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.

Chance Meetings

It is amazing how connections can come about.  Today I was driving to a nearby town to deal with a phone issue.  Along the way I chanced upon a gentleman walking along in the heat,  so I stopped to offer him a lift.  Once in the car, Michael and I shared some interesting conversation and stories.  I learned that he was walking from his hometown to Canberra to make a submission to Parliament.  A long journey to undertake on foot and one to be admired.  I hope the rest of Michael's journey goes well and that people who may see him, hold out a hand and offer him a ride.

In regard to my goings on here at the property.  Due to illness, treatment and constant rainfall during this winter, most of the property became a little wild and overgrown.  I am lucky that two dear friends and my younger son came by with whipper snippers in hand to help tame the wild weeds.  I am now able to walk around safely, without the fear of falling over or encountering snakes in long grass.  Time and lovely sunshine has come around and I am now working on a planting programme that will encompass a lot of trees, shrubs and plants to feed the bees year round.  Yes folks, I am going to get bees.  Can't wait for this new phase in my little permaculture system.  All the safety gear and equipment are on the way and I am now in the process of purchasing my first Top Bar Hive to put in the upper half acre.  I have come to know a gentleman from a near by town who is an apiarist.  What a stroke of luck,  he has offered to teach me all there is to know about bee keeping.   Such a good person and a great journey to come.

Today while walking in the main street here in town, I stopped to photograph a lovely tree that I hope to plant in my house yard very very soon.  I love the colour, shape of the foliage and the fact it is a deciduous tree means an added bonus of compost from the leaf fall.  I found out later it is a Smoke Bush,  unusual name for such an attractive plant.

As my female meat rabbit passed away a while back, I am now searching for a new girl to introduce to the breeding programme here.  My male is a very gentle buck and just loves people time, even if he is a heavy weight.   I haven't had any kits for a while and there is no meat left from the last lot, so definitely need to get this back up and running again.

I am also very close to getting the much needed ute back on the road.  She has been sitting up the top paddock waiting for a new motor for some time and I have finally found one.  It will be a good day when it is running once again.  I will be able to collect firewood, produce and so many things I need for the property. BRING IT ON.

Spring 2016

This year has been an interesting time in my world.
I have continued hosting WWOOFers, although the number available has fallen due to government changes to the WHV requirements and threats to tax WWOOFers at a rediculous rate.  I am hoping this will all change now the tax threat has been taken away.   WWOOFers play an integral role in my journey here and it would be devastating if I were unable to continue hosting.
Recently I had the opportunity to host a young lady from the Netherlands, Tessa.  I found Tessa to be a very lovely person and her time here taught me a lot about myself.  At the end of her stay with me she moved to one of my friend's homes and continued to stay in Rushworth for about 8 months.  I was so pleased she did so, it gave me more opportunities to spend time with her and to learn more about her and the journey of life she was walking.  Tessa made a big impression on myself and all the people she came to know while in the area and will always be treasured as a dear friend.  During her time with me, Tessa met my friend Meshelle, her son Vali and got up close and personal with Willy, the goat.  A very animal friendly young lady, she also won the hearts of my big meat rabbit, Charming,  my two cats and so many other critters around the place.

We have had a very wet winter here in North Central Victoria and it has led to a massive growth of weeds and grasses around the place.  With ill health I found it hard to get out and work, so now with the onset of spring I am in a panice to get things back in order.  I NEED A GOOD WWOOFER. Yep would love a WWOOFer to come along and help out.  

This year I have to refine the rabbit enclosures to make them more bunny friendly and easy to use.  I love the rabbits,  they have unique personalities and can become so friendly and cuddly.

Summer promises to be a mix of hot weather, filled plenty of time spent outdoors tweaking the permaculture system and preparing for the introduction of a beehive or two.  Planting a variety of trees, shrubs and flowers that will feed the bees year round.  I am very excited to be doing this as it is another step on the ladder of self sufficiency and in improving the land here.

My youngest son has returned to work after all the dramas surrounding his car accident and subsequent mini strokes.  He has been given permanent casual status, which is a little more secure than just casual.  Hoping this is the beginning of something wonderful for him.

My eldest son and his lovely dog, Ra, are doing really well and my son is working hard toward funding his own home.  I can't wait for that to happen.  The both deserve so much in life after all their struggles so far.

This is Ra as a little boy.  He sure has grown and become a character.

Life is full of challenges.

