Summer Jam & Produce

This is my second year of making jam and we had a bumper crop of Apricots and plums, I made a really yummy apricot jam with these. Not enough though as we ate so many of the tree.

Overall I collected about 3 baskets this size of plums.

I made about 4 kilos of jam and the first batch was small and came out well.

The second batch a disaster I made too much at once and I ran out of jars so I had to go to shops reboil jam and sterilise new jars and then add jamsetta more lemon and sugar and hope for the best and it was great really firm now.

The aroma of jam is so nice!  I added Apple to it as well for added pectin.

They are very large jars so there is quiet a lot there. It's delicious now too.

I harvested about 3 times this picture of red onions and have them all over the place on drying racks.

I always have a helper in my garden....

These were so tasty of course we made kilos of jam but ate kilos too!

I am loving the Kale smoothies each day.

It's that time of year when I get thousands of Zucchini's.

The cooler weather has the chooks laying again too.

This week my lovely friend Heidi brought me a gift and it was so unexpected! I am just delighted, it made me want to get straight out into the garden so I could write something in it!

Holiday renovations

I rarely take large blocks of time off work, I work part time so have never had the need too and we don't really go on long holidays so just take the odd week off here and there.  Of course working for myself there is no holiday pay so that is another reason to be frugal with the time off! This year I took a whole 4 weeks off at once.

I spent one week relaxing and then bang we renovated and these are the changes to my massage clinic which used to be painted in a apricot colour.

This is a before - note the terrible bricks on old gas heater.  The heater started to set the carbon monitor off which was alarming me as the kids sleep near that area.

So in the middle of painting I decided the heater must go.  It was an added $3,600 to our budget but that's ok, need to safe and warm.

A new colour, all done.

The heater is removed, the plasterers have been...

I ponder how long ago it was this fireplace was used as an open fire and why on earth they didn't clean it prior to adding the gas heater.  It is exciting to wonder these things, but not for long as the following day this is installed.

Another days painting and it's finished. 

My beautiful massage clinic is done.

There used to be a screen for people to change behind but as I leave the room always and needed to move the take further away from the much more effective read really, really hot heater the screen had to go.

We also painting the boys bedrooms, the hallway, the spare room and had a reverse cycle air conditioner put in in case Summer decides to show it's face.  So now it's back to work to pay for it all!

My regulars love the changes and so do I! I have only used the heater once, I nearly roasted, the window may have to be open when I use the brilliant heater!

Daylesford Trip

Wednesday I decided to go for a trip alone.  I found a studio that would accommodate me and had a ensure and kitchenette for $100.  It was literally 100 metres from all the shops.  I did some firsts.  I wore a beautiful dress (I never wear dresses).  I walked the streets and window shopped.  Went to a chalet and had a drink listening to live music.

I bushwalked for hours and cooked my solitary and welcome meal back at the studio to save money. I read for HOURS.   I love to be alone, it makes me very happy.

During my time there I came across this wonderful community garden next to the Library, which I also spent some time in.

All the plants looked super healthy.

It wasn't a huge block just maybe 1/8th of an acre.

That is enough though for many like minded people to come together.

To create a peaceful place for out of towners to smile at.

Not individual plots as such.

More a mismatch of everything together.  I even saw the health shop next door pop their coffee grounds into the compost.  I wish we had something like this in Ballarat.  We do have a Community garden.  But plots are rented, there is a large fence around it.  No one is welcome if your not one of the renters.  Here in Daylesford anyone is welcome.  There is even a seat.  I meditated on it at how blessed I was to escape for a night.

Hubby did give me some money to treat myself to dinner but I did another first on the last day.  I had enough from home to eat so I saved and brought a book, some earrings and a facial. Never had a facial it was BLISS!  2015 is a year for firsts!