Here and Now

To give credit where it's due, I got the idea for this post from Say Little Hen which you will see is one of the blogs I follow. Gives a bit of structure to an otherwise rambley selection of posts. 
It goes like this:  What I am....

Reading: Colleen McCullough's "The Ladies of Missalonghi". I have just finished her "Morgan's Run", for the second time. Loved it just as much on the return. Have LOVED Australian history ever since teaching it in Grade 4, especially the convict era, and she really captures all the horror, courage and even romance well. 

   Dreaming About: a possible trip to Norfolk Island in the future. (Follows point one!)       

   Making: Signs out of old pallets. This one is a quote from my grandchildrens' evening          prayers. Very humbling really!    and a new cushion cover     

    Growing: onions, cabbage, broccoli ,tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes.          Also propagating geraniums donated to my mother from fellow gardeners with all the old-      fashioned colours... dark reds to almost black.           Harvesting: Strawberries

Cooking: buttery jam drops. First try. A little overdone, but delicious. Worth a retry. Also         homemade bread. Makes all other toast taste 3rd or 4th rate.

   Birthday and Christmas presents combined for 2017... a little garden art.

and finally, birthday and Christmas presents combined for 2017, some garden art.

Signs of Spring

 While the trees are all naked the Happy Wanderer takes the opportunity to show off centre stage. It keeps it up for several weeks, even months.

 A little veranda colour

 This year we had DUCKLINGS on our pond.

 Leucadendron

Peach blossom

Clean up, always the clean up. This year we started on the ancient cypress wind break, and the calves said "thanks, nice sleeping spot"

Pa and Molly, still feeding hungry animals, but the grass is coming!

"What did the chicken say when she saw an orange in the nest....?"

"Look at the orange marmalade!"   (very old joke...sorry!)

The 90 tree, spring 2017

Ancient wombat visits the farm. No amount of photo editing could make him look better.

Molly the Sheepdog, rounding them up and penning them... in the dunny

Around the Neighbourhood

Never say winter is boring, or colourless. Driving into town lately has been a joy, with all sorts of surprises around every corner. Here are some of the things I see regularly:

 There really should be a 'road hazard ahead' sign near these little Suffolk lambs. They are way too cute to drive past without gawking adoration, especially the little ones with their woolly vests on.

This daffodil farm reminds me a bit of Holland's tulip farms... rows of gorgeous flowers in different stages of market readiness.... just all yellow.

 Then there's our next door neighbour on the upper side who has just planted a vineyard beside our top (hay) paddock. The view is pretty good too. The next photo is taken from down the road looking back. All the vines are planted and trained onto aluminium poles and wires, making them look quite mysterious. If you look closely on the right of the photo you will see the Cutchie farm houses and our hill paddocks in the middle distance.

 On our Sunday afternoon walk up the road, the quiet end of it, and next photo, looking back across the neighbour's lovely garden to ours, Mark driving down the drive

 Winter wattle, I just love it. All the way along the road to town

 My avenue. Planting for the future. Only one foot high today, but one day, a beautiful avenue of majestic Spotted Gums. I hope I get to see it.

The beginning of our breeding herd, 9 Fresian heifers. There WAS a nice round number of 10 until one fell into a wombat hole and broke its neck. Hole subsequently filled in, and a couple of others as well.

Winter clean up and fires. Quite enjoyable really, and every year getting quicker and easier

Winter Fun: mini movie

Autumn, beautiful and busy

The last of the hydrangea blooms, new and old.

Goodnight girls, see you next spring. Thanks for a lovely summer show.

Brand new calf and attentive mum

...cute as..

Life on the farm is exhausting, and a sunny verandah is irresistible.

...so is the back of the quad

Another great crop of Granny Smiths this year

...plenty for the freezer and plenty to give away

A good crop of navel oranges this year, about 20: only one orange last year

Our beautiful Pin Oak toppled by a winter storm, now year's of firewood

waiting for attention. That may take years too!!

6 new red flowering gums to replace one Pin Oak, an avenue at last.

 A small compensation perhaps

My sweet Cindy, back in action after losing an eye in an altercation with some electric fencing. Some animals are worth their exorbitant vet bills!

Breakfast on the vernadah.

Summer fruit and flower

 Dahlias looking like pink pom-poms

Cut and keeping company with some late cosmos in my grandmother's silver bowl, which is nearly 100 years old.

 Nectarines from my 3 year old tree did well this year....

...and will go nicely with weeties and yoghurt throughout the year.

 Tomatoes, small and large, mostly went into the cooking pot towards chutney and passata, the latter used in the slow cooker with whatever. Chutney disappears rather quickly and is great in toasted sandwiches with cheese or grilled with a little ham as well.

A few beetroot for the chap. I'm not a big fan myself so it's entirely a labour of love.

Sedums, geraniums and dahlias and Lola

The chicks at 3 months