The Loveliness of Spring

Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons.  Not quite hot, not quite cold and certainly not boring. Our changeable weather here in Melbourne (famous for four seasons in one day) has been in overdrive.  We've had the most beautiful spring days with gentle warmth and bright blue skies and then a day later we have endured the most torrid of storms with flooding and unfortunately for some, damaged property.  I came into work this week to find that overnight the rain had flooded the gutters on our large factory roof and landed on the suspended office ceiling of plasterboard tiles.  As you can imagine the plaster absorbed the water until it couldn't and then it just collapsed onto the carpet below.  What a mess.  Since it was still raining  it was far too dangerous to send someone up there for repairs, so i watched the rain drops literally falling into the office.

But hey, its got to rain sometime right?  It would appear (from my observation and all your blogs) that everyone's gardens are flourishing, with weeds, grass, flowers and veggies.  The not so distant roar of lawnmowers has returned to disturb the quiet of weekend mornings and Tom's hay fever is constant.

   

While the current weather is changeable, we all know there is a long hot summer coming.  I was in Bunnings when i spotted one of these large extended garden umbrellas for $80 (normally hundreds).  I didn't quite believe it and neither did the sales person.  We both thought that someone must have put the wrong price label on it.  Turns out that the manufacturer decided to change the box it comes in from blue to green.  I quickly said that if he had another one, id take it and sure enough on the very top shelf was one more blue box.  I do think that my veggies are quite spoilt, don't you?   I haven't had them up since but come those 40 degree days in a few months, ill be all set.  I just need to set up a little table with some iced tea and put my feet in a bucket of cool water while i sympathise with the veggies about the hot weather we are having.

I don't like broad beans but I've grown them for the first time for Rob.  I'm pleased with the OOO's and ARGHH's i've been getting from him.  With memories of large grey thick skinned beans the size of boulders, I've been picking the pods just before cooking when they are only about 15cm long.  This meal was a salad of fresh asparagus and broad beans lightly steamed then tossed in a little garlic and butter and placed on a bed of lettuce.  I've served it with whiting oven baked in foil with lemon and pepper.   Nope, still didn't eat it!

There is nothing sweeter than a coleslaw from a just picked cabbage.

As you can see from the top picture, my lettuce bed is gloriously full of a variety of leaves to pick at any time.  I have no success with Ice-berg's or Cos but a sprinkle of mixed lettuce seeds in any available space means a constant supply for salads.

My garden futures include plenty of tomato plants.  Since i had such an abundance last year i got a bit lazy and just let them lay where they fell.  There are a gazillion baby tomato plants coming up in all the beds, even those that didn't have any.

This dark leaf spinach is fabulous on a pizza, on top of sauce and hidden beneath the other toppings.  I'm really finding that I'm having alot more success planting things all over the place.  Those who remember my first season would laugh. All those straight lines.  Trouble is remembering where i put things.  I had this terrific tomato the other day and kept one in my pocket until i could race outside and put it in the soil.  Now i cant remember where that was.  Oh Dear.  Thank goodness i only have 8 small beds.

Have you noticed that the supermarkets are getting savvy to all of us complaining about veggies being uniform and their food wastage.   There is a lot of money to be made from "greenies" who put their principles before their $$.  A new range of packaged veggies have appeared.  I really did have a laugh at this one.

On the front it says "A Bunch of Imperfect Potatoes, who don't have a chip on their shoulder, they just want to be mashed".    I noticed similar packaging on a bag of wonky carrots.  It appears that being slightly bent or a bit wobbly is the "In Thing".  I knew i only had to wait a while to become cool.

While I'm at the supermarket, there have been some great specials lately that have provided plenty of opportunity for stocking up the freezer with veg.   You have got to love asparagus season.  I cannot eat enough of fresh asparagus.  Its appearing in all our meals.

Sometimes i hear a little voice that says "why would you spend so much time and money trying to grow it yourself when you just have to wait for it to be in season and buy it cheap" - well it would be in season anyway if you were growing it DOH.  I answer that little voice  (sometimes its me, sometimes its my long suffering husband) that i know what the soil was like that it came out of, i know what was sprayed on it (nothing much), i know when it was picked and because .........  it feels really good to put a plate of food on the table that includes some of your own produce.  That's why!

