Christmas Moment

Wishing everyone the very best for the festive season.  Enjoy the merriment and happiness this christmas and new year.  I'll sign off now to enjoy this special time with family until the new year.

Over the Weekend

It was lovely to spend the weekend at home.  A calm, quiet and peaceful weekend before the merriment of Christmas takes over.  We baked, sewed and spent time in the garden harvesting the first of our cherries which was so exciting as they really are my favourite fruit.  When they are picked straight from the tree, they taste of sunshine.

Our new dexter cows were very interested in Phil whilst he worked in the orchard, hoping for a little offering.  Our chook was also keen to check out what was happening indoors and stayed at the front door for some time (much to Ned's disgust as the doormat is no place for a chook!)

The little Plymouth Rock chooks that we bought as day old chicks have well and truly grown up now and were busy foraging in the jungle like berry canes.  My herb garden is also starting to take off with all the rain and warm weather we've been having.  

Ava and Phil rode to kinder (and work) in the bike trailer.  Phil was working pretty hard with the extra weight on the back whilst Ava sat back and relaxed, enjoying her afternoon tea on a pleasant afternoon! 

Safari, our goat and the sheep have now moved to greener pastures for the Christmas break.  The sky was just stunning the other night too.

I hope you had a relaxing weekend.

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.  Inspired by soulemama at www.soulemama.com

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Hope your Weekend is a lovely one. 

Yasmin

Over the Weekend

It was our 5th Wedding Anniversary on Friday.  Our tradition for anniversaries is to go away together as a family to enjoy nature and the peace it brings.  Were not really much for dinners at a flashy restaurant or extravagant presents.  This year, we chose to head away to the Alps.  It was quite an adventure with our camper in tow.  The trip over the mountains was quite a slow one, but I think it allows you to take in the beautiful scenery!  The weather wasn't fantastic with lots of rain and thunderstorms, but we were lucky enough to spend the whole day on Saturday walking in the National Park without needing our raincoats.  We also now know that our camper is fully waterproof, even in the most severe storms!  
We camped by the river, cooked outdoors and enjoyed each others company.  Ava loved it and didn't want to pack up and go home at all.  We had a picnic lunch with the best view of the mountains. Ava loved the bush walks as well - we did 3 different walks and she was keen to do them all on her own, without a piggy back from mum or dad. One particular walk was really steep and Ava decided to go down the steps in reverse - like she used to! Ava really is growing up.   She is already talking about our next trip in the camper!
It was a fantastic weekend away - quality time spent together as a family.

This Moment - five years

A slight variation to the usual 'this moment' ritual - five years ago today - my beautiful man, Phil and I were married, a moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.  Inspired by soulemama at www.soulemama.com

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

These Days

The frenetic pace of Christmas has arrived!  I have been so busy that writing my blog has been put aside.  I do love Christmas time and the festive season, but the rush to get things done can be overwhelming at times especially when the social agenda ramps up as well! Catching up with friends is also what makes it so special, but I wish it wasn't concentrated into the three weeks prior to Christmas Day!
Nevertheless, we have found some quiet time at home for making christmas cards, sewing placemats as christmas presents, baking cakes for social afternoon teas(!), catching up on some reading and viewing from the library, making bread, preparing the garden for summer harvest by planting out more vegies as well as spreading crushed rock around the garden beds.  Our corn looks like a bumper harvest this year and our Lollo Rosso Lettuces are ready to pick. These days are busy!

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.  Inspired by soulemama at www.soulemama.com

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 Have a lovely weekend!

Lemon Cordial Tutorial

It's been quite a while since we last bought cordial from the supermarket - at least 2 years I'd say.  Once we found this recipe for homemade lemon cordial, there was no going back!  Aside from the fact that this tastes so much better than the bought stuff, you know exactly what's going into it - no artificial colours, flavours or weird numbered additives.
Over time, I've adjusted the amount of sugar in this recipe - there is quite a strong sugar syrup as the basis for this cordial - but you use so little and dilute it with water, so it's not so bad really!  It contains far less sugar when compared to the supermarket stuff.
This is a staple in our house.  Phil isn't a huge fan of drinking water without some kind of flavouring!  You can adapt this to include any kind of citrus fruit, but we like lemons the best.  
You will need:

  - 1400 grams of sugar
  - grated rind and juice of 8 lemons
  - 1100 mls boiling water
  - 1 tablespoon citric acid

Finely grate the rind of the lemons.

Then juice all 8 lemons.

Measure out the sugar into a large heatproof bowl.

Add the citric acid to the sugar.

Pour the boiling water over the sugar and citric acid mix.

Add the finely grated lemon rind.

Stir thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Then pour in the lemon juice and stir again.

Cover the bowl and leave to stand overnight or for several hours.  The longer you leave it, the stronger the lemony tang!

The next morning, strain the mixture and pour into sterilised glass bottles.  Keep in a cool dark place. Once opened, keep it in the fridge.


Enjoy!

Over the Weekend

We had a great weekend with the lead up being a frenzy of preserving the garden's harvest. Phil was away at a fly fishing clinic on Saturday and Sunday, whilst Ava and I caught up with family and friends in Melbourne - including a trip to the (very busy) Museum on Sunday.

 Phil learnt some serious fly fishing skills to help him land this 6 pound Brown Trout which was catch and release in a sustainable fishery.  He looks so happy!

 Ava was very busy mothering her 'babies' and dressing them in new outfits!

 Ava and I picked these flowers from the garden - spring is here.

 We also made Granola from these ingredients................. 

 and it turned into this.

 We picked more berries from the garden - we are at risk of being completely over run by the berries in the garden!

and we made more of this lemon cordial

from these ingredients.  I'll post a tutorial on how to make this cordial later in the week.

Hope you had a great weekend too!