Raking leaves

This is our BBQ setting under the ash tree which casts lovely shade in the summer but I spend ages during autumn raking up it's leaves.

I was sitting at the computer in the front room this morning and a fox trotted across the lawn! It then went down the footpath along the side of the house. There are quite a few around at the moment and the Government might be bringing the bounty back again so we are keeping the tails of the ones we kill.

I am working on a bathroom renovation at the moment. My client is a farmer and is very busy so has asked me to oversee the whole thing. I have prepared two plans and am now working on the fittings. There are so many to choose from! Cheerio for now. C x

Fencing

For the last 3 days we have been taking down two old fences that run east-west across part of our place. It will end up making one huge paddock the full length of our property which will make cropping a whole lot easier. It is quite tedious removing the staples and wires etc holding the cyclone and barb on but it's nice being out in the autumn sunshine. Little Basil has been keeping me company and is slowly becoming accustomed to the frequent trips in the noisy old Land Rover. We finally finished removing all of the steel pickets this morning so the last thing to do is clear the mess and collect any rocks. Needless to say my household chores have been neglected and by the time we get in at 6pm I don't really feel like cooking dinner either! Lyndon had to go and rescue someone who's trailer had broken so I've finally got a little time to myself while he fixes it.

Mum flew out for Europe yesterday. She's is going on a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. My sister Julie is meeting her in London afterwards and they are exploring Ireland for a couple of weeks. Mum is then heading home and Julie is going to visit a friend in France.

Bon Voyage!

Steady!

Lyndon made this signpost when he moved to this property 25 years ago. It's getting a bit weather beaten now so I thought I had better take a photo before it falls down.

I am at mum's place in Healesville now. It takes just over 3 hours to get here from our house. Mum and I are going into Hawthorn tomorrow to get her new car serviced and do a little shopping. Tuesday I am spending the day with Sally and her gorgeous daughter Mieka. I am also going to take some of my artworks into a shop to see if they would be interested in buying them. It will be interesting to see what a retailer thinks of them.

We're trying to trap a fox at the moment. One keeps coming over to the house and leaving droppings and scent everywhere and scaring the little dog.

Cheerio for now. C x

New puppy

Here's the new puppy. Ten weeks old and very fun, cute and a ratbag! He's settling in nicely and has a new kennel Lyndon made from an old drum. He gets a hot water bottle every night to keep him cosy. We go and check the chooks every morning and he's getting a lot more adventurous. He's showing signs of being a great dog.

We've had a nice little bit of rain today. Lyndon has been working on a customer's air-seeder. It's a huge 56 ft one! The farmers around here will be starting to sow their crops soon.

I am off to Melbourne on Sunday. Spend some time with mum and catch up with my lovely friend Sally and sister Julie. I am also taking some of my Dandelion Design work into a shop to see if they would be interested in buying a few. Fingers crossed! C x

Farewell summer

Summer has well and truly finished. We lit the fire the other day and it's getting down to about 7 degrees C overnight. All the leaves are turning and dropping everywhere. Lots of raking to do!

We got another puppy last week. He's a handful but lots of fun. I miss my Little Man but this little Bobtail should be great when he grows up. I have been collecting firewood today. Lyndon has been chainsawing all the branches and trees that have fallen over the summer and I wheelbarrow them over to the house. We go through at least half a barrow a day depending on how open I have the vent. It gets shut down when we go to bed and in the morning you just open it up away it goes! It's a lovely warmth, different to ducted heating or reverse cycle.

We had the floors done while we were away and they look great. Lyndon has been painting the lounge room and I have been filling and sanding. The preparation is very tedious but worthwhile. I can't wait for it to be finished. The new sofa and rug look fabulous too! C x

Easter holidays

Hello. Sad news, Little Man Basil died. The night we left for Coffs Harbour. We took him to the vet and a friend was going to collect him a couple of days later but he died. I was devastated and cried for days. Not a good start to the holidays. We should have taken him to the vet earlier. We are pretty sure he ate mouse bait. One of life's lessons learnt.

The Easter weekend was spent "Jeeping" around Coffs Harbour which was quite fun. Photo above is a convoy heading out on a trip. We are in Moonee Beach now which is lovely. Here for another few days and then heading home via Tamworth, Mudgee, Bathurst.....

