Christmas 2021

 Merry Christmas to all my readers, I hope you all have had a wonderful time with family or friends. 

 Mine was a little different. as usually we go to our eldest sons's house, but this year my DIL wanted it at 6pm instead of lunch, so I had our cocktail party as mentioned last week, which after all the hard work turned out to be wonderful.

The 4 grandaughters and DIL all dressed up in their finery, and  the girls 8 to 19 looked so grown up. Our 8 year old grandson also was very smart in a grown up shirt, tie and black hat, along with his dad. A great night followed by presents from our eldest daughter and ourselves.

Lining up for cocktails.

Eldest Son

Christmas day saw us sleeping in, followed by a lovely lunch. It has been quite a while since I did lunch and got out all my good china and a tablecloth, which I love to do. Part of my hospitality training most likely, but I enjoy using fine china and having things just so. 

All set for Christmas Lunch.

 We had cold lamb with a vegetable salad with beetroot, pumpkin, carrot,beans. Plus a potato and egg salad, followed by plum pudding. Simple but delicious and not too much as followed by another dinner that night. 

Cheers.

The Christmas Pudding.

It rained for our visit to our son's house, so dinner ended up in the lounge and the night ended with playing Pictionary which was a lot of fun, and a movie. 

 Tomorrow it is our No.3 son's birthday.

The year is nearly at it's end.

 

Till Next Time.

 

 

 

 

Prepping for a Cocktail Party & Wedding Anniversary.

I celebrated our 49th Wedding Anniversary on the 16th, alone. Well Miss P turned up which was good at least I had company, but John went off to his Dr. friends 2 1/2 hrs. away to fix the computers. He would have had a lovely catered lunch with wine and good company, I had been thinking of a picnic  down by the river.

These lovely flowers turned up in the afternoon, I think this was the first time we weren't together for our anniversary which was disappointing as no celebration.
 

On the other hand I have been busy as usual, two of the children will be turning up Wednesday or Thursday, so madly trying to finish the hall walls. I should finish off the first coat today and the 2nd. on Monday hopefully, as it is a lot of work.

Nearly Finished

Yesterday morning, while cool, I cut the hedges as they were getting a bit overgrown. The Gazebo is going to be turned into a Christmas Eve Party area. As our DIL is having a Christmas Dinner around 6 or so, I decided that a cocktail party was in order with finger food and an opportunity to hand out the Aunty/Uncle and Grandma presents. Miss C turned 18 in Oct. (hence the cocktails) and Miss G is 20 in February, so something different for them. I have been cooking and freezing all sorts of things in readiness. By request there will be 3 cocktails, Pina Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, and a Kahula chocolate, banana one known as a Monks Bum.. lol. The kids are having a mock version with orange juice

Having a  Christmas lunch for the first time in many years, is also something new, as it is a long wait till Dinner, so having lamb with a variety of salad and plum pudding. Not too much with a 2nd meal later, otherwise it will be a  pretty dull Christmas day. 

Miss P is trying to earn extra money so she is coming again Monday, and I will get her to help me clean up the rest of the garden in this area and put out some chairs, tidy the gazebo, and maybe get out the plates and cutlery etc.. 11 family in all.

Maybe then I can fit in cleaning the rest of the house lol.

Taken back in March this year of the sample.

The good news is now that the Qld. border is open we can FINALLY collect our caravan. The appointment is 10am Tuesday, so John, who had a covid test as required, is going up Monday, staying the night somewhere, then picking it up after a 2hr. go over. I didn't want to go as not having the covid test and  nothing much I could do as we can't stay or anything and really I haven't got time for it.

At least I can now quickly empty the dining room table of  caravan stuff  if I need it Christmas Day. 

That's all for now, really busy

 

Till Next Time  

 

New Aircon, CWA Market, Russian Garlic.

Another challenging week, as the air conditioning units for both guest bedrooms, went in over a 3 day period, finishing yesterday. In order for this to happen a mattress, cupboards etc all had to be moved, also my scaffolding in the hallway and the painting has stopped of which I was part way.

