He’s the Hunter… I’m the gatherer… Although at times I will hunt right alongside him..

 So what have I been up to the last year you may ask? Well besides doing the invoicing and bookkeeping for my husband’s business I’ve also been getting my edible garden up and running that’s what. Add joining in on an occasional fishing expedition thrown in with my fella to my list of activities and that about sums it up. There seems to be a running theme here between the two of us all our leisure time is spent catching or growing stuff to eat.  Let’s face it gardening requires time and effort and ornamental plants are exactly that…ornamental so why bother I say.  They look nice and all but other being something pretty to look at they have no other use… Not un-like models in that sense. :P  I personally like plants the reward you for your efforts and growing fruit, veggies, herbs and spices, certainly does that.  Where to start…  Sings: Let’s start at the very beginning; it’s a very good place to staaaaart-tah!’ Uuum okay maybe I should stop referencing songs from ‘The sound of music’. But the beginning is definitely the place to start. Reading and research - I spent many an hour reading up about all the varieties of edibles available. Carefully working out what plant types that would, fingers crossed both suit our Gippsland climate and also be something that we would really enjoy eating.  After all fruit trees are an investment of both money and time.  What could be worse that patiently tending a fruit tree for years only to discover on partaking of your first harvest that the tastes was just well, ‘Meh’.. or even worse ‘Blaaah’..  Yep those are the technical terms for it. I also became a member of the ‘The Diggers Club’ http://www.diggers.com.au/ It’s a gardening club that I had always thought about joining but was waiting until we lived in a place that allowed me the space I needed for growing food. Their philosophy is in line with mine. That is preserving and using non-GMO heirloom seeds and plants and growing real food with real flavor. I wanted to get my fruit trees planted as soon as possible because they can (depending on the variety and also depending on whether or not they are grown from seed or grafted) take a few years to get a harvest, so the sooner you plant them the sooner you’ll get a crop.  Only logical right? So in first 12 - 18 months this is what I have planted… (Some trees/plants in the ground and some dwarfed trees in large containers to make maximum use of what space I have)

My first garlic harvest.. pulled up only yesterday.

Lemon - Meyor

Lemon - Lisbon

Lime - Finger

Lime - Makrut

Lime - West Indian (Key)

Avocado - Wurtz

Avocado - Bacon

Imperial Mandarin (x2)

Persimmon - Ichikikei Jiro

Bay Tree

Tangelo - Minneola

Mulberry - Red Shahtoot

Mulberry -Red Shahtoot

Apple - Sundowner (AKA Cripps Red  )

Apple - Winter Trenorden

Cherry - Stella

Parsley

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Garlic

Mint

Strawberry – Hokowase

Strawberry - Cambridge Rival

Lemongrass

Curry Leaf tree

Unexpected apples on my tiny tree.

Japanese Pepper - Sichuan

Spanish Liquorice

Wasabi

Galangal

Turmeric

Chillies (a plant that my Dad gave me so not sure what variety it is)

White Sapote

Olive - Manzanillo

Pomegranate -Rosavaya

Mulberry- Dwarf Black

Pomegranate - Ben Hur
Saffron

And now I’ve finished getting my raised veggie beds set up and my Spring/Summer seasonal vegies seedlings and seeds gave gone in and are showing signs of growth.  I’ve planted…

My raised beds..

Tomatoes

Snow peas

Capsicums

Eggplant

Basil

Carrots

Beetroot

Lettuce

Spaghetti squash

Cucumber

Spring onions

Stevia

Watermelon

Cantaloupe

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a decent crop. I must admit fruit tree collecting has become quite an obsession, just when think I’ve planted all the fruit varieties that I could possibly want, I stumble upon another variety that makes me think ‘oooh that looks delicious, I wouldn’t my trying to grow that!”  But then I must say there are worse things to be addicted to that growing organic healthy food…Am I right? Phyllis Theroux once said ‘I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation’, and I couldn’t agree more.  I hope I never lose the sense of awe I feel when I see the first few leaves pushing its way through the soil and also the sense of satisfaction that I had a part to play in making it happen in my backyard.  I’m also hoping that we’ll be in are in a better place financially next year and that a greenhouse for my yard might be on the on the shopping list. This will allow me to get a head start growing seedlings and also give my more cold intolerant plants a safe haven during the frosty winter and also allowing me to grow tomatoes in containers out of season. I'm even hoping to be able to grow a dwarf mango in a container there. A fruit that would be impossible to grow in our climate otherwise.  So for now I’ll sit outside at least once a day sipping a hot cuppa,  watching my fruit trees and veggies swaying the breeze and dream about the bounty that will one day be….

My Tight-ass Tuesdays tip… or Saturdays as is the case today..

Forgive me friends, It has been a long time since my last confession… No, I mean blog entry. Here’s little a money/resource saving thing that I have always done but I figured  maybe I should share it with my virtual friends and neighbours. Bottle Labels.. yep there is no need to purchase a fancy labelling doohickey when one can simply re-use labels printed on the packaging that item comes in.  Here’s what I do… 

(Keep in mind these images where taken in my mobile phone so the quality is not fantastic..kk)

What ya need... your container of choice, scissors, the original packaging you bought the item in,  and some sticky tape.

