New Direction In Life

After some time of reflection and introspection I have found my way back to my Blog.
I apologize to those who have followed my journey for having been absent for so long. It was, however, of great benefit on many levels.
There have been a great number of things happening in my world during the last 18 months and some have been so big that it was necessary to step back, breathe and regroup.
After having had a major injury to my shoulder in August of 2017, my life was put on hold work wise. Unable to do the manual labour around the property, it has become a wasteland for the most part.  13 months post injury, I finally had surgery to repair the damage done.  After this, I was told recovery would take around 12 months, with intensive physiotherapy to be undertaken.  I am now 6 months post operative, just beginning to be able to do light work in the paddock and at this stage things are going reasonably well.  There is still a long way to go before I reach full recovery, but the surgery was definitely well worth going through.
My younger son married his partner just 9 days after my surgery.  Although I was in a great deal of pain still, the day was beautiful and my son made me very proud with his efforts to make everything so special for his bride. I was very fortunate that a dear friend was kind enough to chauffeur me to and from the wedding as I was unable to drive myself.  (More on this special person a little later)
I also became Nonny to a beautiful little boy last year and I truly feel that he has given my life new meaning.  He is a joyful and spirited lad who shows us all that life is for living, not for waiting around to see it happen. His parents named him Logan, to my surprise it has the meaning of "From little hollows".  A Scottish highland name, one that brings joy to me as a big fan of all things Outlander.  A wonderful book and tv series written by my favourite author, Diana Gabaldon. I had the honor of being able to meet this young lad just 10 minutes after he came into the world. So tiny, so perfect, has the look of his father and is the future of our family. During his first week of life, I spent every moment I could holding him and building up a bond I hope will always be strong.
Back to the friend I mentioned earlier.  This gentleman became a friend around 3 years passed, one who is old fashioned, respectful and who has the kindest of hearts.  Now, if you were to ask my loved ones about me, they would all tell you that I was a woman hell bent on staying single for the rest of my life.  Can you imagine how it came as a surprise not only to them, but more so to me, when this wonderful man and I found ourselves growing close and becoming a couple.  It has brought out many emotions, among them joy, hope, but also early fears about being in a relationship.  It has taken time for me to adjust to this and for us both to understand how it evolved to the point it has.  I guess I am sharing this with you as I would also like to impart something that I feel others may benefit from.  Never let yourself close the doors totally, simply live and let the good things in life come to you when the time is right.  Life is finite, so, grab hold of it and live it well.  You see, doing it alone is a hard way to live.  I know, I have done so for many, many years. 
Another thing that I would like to impart, never let those around you demean you, your life and what you aim for in life.  You are the driver on your journey and it is up to you to go where you will be happiest.
My future is now one that has an exciting slant to it.  In 4 years, my lovely man and I will move permanently into a 36' bus to live and travel for as many years as we are able.  We are currently stripping the bus out and refitting it to suit our taste and needs.  What an amazing project it is for us to share and one that we are both enjoying to the utmost.  Once we are on the road, the adventures will be endless and simply wondrous,  I can't wait.  For now, I will simply enjoy life as it is.

Costuming

Things on the property have slowed down somewhat since my last post here.  Due to a number of things, such as my body arguing with the cold weather, no wwoofers at present and also being distracted by the work I am doing on costumes at present.  I have become fixated on the Outlander series and the books written by Diana Gabaldon.  Mainly due to my fascination with all things historical.  I have just packed the sewing machines away after a two week slog on my latest creation. It has been a big challenge as I didn't have patterns for this costume and basically cut pattern pieces on the dressmakers model.  It is based on an outfit worn in series one by the leading lady, not identical as I wanted it to be individual.  So here is my twist on a woman's 1740s gown in the highlands of Scotland. I will be debuting this outfit at a Heritage Festival in a nearby town on Father's Day.