This year just keeps giving, in many more ways than I had thought it could.  We as a family have endured ups and downs that are challenging our stamina to the max.  After my son's accident in February, I thought the spell of threes had been broken.  Four big events in less than a month and we were seeing the other side.  So we thought.  There have been times filled with laughter, joy and good things that I am holding dear and using to get me through the tough days.  Black humour abounds and at times shocks those around us, but it is our way.  The permablitz group is still plugging away and hopefully making some difference in the lives of recipients.  I still work at the school garden one day per fortnight, as well as on their special market days.  Along with the shift per week at the icecream shop and the work on my own permaculture system, it has kept me very busy to say the least.  Recently the ride of life took a turn to the left, so to speak.  My son ( the toe less one) suffered a series of TIA (mini strokes) which are directly caused from his head hitting the light pole during the accident.  Mini strokes though they are,  it is a major concern for his future.  Will they worsen, will they impede his ability to hold his job, drive a car etc etc and the list rolls on.  I am working hard to keep perspective and be as positive as possible in his presence.  He needs to be kept focused on recovery and rebuilding things he has lost as a result of his actions.   I think that by sharing this with other bloggers, I am hoping our experiences will open the eyes of others.  So they can perhaps change how they work, live, and what happens in their R&R time.  Please know, it only takes one bad decision to bring havoc to you and your loved ones.  As the end of the year approaches, I am hoping and praying that some of this heaviness, heartache and worry won't roll over to next year.   So many plans ahead for me and so much I would like to achieve.  Work began on the house yard a few months ago, as I planned to participate in the local open garden day.  Ill health pulled me up a bit so now I plan to do that for next year.  It will afford me more time to get the gardens looking good, the paddock and food zone running more productively.  Sadly the ute I bought this year broke down and I am working on getting a new motor for it.  I miss being able to go and do things, pick things up for myself.  I am not good at asking for help, nor accepting it.  A lesson in life I need to learn.
For now, please think about your life, think about what you can do to prevent anything that will bring  you grief and cause heartache to you and yours.  Live well and live long.
On a light note to finish.  This picture shows my Jimmy statue, I finally set him up in the paddock as a feature.  Living on old gold diggings I decided to turn him into a gold pan man.

Late Autmn kickoff.

Yesterday I had my latest WWOOFer arrive.  Seolhee is a lovely young lady from South Korea, with a wonderful happy nature, beautiful laugh and a penchant for being busy.  On her first full day here we spent a few hours in the bush collecting firewood and kindling. Not a problem, she got stuck in and took direction very well.

Later in the evening as we waited for our dinner to cook, Seolhee got busy taking seeds out of the carob pods, so I can dry them for future planting.  I am planning to grow carob trees and use the pods for fodder to give the rabbits.  She was ever so patient in tending to the task and even had a sneaky taste of the pasty gum inside the pod.  "Tastes sweet" she informed me, so of course I joined in and had a taste myself.  Yep,, sweet as.

Today we were up early as I had someone coming to view my ricebubble (another no show). So we got busy in the orchard, tidying up the net and pans around individual trees, mulching and preparing 4 more holes for future planting of 2 more citrus trees and two more fruit trees (varieties yet to be determined).   A big day and we are both tired, sore but pleased with the outcome. 

Seolhee was so proud at the end of the workday she had to show what was done.

We still have about two days of work to do out there and tomorrow will see us with barrows, shovels and rakes in hand, spreading a truckload of tree mulch to help create more biomass around the paddock.  Must say the geese have done a fantastic job of cleaning up the tall weeds and grass that was spreading out in there.

All is well in my world and I am loving Freaky Farm once again.

What a kick off in 2015

Here we are, 5 months into 2015 and the start has been very arduous for myself, my sons and extended family.  A series of very serious accidents began half way through January, when my mother collided with two cars.  No injuries, but her car was a complete write off.  Then the first of February, a date that will forever be etched in my mind, both of my sons had accidents exactly 3 hours apart.  The eldest son hit a kangaroo along a coastal road, his car damaged by the impact. Still drive-able and no injuries thank goodness.  My youngest son wasn't so lucky.  His car hit a cement power pole and the driver's side took the full impact.  He was trapped by his foot, his face had hit the pole and was a little scraped, but he was knocked unconscious for a period of time.  When he regained contentiousness,  he turned to see his passenger non responsive.  He managed to pull his trapped foot free and extricated himself from the car.  Made his way around the other side to drag the passenger out.  Luckily she had only minor scrapes and bruises, but my son had to have surgery to remove a toe 3 days later.  His car is beyond repair and he is now facing major consequences over the accident.  Not long after all of this, my 94 year old step father was returning to his retirement village and as he attempted to get the security gate closed, it collapsed on top of him. He was lucky it fell as it did or things would be worse.  However he had a fractured sternum, broken vertebrae and his scalp was badly torn where he had just had skin grafts done. Who says things only happen in 3s.    We have all managed to get through these events and are trying hard to keep a positive outlook in all ways.  I am the first to admit that we used a lot of black humor to get through my younger sons situation.  I have had a number of health issues and have had to cut back my volunteer work quite hard.  More so the heavy work I was doing.  I still work on shift a week at a local store and continue to build my permaculture system and am increasing my self sufficiency steadily.  I now run geese, chickens and meat rabbits.  The orchard is doing well, although I lost 3 trees during a massive heatwave (must replace those soon).  The vegetable zone is looking very good and is so productive, I am now able to offer organic foods to people around me.  The herb bed has been doing very well indeed, although I would like to extend that a little more and increase the variety of herbs I have.  I am planning to build an outdoor kitchen zone, with a pizza oven and a permanent area to put the spit.  This will be a slow process as it requires overhead protection from rain and hot sun.  Yet another structure to build.  So many changes have taken place here and I have so many more changes planned.  Who knows,  it might take months, or could take years.  I am just living today and enjoying the journey.

