.
This house was all edible but big enough for a person to fit inside...so cool.

I think I'm clever when I make real lemon jelly...I have so much to learn...

Lemon Spread.

Tonight I did a comparison cook off on lemon spread using cornflour only or cornflour and custard powder.
I stopped buying custard powder when I started making custard the real way, using eggs but as I had been given a couple of packets I thought that I'd try both and see if one was better or not.

I used a different recipe than the last lot and this one is way more lemony.  I like it but I don't think that Hubby will.

Lemon Spread.
1cup lemon juice.  Instead of water.
3/4cup sugar.
1/3cup lemon juice. 
1Dsp cornflour.  2 if not using the custard powder.
1Dsp custard powder.
Heat sugar and cup LJ.  Dissolve powders in the 1/3 cup LJ then stir into the heated mix.
I didn't add grated rind this time as I used all juice and didn't think it would need any.

The spreads taste very similar, not sure if I can pick a difference.  There *may* be a slight difference but not to say one is better.  The mix with the added custard powder is more yellow but that is not a good enough reason for me to start buying it again. 

All Lemoned Out.

Hubby spent most of the weekend juicing lemons from our overloaded tree.  I have more than 15 litres of juice in the freezer and 7 more in the fridge waiting to be turned into cordial and L. took a couple of bottles home with her.

He is all lemoned out which is a good thing because though the tree was only about half done I am unsure what to do with all the end product.

Cordial and lemon spread are on my list of todo stuff for this afternoon, the freezer has enough to last *forever*, we give heaps away...so what to do...

I look out the window and see all the lemons left and laugh as I wonder what to do with them.

I used to think that you couldn't have too many lemons but...you can.

What Is Simple Living?

I am having conflicting thoughts on living a simple life and cannot decide what *simple* really means to me. 
I want to grow our food, I don't want to buy in fertilizers but I am sometimes too slack to go out in the paddock and collect the cow manure.
I eat meat but wont kill or clean the animal so I can. 
I hate food waste but don't always freeze things soon enough and I don't use what is in the freezer anyway as I prefer eating the food fresh.  But I end up eating too much so it's not *wasted* 
I hate throwing stuff away but then our house and yard look like a tip.
I reuse glass jars and bottles but don't have a lot of room to store them so they clutter the bench.
Same goes for plastic bags that we reuse.  The drawer where I keep them is chockers and wont shut properly.  But I *need* to save them all as soon we wont be able to get them from the shops and I use them for storage.  I usually use the reusable bags but grab the plastic ones too often.
I use plastic jars and containers as storage as I am prone to dropping things, especially when my hands aren't working properly, but  should I be getting rid of all plastics...I don't use them in the microwave so that is something.  But should I be using a microwave anyway...Didn't I read that they are unsafe too...
I have way too many clothes but they fit and I *love* them but as a *stay at home work in the yard* type person there are only so many outfits that I need.  And I have too many.  But I love them....
Because I don't like stuff ending up as landfill I have a shed full of stuff that we no longer want.  But I cannot bring myself to get rid of it.  I have started but it is so hard and taking so long and I get stroppy if someone else does it. But we can't use the shed for what it was built for.
I want to travel and explore our country but don't want to fork out money on petrol.
I don't like using chemicals and poison filled bought products but live with a smoker.  And I do use some chemicals and poison filled bought products but only if they are cheap. 
I want to cut down on our power usage but I have the computer on most of the day.
And it is easier to use the power mulcher than to chop the stuff up by hand.  But it uses petrol.  But it's easier.
I want to get more achieved but I waste time on the computer more often than I should.

Hypocritical or what!

So it seems that I am a mixed up wannabe *something* who doesn't know where she is going or how to get to where she thinks she would like to be. 

What I should be working on is getting fit and healthy, getting the house clean and tidy, keeping the vege patch producing enough to feed us and whatever else make us happy and STOP worrying about what other people say, write or think.  Year, that's sounds like a plan.

More Sliding.

Went to the Fun Factory again last Tuesday, this time for the grandaughters 3rd birthday.
We must like this place as we have been a few times now.
That orange slide is still scarey and I'm not the only one that thinks so.  Am I, F?