Speaking of meals on the table, this was tonight's.  Yum Yum   Oh and a few for the freezer.

After splitting some breasts and giving them a good bash, I dusted them in flour, salt and cracked pepper. A quick dunk in an egg wash and then i crumbed them in panko (Japanese bread crumb) with added dried onion flakes, Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley (mine of course).  Shallow fried until golden in olive oil and butter and then place on paper towel to dry.   Now that's a real chicken schnitzel.

Our quest to "find" Doris (my MIL - see previous post here) continues and she has now been introduced to the game of  UNO.  No joke, she had never played.   I had a Monday off so joined my sister for a day at Doris's home. We laughed ourselves silly as usual and after a light lunch sat down for an afternoon of cards. I think she felt quite cheeky making me pick up 4 with a wild card several times.

"What, who me?"   That innocent face doesn't fool me.  I was the one holding all the cards.

There is no getting out of our Escape to the Lakes with Doris in Feb now.  I've booked and paid the deposit on a 5 bedroom home in Lakes Entrance.  Five!  That's right, I've invited a couple of others and there will now be 5 women in our 50's and one 82 years old, so she had better get ready to keep up!

http://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/vic/lakes-wilderness/lakes-entrance/71648

This pool and that table have my name written on it.  Oh, and Glenda's, Kerrie's, Helen's and DORIS!!! Seriously this is going to be a relaxing holiday with dips in the pool (private thank goodness),  books, great coffee and lots of laughter.  I cant wait!

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Bloomin' Marvellous

Nope this is not about a 1997 UK TV show set in Yorkshire (not another one please - is there anywhere else in England that can be used for a location) nor is it a gardening post, though i might include a few photos later.  This post is about feeling Bloomin' Marvellous.   I don't want to put a jinx on it but at the moment, everything is looking pretty good on the home front and i want to take the time to take a big breath in and savour a period when there are no major issues at play, Spring is in the air and life feels pretty damn good.   So if it all comes crashing down around my head tomorrow i can look back on this post and say "See, it hasn't all been bad!"

On the job front, we are both in full time employment in jobs that we love.  Now that is saying something as it hasn't always been so for poor Rob.   Its taken six years to find a place where his level of skill and experience is again recognised, where he is shown respect and where he can genuinely say he likes his fellow colleagues.   Its been a long long journey with many downs (the last job in particular) and not many ups but he has pulled through.   Lets just pray that his new employer (its a biggie) stays profitable and this job will see him through to retirement.

He looks happy doesn't he and that makes me happy!   You might notice he looks a little different as well. No moustache or beard.  Trimmed for food grade packaging plant.  It was either that or wear a beard net.

Rob was initially employed by the agency for 4 months probation (so they can make lots of money contracting him out) but the company has paid out the agency after only one month and he is now a salaried employee.  Last week, the agent called him and personally thanked him for doing such a great job as now other sites of the same company are using them.  Can there be no greater validation of his skills and in his belief in himself.   We would both like to truly rub a few ex-employers names in it but we are taking the higher ground.

This new job is quite a distance and so we seriously had to start thinking about our motor vehicles and running costs.   Robs Falcon XR6 is 13 years old and my Fairmont 5.4L V8 is 12 years old.  Both in need of ongoing repairs (expensive in my case) and not very fuel efficient (OK again in my case). Lucky us, Rob was gifted an amount specifically for this purpose and so he was able to buy a new Mitsubishi ASX which is a lovely blue 4 cylinder SUV.  Just perfect for the job at hand.  Yes, i know, that gift would have gone a long way on the mortgage but that's was not its purpose.  It has made him very happy and able to put up with the long commute (he doesn't like driving).

Which brings me to my dilemma.  I know I'm not supposed to love a car but i do.  I love the leather (sorry veggo's), I love the sliding roof, I love that if i want to get somewhere in OH say a few seconds, i can just gun it and "poof" I'm there, like magic.  I know I'm supposed to think green thoughts.  I know that a tiny little eanie weannie 4 cylinder would get me to work and back BUT A. it wouldn't make me happy (sorry Gav) and B. we wouldn't FIT IN IT, which i guess is a pretty BIG (excuse the pun) reason to buy a family sized car.

