SHOWTIME:

Spent all of yesterday at the Ariah Park Centenary Show. As I was judging 2 sections in the pavilion I had to be over there by 9am - so it was an early rise for myself and fellow judges - we were travelling together.
It was the Centenary Show and the community supported it really well. The pavilion was choc -a-block full of exhibits.
One of sections I was judging was the recycled items section which I sharing the photos of today.

The iconic aussie hat made from old tin - I suspect it would probably be a bit hot to wear!! And the Steel Bra.... well that would probably be as comfortable as the old time chastity belt was but it is a good talking point and brought a lot of comments and giggles!!

There were several classes in this section - Metal, wood and plastic. The emu was a favourite as well as the redgum coffee table. The 2 stools were made from half a trye topped with a wood.

Wire flowers would look great in my garden, and the wine cabinet was superb!! The cabinet in the lower photo was the champion exhibit - the doors on the stove fron actually opened into the cabinet. The stove was restored superbly.

 

 

A simple recycling effort - chair on wheels and old chairs painted up with a timer attached as time out chairs (plus a message telling the time outer to think about what they and do and mum loves them. 

 

A metal butterfly for your garden and although not in the competition the outside wood heater took my eye also - it was set up near the bbq area for the night show.

 

Just incase you really like these items here thay are again (and because my blog is playing up and I cannot remove it or delete it!!)  I have heaps more photos of the show which I will share with you in following blogs.

We had our lunch in the luncheon pavilion and it was superb - a plate with 3 meets and salad and no room to fit any more; and caramel tart and cream - country cooks are the best!!!

Little Entrepreneur!!!!

i have also been busy every afternoon this week with my 8yr old granddaughter potting up cuttings for her market stall.

 

 

karah just loves helping set up at markets and of course checking out all the other stalls!!! She wants to buy a motor bike and a pool but has to save the money herself.... Soooooo...... ma-ma offered to help her get a plant stall going so she can earn some money too.

 

 

 

The two photos are a sample of our toils every afternoon after school. She managed to get over 100 succulents and geranium cuttings potted. This afternoon because it was too windy we went into her nanny's (great grandmother) and collected some ore empty pots and 4 shopping bags of cuttings!!!!!! guess we will be going potty all this week too!!

Of course she expects them to be ready to sell next week also. Life is a learning curve and a slow one at that sometimes!! 6 weeks and she has it marked on her calendar already!!





SPRING... is here...
I am back on board after 3 weeks of the dreaded flu plus a gastric virus with it during the last week. And there I was thinking how good it was that I hadn't had any of the virus' doing the rounds in town!!! One should never get to cocky!!

This is the first sign that spring isn't far away in these parts - the wattle trees start to bloom, this one is in my back garden and has been blooming like this for over a month - this photo doesn't do it justice at all.

Our Mulberry Tree is coming alive - it would be about 60 yrs old - it was here for many years before we bought the property - busy watering it so it fruits up really well ....mmmmmmmm.. mulbery jam and pies, fresh mulberries, purple stained mouths and fingers and clothes!!

This week I have been busy pulling out, planting and pruning!! Lettuce, Broccoli, Blueberry bush, Bay tree, Strawberries are just some of what has gone in. Heaps more to go when I have finished preparing all the beds - some new and some refurbished.

After of 6 years of waiting this pile of rubbish was removed from my garden into the paddock next to it (because it is easier to access with the ute than the garde!). And it only took him haf an hour!. I have now finished planting trees in that bed and mulched it!

 

 

The front garden (all trees and shrubs - some newly planted, some have been in for a couple of years) with the large bales of straw waiting to be spread as mulch.

 

 

 

This is one of my favourite bushes in the garden - the native Emu bush - it is about to get a big trim as it has fallen flat!

