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

field day attire

today we made the drive to Murrumbateman to visit the annual Murrumbateman Field Days.
the sun was shining, a perfect Spring day really. there was so much to look at, and dream of one day buying for a farm of our own.
there are hundreds of exhibitors including cute Belted Galloway cattle, bags of freshly picked apples, fudge, solar panels, tractors, worm farms, alpaca scarves and blankets, chooks, timber furniture and vegie seedlings... a bit of everything really.

wearing:
chambray shirt: retail
jeans: op-shopped (Sportscraft)
timber sunglasses (made from eco-friendly bamboo): down that little lane
satchel: op-shopped
wooden beads: op-shopped
boots: Baxter Boots and Shoes (a little purchase from this Goulburn-based business)
hat: Akubra

both the boots and hat are new purchases and both are in keeping with my ethical clothing pledge. Akubra and Baxter boots are accredited through Ethical Clothing Australia.

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: magazines and vintage sheets

1. vintage sheet FQs all posted off. expect to find them in your letter boxes in the next few days
2. handmade op-shopped daisy print top ($3). i can see this getting a lot of wear in the coming months
3. magazine reading. Mezz and Taz's new magazine hundreds and thousands (i was lucky enough to have a little article in this mag). and tickle the imagination
4. beautiful fresh eggs
5. sprouting basil

weekly stills at the beetle shack

stills: boabs and bunting

1. & 2. changing furniture around a bit
3. the beautiful washer I received from Justine as part of Jodie's swap
4. Boab postcards, painted by Jodi Wiley
5. bunting everywhere
6. wallpapered MDF = instant art
7. a wonder around the Crookwell swap meet today

weekly still time

stills: crochet and rosemary

 

1. freshly laundered sheets hanging in the sunshine
2. my first attempt at crochet
3. and a completed wash cloth ready to be posted off
4. fresh rosemary for another batch of these delicious roasted rosemary almonds
5. orange peels steeping in vinegar. have you tried this as a natural cleaning product?
6. the veg seedlings seem to grow a little more before my very eyes

linking up with the weekly stills.

stills: sprouting

1. a midweek hail storm
2. spring blooms in the garden
3. a milk glass bouquet
4. bird watching
5. cupboard top
6. the first to sprout

linking up with Em.

in the garden.

spring for me is about getting out in the garden and seeing the plants almost growing before my very eyes.

i'm awaiting the seeds of rainbow, yellow pear and cocktail cherry tomatoes from Green Harvest to emerge from their soil-filled cardboard tubes. golden nugget pumpkin and spacemaster cucumber shouldn't be far off sprouting too.
the society garlic and comfrey cuttings sit by the back step in their concrete pots, reminding me to fill the watering can up and give them a drink.

upon the kitchen bench sits a pyrex bowl overflowing with fresh eggs. the squawking that can be heard indicates another warm egg is ready for collection.

it really is a lovely time of year to be outside in the sunshine planning, working and dreaming for the months ahead.

how is your garden coming along? what seeds are you planting at the moment?

in Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt

- Margaret Atwood

stills: tea towels and flowers

1. tea towels gifted from the lovely Jane
2. the pretty cards I received from the creative Mezz as part of the card swap
3. & 4. flowers everywhere at the local park
5. a favourite spot
6. two of the three new chooks. and a little photo bomber sneaking in
7. the apple tree is about to flower

x

joining in at the beetle shack

stills: sweet spring is here

1. my favourite flowers: sweet peas
2. broad beans coming along
3. the bare apple tree is now dotted with green
4. chooks. today saw the 2 roosters of the group (the dark feathered ones) swapped for 3 new girls.
5. cherry blossom honey from the markets
6. i've been sewing like crazy: bunting, bunting and more bunting

all this weeks photos courtesy of my new camera. i really am enjoying getting the hang of it.

 

joining in with Em and the weekly stills.