October Food.

October is coming to it's end and that means that so far this year 10 months have passed.

We are still eating mainly from our yard but I did buy 3 bananas to take to the show a couple of weeks ago.  I thought that buying bananas for a snack for us would be better for us all than chips or corndogs.

We are eating Silverbeet, Lettuce, Capsicum, Sweet Potato, Onion, Cabbage, potatoes and the last of the Peas,  Broccoli and Cauliflower.
Fruit from here during October was Oranges, Loquats, Strawberries
Still have a couple of Pumpkin in the cupboard.
Plenty of eggs.
I have sprouts, Kefir and Yoghurt.  All made here by me...

Daughter T made up and brought out a few meals that she wasn't going to eat,  Daughter L brought some Mulberries.  No meat from the son though this month...how rude! haha.  Husband did a couple more roosters...Who needs the shops!

Grass Cutting.

After killing both grass cutting machines it seems funny walking outside and having most of the grass everywhere down to a nearly manageable condition.  How can this be you ask?  C'mon, I know you asked, because you're interested, right.  Let's go with that. lol.

Son shoved a bit of rag into my mower to hold the bit that came apart together and it starts.  Well, he can start it, apparently my pulling power is not what it was and I cannot get it going first time.  Once it's been started I can restart it easy as but that first pull...I need to wait until someone does it for me.  I re-corded the whippersnipper so edges can be done...but the main thing...Husband bought himself a toy.  A massive ride-on.  It has more grunt than anything else here and cuts through thick and wet grass that is higher than my knees.  Brilliant machine.  Yes I too had a little play go at using it and it seems easy enough.  I cannot get it into my head though that it is a better way to mow.  It is quicker, cuts more, the dam area has shortish grass for the first time in 7 months...but sitting on it and riding around it's like...*this is no how you mow the grass*  I think it is because I have started thinking of the mowing as an exercise thing and sitting down and not walking and pushing doesn't seem right.  Hubby and son both love it so I am thinking that I will no longer have to worry about the dam area and the front outside the fence area as one of them will be onto it as soon as it looks long enough to be a fox hiding area or an *careful of snakes* area.

I on the other hand, will use the smaller *proper* mower to do around the house area and feel all virtuous while huffing and puffing and walking around pushing the ruddy thing.  I will think of the chookfood and mulch that I am collecting with a smug smile every time I empty the catcher.   I will whinge and bitch when I need to rake the massive about of grass that HIS! machine has cut and just left lying on the ground...Yep, the great mowing machine doesn't have a catcher, I hate that!  Not really but it sounds dramatic doesn't it. 

It doesn't have a catcher and there is a lot of cut grass that needs picking up but when it dries a bit I will pick it up and throw it into the chookpens.  It wont take long, not worth whinging about and really not worth mentioning.  I mentioned it because that is the sort of person I am...I mention things...

Son got my mower started yesterday and I mowed until I ran out of petrol but it was getting late and instead of refuelling and finishing the job I gave up...I'm hoping I'll be able to start it today otherwise I will need to wait until he, or someone with more muscle than me, comes out.

The race is on though as I want to get all the around the house area done so there can be no comments about me and my puny little mower when he gets home.   And that could be anytime so I have no time for slacking off.  Better go pick up the passionfruit so they don't get chopped up.

I Killed Them Both.

I walked early this morning and after breakfast was still feeling in a *get out there and do it* mood so got he whippersnipper out again.  It wouldn't start so I filled it up with what I think is the right fuel...did a bit but then ran out of stringline stuff.  My hands aren't working well enough to reline it so I decided to mow instead.  There is still heaps of that to do and I wanted a path into the shade area lower than the foot and a half grass everywhere else...Did the path bit and started on some of the foot and a half grass...Not long afterwards there was a bang, another bang, some smoke...I turned the mower off and can see that *something* has come apart.  HoHum, back away with that too.

So I have come in for a coffee before I start clearing out the chook sheds and getting half of the big tank garden ready for some plants.  The snakes will have somewhere to hide until
A.  My hands work better.
B. The son or daughter come out and reline the WS. or
C.  Husband gets home and fixes the mower or relines the whippersnipper for me....

Mostly being a useless old tart has it's dawbacks but really, the gardens do need to be done, stuff does need to be planted so this is probably a good thing.  It will get me doing what needs doing most first and the mowing will get done...another day.

All Mowed Out.

I had a lovely surprise when I arrived home after work on Tuesday and another on Wed...Daughter T had been out and mowed the frontyard for me and then came out again and whippersnippered around the front areas that needed it.  It all looks good so a big thankyou T.
And that is why I am so sore now!   I'm blaming that anyway but the bikerides over the last week will have something to do with it as well.  Nothing a good nights sleep won't fix so I hope I get one tonight.