Why do i feel like im having an affair?  Its one year old and has 6500 km on the clock so it practically new and was $10,000 under its new price.  Bargain.

My emotions from selling the V8  have been soothed by a very gleaming Falcon G6 Sports.   Its a 6 cylinder and so far its proving to be very fuel efficient using normal unleaded rather than the premium I've been buying for the last 7 years.  Both cars now have 5 years warranty and fixed priced servicing and so Rob's days of spending weekends under a car are over.  Did, i say that?  There is always the stereo mods you know he's going to do.   So did i sell my soul.  Nope, having paid cash for the ASX i financed this one and after much discussion and bargaining i got them down to 6% which is almost home loan rates.  I can also pay extra and reduce my term which suits as i pay all my bills weekly.  I think we have set ourselves up for the next decade with regards to having good reliable vehicles and me thinks i had better stop trying to justify it to you and just enjoy.

Since everyone's posts are full of spring flowers, i will add my very small collection of garden snaps from last weekend.  I promised last spring that i would start planting more flowers.

The bees are certainly appreciating my efforts.

On the veggie front i continue to pick buckets of snow peas each week with no end in sight.  The broad beans seem to be doing their thing as are the cabbages and brussel sprouts.

I've put in lettuce, a couple of early cropping tomatoes and quite a few seedlings which i will call "bird fodder".   They were there one day and not the next.  Last weekend my sister and I refurbished one of the raised beds, first filling it with leaf mulch before adding lots of nitrogen and soil.  I'll let it rest a few weeks before popping something in, with a net over the top.

I had a blocked pipe on my worm farm and once unblocked i collected rather a lot of worm pee for use in my garden, my neighbours garden and my friend Ella's garden and still, i have more.   I was told they would take my "shit" anytime.

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Hello and Welcome Spring

Its funny how a date on the calendar can make you feel so much better.  God turned on the most beautiful spring day on the first day of September, and it was like drinking in a long tonic of sunshine.   There were people out and about walking or just standing, looking up into the gentle sun, smiling.

Of course in Melbourne Springs means one of two things for the vast majority of Melbournites.  Its either finals season for AFL (footy) or its Spring Racing Carnival time.  So you are either going to be getting dressed up in your footy clubs clobber from head to toe with painted face and coloured hair downing meat pies and beer in the company of 80 to 100 thousand screaming fans or you are going to be visiting a milliner for your race day hats and designers for your racing wardrobe whilst sipping champagne.  I of course, will be doing neither of these activities.  I will be spending time in my garden communing with worms and playing with poo, having great chats with the veggies and giving them lots of encouragement.

A garden is a dance between Mother Nature and the Gardener.  

See, this is me dancing in the garden!   Honest.  

Our dance at the moment is more like a military tattoo though in a month or so I'm sure we'll be doing an elegant waltz together.

Of course today, 2nd of September,  its raining and that's OK too because winter hasn't been exactly wet. Cold, freezing even but not wet. I am, however, talking about my side of Melbourne, the West.  My sister lives in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne near the Dandenong Mountains and she complains that it never stops raining. We often have different weather. This is due to the effect of the warm waters of Port Phillip Bay meeting the cooler waters of the southern ocean and the prevailing easterly winds causing the rain to move to the East towards the mountains.

I'm near Werribee in the West and Glenda is up near the Dandenong ranges.

FYI for my overseas readers

Now that you have all enjoyed a lesson in geography and meteorology, on to more interesting things.  I, of course, am feeling much better since my last post and i thank my loyal readers for their kind comments.  You do know that was the aim, don't you?  To elicit as much global sympathy as possible. It worked. I feel restored.

OK, sound the trumpet, bang the kettle drums ^Boom _Boom ^Boom _Boom ^Boom , Mum has moved into her new home in Narrandera and seems to be settled in and very relieved.  At 85, it seems though her heart is willing to take on another house her body and emotions have taken a toll. Time for a rest.
Its been a big, long-winded adventure for an her.  First selling her home in the next town, packing, saying goodbye to many memories and then moving back to Narrandera, which we all think of as home.

