Life Goes On - Garden and Pantry

 It was a really warm day yesterday, quite a shock to the system, after all our cold weather. It was like suddenly summer. I am exhausted today and in pain with RA. Two of the grand daughters helped me in the garden, Miss P's usual work day, with Miss V age 7 as a bonus. Just love their enthusiasm of doing things differently to what they do at home. So had them running up and down the back yard, filling compost bins, while we weeded the front.

Pulled down all the snow peas, as starting to go off as well as getting so high I can't reach the peas.

Snow Peas

Dug up half of the strawberries too plant down the back, which I will do today as 2 parcels arrived and it was so hot by then called it quits in the garden. 

Very overcrowded with strawberry bed.

 

Strawberries moved to here, half done

 

Miss P finished off potatoes and put them down in the council inspection area.

The two parcels are thanks to the government incentive funds, I decided to sort out the pantry with some nice containers. These have air tight locks. We unpacked them on the verandah where it was cooler. 

Supervised by Einstein.

These girls loved popping all the plastic that came with the boxes. Wish I could find some fun in such a small thing. Life seems hard at the moment. 

Miss V is 7, this is her helping me .

Miss P and I washed it all and then dried it which surprisingly took a good hour, after which I took them both home. I started to fill some of the containers to get a feel what I would do. There is some clear label tape on its way hopefully next week, and I will print in black.

Miss V stacked the lids outside to dry, they held a bit of water from washing. 

My pantry is always so hard to keep neat, but decluttering a lot of dishes from the kitchen is my next focus, and re-arranging things around with new found empty drawers. Well hopefully.

Testing the sizes.

 I still think I will keep only one container on above shelf even though two in front of the other will fit. There is plenty of room to work it out. Looks like next week's work is sorted. 

 

Till Next Time

Huge Declutter Project - Linen Press

I have decided to go on a mission to declutter like mad. When we built this house in the 80's separate shower, separate toilet, and separate bath were the go. It looked like this. A waste of space really and I had no linen press. The bath side now has a walk in  shower, bath and vanity.

LHS was shower  Toilet middle, RHS side now walk in shower and bath.

 Not long after, the shower side, got converted to shelves, by John, and it is great. Holds literately everything from a pin to an anchor as they say.

Half of the area

So when Miss P turned up this week, we took just about everything out and all my wool stash got loaded to the top. Love it that she climbs up and down the ladder with ease. The fabric though which is what I have for making the childrens clothes had to be sorted. All of that got turned out, plus a million other things that will go to the op shop. Doona covers,  fancy pillows, mums tapestry pictures the family don't want. Dad's table top organ, I had visions of learning.
 

Boxes by the front door ready

I watched a video by a young minimalist mum who described storage space as having boundaries. Drawers being an example, if it fits in 5 items nicely, easy to shut don't crowd it with 7 and have to hold them down while you shut it. This linen press is exactly opposite, if you can't find a space for something in it goes. So much  needs deciding on, will I won't I sort of thing, and not being "stored" unnecessarily. I have reached a point in life where I just want a simple uncluttered space.

Pillows and wool blankets  vacuum packed, ready for the wardrobe in the spare room.

Miss P had fun vacuuming all the bed pillows and blankets into a so much smaller space. My DIL came over next day, and we sorted through the fabric she would like to keep, to sew for the girls as they got older, the rest will go to a charity, that my sister knows, that turn fabric into items to sell.

Completely emptied 6 boxes

 

Give aways and what is left to store

This hallway was full I couldn't walk down it. Tapestries to op shop

I am still in the middle of this sorting one of the hardest things is my old dance outfits. So much material and glass beading on them. Feathers though have molted all over the house. Do op shops take this sort of thing, or do I try to find my dance teacher again see if her students would like the many layers of fabric?

Fashions change with ballroom dancing.

Dolls for the bin.

Getting rid of the past is hard work. Miss P fell asleep when she got home, before dinner I was told. Hope I am not working her too hard?

First of the Sweet Peas flowering...Pink Lady

On another note, the nursing home called us in to sit with mum as her breathing is much shallower, and not eating. Jan luckily had her flu injection that morning but I have not, so they let me in with the full gear on in a private area that has entrance from the car park. It was nice to see her again even if she was asleep, it has been at least 4 months I think.

 I have said my goodbyes. Jan may call in again as she works a couple of streets away, but it could be anytime to a week or more as no-one knows about the phases of our lives, but for mum it will be peaceful, for which I am grateful. She has for a few years not known who we are, Alzheimer's being such a cruel disease.

I can tell you this makes you  quite hot.

I am now wondering why suddenly I am also getting rid of my past life in "stuff" such a coincidence.

Stay well everyone.


 Till Next Time.

Hardanger and Me

For those who follow me regularly, you might remember there being odd snippets of an embroidered  Hardanger cloth I have been working on. There were three of  us, making this cloth, and all have now finished after 4 years of sewing it.
 I looked up about Hardanger and got this. 
 History.... Hardanger Embroidery is named after a region in southwest Norway in the county of Hordaland by the Hardanger Fjord. However, it is thought to have originated from the Middle East. From there it spread to Europe with ties to the Reticella and Venetian needle laces.