Forging Ahead

In the short space of time since the end of November 2014 I have had the opportunity to host two lovely people.  First Dan came along and we had a busy week, laying out plans, revising them and then implementing stage one of fencing off the orchard from the vegie zone.  This is an important task as it will allow the geese to traverse between their night pen and the orchard/olive grove zone to graze.  Why?  For two reasons, geese are grazers by nature and to keep them in a pen is not good for their emotional health.  The second reason is so that they can mow the grasses that will grow in that zone and keep it tidy for me.  Long term benefit for me is less physical work mowing the area (it is a big area).  All the fence posts were driven into the ground, ready to attach the straining/chicken wire. I also have 2 proper gates to finish that fencing off.  Once done I am going to put lattice around the sand pad to the back of the hot house and across to the fence which divides the house yard and paddock.  The actual vegie zone has taken on a whole new look in the last month,  extra gardens have been built and are now planted with summer crops,  the little arbour garden was revamped and planted with annuals that will attract bees for pollination and where I had a raised timber bed, I now have a straw bale bed. That will be used to grow fodder crops for the poultry and rabbits.  Thus saving on the purchase of foods for them at a high cost. My current WWOOFer, Tiphaine is from France.  Such a graceful person with a lovely disposition.  She has taken on all tasks set for her, even if she has problems with the language barrier.  She has fallen in love with the current litter of baby rabbits and is amazed with their growth rate. Tiphaine is planning to stay up to 3 months with me, during that time she is also working for a local Olive Grove in order to get her 2nd year visa.  I have enjoyed all the transformations taking place and that will take place in the next month or so as they all lead to a more balanced and easily managed system of integrated self sufficiency.

The current view of the vegetable growing zone

Tiphaine watering in the newly built straw bale vegetable bed

Long term I am working toward installing an aquaponic system in the hothouse, but this will have to wait until I can get a large framework built over the entire sand pad and a form of protection from the heat set up.  Due to high temperatures that we get here, the fish would not survive the summer if I didn't do so.  I will also be putting in a small pond ( design and such to be decided) in the s/w end of the orchard so the geese have access to deeper water for the summer months. So many projects and many more plans on the go.  Permaculture is something that never ceases to amaze me.  Designing and refining things as time goes by, perfecting those things implemented in the beginning and then sitting back a while to enjoy the spoils.

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

2013 Winds Down

This year has been one of many twists and turns.  It has seen me go through my third and final round of chemo, yes final round.  The post chemo tests have shown I am clear and free.  There will be follow up tests just to keep an eye  on things, but my life is now my own once again.  The property has taken on a new look, with a great number of projects now done and dusted.  Have had the greatest blessing in hosting Magnus for the third time and when he returns to his homeland in December, my home won't be the same.  Luckily he will return to me in the new year for around 3 months.  It would be amazing if there was a way for him to remain in Australia as is his dream.  I have begun two new ventures in order to produce my own food and a little extra income.  First came the quail, which are now housed in the aviary that Magnus and I worked hard to assemble.

 

The area beneath the shelf will be enclosed with doors, this will be the area used to grow out the young quail for food and sales.

 

I am also investing in another set of breeding cages to increase the number of breeding groups.  So far I am doing well enough with them, in regard to incubating and raising, however will need a larger incubator for future production.  I also bought my first pair of meat rabbits in order to breed them for another food source.  They will be housed in two large cages not far from the quail aviary out in the paddock.  Although still only about 5 months old,  they have grown a lot and are maturing nicely. 

 

 

 

 

The rabbit above is Bugalugs. Thought to be female at first...OOOPS

 

Above is Mokiedokie,  umm thought this was the male,  another OOPS.

