Home Front

Nice as travelling is, it’s fab to get home to normal! Long time without Jeff, so especially happy to be hanging out with him again!

And your own bed!! Bliss!

It’s pretty cool/cold here too so I am really enjoying our fire.

There are a few things lingering in the garden. Forgot there were passionfruit!!

Jeff has been picking and freezing tomatoes. I picked a heap but looks like the frost might have done them in now!

I got around to chopping and cooking all the non freezer ones today!

We got out for a hike…

The weather that day was stunning!

That hike probably removed two donuts off my hips…so many more to go!

I didn’t do too badly for my first time out… I did return to Australia with a pain in the butt cold that I can’t shake… so I’ve tired out at days end pretty much.

So the next day I planned to take it easy.

Ok… I might have gotten side tracked from slothing by this garden bed.

The borage and twitch were rampant!

I dug up the surviving strawberries and lined the bed with cardboard followed by straw.

I’ll add some soil and compost soonish and replant strawberries. One plot down… too many to go!

Warm mash for chooks!

Yesterday I rested even further by going over to the hub and doing a soap demo for Neighbours Day. They’d gotten a grant and put on morning and afternoon tea along with a winter gardening presentation…

And me!

It was relaxed and fun… I’d made two demo soaps so people could come up and have a go at cutting.

A Lovely Anjou Pear and lemon zest loaf.

And the following black raspberry and vanilla soap… I honestly thought I’d muffed it up as the mix was thin when I poured it. I thought the colours were going to blend.

I am going to admit to a bit of a happy dance in front of everyone when I saw the design!!! I love it!

For the actual demo I used both lavender and peppermint essential oil and did the usual design in the slab mould.

So! Today! Sunday…. and happy Mum’s Day to all those awesome Mum’s out there!!

A perfect day to relax… apart from the tomatoes…

However… Jeff was doing outside stuff so I changed out of my PJs and went to help move wood and make sense of the bbq area woodbox.

And get kindling

Then? I thought doing some leaf mold compost was a good idea too.

A pretty rough and ready set-up…

I should be able to fill it a lot more too…

Now I am resting on the couch in front of the fire but am going to get up in a minute and see if I can find some Vicks to do an inhalation because my Mum is being all bossy about it and it would be nice to report in tomorrow and say I have been a dutiful daughter and have followed her advice!!! Haha

Hope everyone is doing well!

Last pic… cute little house vases… the water is drawn from the dish as the houses have a hole all the way through for the stems!

Xx