 

 

 These are quite big cloths at least 1 metre across, possibly 1.2m, I actually haven't measured it exactly and it is all packed away now.  Made on a cream Cashel linen that we purchased from a specialist Needlework shop in USA. Linen is very hard to get in Australia, and often cheaper to buy direct from America, or it was back then.

 

The main stitch of Hardanger is Kloster Blocks, which makes up the basic pattern, from there, little smaller areas are created, within the Kloster block pattern, and can be embroidered by cutting and drawing several threads out so intricate weaving can be done. 

I must admit when we started these cloths, it never occurred to us it would take twice as long as we thought.

 

 

My biggest problem now is I wonder who would like this cloth after I am gone. In the meantime it is in a bag waiting for the Dining table to be cleared of seed sorting so I can put it on there for a while. It is not a cloth that can be used when beetroot is around, that is for sure. 

 

 

I have now got back to a drawn thread cloth, that I started just before this one, and hope to finish it off. I have stopped going to my Monday embroidery group as of last week, due to me being highly autosuppressent, but hope to now and then do some of the drawn thread so when I do go back it is also finished.

 Many things are taking my time, as I have started decluttering again, getting the garden going between rain which seems to be part of our everyday lives, going through old projects, patterns, and just a great deal of paper stuff that I have collected.

 

 

Today, for some reason, I got the urge to cook up a storm of slices and cakes. I have no idea why so much, and quite a bit of it is frozen now. 

 

Chocolate Chip Coconut Slice, Whole of Lemon Cake, Chocolate Brownies and Rock Cakes, and as a family we call nobbies, which came about when dad was a child, who knows how long that word has been in the family. My dad would have been 92 this year. He told me even his friends of the day would call them that as well. It's stuck now.

 

Taken a different day but a bit clearer, although crumpled.

I hope everyone is busily occupied, while we wait out the current events.

Till Next Time, stay safe and well.

 

 

Decluttering Preserves & Pantry Cleanup

After the Preserves Workshop I realised that we had so much stored away, but also the time of when we made it was getting a bit long. Most likely nothing would have been wrong with it but after a certain amount of time preserved fruit goes browner due to the sugar. Then there was the amount of jam which we don't eat anymore and the amount of pickles, sauces, relishes same thing, that I decided to only keep 2019 and one of each 2018 and throw the rest. Keeping track of this produce also is hard as everything is kept downstairs where it is cooler.
 

And so it began, up and down the stairs, empty the jars, wash in dishwasher fill it all back into a basket, box or a bucket and cart it downstairs again.
The jar mess went into the wheelie bin, my composts are so full now and I wasn't sure about the sugar content. Luckily my son came over and wheeled the thing out as I couldn't move it with the weight. John has been in Sydney doing some brickwork and minding the grandchildren when the parents were working.

All Clean

 I am still sorting out what and where but the little 125ml jars on the top...over 100. Wow even I couldn't believe that. My niece is very keen on starting her journey into the preserving and jam making world so when she comes down in a couple of weeks we will set her up for life!! Will also give her my electric Vacola Unit as well, that once did belong to my sister anyway. Then I started on the Pantry.

Before Mess

Ok same deal here, it is a big walk in Pantry and quite a few years since I did a radical clean. Being so big when you don't know where to put stuff or in a hurry just gets placed on the shelf for later which never happens. There were lots of out of date stuff, more jams and pickles, dehydrated things that although ok if we haven't used in 2-3-4 years out it went. Cleaned every shelf as if mice come in to this house (usually every winter) they always head for the pantry.

Filled up canisters, discovered never to buy tea of any sort ever, ( don't blame me for that) there is so much. Moved a few electrical things in the cupboards to the kitchen and visa versa. Besides doing an hour of gardening every day this has been my week. Sick to death of looking at jars I might add.

Any bulk stuff I vacuumed packed it, or filled containers from the ones already done.

Well Done Me!!

Ta Da finally finished  today and space to spare. Will still keep an eye on some jam and relishes I made, but hopefully will use them up.
In the meantime for a break and between the rain, planted some squash, more bok choy, pulled down the first of the Pink Lady Sweet Peas, and weeded like mad.

This has now gone

Potatoes doing well in their pots.

Pulled up one of the russian garlics to see how they were going as now starting to go to seed. So I broke each plant in half.

Apparently a little early to Pick, Nov. is better

Purple water iris starting to flower.

But these were in a bucket for the Community Garden, ages ago. Oh Well

Square Foot Garden of  9 squares. Better start on the next lot.

So once more that has been my week, and more decluttering to come. My sister is having a big, big garage sale end of Oct. so want to downsize a lot, we have way too much stuff for two. Thanks to those who commented on the shop also, working on some dolls now.

Till Next Time.

Our Turn on the Market Stall

The last Friday of the month for the Centro Market Day was this past week and it was our turn to man it. There is a bit of a competition amongst the members of who made the most dollars. Our last go was a terrible $16 but this time we became the top scorers with $141.00

  We were in a different position which was great. Picked some dahlias, leeks, kale,rhubarb and of course the usual succulants and plants. I had to go back to the garden to pick up more succulents as our first tray sold out, eventually we sold 11 of them. A few young ones seem to be getting in to growing them which is nice to see.
Jan bought more books in also which do well, and some double sided bags she made.
 

Aren't they lovely Dahlias

She has also finished the quilt for our raffle, so looks like I had better get a going on the outdoor cushions I am making with the left over caravan fabric. We have to organise some printed raffle tickets and register it as well.
 I came to the decision this week, to also leave the Community Garden Committee completely and give up on being in charge of the bush house, and seed saving etc. so I sent in a resignation for this also, along with all the seeds collected and seeds which were donated.

I cannot give up on it entirely, having got the garden up from nothing to what it is today, and  will help with markets, working bees if any, but just need the time off for a while. There was a lovely full page write up in the Advocate this week, and 2 new members have joined. Eventually the group will find a way to work it all out without a co-ordinator,  it is just taking a bit of time. Couldn't resist either of taking home some succulants to propagate as well lol. At least my verandah won't be covered with seeds growing from one end to the other, succulants are so much easier to grow.

 My interest in turning up every week is not there, partly because I am so busy at home trying to do a major declutter, get the garden to a reasonable level, paint the verandah, and get my craft area sorted and start making cards to sell, plus today also decided on sewing the soft dolls that I love making.

 Going through everything, I was going to throw out all the bits and pieces that go with making cloth dolls, hair, felt, eyes but then looking at the patterns and thinking about all the quilting fabric I have decided to go with them as well. If they don't sell then eventually someone will donate them to the hospital or a charity at Christmas. I am giving up the peg dolls as they have had their time. It is not very often that I don't sell stuff I make, but it has been quite a few years and this time will do it online, a first for me. Also have put to one side with the kiln all the molds that I used for making miniature porcelain dolls, which are 3 - 6 inches high. They take a lot of time. Just have to work out how to sell the lot.

Add knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting and spinning and there is enough for me to do for the rest of my life. Maybe in another 10 years I will have a recap lol.

Anzac Day

As we have just had Anzac day I thought you would all like to see these simple poppies made at mum's nursing home, so simple with red felt and a black button, really caught our eye when we saw her this week. I am afraid she is slowly getting worse and lost a lot of weight, even after one week. Doesn't acknowledge us anymore either, maybe a smile but we could be anyone, and our visits are hardly more that a 1/2 hr. or less. She never stops walking either, from one locked gate to another, and of course has a fall every month.

Anzac Wreath for 2019

The weather has certainly heated up this week, after all our rain, still working the garden bit by bit, the green bin and the red rubbish one are both full to over flowing.

Hope you had a great week, till next time.

Goodbye 2017

The last week of the year for me is always a time of reflection on the year itself and a time to get organized for the next year. As I wrote on the forum I moderate for, in numerology 2017 was a year to break away from our comfort zones, and leap headfirst into new roles and circumstances, with plenty of challenges and opportunities, trailblazing and finding new directions. Well it certainly describes my year.

Happy moment with my sister waiting in line for the opening of the Kaiser Store.

 I am back home, from a fortnight in Sydney with all the family. John put in a new kitchen for our daughter, and helped make new garden beds for our 2nd. son. We spent time with all 8 grandchildren at once, skyped with our youngest daughter in America. Had 20 plus people for Christmas Lunch, went and saw Star Wars at the cinema, a family boxing day tradition. Celebrated our youngest son's birthday on the 27th Dec.  Not surprisingly  I have come back tired, not used to all the noise and going ons.

One big mess, typical of all the gardens

The garden is a mess, having rained several times followed by heat, but I am just leaving it till I regain a bit of strength. Next year it is undergoing a complete change.
I also have to still start organizing my garden to do list and vegetables to grow next year, hopefully a start date of March depends on how we go changing the garden.

Yellow flower is parsnips going to seed never had that happen before, white is perpetual leeks.

My planner this year is going to be the Happy Planner style. Even though I completely designed up planner pages for the forum I am not going to go with it. I have stickers, and left over pages to use up on this bigger style so downloaded a weekly one to print and have now put it all together. I am still sticking with my favorite organizing chart by weeks here 52 weeks to an Organized Home   that I have done now for 4 years.

Chose an undated one, and bit bigger than A5

 2018 will be a year of projects to finish, both the house, garden, and craft as I get older I am now looking at easier, and while I am still able get us there. Declutter is a big one, paying off the mortgage, a new car as mine is now 15 years old, and that is  just to start with. Hoping your plans for 2018 are coming together as well.

Happy New Year Everyone, and Happy Birthday to my Sister, it is on New Years Day, love you lots.


  Till Next Time.