For Natalie's birthday, Auntie Christina gave her a tie-dying kit.
Time
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Erin is still struggling to understand the concept of how time works.
I had a quick brainwave the other day and we made a quick one on the floor and I think building it, writing it and then manoeuvring it did help with the understanding. It is something we need to keep working at though.
My Garden
Friday, August 10, 2018
I have neglected my vegie garden for probably two years now and this winter is so warm, I am wondering how I will keep things alive over summer as our backyard faces west and just BURNS in the the summer!
However, I am planning/hoping to do a bit of preparation early and try and keep on top of it.
First I emptied all my old compost bins and let the chooks dig them around for about a week (this is usually how long it takes me to get from one job to the next!)
We have four beautiful bantams, but this one - Eagle, is my favourite (I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order) and she always seems so earnest in her scratching work.
Then I had some teenagers who happened to be hanging around (there seems to be quite a few here at times) build me a fence - hopefully to keep out the chickens and our two free range rabbits. This worked pretty well, but Robin has since put on a gate with hinges (what luxury!!) and there is one small section that still needs to be fenced properly. I've added lots of "good stuff" and the chickens have continued to mix it up for me.
Next I am going to lay some hosing down, the kind that I can plug into the hose and it will soak the soil for a time. Robin and I have been discussing the best way to build a shade cover over the garden and I'm sure this will help it survive the fierce summer sun.
I also want to grow lots of flowers as I have been dabbling with dyeing fabrics with natural dyes and am very keen to do more. And what better way than to grow and harvest your own!
And this is our white nectarine that blossoms beautifully every year and keeps the bees very busy but then promptly becomes infested with fruit fly - it's the bane of my life and nothing I have tried has worked. We nearly cut it down this year ... but then the blossoms came again.
However, I am planning/hoping to do a bit of preparation early and try and keep on top of it.
First I emptied all my old compost bins and let the chooks dig them around for about a week (this is usually how long it takes me to get from one job to the next!)
We have four beautiful bantams, but this one - Eagle, is my favourite (I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order) and she always seems so earnest in her scratching work.
Then I had some teenagers who happened to be hanging around (there seems to be quite a few here at times) build me a fence - hopefully to keep out the chickens and our two free range rabbits. This worked pretty well, but Robin has since put on a gate with hinges (what luxury!!) and there is one small section that still needs to be fenced properly. I've added lots of "good stuff" and the chickens have continued to mix it up for me.
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| This is Peta - she used to be Peter |
Next I am going to lay some hosing down, the kind that I can plug into the hose and it will soak the soil for a time. Robin and I have been discussing the best way to build a shade cover over the garden and I'm sure this will help it survive the fierce summer sun.
I also want to grow lots of flowers as I have been dabbling with dyeing fabrics with natural dyes and am very keen to do more. And what better way than to grow and harvest your own!
And this is our white nectarine that blossoms beautifully every year and keeps the bees very busy but then promptly becomes infested with fruit fly - it's the bane of my life and nothing I have tried has worked. We nearly cut it down this year ... but then the blossoms came again.
Flexible Erin
Thursday, August 9, 2018
This year Erin has been working on her flexibility - first to do back bends, then the splits and now to do a walkover (she's not quite there yet).
Erin asked me to take some photos of her for the blog - so here they are!
Houseboat Holiday
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
In the recent term break, we hired a houseboat on Myall Lakes for three nights. It was a wonderful, peaceful holiday, surrounded by beautiful country and wildlife wherever you looked. It started out slightly drizzly and cool and just improved as the days went on.
After that we spent two nights camping at Treachery Beach (near Seal Rocks). Again, everyone was completely unplugged as there was no signal/wifi AT ALL and all our phones/devices ran out of charge. The kids got bored, dirty and tired - it was wonderful! And best of all, it was unseasonably warm for those few days - perfect for camping. We had forgotten the gas cylinders for the campstove, so needed a fire for all our cooking - what a good way to slow down and wait for the billy to boil!
Here are the photos!
Everybody got a chance to drive!
We decided to hire an outboard for the dinghy - this was a wise idea as the kids could then go exploring on their own fairly easily.
They were all brave and decided to have a very quick swim.
Beautiful scenery.
Warm, cosy and relaxed,
Treachery Beach campsite:
