fiveandtwo

My Favourite Season

Ah, Autumn...such splendid weather, long shadows in the afternoon, crisp mornings. I'm all invigorated.

Much gardening going on. For the next five minutes it's pretty much in order. I've planted a full-size tangelo. I have one in a half barrel, but...I want more! Tangelos and lemons are my favourite citrus. I also planted a dwarf Washington Navel orange in a large pot against a side fence. I lost my other orange tree when we built the deck at the front.

Speaking of which, it seems the pergola above the deck may be painted completely soon (oh please). One more coat and it's done.

It's taken two years to reach this stage.

Note Suska wolfing down her tea, and recently reupholstered chair seats. Red vinyl from Spotlight. Very pleased with the result. How I like my staple gun!

The vegie garden is all tidied. All the languishing half-dead summer crops have been heaved out. Except for Clare's late planted corn - she's determined to have a cob from it.

I planted seeds of lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot and sugar snap peas. Clare planted rocket. All are up, but I need to plant more peas, blackbirds have scratched some up.

Leaves are falling.

I need to pick all of these - they ripen off the vine.

When I look at them I'm always reminded of something Jackie French wrote about a visitor to her garden. An elderly Oriental lady who laughed quietly when she saw the kiwifruit. Jackie probed. Apparently, back home in China the fruit were nicknamed "golden hairy goat testicles"!

Gratuitous nasturtium picture. They are so perky now the hot weather has abated. Such a relaible plant (once you've reefed out those that grow where you don't want them to). They just grow themselves, don't they.

Just some Autumn light photos now.

I have another sick child. Goodnight.

Yum

Summer's bounty.

Hop Buds

After several days now of teen wrangling I feel, well, you know, jaded. It was a quiet pleasure to photograph the hop buds on the balcony this evening. Sometime soon must be a year of blogging for me. I remember taking photos of hop flowers and posting about it.

Within me is a completely horrible rant about a child of mine. Coffee with my best buddies (earlier this arvo), indicates fifteen or sixteen years is a time of change. My own experience bears this out.

I'd like to fast forward three years or so, but there's no opportunity, then, for her to come to grips with rubbing along with all sorts of people, accepting their shortcomings and strengths. Developing empathy would be very useful as well (sadly, not apparent as yet).

Strong desire to be somewhere else. Liklihood - nil. Equals, get on with it, I suppose!

Looking Down

Looking down from the balcony this morning I'm in awe at the lushness of the back garden.Height of summer is an extremely fecund time.

If I look up, that's quite different.

The Vegie garden is doing well.

No, it's not a good idea to have a tree planted in your vegie garden. However, the tree was there first. It's a European plum - Coe's Golden Drop.

Moving the barrels about created an impromptu vegetable garden. The spot is actually quite good. Morning and midday sun but shaded from the fierce afternoon sun. I think I'll make a permanent spot.

Clare's corn. Space restrictions mean I don't usually plant corn nowadays. Sweetcorn is grown commercially around here, it's fresh and tastes sensational, so I don't bother.  But Clare really wanted to plant corn, so, a spot was found. She is so proud of it.

Interplanted with lettuce and accompanied by a self-sown tomato!

Another thing, twice I've been nominated for for the You Make My Day award. I'm really honoured, but feel all funny about whom I'm going to bestow the awards.

The instructions to this award say you must give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration, and make you feel happy about blogland.

Well, may I refer you to the blogroll on my sidebar. More than ten I think, but all qualify. How am I to choose?

Summer In A Jar

We're well preserved around these parts (sorry, couldn't help it). The glut is dealt with. Behold:

Do I feel virtuous? Indeed.

Probably ten or so kilos of apricots, dried. Two double batches of apricot chutney (excellent with dhal, or a cheese sandwich). Two double batches of apricot jam. A double batch of plum sauce.

Not so much plum sauce as there's still a couple of bottles from last year. It's the recipe from Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion. I find I need to add vastly more sugar (like a kilo or more) or the sauce is tongue-curlingly acrid. Mostly I use it for marinading and as a baste, although it's ok with barbequed snags.

Anyone got a killer plum sauce recipe? Pass it on!

The apricot jam recipe is from the same book, and turns out excellent. Perhaps my plums are more tart than the ones Stephanie uses?

The chutney recipe I found long ago in a magazine, title not remembered. As with many of you, I'm always on the lookout for tasty recipes to manage the glut! Here it is:

APRICOT CHUTNEY

• 750g ripe apricots, stones removed & roughly chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250g raisins
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 chillies (or to taste), seeds removed & finely chopped
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) tomato puree
• 500ml (2 cups) brown vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large, stainless-steel saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Simmer gently for about an hour until mixture is thick and flavoursome. Stir occasionally to prevent mixture sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Pour into hot, sterilised jars and seal with sterilised lids.