Making great memories

My wwoof hosting journey continues and at present I have a young man from Germany here with me.  Simon has been such a breath of fresh air and has also been a marvelous help around the property.    We have managed to finish the drip watering system in the olive grove, along the chamomile row and in the rosemary hedge.  This will lighten my workload on a daily basis as I will no longer have to water everything by hand.  Bless him for his efforts in that.  We also managed to complete the timber raised bed that was not quite finished when Simon arrived and today we filled it with soil, horse manure and straw.  This will break down over time and become incredible soil for future planting. On top of this we have begun to plant the winter crop and replenished some of the flowering plants to encourage bees to the area. During the two weeks with me, Simon has experienced a number of firsts.  He got to go fishing for the first time and caught a beautiful yellow belly.  I cleaned it and then cooked it up for his dinner that night.  Simon's first catch and first taste of an Australian fish.  Top marks to him for his attempts there.   His prior host had organised for Simon to go to a local rodeo, to help them man the bar.  While there he got to see Buck and bull riding as well as many other events during the night.  Another first as they don't have rodeos back home, he said.  Simon came away most impressed with it all. On the Saturday Simon came back to me and along with my sons, we went to the local speedway racing.  Simon had never seen this kind of racing in Germany as they only have Formula 1 and rally driving.  During the course of the night, I jokingly said to him, If I can arrange it would you jump in a car and go for a ride with a race driver.  He was most keen on that idea, so at half time while in the pits, I spoke to my favourite driver and his daughter (also a race driver) and jokingly mentioned what I said to Simon.   Young Chloe jumped at the chance to take him along in her car the next day and told us to be back at the track at 2.30 for him to be fitted with a race suit and for him to learn the ins and outs of safety and such.  Simon spent the entire night with the team and rode with Chloe during her 4 races.  He even had the opportunity to be with her when she won the finals.  He is still smiling like a cheshire cat and I am sure that when he moves onto the next leg of his journey he will cherish all he has seen and done here.

Another step toward self reliance

Over the last year I have worked toward learning new skills.  This weekend I managed to fit in one exercise that has achieved that.  My friend and I went shares in some goats to kill and dress.  Once that part of the deed was done, we got busy with a mincer and sausage stuffer and made over 10kg of seasoned goat sausages.  The end result was great and I have even managed to learn the art of tying the sausages off.

Pretty chuffed with myself and I am now confident enough in the task that I will endeavor to do chicken ones in the near future.
Today I also spent about an hour researching and pricing mincers and stuffers so that we have extra equipment to cover big production days.  Having 2 sets of equipment means we will get the job done in half the time. Our aim is to provide meat products for 4 homes.  Almost like feeding a village when you think about it.   Sharing costs, work input and then at times enjoying the end result of all we have done, together.  Over a fire pit, bbq or even at times using the spit to do whole animals.
I am planning on introducing meat birds in the very near future, that will increase the food production by at least another 15%.  These birds can reach weights of 2 kg in just a matter of 10 weeks, when they are culled, dressed and processed. I will dress some out as roasting birds, some as chicken pieces and some as mince for sausages. The infrastructure is already in place so it will not be a huge task to prepare for their arrival.
I already have a small flock of ducks roaming through the orchard, where they clean up the pests that can be detrimental to the fruit trees in there.  I am also planning to only keep two ducks and a drake for future breeding.  The offspring with then be processed in various ways to be shared amongst those in my circle.

Where I find Joy in Life.

I have thought long and hard about where I find joy in my life, the things that make me smile and feel as though the days have been better than those past.
Today was one of those days where this was reaffirmed in my eyes, through several happenings.
The first thing I had happen, upon walking around the corner of my house, my breath caught, my heart sped up and I began to sweat with fear.  I saw a long tail against the back of the house and could see nothing more of a creature that was hiding behind a bucket.  Thinking it was a tiger snake (very venomous) I cautiously moved forward, only to discover it was a blue tongued lizard.  For those who don't live in Australia, these lizards are the largest of the skink family and usually harmless. They are known for keeping the snail and pest populations down in the gardens, hense a good critter to have around.  This particular lizard has been living under my house for the last 3 years, she is due to give birth within the next 3 weeks and may have up to 20 young.  Her offspring become very self relient within the first 3 days and will not stick around.  I am very lucky that both my cats respect her presence and don't bother her at all. Infact the will take a wide berth around her and let her do her own thing.  This year Lizzy measures around 40cm long, I haven't weighed her as I don't believe in handling her, pregnant or not.