 

 

 

A whole days work to get this garden bed cleaned up and planted! The roses are about a third of the size thahey were before I attacked them but you couldsn't see them because of the WEEDS!!!. More dirt brought in to top up the bed, and some geraniums and petunias planted also. Plus some sunflower seeds at the back. Still have to remove the rubbish and weeds that was pulled out - tomorrow will do for that job. 

 

 

 

One pile of pruning from one part of the garden. Most of the rose clippings were bagged up and sent into my daughters 2 pet goats - special treat as they do love them so!!

 



 

 

The extent of my crafting over the last 3 weeks - washed and dries wheat to remove dust etc and started making heat packs for my market stall.

 

In my spare time this week I have been busy taking photos of my market stall products for a SPRING FLING market sale tonight on facebook. I sell Outback Pampering products as well as my craft and have 2 facebook pages. Products from both are all in the sale and if you are interested you can find the album on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natural-Indulgence.

 



 

That is it for this week. I am looking forward to attending the Ariah Park Show on Sunday where I will be judging handcrafts. I love going to small Ag Shows. The communities always pull together and make a wonderful event. I will be sure to take lots of photos and be back with a report on Sunday night!

 

 

MISERABLE DAY ENDEAVOURS....
Cold, windy, sleety, then sunny windy and sleety, back to cold windy and sleety... that sums up today. Impossible to do anything outside and to top of the day I am into the 4th day od the dreaded flu. So what to do on a day like this!!
First up some nourishment - the easiest way to do this is a pot of chicken and vegie soup!

Chicken, fresh vegies, dried soup mix - I feel better just smelling it simmering away on the stove!

What to do now. My ever so slow clean up and sort out uncovered my two favourite sewing boxes which in turn uncovered several works in progress. So today just might be filled with getting them out and doing a bit more on each of them whilst sitting in front of the heater! Mind you when I say works in progress they have been on the go for about 4 years. I get bored if I only have one thing to do, and they have been forgotten for the last 12 months!

The big square one was a christmas gift from my husband which was a change from the usual gift card! and the little blue round one was from a beautiful friend who is no longer with us.

Both sewing boxes revealed a treasure trove of works ...

ahhh that is where the crinoline ladies have been hiding...

Did I say about 4 years in the making... these cows have been out to pasture for longer than that!!!

And this wool embroidered cot blanket too!
Now to work out which one I am going to do some more on today. The weekend is actually looking a little brighter now - a crafty weekend for me is something I haven't done in a long time
, always too busy making for our market stalls!!
Hope the weather is better where you are, if not I hope you are planning something fulfilling and fun inside.

LIMP BITS CHALLENGE!
Full of good intentions etc I decided to joining Posie Patchwork's #2012Posie Limp Bits Challenge!
http://posiepatchworkblog.blogspot.com.au/

Had the first week all organised. Trying a new recipe for pork chops which I find boring! Go to get my camera and.....CANNOT FIND IT!!!!
2 weeks down the track I still cannot find the camera! Everyone I ask says yes they seen it (all on the same night I might add) on the lounge. Now I know I didn't use it between that night and the new meal night.
Anyhow I am now using a camera borrowed from my daughter (and my camera will turn up eventually I hope!)

For the second challenge I decided it was time to have a go at knitting up some 8ply handspun yarn that I have had for a couple of years. Why is this a challenge? Well for the past 4 years I have only knitted with 10mm needle and upwards... and I wasn't looking forward to going back to the 4.50mm needles required to knit up the handspun wool!

On the bottom of the photo are the size needles I have been knitting with and on top what I was going to knit with. I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to the time it would take to knit a garment iether, that is why I chose a baby's cardigan!!

This is the back! I added stripes because I don't like knitting ordinary old stocking stitch for too long, and instead of doing rib at the top I have finally mastered Moss Stitch!!! I have always knitted patterns but moss stitch was one that I always messed up. Well this time I didn't!!

And these are the two fronts!! Now all I have to do are the sleeves and then the worst part of all.... stitching together (oh how I hate that part!!). But onward I shall go and I WILL FINISH IT!!!