Huge kudos for the many members of my family that worked tirelessly for a weeks and over the last weekend. When Mum told me she was concerned about how much effort it was taking i simply reminded her that this is why you had six children.  This is payback for all the stretch-marks and hernias, the million meals she cooked, the clothes she made and all the great advice she has given.  Laryn, I'm sure, would rather forget the frying pan to the back of the head many years ago when he was being cheeky but there he was cleaning out the kitchen cupboards with his grandma keeping a close eye on the pot drawer.

I am looking forward to making a trip home to see everyone.  I'm not going to plan it.  I'm just going to go so that the planets do not have time to align under the title of "holiday" and there is no chance of things going wrong.

Back on the home front (are you confused now, where is home) here in Melb we are going about our working lives.  Rob in his new job on the other side of the city.  He's not enjoying the extra driving but he is enjoying the work environment and his colleagues.  Change is difficult but worth it sometimes.  On weekends he's been working on fixing his car.  I've told you before he can turn his hand to anything.  This time he's been a panel beater and spray painter of his XR6's front bumper bar which was badly damaged by many run-ins with gutters and it was practically falling off making it undrivable.

All the supports had to be bent back to normal and the bumper itself heated with a heat gun and remoulded till it was back into shape.  Many many hours of sanding, painting, sanding, painting, sanding, painting (get the picture - he's a perfectionist) and its now back on the car.  This has been done over several weekends and i lent him my car for the duration as he has so far to travel.  Lucky Tom has a car too, so i borrowed it for work.  Rob's happy to have the life support for his sound system back on the road and i will be happy not to have a bumper bar on my dining table for weeks, drying inside because it was too cold in the garage for the paint to dry.

Since I'm putting tickets on Rob at the moment, he also fixed his Samsung Note.  He left it on the top of his work ute several months ago and later received a call from someone who had picked it up off the road, taken it home, removed the Sim and located him.  It was very very crushed.  As you will know, a Samsung Note is an expensive phone and when you are locked into a phone plan you pay whether it is working or not and in this case, for almost another year.  What to do?   Fix it of course.  He took all the parts he got back and through the magic of You Tube he taught himself what to do and what parts to order via EBay.

Even the battery was bent.    Total cost of repair $250 for all parts.  

Rob's head will be getting too big with all my praise and so i tell you that i dragged out my 20 year old sewing machine to take Rob's new work pants up when he had asked me to take them to the tailor.  It's been ages since I've sewn but took immense pleasure in doing a neat job.  It only took an hour and by the time he was home that day two pairs of work pants were shortened, hemmed, washed, pressed and ready to wear the next day.  Cost - $NIL

My friend tells me that blogging is one big brag. I guess she is right.   I didn't put in a winter garden but i do have some amazing snow peas on the go.  With being away and being ill i missed going outside for two weeks.  When i went out this weekend the snow peas were everywhere.

Snow Peas galore!  We've had them in slightly cooked in multiple meals (2 min in microwave with dash of water) , as fresh snacks in lunch boxes and I've given a bag away.   The more you pick the more they crop so I'll be back out there again this weekend.  

One last brag.  Do i not have the cutest dog?  You know those embarrassing photos you take of your kids and threaten to expose when they are 21.  Well i think I'm safe so here they are.

You know that she sleeps with me but did you know that she sleeps upside down on her back between us. She is so so cute and the skin on her tummy is so warm and pink.  She has both her undercoat and top coat so she is super fluffy.

I haven't forgotten Tom, my fingers are crossed for next weeks driving test.  He's completed his PC based Hazard Perception Test and now its just the actual Drive Test to go.  I think his life will change so much when he is independent and can drive himself.

Tootle Peep till next time.

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Brrr..... Its a Cold but Beautiful Winter's Day

Are you sick of reading how cold it is in Oz yet.   Well let me tell you again, its bloody cold.  (Note to all OS readers, "Bloody" is not swearing in Oz)  What else would you expect people, its the middle of winter!  My friend Jessie in Ballan (40 minutes away) told me it was -6.4C so really, what am i complaining about.  I'm thinking that we will all need to acclimatize to these extreme temps and be more prepared.  I could, for example, actually buy a coat.  Not a ski puffy one that would make someone want to grab me and shove me on a pole outside a tyre place

Jeepers, the resemblance is uncanny!!!   (Gulp)

but a nice woollen one that is stylish and warm.  Problem? I hate shopping!  So i just layer up with whatever i can find on cold days with no regard to style or fashion.  Its not like we have a lot of days like these and well those coats cost a pretty penny.   I leave a warm house, get into a warm car (when its de-iced), enter a warm office and do the same in reverse for 5 out of 7 days so i don't want to spend a fortune on that sometimes only item.