Cut off the product name and I also like to cut off the expiry date so I have a record the best before date.

Place a piece of sticky tape over the top of your cuttings making sure its  overlaps on all sides.

Stick completed label to your container...

 

And  Badabing Badaboom your done!.

 

Not 'rocket-surgery' or' brain-science' I know, but what is an obvious solution to a problem to one person isn't always obvious to another so why not share eh..

Ever get that sinking feeling?

Well it’s been a while since my last blog entry and a lot has happened since then for sure.  We settled on the house on the 7^th July and have finally moved in 3 ½ weeks later.  We had a bit of a heart stopper an hour before settlement. While driving towards the soon to be ours country home we get a phone call from our solicitor to say that they where just notified that some builders works that where carried out on the home 9 years ago never received final approval and that as the new owners we could be liable for anything a that need to be done in order to rectify this. Now of course the worst cast scenario crosses my mind.  If there where serious building violations we could be forced to demolish the entire back end of the house and rebuild. So our happy and excited drive out to pick up the keys turned into a stress filled journey. I sat there dumbfounded while my husband made frantic phone calls and uttered four letter expletives to the world.

As per procedure a solicitor searches for any new building work that may have been carried out in the past 7 years and checks that all inspections where completed, so as this issue was 9 years old it did not turn up in the search.  After finally getting hold of the building inspector we find out that there where a couple of issues in the framework initially along with a few other minor things and that a final inspection was never completed to make sure these problems had been fixed.  We also found out the reason for these issues was that the previous house owners had hired a builder that was for want of a better word a dodgy. They had applied for an owner builder’s license and hired this guy to do most of the work.  Turns out he was an alcoholic and tried to take a few short cuts in his work.  One being that fact that he should have levelled the existing part of the house first before building the extension. Instead he just built the extension level with the back sunken part of the house. So we have a dip in the floor between original section of the house and the extension. But in the end when you buy a house that’s over 100 years old you gotta expect some problems. Anyway it turns out most of the issues where minor. The only thing we are still waiting on is a stat dec. from the previous owners to say that the frame issues were rectified.  We are hoping this will be done soon..

Since then we’ve ripped out the old carpets, had the any damaged floorboards replaced and polished. We’ve connected the house to the mains gas line which  luckily for us, mains gas has just been added the local area. The stovetop was previously connected to gas bottles, which cost a fortune to re-fill. We were also fortunate that we managed to cook on what remained in the gas bottle left right up until mains gas was connected.  So didn’t need to pay for a refill. So one day soon as well we’ll get gas ducted heating done as, but we’re not in any rush. I mean we got through the coldest months already snuggling under blankets by the fireplace, which is not a bad way to spend a cold winter really.  We’ve had the driveway widened so we can accommodate the boat without needing to move it every time we need access to garage/shed.  Currently we are working on the shed itself so that hubby can have a working space that secure and no longer leaks.  There’s lots more we’d eventually like to do the place but for now, we just wanted to fix what needed to be fixed and make it a more user friendly place to work from home for hubby and myself.

On a more exciting topic today is the day as my new Mini Diesel Countryman was delivered to our house and by that I mean the type or brand of motor vehicle.  We didn’t just go out a purchase a small country-person. :p  I haven’t even started it up as yet, I’m a little nervous, it being a new car and all, so I’m waiting for my husband to get home he can accompany me on its maiden voyage. The controls are a bit different to what I’m used to as well. The indicator stick thingy (that’s the technical term for it) if on the left hand side, so that will take some getting used to.  And the windscreen wipers and heads light turn on and off automatically when required. Fancy huh?  The day I got my license I walked into our previous house to hear my husband on his mobile saying ‘She got it, organise it’. So of course I replied ‘organise what?’… The new car that was delivered to day as it turns out. 

My new wheels

This is actually the key... the round section plugs straight into the dash to start the car... cool huh?

“I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear take the wheel and steer…” ...‘Drive’ by Incubus

I sometimes think I am my own worst enemy. I mean honestly, I really don’t need others to make me feel I cannot do something, I do a good enough job of that myself.  Self-doubt and fear sometimes has a way creeping into my mind, pulling up a chair and making itself comfortable. So taking the step to finally learn to drive was a huge deal for me. Every time I thought I should really learn to drive I’d always tell myself I was too afraid and couldn’t do it.  The older I got, the more afraid I got.  Maybe this is because most young people believe themselves to be invisible and have a ‘that could never happen to me’ mentality. Unfortunately or possibly fortunately, I never held this belief myself.

