2014 What A Ride

I haven't logged in here for a while and didn't realise how long it had been. Time has come for an update and to fill you all in on what has happened here in 2014.  The year began slowly, giving me time to relax before the onslought to come.  In February things to a turn to the left, so to speak, due to my younger son coming to live with me for a few months.  "Only until I find my feet, Mum".  Which he did,  found a nice little flat,  is getting some shifts at a factory in a nearby town, helps some friends of mine with odd jobs and has begun to mix with the community (mostly my friends).

Prodigal son and I

My work at the Community Garden came to an end, as that door closed another opened.  I have taken on the work at the P12 College, bringing the kitchen garden back to life.  It had been idle for a few years and was in need of a lot of TLC.  Now looking as though it is breathing and I do enjoy my time there.

Kitchen Gardens

I have met and made friends with an amazing group of people who are not only like minded, but also live the same/similar lifestyle as I do.  We all raise some/all of our own animals for meat, grow vegetables and some grow grains as well.  Around late October, we all gathered at one members home for a meat and greet.  Amazing foods consumed, spectacular views admired and wonderful company shared.  Many stories told, lots of laughter could be heard and untold support for one another was the order of the day.  Another gathering of the masses is planned in the new year and I will definitely be there with bells on.  One thing that I have done, that I had decided not to do again, I got two cats.  The oldest is Marli, a lovely girl with a long black coat.  She is mild of manner and gentle of soul.  The youngest is Little Dude, a black and white boy who is brimming with mischief. We always say he is a busy boy,  barely rests, has a quirky growl, is a cleptomaniac who steals anything not put away in draws.  Sadly as I type this blog, he is waiting to go to the vet as he was hit by a car a short time ago.  I feel it won't be serious, but he is in pain and needs her tender ministrations.  I am waiting on the prodigal son to come and drive us the 3/4 hours to the clinic.  Our vet is one of the best you will encounter and I am blessed to have found her.

Marli and Little Dude

Leading up to Christmas,  I have a lot of small jobs to clear away in order that the holidays are stress free.  I am building my own butchering zone, this will enable me to tend to the deed with ease and will also ensure that it is all done with complete care and consideration for the meat birds and rabbits.

I have begun to breed NZ white meat rabbits and am finding that they are the best option for my situation.  

There have been some small and some large changes to the permaculture system and I am planning for a huge shift in how the 1/4 acre is set up.  The changes will be implemented in the next few months to allow for geese to graze in the orchard/olive grove and keep the grass down in there for me.  I recently brought two young pilgrim geese home with me after a day at a permablitz in Ballarat. They have settled well and are enjoying being out in the big pen for now.

Pilgrims in their itty bitty pond.

2014 What a Whirlwind

I have been very lacsidaisy here and neglected my writing for some time.  Life does tend to take over and time passes way to quickly.  So far this year, I have had my younger son return to live with me.  Some days are diamonds and others, well, you get the drift.  He has been a drifter for some time, arrived here with just his bags of clothes and feeling like a lost soul.  Recently he bought a car that became a nightmare and is now trying for another.  God give me strength.  I have spent a lot of time pickling and bottling all kinds of garden goodies and the pantry is looking rather good.  Friends call it the mini supermarket,  my pride swells when I take them in their for a look round.  I finally got a lot more shelving for the pantry and things are much tidier, no longer falling over boxes of jars that are waiting to have labels removed. I have learned how to smoke pork bellies and turn them into bacon, how to make sushi, dry tomatoes, make turkish bread and preserve olives. The seed saving has been in full swing and the bookcase is brimming with a variety of seed stock.  My gardens are ever productive and it is no different coming into winter.  Lots of brassicas, onions, garlic, turnips carrots etc.  I do love being able to forage for the goods I want for dinner.  After having lost my beatiful but scarey cat, "Snake" a year ago, I finally relented and now have 2 beautiful cats.  A lovely girl "Marli" and a rascal of a boy "Little Dude".  They bring loads of entertainment, have quite unique personalities and I couldn't imagine the house without them. I have expanded my self sufficiency menagerie even more.  I now have BIG rabbits.  They are NZ white x Flemish Giants.  Along with the quail and chickens, I now have 3 meat sources, 2 egg sources and a great bi product in the mixture of manures and bedding.  I have ceased work at the Community Garden as of last week and have taken on the job of restoring the Stephanie Alexander Gardens at the local school.  It promises to be a challenge as it has been left idle for some years.   I am loving the new direction life is taking me at present.  Last week, I hosted the first organisors meeting for the Goulburn Valley Permablitz team.  We will hold our first permablitz in July, which I am eagerly looking forward to.  As I am the only qualified permaculturist in the group, it will be my job to do the site assessments, write up a client brief and do a mud map for each event.  Yes folks this year is almost half done and it has been a very very busy time for me.  No rest for the wicked they say. Hmmm does this mean I am a little bit wicked?  Maybe,  maybe not.  Enjoy the photos people and journey well in life.

 Above is the smoked bacon I make.

Above is my first attempt at making sushi.

Above are the sundried tomatoes I bottled

Above, my home made turkish bread.

Above, the pitted olives I preserved.

Above, Marli (the pure black girl) and Little Dude