the winter garden

our new home brought with it a new garden. a lovely level block with a good few established fruit tress and plenty of shrubs and succulents (and the simply stunning Sturt Desert Peas sprouting under the Hills Hoist)
one of the first things on our 'to do' list was to get a few plants in the ground so they could get growing and producing.
we've popped 5 olives along the front fence and a grape vine to trellis along the front verandah for much needed summer shade and dappled sunshine in the cooler months.
vegie seeds are planted in a concrete sink topped with an old window.
we've fertilised, pruned and mulched the oranges, lemon, cumquot and fig.
next on the list is to build a chook shed.

what's happening in your garden?

things i'm liking now

a few of my favourite things.

dreams that turn into plans, that turn into reality... have you seen the amazing idea that Rohan and Kate have. It's called the nursery project. it will be a place where you can get in there and experience growing your own vegies, picking, preserving, foraging, hunting, cooking and eating. and you can contribute towards making this dream a reality. every little bit helps.

garden growth... there are so many baby apples on the tree. self seeded poppies and nasturtiums are blooming too.

a bouquet of rosemary.. the plants needed a good trim so in came the stems and into a milk glass vase they went.

op-shopping... I've scored some beautiful pieces of clothing lately- a denim dress, lace cropped jacket, polo shirts, a handmade skirt as well as milk glass, a length of linen fabric for sewing and floral sheets.

x

happenings and a winner.

the days are flying by here.
overtime at work has seen another week go quickly by
the op-shops have been generous in their offerings
the spinach and kale that lay dormant over winter has sprung to life.
I've been busy making rough puff pastry (using this recipe) and filling it with homegrown spinach and market-purchased cheese
the sweet peas are in bloom. as is the lavender
we made a Biltong box and my love has been enjoying the dried meat. I hope to share a little DIY to make your own Biltong box if you're interested.
I've been blessed with a few parcels from blog friends filled with vintage sheets, LGBs and tea towels
a new camera lens was purchased as an early Christmas present. i'm enjoying playing with it
I also picked a winner for the little tea towel cushion cover give away. and that winner is...

Elaina of A little bit country.

if you could email me your address i'll post the cushion cover and a couple of other goodies your way.

zara-117(at)hotmail(dot)com

 

 

what have you been up to lately?

stills: jelly beans

 

 

1. & 2. a lovely gift of vintage linens and an LGB in the mail from the lovely Susan
3. magazine reading
4. timber dish brushes to help make washing up that little more enjoyable
5. tiny new succulents. when the leaves snap off the jelly bean plant they grow into new little ones

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: chooks and books

1. the girls out for a scratch
2. pumpkins purchased from the community garden stall. pumpkin soup here we come
3. wormwood for planting by the chook run
4. last nights firework display from our front verandah
5. an office/craft room rearrange yesterday
6. out for coffee today

 

weekly stills at the beetle shack

stills: pumpkin

1. the cutest little church I ever did see. this one held a lovely little display of quilts at today's Collector Pumpkin Festival
2. pumpkins galore
3. pumpkin fruit cake purchase
4. posters up
5. a little vignette
6. a rather bare vegie garden at the moment

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: pickles and paws

1. yesterday we pulled up the last of the summer veg patch. today all the green tomatoes became pickles
2. this sweet little plastic bag bag was handmade by the lovely Deb as part of the vintage recipe swap
3. on my bedside table
4. jewels and hair accessories in milk glass
5. nearly finished making another dress. this one is autumnal hues
6. op-shopped cross-stitched tablecloth
7. kitty paw

joining in with the weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: the harvest

1. table top vignette
2. earring posts attached
3. a little treat for myself
4. pretty afternoon shadows
5. today the sun was shining. so that meant drying weather
6. this afternoon we harvested the butternut crop
7. & 8. more harvesting

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: autumn is in the air

1. birthday gift wrapping for my love
2. where there's an open suitcase there's usually a cat at the ready to curl up in it
3. Country Style reading. I think my favourite issue this year
4. beautiful rain
5. bunting and leaves started to change to hues of orange and yellow

sorry I'm a day late with my weekly stills. yesterday was spent relaxing after a busy week and cake baking.