Saturday, February 22, 2014

This week in my garden

      Here it is nearly the end of February. It was a lovely week of celebration for my daughter's Birthday. It was also a big week in the garden. I harvested lots of tomatoes that I turned into Tomato Chutney. It was delicious and I have 5  good jars of it. We harvested a few cucumbers and some strawberries as well. 
      My darling created 3 new garden beds and we have planted out cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and rocket in one of those. We planted a  passion fruit vine on the wire of the chook enclosure and also a raspberry bush.
     Today we carried out the big job of planting a hedge along our back boundary. there were 25 plants in all and it was quite a task but I'm happy to see it almost finished! We realised we needed a few more plants to complete the job!
My sister was up for the weekend so we all joined in the planting and spacing. I think it will be a great hedge one day!



It was a lovely week in the garden. I have wandered about taking some pics to share..




we had some cheeky visitors!


the girls are growing fast 




Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Chooks , gardens and loads of rain...

        Last week we picked up three gorgeous chooks from the farm down the mountain. We brought them home and got them settled into their new surroundings. We introduced them to the rest of the family. Meela really was eager to make friends and our grumpy cat Whitey was not at all interested! We had fun naming our girls, the white Sussex hen is named Patsy, the beautiful black Australorp is Betty and our cute little Wyandotte Buff we called Myrtle.
      They are not old enough to start laying yet but in a few weeks we will be collecting our own eggs!
      We have had a good few days of heavy rain and lots of  fog. The garden has soaked it all up. Last week we planted a few fruit trees so I'm sure it will have done them good. We planted two apple trees, a pear tree and a mandarin. I also have an olive tree ready to be planted. This afternoon the sun came out and I headed out with my camera...











Sunday, February 16, 2014

Celebration of life.

        This week coming up my beautiful daughter Claire, turns 30. I am amazed that the years have gone so quickly. I don't feel  particularly old, in fact  I am mostly the same girl who brought that wonderful human being into the world all those years ago. I've seen a lot in  those years. I have gained wisdom and strength. I've dreamed dreams and had hopes crushed and felt so much joy and many sorrows. 
    The day before she was born her grandfather (my Father in law ) was killed in a tragic car accident. It was horrible but I had my precious little bundle to care for and nurture. Now my lovely girl is a  Mumma herself. She has given us our first Grandchild, our darling Samuel. It gives me so much joy watching her surround her son with devotion, care, laughter and love. She is doing what she was born to do. I remember when she was a wee girl cuddling her dolls and when she was a teenager, a Dr once asked her what she wanted to do as her career, she quickly said she wanted to be a wife and mother. This answer was deemed to be unsuitable by him but she just told the truth! It was all she ever wanted. 
         My darling girl, being her mum is the easiest thing in the world! She is altogether lovely. She is a devoted wife and mother. A wonderful friend. A fine and talented photographer. A sweet daughter and a loved and special sister. She is kind and nurturing , she has a wonderful sense of fun and is learning to embrace adventure and new experiences. She has a strong sense of what she most desires in this life and she pursues her dreams. I am so very proud to watch her become the amazing woman she was created to be. I am more than blessed...
          Happy Birthday to our beautiful Girl...






My three darling girls

Claire and her boy (photo by Claire)

Friday, February 7, 2014

The Loveliest of days

We had a surprise visit from our daughter and grandson today, he is the sweetest most adorable boy. He brings so much joy to our lives. We just can't put into words the emotions that well up in our hearts concerning him. He brings us hope for the future. His arrival has been the beginning of healing for our family.

 We have had some very difficult years as we struggled through some overwhelming tragedies and heartaches. 

Today we have hope.
Today we look towards our tomorrows with joy and love and grace.
Today life is good..

The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.


 




Thursday, February 6, 2014

Summer in the mountains...

This has been my first Summer in the mountains. It is all new to me but feels strangely familiar and normal. We do get some hot days but they tend to be softened by a few days here and there with days cold enough to need a blanket round my knees in the evening. Makes knitting  a very enjoyable pastime. We have been blessed with some more rainy days as well. The garden is soaking it up and looking very green. I love it here!

We have a new side fence which affords us some nice privacy. We have also been working on a little fenced off area to house and contain a few 'chooks' as we call chickens here in Australia. We have been painting a little hen house too, it will be so much fun to have our own chickens and eggs!

We had a lovely Sunday celebrating the Dedication Service of our beautiful Grandson, Samuel. He is such a wonderful blessing in our lives!

This week we have been harvesting a bit of fruit from our trees and I have tried my hand at making jams with the fruit. I'm quite pleased with the result and I'm excited to have mastered some new skills. 

It has been a good week.
My heart is contented and full.