Hello! Remember me? This cup of coffee is helping me get back into blog writing again; I've missed it. I think I'm ready to get back to the routine of writing about what I'm doing day-by-day and having my phone in my apron pocket so I can take photos when the opportunity arises. I feel it's an important part of my life now. I need to stay connected to you because most days I'm alone. I still have family and close friends drop by and today I have Shane, Alex and Eve here. Shane is taking a few loads of things I no longer need to the recycle shop and dump. I'll keep an eye on the kids and provide sandwiches, fruit and drinks as needed. Today's drink is freshly squeezed orange juice from a tree in the backyard. What a delicious lifesaver that tree has been over the years.
This is one of the lemon trees in the backyard this morning. I've given buckets of lemons away but as you can see, there are still a lot to be enjoyed. Soon I'll squeeze juice to freeze for summer cordials. Summer without homemade lemon cordial doesn't make sense to me.
These strawberries weren't grown in my garden but they're local. I live in an area surrounded by strawberry and pineapple farms so we always take advantage of the local produce when it's in season. It's always fresher and cheaper. It's an excellent way to help growers too. Every time I buy local it strengthens my community.
I changed my mind about keeping the vegetable garden. It makes mowing the lawn quite difficult, and we have three-quarters of an acre, so I decided to grow what I want to grow in tubs and pots. Shane removed the garden edging and I'm waiting for the grass to overtake the space again. This is my first crop of tub-grown rainbow chard. I love this vegetable and it's very easy to preserve in the freezer so it's an easy choice for my first crop. I've kept the herb garden too. I use a lot of herbs and it makes sense to me to grow and use them fresh instead of paying an arm and a leg for wilting herbs at the supermarket. Soon I'll be writing about what can be easily grown in pots and tubs and how to produce top quality herbs and vegetables in small spaces.
I've not got big loads of washing now. These towels are the result of family staying here but usually I have two towels, four dishcloths, numerous rags and bed linen to wash each week as well as my clothes. I still use my three ingredient homemade laundry liquid and it's still keeping everything clean without the use of nasty additives. It makes me shudder to look at the ingredient panel on bottles of laundry liquid and many of the other cleaners sold now. Please be careful when you choose because most of the items we wash are in contact with our skin when they're used.
I'm still happily working away in my kitchen. I cook lunch from scratch for myself every day and although I'm no longer cooking the meals Hanno loved, I've moved over to the foods I grew up eating. These include casseroles, soups, roast chicken, lamb chops, meat balls with pasta, curry and fish, although they will change with the seasons. I usually make enough for two or four meals so I don't have to cook every day and I have a nice stash of meals in the freezer when I don't feel like cooking. I can write about that in the future if you're interested.
I no longer make my daily bread but I'm still making pizza bases and scones. I'm looking for the bread I'll stay with. Currently I'm trying oat bread which is okay but not something I want to eat every day. I think I'll end up with the local bakery's ancient grains bread. It stays fresh for a few days, it's tastes good after it's been frozen and there are no preservatives or other additives.
I'm keeping my bread in the bread bag I made a couple of years ago. You can read about it here.
Thank you for the support you've given me and my family over the past few months. I did everything I promised Hanno I would do after he died and now I have to look after myself and carry on. I'm excited about what might be ahead.
I'll be back in a few days. Enjoy your time at home and let me know what you're doing there. 😊