 This has not been too much trouble as I had my last quilting class and also helped CWA with their first market last Friday plus a bit of Christmas shopping while I was in town.

Market Tables around the edge

Tea and Scones Time

Craft Store room, mostly donated fabric, patterns,books and a few items. A work in  progress.

The rain has stopped more or less, with a couple of thunder storms, and more hot sticky weather, although not as bad as last year. It is just taking a while to get used to it having such a cool rainy November and early December this year.

The air con in the main bedroom will be great for me to start with as I use this room for sewing, as it has a lovely view out of the garden. By the 23rd though two of the children will be home for a week, so if it does get really hot they will be ok. }

Clearing the book shelf of some of mum's photo albums has put me to thinking of what to do with them. By memory nearly 30 books in all. When I think of the 8 year old twins and the photos it will not make much sense even when they are adults.  Most have been put on computer so my thinking is to keep original photos of importance and throw the rest. A big decision, which I might get  our eldest daughters help at Christmas time. 

Russian Garlic.

 In the meantime I did do a little bit of gardening. Picked the Russian Garlic which are enormous this year but haven't split into cloves. I think I will chop finely and dehydrate. The other lot of garlic I picked, 2 weeks ago went soft half way, as got to wet with all the rain, and we are slowly using them up by peeling the outer layers.

Gives you a better size idea.

I also picked some beetroot to bottle. One lot I sent to the Market at community garden today, along with 400grms beans, 4 cucumbers and 3  yellow zucchinis. I kept the rest of the beetroot for bottling in salt water, so I can use it in salads.

Cucumbers are flourishing there were 8 on the vine, which  I hadn't noticed this week, when I was roughly checking between rain. They love to hide. 

 So far we are keeping up with the beans, between a neighbour, SCCG and ourselves but a 2nd. vine is about to start so more processing for them to do, I am sure.

Front Garden Beans

Back Garden Beans Northeaster.

Usually by this time in the year I stop planting the garden beds as by Nov. to Jan it is way to hot to garden, but this year is so different and I am in two minds which way to go. There are quite a few gardens bare and what to plant another thing, do I want more beetroot or beans, plenty of tomatoes growing, Corn I am not that crazy about, lettuce is growing but it will get hotter and they go to seed quickly. I have never had this problem before.

In the mean time I am busy painting the hallway, and can start again  now the aircon is in. Always more decluttering as well, craft projects to finish, and Christmas to Prep for. 

Pierre de Ronsard looking such a picture with all the rain.

Till Next Time.

 

What a Busy Week!

What a busy week I have had Embroidery class Monday, quilting Tuesday, Card Making teaching Wednesday, and a Christmas Party Thursday. I am not used to going out everyday.

 Another funny week of weather hot one minute and raining the next. Have weeded several beds, and need to pull up a heap of beetroot, which will have to be bottled as well, as too much there, in 3 beds.

This bed I managed to clean up had  the sweet peas and garlic

One of the Beetroot beds

 The garden is getting over run with weeds, with all this rain and again, as I write this, it has been pouring rain all morning, and last night a severe storm which thank goodness had no hail. I was going to take more photos today, but just too wet. Luckily I though about it Friday.

The front Jungle

The back jungle

The beans are growing well and just starting to be pickable.

No 2. Dried bean bed, wired against the bush turkeys.

Climbing beans North Easter, new carrots behind

 Yesterday Miss P came over for her usual 3 hrs and in the last hour after we weeded some of the garden, and in the middle of teaching her to make a cheesecake, suddenly fainted on me. Luckily I was standing next to her because she said " my head feels fuzzy", one look and I made her sit on the floor which ended up being a sudden plop then I held her and laid her down. Talk about having my own attack, and she doesn't remember any of it. When I took her home, dad took her to emergency to make sure, and after lots of tests was fine, but still an MRI to go.

The mix was finished just had to add it to the crumbs. Will freeze for Christmas.

It was so similar when Miss C did the same thing while minding her after school and the day before her 9th birthday, which ended up being a nasty brain bleed and being sent to Sydney via Westpac Helicopter, and 2 years of recovery, not a good time for any of us. Hence Miss P's MRI just to make sure.

