HERB UPDATE

Remember back on November 6th I said I had decided to move my herbs into tubs because of the water situation. (Photos here)

Well these are the photos of those seedlings only 1 week later. Boy do they love growing in these tubs, I think I will be growing them here all the time now.




Yeh I know I'm late posting them, but blogger wasn't being kind to me and wouldn't let me load the pictures. Even now it has loaded the photo above sideways despite my many attempts and some Choice! words directed towards blogger to right it.

Meaning no that frypan in the first picture really isn't defying gravity. Oh and in case you are actually even wondering what I do have a frypan in my garden for, it is filled with water for my Guinea Pigs that run loose throughout my garden.

The tubs I have them planted in are actually old concrete Wash(Laundry) Troughs that people were throwing out of an old house they were renovating. So in keeping with my recycling, frugal living philosophies they were of course destined to come live with me. A lick of old green paint some potting mix mixed with Organic Booster & Compost and there you go herbs near my back door.

Anyway today I am going to make some fresh Pesto with all that Basil I have growing (Yummy)

Caroline xoxo...

SPILT MILK

You know what the saying is :- " Never cry over spilt milk"

Well I can honestly say in our family we never do.............................

We just call in the Mutts!!

Caroline xoxo...

AN OLD MINCER

This old Mincer was lying discarded on the floor of a shed, that's till little old me nabbed it and bought it home to live. It didn't look like this mind you!! The person I got it off said it is at least 50years old. It weighs a ton which brings to my mind they just don't make things like they use to.

I have been looking at Mincer's this year in all the kitchen shops, most are around the $150.00 mark for one with any quality about it, but yet they are still not as heavy as this. I mean this thing literally weighs a ton. I hope I never drop it on my toe although I would probably have a hole in the floor to!!



I have scrubbed & scalded & then scrubbed & scalded again. I then soaked it in Olive Oil.

It has come up pretty good, so next time my local IGA has Rump Steak on special I will try my hand at making my own Mince(Ground Beef). In my area Mince ranges in price from $4.99kg(I would only use this for pet mince) TO $13.99kg for premium. The IGA has Rump Steak regularly on special for $5.99kg but at least I will have the advantage that I know what is in it eg-Preservative Free. Also it is common knowledge in Australia, among people in the trade that water is added to the mince to make it weigh more.

Mmm I would rather pay for wine than water!!

OOPSEY HEADS BACK DOWN UNDER

Oopsey has been very safely closeted up over at the SILVER SEWER'S in England while their postage strike has been on, but now that has lifted she will be heading back to her home down under & visiting Joolz's blog SIMPLY JOOLZ .

While we are on the subject of Oopsey I must thank MARGARET's RAMBLINGS for taking care of her while I was sick.

A big thank you to the DECADENT HOUSEWIFE who made some clothes for her to continue her round the world holiday & for the Howling good postcard she sent me. Thanks Decadent Housewife it was such a nice surprise to get a postcard all the way from Canada.

Pop on over to the Silver Sewers & you will be able to see where Oopsey has visited for the last while & don't forget to keep an eye on Joolz's blog to see what Oopsey gets up to next.

CAROLINE xoxo....

FRIDAY ARVO

Friday afternoon and we are all looking forward to the week-end here at our home. Not that we have anything planned it's just that this time of year things just start to get CRAZY, and if your brave enough to look at my cute little Christmas Tree widget in my sidebar it will boldly announce to you that it is only 49Dy's till Christmas.

Have you started your Christmas preparations yet?? I have just started, yesterday I wrapped some presents and went through my Present Pantry to see what I could gift out of there. I collect things all year for my Present Pantry, always good for last minute presents & parties. Usually I try to buy things on sale & put them away.

I am feeling a little tried and run down today but I think it's only a case of having a busy week with lots of late nights, anyway I hope that's all it is not me getting sick again. We have had some thing on every night this week- Presentation Night, Art Night, Drama Night, Army Cadets, Football and of course when your out every night you don't have a proper evening meal. I'm not a big daytime eater so I must have a good dinner, besides we miss having a good catch up around the table.

Did any of you Aussies have a bet on the Melbourne Cup?? I backed the winning horse "SHOCKING" but despite working in the racing industry for many years I am the last of the big spenders(not) when it comes to backing horses, but never the less $68 was a good little return for me.

I had 2 young foxes get into the chook pen. DS forgot to shut the door. I lost 3 hens & the rooster, another hen that they had started on before I went running down the back screaming(must have looked a sight in my pj's and work boots) is recovering with a bit of TLC. I have had to separate her as the other hens were picking at her wounds. Aren't chooks cruel even to their own. It's so true what they say. They really are cannibalistic.




During the week I moved my herbs into these tubs. With not much water it will be easier to look after them. I planted some new Parsley & Basil as the others had gone to seed and then moved my Mint, Comfrey, Aloe Vera, & Spice Plant. These ones will be easier to control now their in a tub as they tend to go wild and take over everything. Herbs are so dear to buy from the supermarket couldn't believe the prices when I had a look last week. It costs nothing to grow a few herbs, always fresh when you need them not wilted, limp & dying like the poor ones in the shop. How they ever have any flavour beats me if I had use them I'd rather use dried herbs.