My little seedlings are snug and warm inside the drink bottle homes in the garden.  More importantly they are also safe from opportunistic birds that eat anything green that i plant.  I have noted that nothing has touched the broad bean plants, and i cant say i blame them.  The things i grow for my husband!

So you would think that my sister (sleeping over) and i would stay inside, all snug and warm and watch movies or play Soduko and Solitaire on Sunday.  Well you are wrong.  I grabbed my big sis and we went for a drive, yet again down to the Bellarine Peninsular.  I'd found yet another person who has bypassed this little corner just under Geelong on their way to The Great Ocean Road.  They really need to do some PR work. I seem to be doing it for them.   Since i was only there a few weeks ago you can see a map on my last post here which featured Port Arlington.  Yesterday, after visiting the same bakery for bacon and egg brunch, we went further along the bay to Port Lonsdale.

The pier directly faces The Rip, where the mouth of the bay meets Bass Straight and its great to sit on the bench and watch waves from every direction crashing like a big washing machine.

Though there have been  navigational aids on this spot since 1852, this lighthouse first operated in 1902 and continues to be manned 24 hours a day (one of the last in Australia) even though it was automated in 1999. The Rip is the only entrance to Port Philip Bay and is one of the ten most treacherous navigable passages in the world.

OK, history lesson over.   Isn't it beautiful.  Though it was still chilly, there was a lovely warmth when you stood in the winter sun.  There were people both board surfing and in the distance kite surfing as well as plenty of people fishing.

We dropped off at a Farmers Market on the way home and bought some very cheap Pink Lady apples and then visited my friend Ella in Lara before making our way home.  On Saturday night (i always like to spoil Glenda) i cooked a Roast Lamb meal with lots of baked veggies.  I must say my gravy was just it and a bit. You know how sometimes all the planets align and its just perfect.  Finger and plate lickin good.   So on arriving home Sunday i made lamb fritters with chopped lamb, finely chopped onion, sun dried tomatoes, crumbled feta and herbed batter made with SR Flour.  Yum.  This is dry fried in a non stick pan.

Tonight the left over roasted vegetables turned into a Egg, Bacon and Veggie Pie.  

Line a greased pie dish with puff pastry followed by a layer of bacon, a layer baked potato, carrots, and sweet potato with green beans.  Then crack about 6 eggs on top and let it run between all the veggies.  I break the yolk.  Add another layer of bacon and then using all the scraps from around the edges do something decorative on top.  Bake at 180 for 40 minutes.   Its going to be a yummy lunch tomorrow.   Since i was away, Tom missed out on his weekly sausage rolls so i was booked to make them tonight.

Pinwheel Sausage Rolls - Frozen Sheet of Puff, spread with Beef Sausage Mince, Tomato Paste, Salami, Sprinkle of Cheese.  When slightly defrosted roll up tight and slice.  Bake on oven tray about 20 min. in hot oven.

These are the last of my summer tomatoes that have ripened in the kitchen.  I have lots of little seedlings coming up and i keep telling them, NOT YET!!!

In case you didn't know, I've lost my mind.  Actually make that my head, my hand and my foot.

Slight accident has left me feeling a little disjointed.  Hopefully i can pull myself back together soon.

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Winter Arrives in Oz - Brrrrrrr

This picture was taken by my boss, Paul, up at Mt Macedon on Thursday, picking Elly up from school.  Got to love that hat/scarf.   I think it looks so beautiful.  So i fired one back at him from our office in West Footscray which he had left 40 min before.

Winter certainly arrived on time with the calendar date of 1st of June.  It has been the coldest run of below average temperatures for decades.  Brrrrrr   I don't think any of us were expecting it to be quite so cold. Waking to near freezing temps and maxing out at 12C by mid afternoon.   Leaving my office with a heater under the desk and going out into the factory has been like a walking into an icebox and the boys are all wearing beanies and fleecy jumpers while working.   I think Jon doing the powdercoating has the best job in winter.  He has ovens to warm himself up on though he wouldn't agree in summer when its 40+C out there.