As I have mentioned in a previous post I lost my  Grandfather many years back, due to a serious car accident. The events of that fateful day forever tattooed in my memory.  I was only 10 years old at the time.  My brother and I where attending the Phillips work Christmas party (the company in which my Mum worked at the time) with My Dad’s cousins wife (who also worked there) and her kids.  My parents where not with us as they were to attend a wedding that day.   My dad’s cousin showed up at the end of the party to pick us all up. I can still see the expression on his face and remember the way his hands where trembling. Then his wife asked what’s wrong. He said ‘there’s been an bad accident’ He drove us all straight to the hospital. On the way to the wedding another car had hit my Grandfathers car. The other vehicle drove straight on into in a driver side door  and therefore straight into my Grandfather. My parents had been in the car following behind and because of this my Dad saw his own Father get hit. I didn’t know the details as yet so I still didn’t fully comprehend how ‘bad’ it all was, We walked the long white hallway on way the ICU and could just make out the blood shot eyes of my family standing at the end.  Mum took my hand and said ‘do you want into to go see Papa’. Of course I did…and in I went… what I saw next made me physically nauseous. There lying unconscious in the bed was my beloved Grandfather. Life support keeping him alive. Terribly bruised bandaged and battered. Tubes filled with blood running into his chest and later on holes that had been purposely drilled into his skull making parts of his brain visible in order to release fluid build up/ brain swelling.  Now this is an image that tends to stay with a kid. From a young age I had seen first hand the consequences of things that can go wrong on the road.  So unlike most teenagers I was never itching to get my drivers license. In fact the thought of it terrified me.  It took a long time for Grandfather to regain conciseness and even when he did it was a while before he even he could even recognise us again .He was left with permanent mental and physical injuries that eventually got the better of him. After two years of fighting for his life the medication he was on during a hospital stay had caused serious stomach ulcers that burst and ended his life.  My Dad got news first and called home, My brother answered the telephone. The sound of my brother’s tear filled screams …‘Papa’s died! Papa’s died!’ is something I will never forget.

Over the years that followed, two more people we knew died is car accidents. Family friends lost their son at the age of 21 when his car slammed into a light post and my brother lost a school mate who was actually hit when he pulled over to the side of a highway during a bad rain storm. All these events only adding to my fears.

So really it wasn’t until another tragic event the ‘Black Saturday’ fires back on Feb 2009 did something finally convince me that it was time for me to conquer this fear. Hubby was away in Echuca for the Southern 80 boat races and that’s when the proverbial hit the fan. I was not able to contact him all day to tell him to drive home another way, as most communications had gone down. I was home alone listening to all the reports on the radio and the seeing all the smoke in the distance was making me start to worry. Feeling that for the first time in my life, I wished I was able to drive. The thought of trying to flee a fire on foot with two dogs really hit home. This would not do!  It was a not long after this that I started to do some research to see if I could find a place that would allow me to drive on a track first, before driving out on the busy roads.  I figured the last thing I needed was to get into a situation where I felt so overwhelmed that I’d never want to do it again. Baby steps, my dear, baby steps.   Luckily I found a place not too far away and organised my first lesson with a wonderful driving instructor. I giggle now at how the car windows quickly fogged up from all the nervous heat/energy that must have been flowing from my body.  I think I had two or so lesson there before venturing out onto the roads.  Had a few set backs here and there one being terrible bout of Chronic Bronchitis that had me out of action for a few of months. But I got there in the end and it is now official that today, at the ripe old age of 35 I have finally gotten my driver’s license.  I was saying to my instructor the other day, that everyone one has something they are scared of be it, spiders or heights etc and driving I guess was my 'something'. Then she said to me yes but at least with those fears you only have to confront them once in a while, with my fear it was something that I had to confront everyday.  Which I guess is very true. Driving will never be something I love do to, but at least I now know I can drive when I need to, Yes the ‘fear’ of driving is no longer there, but the awareness for what can go wrong on the road will always be there and will hopefully make me a safer driver because if it.

OH, MY PA-PA
Eddie Fisher

Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so wonderful
Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so good
No one could be, so gentle and so lovable
Oh, my pa-pa, he always understood.

Gone are the days when he could take me on his knee
And with a smile he'd change my tears to laughter

Oh, my pa-pa, so funny, so adorable
Always the clown so funny in his way
Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so wonderful
Deep in my heart I miss him so today.

A ‘Green Gables’ of our very own…

It’s full stream ahead now, the old place is sold and we officially settle the new place on the 7^th July 2011. The ‘new place’ is really quite an old place, built during the Edwardian era.  We have been told that it is one the oldest houses in the town and therefore is quite an historical home.  Being that, I think that the house deserves to be appropriately named.  Now I could quite easily name the place ‘Green Gables’ as this is the first thing that pops into my head when I look at the place, but even though I would love to call the house this, I somehow feel that I would be doing the house a disrespect by doing so.  We have been told that the house was originally the Presbyterian Manse and was located at the back of what was once known as Smiths Paddock. Once we move into town and will have to confirm these details with local historians before making a final decision on the name.  In which case the name ‘The Old Manse’ comes to mind. Another thought crossed my mind too.  I remember hearing once  (must have been somewhere back in my schooling days) that peoples surnames in those days often referred to their profession.  So I am wondering if  ‘Smith’s Paddock’ might be referring to the fact the house/land was owned by a blacksmith? Well I guess only a bit more historical investigating will tell us for sure, until then the house will remain nameless. 

Can you see why 'Green Gables' came to mind?