Anyway I planted these out at the beginning of the week & gee they have grown so much already. I will have to take another photo to show you just how much!!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend

CAROLINE xoxo....

WEEK-END RIDING

Emerald riding Quarter Horse Stallion "Hootchy Kootchy Bid"

What did you and your family get up to on the week-end???

Caroline xoxo...

THRIFT SHOP FINDS!!

Have a look at my beautiful thrift shop finds for today.

These 2 lovelies cost me a grand total of $1.50 & while they are not in the best of condition they have come up not to bad with a little TLC.






I will wash them again and add some borax to the water as this can help restore softness.
(2 Tbsp per 10L water)



I usually make my own Wool Wash here is the recipe-



WOOL WASH

4 Cups of Pure Soap Flakes
(I grate sunlight soap but if you want to you can just buy a box of Lux Flakes)

1 Cup of Methylated Spirits

2 Tbsp. of Eucalyptus Oil

Combine & store in an airtight container. I usually use about 2 Tbsp. dissolved in hot water then added to the cold water in my laundry tub.

Here is another recipe for Wool Wash that someone gave me. I haven't had the chance to make it yet as I still have some of my usual homemade wool wash left. So I can't vouch for it, sounds nice though. I love the smell of Lavender on fresh laundry.

If anybody has tried it let me know what it's like???



LAVENDER WOOL WASH

4 Teaspoons Dried Lavender


1Litre boiling water

500g of Pure Soap
(Once again I guess you could use Lux Pure Soap Flakes but I will grate & use Sunlight Soap) It really is much more economical to grate your own.

1 Tablespoon Borax

Steep the Lavender in boiling water overnight. The next morning strain it through some muslin. ( When things call for this I just use a large men's hankie) Retain the Lavender Water.

Combine the grated soap, Lavender water and borax in a saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until blended. Remove from heat. This will cool to a soft white jelly. Store in a jar & seal.

You will need 1/2 cup of this to hand wash woollens or 2-3 cups in a washing machine to wash blankets.


That's all for now, time to get down off my soapbox LOL!!
CAROLINE xoxo

DINNER!!

This is my DS's favourite dinner at the moment.

Y-Bone Steak sprinkled with French Onion Soup mix,

wrapped in alfoil & baked at 180deg for 40Min's

Served with Creamy Potato & Broccoli

He would eat this every night at the moment if he could.

What did you have for dinner??......

IN MY GARDEN

this morning i saw......

1 Kookaburra having a Cricket for breakfast

A family of Magpies

Rainbow Lorikeets also having breakfast And telling each other how good it was. (They were VERY vocal)

Lots of Noisy Miners (Mickey Birds)

Willy Wagtail sung a beautiful song

A Storm bird who also makes a beautiful sound. Am quite surprised he has chose to live here of late, I think he likes the mulberries.

Lastly one of my favourite visitors a Blue Crane.

Sorry no photos of the birds they were all to quick for me hurrying around the garden doing their morning rituals, but here is some photos of our resident Bearded Dragon, isn't he/she(does anyone know how to tell the diff) awesome.

He is so quiet -as you can see from the close-up photo. Still gives me the fright of my life sometimes when I don't see him & nearly step on him only to have him scurry off at the last moment. We once had a few Bearded Dragons around the garden but at the moment there only seems to be the one. I do hope the others come back. We have so much development around our town at the moment the wildlife seems to be diminishing. It's not the sleepy country town it once was.

I am trying more then ever to create a safe refuge now days and the appearance of the Blue Crane & the Storm bird, 2 birds I have never seen in my garden before have heightened that.


Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday

CAROLINE xoxo

GETTING BACK

I am finally getting back to things, after being sick for quite a while & then feeling lethargic and unmotivated to do anything other than the bare essentials. I think I am back to my usual self and hope to be back blogging. Don't know what about?? My life has been forced quiet the last few months.

After being sick I am now a good advocate for kidney health, did you know you can lose 90%use of your kidneys before realizing it, but by then you are already up s#*! creek- without the paddle of course.



Thank you so much to everybody who has left me kind & thoughtful messages, thank you also to all my loyal followers who are still following me despite the fact I haven't blogged for so long. I hope to be able to catch up on every ones blogs over the next week or so. It is interesting to see I have still have had quite a bit of traffic at my blog despite the fact I haven't been posting. Maybe just passing through on the way to another blog. Who Knows!!

Lastly my sincere apologies to Margaret at Margaret's Ramblings she hosted Oopsey for me and I never got to do a post for her as I was right in the middle of my treatment. Where is the little bear right now?? Does anyone have a clue?? I have received no comments saying she is over at someones blog. Will have to try & track her, the kids have been asking & asking.

Thank you so much the world of blogging truly is a wonderful place.

CAROLINE XOXO