Makes about 1.2 litres of chutney.

Add extra sugar if chutney is too sharp for your taste. I always add more suger, I don't like vinegar to be the dominant flavour!

I might make plum jam. However the blood plum tree is fairly light-on this year, so we'll probably eat the rest fresh. Usually this tree is groaning with fruit. It's actually a relief to "have a break".

Now I need to find somewhere to put all this bounty!

Flowers To Thank You

You're a tremendous bunch. Tremendous. I have felt so supported by your comments after my post about family illness and Leah's escapade. Thank you so very much.

Right now I should be dissecting a ham. Some to take away with us and some to leave at home. A dear friend has generously given us the use of their holiday unit at Cunjurong Point (near Ulladulla) for a week over Christmas. We're off tomorrow.

Being a list maker par excellence, I'm reasonably organised (except for the ham). First there's the menu for the entire week. There's only a bread-and-milk shop at Cunjurong Point (but I'm a weekly menu-maker as well). Then I have a list of things to pre-make (so I can have something resembling a holiday too). There's a list of other food items to take and, finally, a list of implements to take. This list includes things like decent knives, the camera with its battery charger, the large pasta pot, sunscreen, Father Christmas's offerings (shh)...I think I might be a tad anal.

Clare and Ally unpacked the clothes bag I'd done. Heh, apparently  I'd put in too many ugly clothes. Serves me right for trying to slip in some lovely handmade items. We've reached a compromise, however.

Cunjurong Point is a lovely spot. Quiet, with a great beach. Giles and Leah aren't too pleased about the lack of shops. They'll survive - I am looking forward to a lack of shops! Shops are insane at this time of year.

The dog, cats and chooks will be in the care of the lovely Jeannette of Pampered Paws and Whiskers.She feeds all of them and ensures they have fresh water, walks the dog, brings in the mail, puts out, and brings in, the rubbish bin. If you want she'll water your pot plants as well. Jeannette is pleasantly down to earth, and doesn't mind a bit of a yack. The whole deal is rather cheaper than kennels and cattery, and doesn't place extra tasks on rellies at this time of year.

This flower is rather special - the first from my oak-leaf hydrangea. I've had this plant for several years. This is its fourth abode, why I didn't plant it where other hydrangeas were thriving I don't know, but last year I did when I was re-establishing this garden bed after renovations. I had taken cuttings of most of the plants before the work started, so was able to re-plant with the lovelies that were thriving beforehand. It has grown now as if nothing ever happened, and hydrangeas like this South-facing, quite shaded position - of course.

Wishing all you blogland/internet lovelies a terrific Christmas. XXXXXX

Garlic

I thought these were self-sown leeks. When they died down but didn't flower I investigated. Must've been a reject garlic clove from the chook run stuff put on the vegie garden, not quite composted.

Inordinately pleased about this find!

OK, I've seen the buy/make handmade for Christmas pledge on quite a few blogs lately.

I think this is terrific.

I usually try for the same thing. My downfall is what the older teens want - MP3s, mobile phones, tickets to The Big Day Out, surfboards. It's much easier to do handmade with little kids. Electronics are beyond my capabilities! Heck, it'd be more economical if I could make phones, MP3s and so forth! I wanted to take the handmade pledge, but knew it wasn't going to apply.

Leah already has (last month) her Christmas present - a mobile phone. For Leah and Giles it's a very important mode of communicating with their peers. Linsey has part-time work so buys her own phone credit. Giles and Leah buy their own credit, but it's usually me who does the purchasing (with their pocket money).

I want to make them gifts, but I also want to give them the things they desire. They do not desire my handmade gifts.

So...I can't take the pledge. I realy admire you people who've done it. Good on you.

A Weekend Of Gardening

More or less. Wet weather had made some jobs quite urgent.

Nothing like being whacked by wet foliage as you walk past as a reminder that some things need cutting back.

Tomato plants to be tied up. Lettuce seedlings planted out. More seeds planted in punnets.

Seeds for these poppies came from a close friend's garden. Now they self sow in my garden.

Mow the grass. It was very long.. Took quite a few passes withe the hand mower.

Irish Peach, an early apple, developing nicely.

It's the tree on the right. This photo was taken from my favourite breakfast spot.

Dog racetrack still in existence.