Anyway, she did such a good job I thought, seeing as I was home all day, that I should do my bit so I started out the back.  It's not finished but after a few hours throughout the day it is looking a lot better and I should be able to get some more done tomorrow.
And I must say...it does smell lovely when I mow over the fallen and hidden Passionfruit.  Such a nice smell.
I have a bag of them inside now waiting for someone to eat them and I will make up some more yoghurt tomorrow to add some to. Divine.

Pulling grass out of the tank-gardens and searching amongst the weeds for strawberries has shown that the Slaters are back in full force.  I have set up leaves so they will all collect in one area then I will pour the hot water over them...That will get rid of a few thousand but it will take awhile to get the numbers down again.  There were a few chooks out there this afternoon but they were more interested in the plants.

We're still eating from the gardens but as things are being pulled nothing is replacing them so that could cause some hunger come Summer time unless I get out there and get some things planted.  Hopefully that will all be able to be done next week but there is so much to do.  I have been slack and let everything get out of hand...again...but a few fine days and a bit of effort should get things somewhat under control.

Are you planting yet?  What sorts of  veg do you plant where you are at this time of year?

What's Happening Here...

We've had no more animal dramas but nothing new or exciting has happened here since the poor cow episode.  We do have a cow somewhere out the back that hasn't stopped mooing since last night.  I have been out and checked on ours and they are all OK but I hope this mooing one is OK too and just in a chatty mood.

Yesterday was spent mowing in the morning, then inside when it got too hot out there but not much was achieved anywhere.  And once again it shows.  How can two people, usually only one, make so much mess! 
I did go for a walk and a ride so the day wasn't a complete loss.

I'm out for the next 2 days but must get the grass down on Thursday as with this warm weather we are bound to get a snake or 2 passing through.  I want to see them before I step on them and I want to know what areas to avoid.   Do you get snakes at your place? 

Oh!  I think we nearly had another fox in the trap.  One night I heard some yipping but it stopped each time I went outside and I wasn't going to go down the back in the dark by myself...but in the morning I went and checked and the trap had been set off but the door hadn't closed properly because of too long grass.  I think I did get one but it managed to get out through the small gap where the grass had stopped full closure.  I got the son to lift it so it could be moved, I mowed the area and reset it...It needs fresh bait in there so will do that this week sometime.

The gardens all need lots done to them to get them ready for something to be planted and will work on that this week too...though it is suposed to rain again...I have decided we have too many chooks but husband will deal with that one day when he is home long enough....not much else happening...

We haven't bought vegetable for the last couple of months.  Have had a few feeds of close to use by date meat from the butcher son so our food bill has been nil again.  I love having nil food bills.  

I had a lovely day down in Nannup on Saturday, went to the markets while there then out to daughters place for lunch.   She made a salad...mmnnn yum?  not quite!
Lots of *pressies* from that daughter and I will let you know what I got soon but for now I need to get ready to leave...I have 15min before I need to be out of here and haven't started yet!

Out of hours Animal Care..

We had another *situation* here yesterday and once again it wasn't our animals but we were the ones that came across it so what do you do...you can't just walk away and ignore it even though that would be a lot less mucking around.

Yesterdays *situation* was a copy of one that happened a few months ago...A cow having trouble with calfing.  The calf has it's head and hoofs out but is dead, the mother...not doing too good and sounding and looking half dead herself.

The first time we knew who owned the cow but it was in our paddock.  The owner lives in Perth.  We rang the vet but he is unable to do anything without owner permission.  Eventually we get the owners number, the vet talks to him, comes out, removes dead calf injects poor mother cow with all sorts of drugs...the owner finally gets here but the cow dies soon after.  He gets a big bill but not worried about that too much as he knows the cow suffered for way too long.   He says we should have just shot the cow for him.  I agree but what can you do...you can't go around shooting other peoples animals without permission.

Yesterday the son rings me and says one of our cows is not right and it and the others are in next doors paddock...I disagreed, said no not our cows, have another look...he says no, definately 2 of ours are next door and is this one ours too.  I come home, he says the cow has a partly born dead calf  so yeah, could be ours.  But it wasn't ours and ours were not suposed to be in this paddock.  We get ours out and try and ring the paddock owner but I know it is not his cow, he just gets some in sometimes.  Paddock owner not home and we have no number for him.  We know the vet wont come...I ring the ranger but no afterhours person.  I ring the police who try some numbers but no-one afterhours that can help.  The cow is not looking too good and it's been more than an hour since we found her..We are in an area of 5, 6 10 acre blocks so the cow could be anyones.  Son wants to try and pull the calf out to take some pressure off the cow...he has never done anything like that though and not our cow...are we allowed to..