Firetruck dog!

Hello again! My trip to Melbourne was great. It was lovely to see my family and friends. Mum, Julie and I had dinner at a lovely restaurant on Thursday night and I got some great presents! I spent Friday with my gorgeous friend Sally and her divine little baby girl. Dinner with my other super stylish friend Kate. Saturday Julie and I did a little shopping. Then the big trek home.

We are getting organised and packing for our trip north. I am slowly emptying the bedroom so the floor man has full access. The wardrobe moved out yesterday. Today it's the chest of drawers. Ew, so much dust behind and under the furniture.

We need to drench the sheep sometime before we leave and Lyndon has been watering the trees so they will be fully soaked. As you can see from the photo Little Man loves to go along and help!

Another treasure

Here's another treasure from the barn. It's made from some sort of metal, tin maybe, and is quite delicate. What a lovely little fishing scene!

I had a day full of bits and pieces today. Trying to get too many different things done which can be quite frustrating. We are having our floors polished while we are away over Easter so I have to clear all the furniture and rugs away. A bit of a bother but it will be worth it!

I am heading off to Melbourne tomorrow for a few days to catch up with family and friends.

Best wishes, C xx

Happiness is....

Hello everyone, hope you are having a great day.

Another day in paradise here! I have been doing housework which I quite enjoy because the house always looks so clean and tidy afterwards. I must admit though I don't like cleaning the shower or toilet! I was dusting today and thought you might like to see a photo of a little arrangement in my bedroom. I have five Kokeshi dolls. I think they are so gorgeous!

I am off into town soon to catch up with my client (I designed some business cards for her) and visit a friend for a chat. See you again soon. C xx

Happy Birthday!

It's my birthday today! Yay, I love birthdays. Today has just been a normal day but it's still nice all the same. Lyndon and I are off to a restaurant for dinner which will be a lovely change. One of the problems of living where we are is that if you don't feel like cooking dinner you can't just ring and get take-away! On nights like that I make something really simple like bacon & eggs or baked beans on toast.

The scan above is of a postcard I found amongst the barn treasures. It is dated 1914 and is addressed to Lyndon's great uncle. Very pretty!

Money for Jam

Another beautiful autumn day here today. I am not sure which season I like best. They all have their good points. I must admit I love winter when it's cold and pouring with rain and I am snuggled up inside under a blanket watching a movie. Spring blossoms are pretty hard to go past too. Nature is amazing!

A friend gave me a huge bag of apples the other day and after stewing a pot full I thought what am I going to do with the rest? Then today I was flicking through a cookbook from the Australian Women's Weekly called "Jams and Jellies" and I found a Rhubarb & Apple Jam recipe! Not your normal jam ingredients I agree but since I have rhubarb growing in my vegie garden and this (still huge) bag of apples I thought why not give it a try. You can see the results above. The labels are from The Scrapbook Establishment and the ribbons I attached with double sided tape. I have quite a stash of beautiful ribbons for all occasions and uses. Wrapping and giving presents is one of life's joys!

Rural mail box

Our poor old letterbox has seen better days. Lyndon put it together many years ago. Luckily our mail does not get delivered here as we have a box at the local Post Office where we collect our mail. Occasionally it is used if someone needs to drop something off. I had visions of painting it a beautiful rich red. Lyndon wants to paint it khaki with a big white star (he's into military stuff) which would probably be quite fun!

Farm fresh eggs

Two eggs today. I love keeping chooks. They come running over for the kitchen scraps when I call them. We only have three but plan to get a few more. There's something very good about collecting eggs. It's like the satisfaction of picking your own home grown fruit and vegetables. This summer I made plum jam and many many jars of tomato pickles! Cold roast lamb and tomato pickle sandwiches are a favourite of Lyndon's. Actually our freezer is running low on lamb so it will soon be time to call the butcher. There's nothing like a home grown lamb roast, or shanks in the slow cooker, or chops on the BBQ.

Reading material

I am a magazine fiend! I love fashion and home decorating magazines the most. This impressive stack is every issue of Notebook: magazine which is one of my absolute favourites. It has such a great variety of content and I am always inspired after reading it. We are renovating our lounge room at the moment and are getting a huge floor to ceiling unit built which will be fabulous for displaying my collections.