Treasures, Travelling and 'Toys'!

We were about to leave, a week ago, to collect some woodworking machinery when I checked the cranky nesting Silver Lace Wyandotte. There were peeps coming from the nesting box but I had to wait until the next day to take these.

3 out of 6 hatched, however, I suspect the eggs from some of the other hens either weren't fertile, or were jiggled around, as all 6 hens insist on using the same nesting container and there's a discrepancy with whose turn it is next. 3 is enough for a cold weather hatch though as no one will be left in the cold and it won't be too stressful for a first time hen :). Mrs Wyandotte was nameless but from now on she's called Mumma, as none of the other hens go broody.

Our trip that day was rainy and cold and we collected two machines from 350km away. PC is pleased with the price he paid and is always glad to have me travel with him, especially when the drive is boring because of rain, as it's easy to become weary just driving along a highway. I have neglected to take photos of the bandsaw and the lathe but there will be some in the future when they are used.

After a day at home we were off again, on Sunday, travelling the same route but the weather was lovely apart from some fog early in the day.

20 mins from home

2.5hrs from home

15 mins from destination and these tunnels give me the heebie jeebies!

The drive home was pleasant.....

My favourite roadside resting stop.

....except the old truck decided to have a fuel problem and we had to have quite a few stops, and nurse it to the closest town to home, and we overnighted there. Temperamental old thing was fine in the morning but PC will have to service the diesel fuel lines.

Another lovely day for the remainder of the trip home so I took a few pictures to pass the time.

The first two pics are taken 30 minutes from home.

 This one is 15 minutes from home...

and as you follow the turn in the tarmac road we are 5 mins away and on the edge of the village.

This is the reason for the trip and PC already has plans for some items he'd like to make for the workshop and the house. He couldn't wait to unload it, clean the old sawdust off it, and ensure it ran well!

Lol, boys and their toys! I'm sure I can suggest a few jobs for him to use them for, in the future, when he has completed his immediate plans :P.

Cheers,

RobynLouise XO

Preserving and Bulk Buying

We've been busy stocking up lately.
We were gifted a couple of kilos of tomatoes recently so I found a nice, easy recipe and made some tomato relish in the slow cooker. The recipe, and my alterations, on the recipes page. I'll be giving a jar to the donor of the tomatoes as a thank you.

I have a habit of skimming through the local Facebook buy, swap and sell page and discovered some wheat and barley at around half the price we usually pay for it, but, it was in the bulk buy form of a 200 litre, or 44 gallon drum, purchase for each type. After discussion we decided that it was worth it, as 2 drums of each will last us at least 6 months, and there is already a mouse plague on it's way over from the west so prices could rise. The sealable metal drums will protect the grain and we can refill them from the same supplier each time. Good for us and good for a local farmer who sells direct from his farm :).

Shifting the heavy drums from the trailer, after we had them home, was a bit of a challenge and meant some interesting manoeuvering to avoid back strains at one time.

With the forklift, and some blocks for support at strategic moments, the drums were set up under cover until the contents are required.

So now the chickens and herbivores have their pantry filled until Spring!

Cheers,

Robyn Louise XO

Autumn Activities

The last couple of weeks have been a mix of relaxation, warming winter food and either planting cold season crops or feeding and mulching areas for the Winter so they will be ready for planting in Spring.

Sunday 23 April we met with my daughter, her partner and her friend at Iandra Castle, Greenethorpe - which is about 45 minutes from home - for an open day and took our picnic lunch. A fitting place for PC and I to go :). The property has a few open days a year and we will probably attend the next few to see the changes in the season in the gardens.
Here are some outdoor views and the sale sign when the property was subdivided in 1916. The property was huge and I want to locate the history as the owner was revered by the locals due to the services etc he implemented for the area.

 

 It would take too long to decide which of the inside views to post as there were so many interesting things, so, if you ever visit Young, NSW,  Australia then type this into your computer search engine -http://www.iandracastle.com.au/open-days -  and reserve a whole day to look at it. It's definitely worth it!

Mmmmm...... A couple of Winter warmer recipes I've recently discovered online. Both meet the approval of PC....I'm having a run of success there!

The one above is Teriyaki Chicken and the one below is Chick Pea and Vegetable Curry.
Both can be frozen and reheated but the curry goes a tad mushy due to the vegetable content.

There's been some more rain this week. Only a few millimetres but the seedlings virtually jumped out of their trays. PC dug out the old grape vine and softened the soil for the pea seedlings to go along the east fence in the next few days. I've been researching and I can grow a fig tree in the conditions here, so when the stump of the other tree is removed, it will be replaced with a brown turkey as that is what I have had success with before in extreme summer heat and frosty Winters.

Right -This is a close up of the white patches in the above garden. We had our first frost today! No wonder I felt half frozen when I climbed out of bed this morning...brrrr.

The moss on the rocks appreciates the recent moisture as well. I thought frost may hamper it's growth but it seems to thrive on it.



I'm looking forward to much observation and note taking during my first Winter here :).

Cheers,
RobynLouise XO