What a busy time

As retirement goes, I dont know how I ever had time to work!!  Christmas was a busy time with friends and family dropping in and then my eldest grandson was in attendance at the farm for a week.  We picked the potatoes that he had planted in the September holidays and we cleaned up the garden and composted the waste, we picked beans and tomatoes as well.  We made crafty things for mum and heaps of other grandma and grandson stuff.

The followingh week, was time for my eldest grandaughter and her mum Jay (my eldest daughter) from finkihandmade to come for some well earned rest.  My grandaughter was mad keen to find out how and when to harvest potatoes as she is growing her own, so we harvested yet more of the potatoes that I have in the vegie plot.  We harvested more beans and tomatoes and we picked the corn before the crows decided that they wanted to eat it.  The strawberries were a bit of a dissapointment so we only had enough for a juicy topping for our buckwheat pancakes, yum.

Grandaughter made a cute bag for her friend on the knitting machine and Jay and I spent time pouring over punch card patterns for the knitting machine.  I think that she went home with a head full of colour and designs.

The knitting machine is a wonderful thing.  I can remember when I would spend every night for two months knitting a cardigan with cables and pattern all over by hand, now it is done in a day on the machine.  And it is just as satisfying.

We are waiting for rain in our part of the country, this time last year we could not get out of town because of the floods, this year, different story, the tanks are getting down, not down to the point where we are only having one shower a week, just the only flush when necessary.  Ah, mother nature, doing her best.

Until next time,
Michelle

And so to the new year

January 1st, 8am.  People must have partied in Maryvale last night as it is so quiet that all you can hear are the birds and animals.  There is minimal traffic on the Cunningham Highway at the moment so there isn't even much traffic noise. Quiet and peaceful.  Just the way we like it.

The view from the back verandah, across the valley.  Blue sky and gentle breeze.  The perfect start to a new year.  Welcome 2012!!