The second thing that made me smile and feel like my world was a good place to be, was watching the ducklings puddle around in their little tub.  They are all quirky and have unique personalities.  When you see them together it can be a bit of a surprise, they are all the same age, from the same clutch of eggs and yet they range in size so much.  I have given them all names (from Outlander characters) and each seems aware of what I call them.  The biggest has begun to get his feathers in and at present looks very scruffy.  The photo below shows them at just one week old,  they are now 4 weeks old and have at least tripled in size.

Something else that has given me the opportunity to breathe,  my son who had the accident last year finally has his license back, his new car is registered and at the end of the week he will be back on the road.  Finally I can cry freedom for us both.  It has been a long and testing time for us and I believe we have grown stronger for the experience

Regrouping and forging ahead

Now almost at the end of another year and I have had quite some time of inactivity due to cancer treatment.
Several things that have happened, firstly I had to withdraw from the Open Garden day as I was unwell and my property was flooded a month before hand.  So it is now necessary to make good some repairs, do some rethinking and regroup.
I am finding my energy levels are increasing, albeit slowly.  The warmer weather is helping in that
regard, I am sure of it.
So,  with nicer days and plenty of plans I am tackling things, task by task.  A week ago I went to the local market and bought 5 muscovy ducklings, that will be introduced to the main system, once they are big enough to free range in the orchard.  I have given them all names from the characters in the Outlander series and they are showing their little personalities off more and more.  The main pair are Jamie and Claire.  They tend to stick together a lot and are constantly snuggling up in the run and brood box.  Jamie is the large one with the dark head and grey saddle, Claire is the pure yellow one. At this stage they are only a few weeks old and still have no feathers, just down.

As Christmas approaches, I am trying hard to source a wwoofer to help me around the property, so many things I would like to achieve here.  If I am fortunate to have one come, it will be good to include the person in our Christmas gathering.  Always nice to treat them like family.
With the onset of fire season here, our fire pit days are in hiatus and we are going to have to use the gas barbeque etc for entertaining people.  We just can't afford to take risks with the extra amount of undergrowth around, due to higher rainfalls we got this season.
On a personal note,  I am assessing my own life and looking at what options are open to me.  I hope that this year I will be established enough to run a few workshops from the property, to expand on the blitz group a little and also to allow myself a bit of a holiday at some time.
I have kept a bit of a watch on the travels of Micheal (mentioned in my last blog) and how he has fared.  I am glad to be able to say his walk to Canberra culminated in the submission of papers to parliament and that there has been some progress there.  He is an amazing man and should be lauded for his efforts.
If I don't get back to this blog for a while.  Please take care of one another during the festive season. Travel safely and be sure to love your kinfolk well.

My Obsession and Plans For a Cash Crop

I have a confession to make.  Of late I have begun to obsess over mint plants, all kinds of mint plants. At this stage I have around 8 varieties and am still seeking another 6 to increase the types of tea leaves I can dry and package for sale. I don't plant mint(s) in the ground due to their invasive nature.  Instead I plant them into wicking tubs, made from food grade plastic drums.  They do very well in them and I am so impressed with the growth rates and the ability to harvest, dry quite good quantities at a time.  My only issue now is to design the labels for the packaging.  Not sure if I should go for stickers or swing tags, but that is another issue altogether and one that will solve itself.

This is the apple mint in one of the wicking drums.

This is the chocolate mint in another wicking drum.

Each of these mints are used in  two ways.  They can both be infused in hot milk to make a tasty custard, but also steeped in boiling water, cooled, strained and placed in a drink dispenser with ice for a cool refreshing drink on hot days.  Mints are quite an under rated plant in my view.  

This is a slice of feijoa loaf with apple mint infused custard drizzled over it.

I also have the first hedgerow of chamomile planted, which is another future cash crop, dried for tea.  Very excited to be going into this field as it will help me to boost funds for future projects around the property.  Down the track I also plan to grow crocus (saffron) and dry it as a cash crop.  I have the room and it seems like a good way of utilizing empty spaces.