I get in the car and drive around the block asking people if it is thier cow.  Finally find the father of the owner who is on her way home.

It's now been a couple of hours and son is going in regardless as the cow needs some sort of help.  He gets the pullalong out and takes it over.  Before he starts we see movement in the owners yard and not long after the owner shows up, she is upset but says it doesn't look good, it's been close on 3 hours since we found the cow so no idea how long before that she was down. 

The owner has no gun, says it's been too long, suffering, infection...she will need to go home and try and find someone that will shoot it for her.  Son says he will and within 10 minutes the cow is dead and no longer in pain.  We leave this women with a dead cow, not on her property to deal with it.  She says she had a backhoe and someone she knows will use it to bury the cow.

I hate having to deal with these sorts of things when it is our animals and the husband is not home but it is so much worse when it is other peoples animal that you find.  Worse still when you cannot get in contact with them or anyone to help.

If it happened to one of our animals and we were not home someone else would be in the same spot.

I think we need a plan.  But need to wait until husband gets home to help sort one out.

Have you ever had to deal with hurt, injured animals out of hours?  Someone elses' animals?  What did/would you do?

Fifty Years Old.

No, not me, oh to be that young again...
Harvey High, my old school, had an open day to celebrate being 50 so I went to see if it had aged as well as me.  It, and most of the people that I think I knew, have done a lot better!  My Social Studies teacher was there, he didn't look that much older at all. 

I read about it a couple of weeks ago while at work and thought that I might go down and see how much it had changed, then changed my mind then decided that yes I would go.  A few days ago it was a definate yes, I'd go early for a quick look then maybe go on out to the beach, maybe stay out there the night...but even that changed.

Son rang this morning wanting me to go check out some things at a garage sale.  That was a mistake.  So much really really cool stuff...I did get what he asked for but even though I wasn't going to buy much because we don't need anything, I'm trying to get rid of stuff...there was so much really really cool stuff!

Lots of vintage things...whats the difference between vintage and plain ol' old?  This old stuff was cool and just what I want to put in my vintage caravan...that I don't have and haven't as yet got the approval of the one that will be paying, picking up, setting in place...so I didn't buy anything for that. 

Anyway, going to the garage sale put me an hour behind schedule.  And then I needed a favour so said I'd take the granddaughter down with me while the daughter picked up something from the sale for me.    Bigger car and a man to help lift it.  So I end up with having the grandie with me at my old school.  That makes one feel their age! 

It was good to see how the school has changed, we had an assembly, wandered around the different classrooms.  There is a gym there now and more classrooms but the whole school still had the nice feel about it.   The grandkid started whinging though so we left earlier than I wanted and I didn't get to catch up with a couple of people that I saw and recognised.   Must remember next time to threaten something I don't mind doing.  A "stop crying or I'll smack your bum"  "stop crying or you can't spend any more money"  "stop crying...anything instead of the "or we'll go home" bit.   That way I might not end up quite so cranky and disappointed.

I won't be around for the next one and I have only heard about and been to one reunion but there are a few people from my time there that I wouldn't mind seeing again.    I didn't see them there today and have no idea where they are today, even what their name would be now...sad but I wouldn't even know how to start looking...

Is anyone here still good friends with people that they were at school with?

Organic Chocolates.

I sometimes buy a block of dark cooking chocolate, keep it in the freezer and have a square or two when I feel like chocolate.  I started to melt a little bit and mix it with coconut, nuts, oats, something, to make it *healthier* and so I felt better about having a chocolate fix when I think I need one.  I like that I can only make a tiny amount and I can feel that it is healthy because I have added bran and oats to it.  Healthy chocolate. Cool idea right.  

The last few times that L has come here she has brought some homemade organic chocolates.  They are not sweet like the stuff we buy from the shops but nice.  The last lot has a filling of banana and avocado.  Nice!



On her visit last weekend she brought me a kilo tub of "good for so many things" organic coconut oil. 





This morning I made some chocolates from scratch.  Because we all need to know how to do this so we can have an unending supply right.  Just waiting for us to have whenever we want to right? 

Maybe it wasn't the best idea because, to be honest, nobody  needs an unending supply of chocolate even if it is homemade with organic products.  

I only had a vague idea on what to do but the way she said they did it, it didn't sound beyond my limited cooking skills.  But this time out I didn't use all organic.  Because she hasn't brought me the raw cocoa yet.  I have been told that I will get some soon though.

Anyway, this morning I melted a tiny bit of coconut oil, only a dessertspoon, added a bit less cocoa powder, homebrand from Woolies and stirred in some organic honey, maybe a tsp.  Stirred it all together and put some small blobs onto some baking paper.  To the rest of the mix I stirred through some organic oats.

