Over the past few days our time has been spent in a steady, slow stream of work here in our home. Meals have been cooked, cleaning done, drinks made, morning teas enjoyed and the vegetable garden work has been finished. I've also been reading Gay Bilson's magnificent Plenty, Digressions on Food. It's such a good book and as I read it I realise I'd love to sit down and have a good talk with this talented cook and writer. She, like me, is a bit of a recluse now so I doubt our paths will cross any time soon.
Meanwhile, out in the backyard, I reconfigured the back verandah to move the table and chairs back into the shade. The garden is now fertilised, watered and mulched. We've netted our thriving blueberry bushes to save the coming crop from local birds who actively look for berries. Tomatoes and some herbs have been removed and with the onset of warmer weather, it looks like we were just in time. Now all we need is rain. The tanks are almost empty.
I thought it would be a nice change to show photos instead of write about what we've been doing. So here are a bunch of photos, taken over the past week, that show a small part of what we do here on a regular basis.
Jamie was here yesterday and we made brownies for his dad for Father's Day. These were just about to go into the oven.
I hand-washed the cake pan and my compost bucket. I bought both these from one of my favourite shops - Odgers and McClelland Exchange Store in Nundle. Check out the link, I'm sure you'll be delighted.
Herbs picked and sitting in water awaiting lunch prep.
Ginger was harvested ...
... and made into another batch of ginger beer.
A few days ago I made up some donut dough so I could have a batch of small frozen Berliners ready for cooking in the freezer. Hanno loves these.
I freeze them on trays then package them, four at a time, in freezer bags.
We're still eating seasonal strawberries from the local farm.
A recent avocado, cucumber and tomato salad. I use my flavoured vinegar as a dressing.
Yesterday's lunch would have been a familiar sight on many 1950s kitchen tables. Cold pickled pork, mashed potato with herbs, fried cabbage, sliced home grown tomatoes and pickles. It was delicious.
This is where we have morning tea. I moved the table and chairs back a bit so they're out of the sun now. Soon we'll move to the front verandah for our tea as it's much cooler there during summer.
And outside, Grace was on duty watching the rain forest for a bush turkey that comes in every day.
A bale of mulch ready to be laid on the gardens.
Tomatoes harvested with cayenne peppers and banana pepper seedlings. All have been planted now.
The garden working bee in full swing.
Some of these herbs have been thinned out to make room for the peppers.
And those of you who are following the saga of the Cecile Brunner rose, here it is yesterday with many new shoots. If we get a bit of rain, I think it will be a bumper year for these tiny roses. The small bush at the front is a salvia.