 I am pleased to report though, Miss C now 18, graduated year 12 last week, with 3rd in English, a Merit award for Maths, 3rd in Art. So proud of her, and she is now looking at a degree in Teaching.

My choice of flowers I picked this week. Time to wrap Christmas presents.

Till Next Time.

 

There is Always More Work.

 I remember the Weather Bureau forecasting that Spring in Australia would be wet. Well it certainly has happened in this part of the world. Rained all week, again, and today a bit of a dry spell so I dashed out this morning to do a bit of weeding around the pumpkin patch, where I discovered two Butternuts growing and the strawberry patch to pull out all the mint that had taken over, and yes green strawberries growing. This week I will have to try and put hay under them and cover from the birds. 

4 of these piles. 5.4metres long.

 

In the meantime,this week our new recycled boards were delivered. Heavy things too. Our son came over twice after work and helped John cart them from the nature strip to the back, one at a time as so long and heavy. I was looking up what we did this time last year and the wire on the posts at the other end, was being put through then. Slow and Steady should be our motto I think.

While I was there took the water views from our verandah, in the mist.

I have been doing more painting, some crocheting at night, of which I am addicted to at the moment with a new afghan pattern. Embroidery, Quilting and a CWA meeting took up my time last week, and will be the same this week with a Card making class at the CWA hall I am helping with.  Out 3 days a week though is too much, with all I have to do, next week being the same with a CWA Christmas Market.

Now a  quick tour of the garden as with all of this rain, it is flourishing, weeds mostly, but plenty of flowers.Hedge needs cutting also.

Memory for my favorite Aunty Bett, Dad's sister, these came from her garden.

Queen Elizabeth Rose

We helped dig up an old garden for the Community Garden and found these bulbs. Kept a few but the garden has many as well.

I have 3 weeks to finish off the T & G painting before Christmas, with our youngest son and eldest daughter arriving then. The scaffolding trolley needs to move into the main hall as I have finished the bathroom entrance area. More photos when that is  all done. 

 

Never a dull moment

Till Next Time

More T&G Painting Work.

 It is raining today, just a gentle rain, and I expect it will last most of the day.

Just as well as I am feeling tired and in need of a rest. My lovely Daughter in Law came over to help me with the higher spots of our next venture into painting and John set of the scaffolding inside a very small space, so not a lot of room to move about in.

With DIL up and me down we got as far as we could go in a morning.

We have also had to leave the trolley "in situ" till this part is finished before it can be moved around the corner so to speak. First undercoat, which is a stain barrier, and done with a brush is on, and the holes filled in. A quick sand of the filled holes and two more coats, but next time with a roller, so will be a lot faster.

This area is now finished with first coat all over,

The higher roof can't be done till we move the scaffolding around.

I also finally finished the last coat on the bathroom and toilet windows. A quick seal of the toilet floor and the entrance part is also to be done and of course the doors.

 These small projects though can be anytime.You will note that the scaffolding has a small step ladder on it as well and this is how high we need to go to get to the top, and why we aren't doing the ceiling. As it is we need a ladder to get onto the scaffolding itself. 

My new clock has arrived for the gazebo and a smaller matching one for the front verandah.

The last pole to be painted white, when I do the floor

The air conditioning man finally arrived yesterday so now the front bedrooms have been organized to get hooked up. Just in time for when the children come home for Christmas. The bigger room tends to be my sewing room at the moment so that will be nice in the future, it can get hot in there during summer.

The Eco Deck is also about to be ordered. The 3 boys will all be together and going to help John pull up the old stuff and help lay the new. I just hope this plan will work as two are coming from Sydney.

It is a little hard to believe that finally things are coming together. Once the Qld. border opens in December we shall also be picking up our van, and the two chairs that my neices partner covered months ago, as well. 

Meanwhile taking it easy today with a bit of embroidery, between painting and a major weeding of the garden I have done enough this week. 

Till Next Time.