Routine....

Last night, while my home was all quiet, I got to my usual evening cleaning routine - clear off the bench, wash up the dishes, pick up whatever the kids have left laying around, tidy the sitting room, put on some washing (hang some out too), sweep the floors, etc.......

Although most days my cleaning is some what rushed, every now and then I get in a little rhythm, put some nice music on, and really clean things up... I must confess, I'm really not that good at the whole 'cleaning' thing - oh how I wish I was though!!! I'm more inclined to be out in the garden or helping in the sheep yards, much more my style... But, I do love me a clean home - don't you???  

 

above : : my kitchen table at the end of the night

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We've had visitors here on the farm over the past 4 days. Just down the road from where they live in Victoria is a gorgeous little Orchard and we're lucky enough to be gifted boxes of fresh fruit each time they visit... The 5 kg's of apples are almost gone but I still have a box full of pears.

 

Got any good ideas for Pear recipes or preserves???  

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I love my mornings, after breaky the kids and I head outside to the vegetable patch. We water and weed and fertilize and plant and generally just hang out until it's time for school to start (about 9am)... This morning we were super excited to finally see some fruit on our Zuchinni and Cucumber plants....

Won't be long now and we'll be adding 'harvesting' to our morning routine too...

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So........

Do you have a morning or evening routine? 

Do you like to wake up to a tidy home or do you work better in the mornings? 

Do you like spending your time inside or out and about??? 

My Waste...

A couple of weeks back we took a gamble here on the farm, as you do, and decided to plant a crop 4 weeks later than we normally would...

Well, this week our wheat is up, out of the ground, and making great progress thanks to the gorgeous weather we've been having... We're not expecting to harvest this planting, just hoping to graze some stock on it in a couple of months before sending them to marked...  

 

And with all of this gorgeous weather I've been enjoying many extended hours out in the garden; pruning, mulching, transplanting, and just generally freshening up..... I'm loving that the apron I was gifted by a gorgeous friend for my b'day last year is worn everyday!!! Deep front pockets make it simply perfect - thanks Cazy... xx

 

About 5 years back, for another b'day, I was gifted a 'mulch-er' and must admit that it would have to be up there with my all time favourite gifts!!! I've lost count of the number of wheel barrows full of mulch I've made and distributed around and throughout my garden this week not to mention over the past 5 years.....

 

Not too many days go past round here without all of us lending each other a hand both on the farm and in the home... This morning we were out in the yards in the crisp morning air before retreating to the warmth of our home to start out school day.... 

 

And I love that during the cooler months we get the chance to do most of our 'outdoor' work in woollens...

And lastly, about 6 months ago now I made a conscious decision to stop buying teabags. I hated that with each cup of tea I consumed (which for me is about 6 a day) I was creating waste!!!! So, when I found these cute little tea diffusers (oops, infuser) at a gorgeous Shop just down the road at Bourke I knew I was on to a winner... 

  

I use this EVERY day and each and every time I do I feel so gratified that I've made a decision to reduce the waste I produce, even if it is only just a little... I love that with each cup of tea I'm also reminded of the gorgeous ladies who served me in that Shop on that lovely day - Ladies who I'm lucky enough to call my friends... Thank you Anna, Charlotte and Tanya - I look forward to coming back to 'Carol's of Bourke' very very soon...

Have you reduced your waste lately???

Winter

It's that time of year again - the wattle is out and its little balls of golden goodnes are being enjoyed by even the littlest members of my family this year.....

Old jars are being transformed into vases and adorning every room in the house which is bringing with it a hint that before too long Winter will be on its way out...

So today with a chill in the air and mud on our boots we cherished our morning Winter outing... There was fruit ready for picking, weeds that needed pulling, leaves to be raked, garden beds to be prep-ed and wood to be chopped....

What are you doing in the fresh Winter's air today???

Corner of My Home

Thanks to an early start to the warmer weather this year my beans and pumpkin are coming along nicely, flowering and already producing fruit...


Over the weekend I was extremely fortunate to attend a clearing sale not too far from home. There I scored a 7 piece Olive vinyl lounge suite for only $50 and its history intrigues me. So now it sits in my home and here's a picture of just 1 of the 7 pieces...

On a wall in my study/office, a special corner of my home, this cosy seat sits. Many a sleepless night is spent in front of the computer here, where inspiration flows freely and motivation is abundant... Here I hope my new seat will find a well deserved home and although you can't see too much (and this pic may be a little blurred), from where I sit things sure do looks sweet....