 



In a few short weeks we will be looking at the Christmas celebrations,  I am going to spend this time quietly planning what I hope to achieve in the next year around the place.  It is exciting, as there are so many options open to me.  Meanwhile, I will leave you all with my very best wishes for the end of 2013 and hopes of a prosperous and happy new year in 2014.



Reflections

Here it is, the last day of October 2013.  I find myself reflecting on a year that has held many surprising twists and turns.  During the first half of the year, I underwent my third and final chemo treatment.  Then was faced with the decision on when to go for the tests to find out if it had worked.  I procrastinated for quite some time on this and will come back to this part of the post later.  As the chemo ended, of course I had the blitz, a post chemo BBQ and many interesting adventures.  I hosted Magnus and Lucinda as WWOOFers,  then had a few months with nobody around.  The winter came and work on the property slowed down,  I don't do cold weather very well, must be an age thing.  As spring approached, preparations for the Elmore Field Days ramped up and I had the lovely opportunity of hosting Thomas from China.  He was a gentle and endearing young man who was quick to smile and easy to talk with.  He had never had much contact with animals back home, so his first full day gave him ample opportunity to make up for that.  Thomas and I went to a friend's small farm to feed up the horses, chooks, cats, dogs and fish.  He handled it all with such grace and made friends with the 2 small horses easily.

Not long after Thomas had departed I got an email from Magnus, my most frequent WWOOFer, asking could he return a little earlier than planned.  Of course that was no hard decision to make, a big yes from me and then busied myself preparing his room.  He is an amazing young man who has journeyed so far.  He had just done a trip around Australia in his little Toyota Seca hatchback, a total of 23,000 km.  Has seen so much of our wonderful country, had the opportunity to do a great number of new things and met (I am sure) many interesting folk.  Since he arrived back, we tackled a number of jobs (yet again),  made an alteration to the sandpad by taking out one section of timber and turning it into the sandpad and making a ramp for easy access with a wheelbarrow to the hothouse. Removed a noxious bush and some fence posts, restrung the wire on an old fence and removed part of another.

removing fence post

new garden edge and restrung wire, corner where the noxious bush was

remodelled sandpad

 

Magnus is due to head home to Germany in December, I have to say that day will be very hard for me.  He has made a big impact on my life and also become a good friend am blessed to know.  No matter where his life takes him, he will do very well indeed.  With Christmas fast approaching, I hope to have the aviary set up on the end of the sandpad you can see in the photo, where I will house the coturnix quail I am now breeding for food and to sell.  I have also bought 2 meat rabbits, that I had hoped to breed.  As luck would have it, I got two males.  So a swap is in order and I will trade one of them for a doe.  Just my luck really and as I type this I do have a smile of irony on my face.

Coming full circle on this post,  yesterday was the day I got my chemo test results.  It was a moment of an astounding moment really.  I am finally clear of malignancy, I can now breathe a sigh of relief and plan for the future.

Blitzed Again.

 

On April 27th I was blessed by the team from the Permaculture Guild with another blitz.  On the day a team of lovely folk descended on my property and undertook so many projects that I had wanted done, but needed help to achieve.  The photos above and below show work in progress, building a wicking bed to grow more vegetables in.  It is a modified design, that has the overflow pipe at the base of the reservoir on a spindle.  If the bed needs to be completely drained, I can attach a grey water hose to the top of the overflow and simply turn the pipe to release water on the strawberry bed beside it, or into buckets to be used on other gardens.  I will be most interested to see what the outcome will be.

 

The most important project on the day was building a double sand pad.  This was planned so that the hothouse could be assembled on the smaller/inner sandpad,  a small potting shed will be built just by the front entrance to that and the final installation will be a large water tank on the opposite end of the large/outer sandpad later this year.  This will allow me to install a small aquaponic system in the hothouse, as well as a set of grow shelves for when I plant seeds into punnets at the beginning of each growing season. It will also mean that the 3 tie in together nicely and complete the picture in the first quarter acre I am working to establish.  The hothouse is a simple kitform I purchased at a very good price on the internet and will be a tide over until I am more financial and can build a proper glass house on the same site.





 





 



 During November last year I bought several loads of tree mulch from local arborists and had managed to spread the majority of that in the main garden patch to reduce the weed problem and cut out all mowing.  I still had about 2/3 of a truck load to spread, so this task was also undertaken on the day and now the entire olive grove, orchard and garden patch are under mulch.  Still a strip along the dividing fence and around the sandpad to do, will have to invest in yet another load of mulch soon to complete the task.

 

The end of the day saw us all around the trestle sharing a mixed meal and good conversation, lamenting over all we achieved during the day.  Feeling quite pleased with ourselves, we later moved our chairs around the fire drum to relax and gaze at the wonderous colours and patterns forming around the full moon above.