Now you can't call that lawn. It still has a big bare patch in the middle from its use as a dance floor during a teenage party in March!

Once upon a time I looked from the kitchen into Giles' very messy bedroom. A bit of renovating about four years ago means I now look at this. So much more pleasant.

Return From Unannounced Blog Break.

What have I been doing? Battling demons. With a bit of teen wrangling for light relief

What else? Walking. Changing the garden around - seem to do a lot of digging things up, moving them and changing the size and shape of garden areas when unwell. I think it parallels the changes I struggle to make within.

Two views of garden work in progress.

Doing what else? Sewing clothes for Clare and Ally to not wear.

From this book (ISBN 978-4-579-11132-9)

In a past life it was a linen shirtdress from the op-shop.

Used the same pattern for the "Lady" jackets  for the Book Day costumes.

Little top, cute bumblebee fabric (from Spotlight, as with apple fabric, below)

From this book (ISBN 978-4-579-11954-4)

Heh, could've ironed it! Lovely green linen from the op-shop.

Old Burda pattern (9995) with sash added. Fabric is two vintage pillowcases. All from op-shop.

Clare actually wore the one below..!

Used Ottobre Design's "The Best T-shirts" pattern for these, all op-shop fabrics. The stencil came from Stencilry, loads of stencils you can print and use (personal use only, of course). I used freezer paper for the first time and was very pleased with the result.

A couple more things to sew up and a couple needing buttons. I want to make some pants and skirts for summer. Thinking of making a duct tape "body double" to help with fitting, perhaps then there won't be so many duds - look terrible/don't fit properly.

The Japanese pattern books come from Yesasia. They have free shipping.

Yeah, Well.

Eldest daughter and I had an unplanned trip up the mountains to Omeo this afternoon!  My husband had taken Leah, Giles, Clare, Ally and a friend of Giles' to stay at his brother's holiday house in Omeo earlier in the day, ready for a frolic in the last of the snow at Mt Hotham tomorrow, and some fishing in the Mitta Mitta River on Sunday. Ah, but Clare and Ally's bag of clothes was left behind...Beachy summer thing: no problem. Cold weather, good chance of wet clothes: different matter. So off we went in "The Hummer", actually a weeny '86 Suzuki 4WD. Husband, of course, had taken the Tarago with all the hordes of kids.

It's a picturesque drive through forest, farmland, mountain and river. This isn't  where I grew up, not even close,  but it's a really special, comfortable place. And now it's home.

We stopped for Linsey to move a turtle off the road. Unfortunately, it'd  died and maggots fell out of the shell. Poor Linsey - she did put it on the side of the road but had to wait 40km to the next town to wash her hands!

Oh, the reason us older females are at home: Linsey is working and needs to be picked up at 10.30pm. Not happy for her to walk home at that hour. No public transport here. Even then...

I've been resisting blogland, posting on my blog, op-shopping and all "time-wasting" activity this week. Mighty hard I'll admit..

However, these have been planted out.

The immensely exciting pic. from a previous post - of punnets of dirt - actually brought forth something! Lettuces and coriander. There are also tomatoes and capsicum, but, while the the air temp. has been enticingly warm, the soil temp. is still too cold for planting out those summer lovelies. Seeds of rocket, and some late sugar snap peas have also gone in. The californian poppies are up. The dog is doing a good job thinning them by trampling.

Until the wind of today this fabulous tree was alive. Humming with bees, a magical sound. I've never pruned this tree (it's 11 years old) beyond cutting off the bits that poke me in the eye when I walk past. It's astonishingly bountiful. It's a haven of shade in the hot weather. I adore this tree. Yeah, gush, gush. But  I do. The fruit is sensational fresh, dries succulently, makes great jam. Sorry, does not stew well. I am not a fan of stewed apricots so it isn't a big deal.

The other stupendously flowering tree - yeah, yeah too many faffy words, I know - is the Satsuma plum. Outside the twins' window. It hums right now too. I don't get so excited about this one. Terrific savoury plum sauce - best I've ever had. One of Stephanie Alexander's recipes. Her pickled plums are damned good too. If you like tart things (I do). Blood plums make a rather nice tart jam. I think these plums need plenty of sun to really sweeten up. This tree has a bit too much shade in the afternoon to achieve that. But, when you look out you window -

And when it's hot in summer, it's all leafy greenness, making the room a cool haven.

Oh yes, the Totem Tennis. This is it.

Sometimes known as Orbit Tennis. String on this one broke soon after (replacement will be string number three).

Op-Shop finds I will post tomorrow night. Linsey wants computer time now.

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