Speaking of arrivals, there was a huge one this week.  Well maybe he wasn't so huge but the combined expectation of so many people waiting for him to arrive has put some mighty big pressure on this little guy to be at his cutest.  This week our beloved Kirsten and Jaxon produced a little baby boy by the name of Cooper McIntyre Durham.

  
Despite being a little late, all went well and Mum and bub doing well.

So my sister now has 3 grandchildren to cuddle and love.  Busy family this one.  Three weddings last year and now two more babies to join their cousin Banjo.  Facebook has gone made this week with well wishes and photos.  Its times like these i miss being at home.  I might have to plan a sneaky trip soon.

Other family news this week sees Mum's house finally being pro-actively marketed by a new agent from Griffith.  I think they scared the beejeebers out of her when they started talking about clearing out furniture, presenting the house, open days etc but she has been most impressed by the busy activity.  At 85 the decluttering process to get a house presented for sale was just a bit too daunting but with the help of family bulky furniture was removed and boxes and boxes of a lifetime of accumulated things found there way into storage.  You can view the You Tube presentation here.

Mums House - Leeton NSW 

As someone who watches a lot of real estate programs on buying and selling, i think they have done a great job with what they had.  The wallpaper definitely needs to go but i think you can see that the house has great bones and with the addition of a two bedroom unit for income, its a bargain at $250-280K.   Typically, Mum has already viewed and decided on her next house which will be in Narrandera, 30 min away and closer to Church and family.  After being disappointed in the couple of houses she was interested in she asked the agent if there were any others.  She walked in the door of one and turned to the agent and said "this is my house".   The owners have agreed to hold it until Mum's auction in July so we all have our fingers crossed.   She called me up and exclaimed "I've bought a house before selling the other one".  So excited.  She sounded like she had lost 20 years.  My sister Glenda has gone home this weekend to make sure she is out of the house for the first open day.  She has been upset by previous viewers walking around making negative comments in front of her. It needs updating but that is reflected in the price.  I sent flowers for the dining table to make it more homey.

With the temperatures being so low, i finally pulled down the last of the tomato vines.  Really!

I think tomorrow will be the last breakfast of tomatoes on toast using my own.  Lots and lots of green tomatoes to make into pickles.

 
The peas are looking very healthy but i doubt that the peppers will ripen, though you never know with that wall behind them.

I was watching River Cottage Australia Season 2 the other day and they made champagne out of Lilli Pilli fruit (known as Riberry).  Hang On, i have two of those outside my front door.  Given, they are not the 10 mtr high trees that were shown but......

I must have pruned the one on the right at exactly the right time as the other one on left has no fruit at all.   This one is loaded and my footpath is turning a shade of purple.  I never thought of eating them but they said that they tasted like a strawberry apple and you know what, they do.  Slight after taste but i image you could do something with them.  The birds will like them anyway.   Check out some recipes on this Australian bushfoods site.

I've added a few more plants to the fernery side of the house.  Its a jungle out there....

Its been a Bla week this week for me physically.  This blood phobia thing has got to go.  I've passed out twice this week and the resulting illness lasts almost a day.   Saturday night i saw something yucky on TV and Monday morning i cut my finger on a broken plate in dishwasher.  I had actually taken the day off to go on a day trip with Rob on his RDO.  Wasted day.  My boss says its much safer at work and i shouldn't have time off.  How stupid it feels but i cannot control this at all.   It doesn't make sense that i can work with meat and have no trouble but with people, i only have to talk about it.  Its happened several time this year already. Who can forget (I cant) passing out at a First Aid Course.  How embarrassing.  I think i am more afraid of being unconscious and then clammy illness afterwards.  I feel so vulnerable.  

 I'm investigating hypnotherapy.  Has anyone had this done?  It really is debilitating not knowing what your body is going to do.

Add to this a finger that got squashed while moving a freezer resulting in a black nail and black finger (ouch) and then on Friday i had a "thing" chopped off the top of my head at a skin clinic to send away.  I took Tom with me to drive and to care for me in case i, you guessed it, passed out. Its not funny!

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