 These were too easy, too nice and now too convenient.   
They are sweeter than the ones L brought me and I'm thinking that is because I used processed cocoa not the raw stuff.  Or maybe they didn't add honey or other sweetener like I did.  I will ask her when next I see her.



I liked the ones with the oats but husband wasn't too fussed in those.  Said too much oats and maybe use sultanas sometime.  I think they will be nice with just about anything and one day will try and get some Cherry Ripe and Bounty tasty ones but for now, oats and bran is fine.





Below are some that L.brought.  Much cleaner looking so maybe I need to work on my presentation skills but as long as they taste good I'm not too worried about what they look like.

Successful Markets.

I must say the Really Really Free Markets seemed to be a great success. 
I went down early to see if they wanted a hand to set up and by the 1pm opening time there were crowds of people waiting outside.  We opened the doors and it was like one of those Myers sales that you see on TV.  People just swarmed in...It was great.    So much stuff, a newcomer asked what happened to all the stuff left over, I explained that the people were supposed to take it home with them afterwards but there wouldn' be much left...This lovely women volunteered to help do dishes and when she walked back out into the hall afterwards seemed very surprised that most tables were empty.  So much stuff found a new home and I often wonder just how much is being saved from landfill. 

I didn't get much from this one.  No books which is what I look for first  A jumper that will go back if I decide I don't want it, a kids jigsaw for the kids I care for, a billy type thing for camping.  There wasn't much else there that caught my eye...until halfway through.  I was standing around talking with someone when right in front of me was a cool looking thing.  I excused myself and quickly walked over to it and then snatched it up.  It was mine!   

 Isn't this a great bickie tin.

 I've collected a few now.   One day I will find somewhere to display them and think of a use for them all.   In the meantime they are in a bag next to my bed...but I love them and want them and they make me smile so I will keep them and one day they will have their own proper place so everyone that comes here can see that I am a woman of taste and refinement.

This cute little man will hold my flavoured coffee sachets. 



A couple of markets ago I scored a breadmaker but the people had left the booklet for it home and were too far away to go back for it.  They said they'd drop it off at my place next week when they were in town but I didn't see them and even though I looked up on-line I couldn't manage a decent loaf of bread for the husband with it.  Yesterday at the markets I felt a tap on my shoulder and there they were with the book.  I will try making a loaf sometime this week when husband gets home.




At the August markets there was this strange looking
 black figure thing that looked a bit like a man skiing.






It  wasn't 'til halfway through the day that I went and had a proper look at it and as soon as I realised what it was I grabbed it.  Isn't this just the coolest thing you have ever seen?














I love it!  Others love/like it too but some think it is freaky.  What do you think?

Waroona Really Really Free Markets Turn Two.

Really Really Free Markets.  Markets where everything is free.  If you don't want it take it to these and someone else might take it home with them.  You may find something to take back home with you.  How cool would that be?  And free.  You could also have a cup of coffee or tea if you wanted to.  For free.  Sometime they have yummy cake or biscuits.  All free.  And lunch.  Free. 
There is sometimes a lady there that does Reiki and card reading.   Sometimes other people that do different things.  And did I say that it is all free

I firs went to some Free Markets in Perth.  Took the train up and walked miles to where they were so I was mighty interested when I heard that there were going to be some close by.   I went to the first of these when it was on down at the local park.  I decided then that if they were going to be a regular thing then I would use them as an avenue to declutter my house.  Well this Saturday they have been going for 2 years.  Two years!  So of course my house is lovely and tidy with no unloved or unwanted stuff anywhere right?  Errr, No.  A big fat NO.  I have been to most and taken boxes and boxes of stuff but not enough.  We still have way too much stuff here.

 I have been doing a bit of clearing out over the last week and have a bag and a box of stuff to take to this one but still could find more if I looked hard enough.  Actually I wouldn't have to look very hard at all and I would see stuff that could go. I will bag up more stuff to take down..

The markets have shifted to the local hall, there are tables set up to put your stuff on.  They do ask that you take home with you anything that is still there at 3pm when it ends but you may not have anything left.  If you have it wouldn't be much.  There have been loads of times when I have come home with none of the stuff that I took down.  That's not saying that I came home with nothing though, I have heaps of cool stuff here now but as it is wanted and loved it will be staying here.

On nice days I like sitting outside the hall with a coffee and lisen to the music.

These markets are in Waroona, 3rd Saturday every month.  Doors open at 1PM and it shuts at 3PM.
There are a few people that stay around to help pack up, wash dishes and sweep and I know their help is greatly appreciated.

There is a Facebook page if anyone likes the concept and wants to join. 

Maybe I will see you there sometime.