REVIVED!!!

After a busy week gathering rubbish from within the houses and around the yard I was looking forward to a short break away on the weekend. We headed off to Moama at some ungodly hour yesterday morning for the AGM of Aust Tractor Pull Assoc. Not my favourite pastime, but my husband is the manager/coordinator for a Modified Tractor Pull here in Griffith, which is part of the National Circuit. After sitting in the meeting for most of yesterday I was starting to go stir crazy both mentally and physically, so we went across the river to Echuca to have a walk around. There happened to be a Blues festival on so our walk was most enjoyable. Of course I didn't have my camera with me!!

I also knew there was a market on this morning in the gardens on the river in Moama. So guess where we went straight up this morning. A big market compared to what we have around here.

This is the beginning walkway which leads down to another walkway.

looking across the centre from one direction. horse rides for the littlies, and a vocalist for the oldies!



Another view across the centre entertainment area. If you look to the top you can see heaps of stalls way over behind the entertainment area. We found everything from plants, tools, home preserves, hand crafts of all kinds, commercial stands - just about everything you can think off.

After an hour wandering , looking and chatting with stallhoders we headed home, stopping in Deniliquin on the way. Deni has a beautiful lagoon and gardens in their main street. It was one of my favourite places when we lived their many years ago and I always do a drive by whenever I am passing through. Today I took a couple of photos.

This is taken at the southern end.

This is taken from the main street looking west. It is a peaceful garden to wander around or sit in.
from here we headed off to Conargo, stopping to take this photo. The Deni Ute Muster site - this takes place on the october long weekend every year and has broken many records for the number of utes at one event. This year there will be a Modified Tractor Pull along with the usual events.

It is a very impressive gateway and cannot be missed being on the edge of the main road. Onto Jerilderie we went. I wanted to stop in at the lagoon here as I hadn't stopped here for quiet a few years. How lucky were we to stop when a swan family were having a wander on the grass.

a verty proud and protective dad - he chased a duck into the water and across to another bank!.

Not very good on their feet on dry land they proved they were very good on the water a few minutes later! After a light lunch we continued home.
we went into where our miniature horse and ponies are living at the moment to have a look at a foal born early this morning. Such a beautiful little thing (only 14" at the top of shoulder!!). Very friendly little thing and was happy to be picked up and cuddles. Mum is very affectionate and quiet also.

A pretty little filly who is yet to be name.

And this is... what I am enjoyinh whilst I am writing this post!! A nice cup of tea (have had way too much coffee over the weekend), a lamington (an order from a school lamington drive which was waiting for me when I arrived home this afternoon) and one of the strawberries I bought this evening when I did the groceries (it was on the bench telling me I needed it).
A nice finish to a relaxed weekend!!

JUST JUICIN'

Several weeks ago I had to go on a freezer pricing trip - always a bad mistake to do a pricing trip. I came home with a new chest freezer ( we were packing a whole beef which is not my favourite meat - un fact I can survive quite well without ever eating it - very much a lamb person), a new toater 9which is so slow) a new and bigger food saver (cryo vac) and a whizz bang Juicer. I didn't feel so down about packing a freezer full of beef after that!!
Anyhow, the juicer has sat in its box since then, so today whilst having a sort out of kitchen cupboards and fridge clean out, the juicer made its debut!!

from the fridge cleanout a bag of oranges, 2 bananas and 2 pears.

Instructions read, juicer assembled and ready to flick the switch!

Pulp to the right and...



Juice to the left!!

'Voila' - 2 litre of fresh juice - good enough that the grandchildren gave it the thumbs up this afternoon!!

So onwards we go and the trial and error of mixing the fruit and vegies!! At least now we can eliminate another lot of preservatives from our diet. And surprising the juice still has a certain amount of fibre in it which is really good.!

Any suggestions of fruit and vegie combinations any one!!