Computer problems and Zuchinni cake

This is a really old photo from 2005 when we were doing our front fence. Dave and I are hands on people and we try to do everything we can ourselves and using whatever material available, this way we have saved thousands of dollars.

I have been having computer problems so I shipped it off to a friend who has more expertise in the matter and I'm using an older one which is so slow plus I can''t seem to down load my photos thats why I stuck that old photo up there because a post doesn't look good without some sort of picture. How frustrating when I have so much going on and want to put it down on here but to no avail. Oh well I will just have to be patient and catch up later.

The days have been really hot but not as hot as other states, we have been having 33 to 38 degree days and other states are well up in the 42 to 46 degrees. I went out blackberrry picking last night and picked about 3kgs of blackberries which I will make into blackberry pies. The kids had their first blackberry fight for the season and they were covered in blackberries and there faces and hands were a crimson red it was so funny to watch and they had a ball. When I can down load my photos you will see :) We will be picking again tonight, I think I will use this batch for syrup. I have had such a glut with zuchinni that I have decided to make zuchinni cakes which I have been avoiding because I thought they would be bland but through a good neighbour I have the most delicious zuchinni cake recipe. I'm eating it right now...yum! It takes about 500g of shreddard zuchinni and is so moist and tasty it will definetly be a regular. Again I have photos but we will have to wait till I can download them but they will be worth the wait...YUM

Celebrations of the Heart

My quiet time this morning was from Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, and ever -present help in trouble". We live in a troubled world and the pressure and stress of living in this world can swallow us up into illnessess such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and many more yet God's promises of refuge and strength is abundantly available to help us. We needn't panic or give in despair because God is as close as the mention of His name.

My thoughts and prayers are with my uncle today as he is recovering from an operation today to remove cancer from his lung.

I have another lovely poem to share from Helen Steiner Rice it is called

May the Lord Bless and Keep You

To be in God's keeping

is surely a blessing,

For thought life is often

dark and distressing,

No day is too dark

and no burden too great

That God in His love

cannot penetrate.

And to know and believe

with out question or doubt

That no matter what happens

God is there to help out,

Is to hold in your hand

"the golden key"

To peace and to joy

and serentity!

Simple Summer Time Joys

Not much going on lately just rolling along with these summer days. Bottling peaches and making pickles is taking up most of my time. It won't be long and we will be out there picking blackberries again and making pies and jams. Those hot evenings out in the paddocks with your bucket and chatting with friends with the occassional ouch as you get a thorn in your finger is so relaxing. Sometimes we all climb on the back of the ute and head out to the best spots for the most juicest of blackberries and sometimes we witness a beautiful sunset that is breathtaking as we drive home. These are the times when you truely love the joy of simple things :)

What simple joys do love? Come and Share :)

Celebrations of the Heart

I want to share another poem from Helen Steiner Rice's collection of poetry in Celebrations of the Heart. This lady has a beautiful and sensitive way with words that just touches your heart.

A Pattern for the New Year

"Love one another
as I have loved you"
May seen a task
impossible to do,
But if you will try
to trust and believe,
Great are the joys
that you will receive.
For love makes us patient,
understanding, and kind,
And we judge with our heart
and not with our mind.
For as soon as love enters
the heart's opened door,
The faults we once saw
are not there anymore,
And the things that seemed wrong
begin to look right
When viewed in the softness
of love's gently light.
Love works in ways
that are wondrous and strange,
for there is nothing in life
that love cannot change,
And all that God promised
will someday come true
When you love one another
the way He loved you.

A Day In My Life

I've decided to participate in Little Jenny Wrens A Day In My Life which I am excited about. I find I am enjoying the time I spend on the computer and working on my blog so off we go to see how the day went.


After a good nights sleep I was up at 6am and welcomed the three little ones (dogs) that are scattered around our room in their beds and let them outside. I left Dave for a sleep in and went to do my morning chores. I greeted the two bigger dogs outside and gave the cats their biscuits.
The day was going to be a scorcher to I changed the chooks water and fed them. Some of the hens are sitting on eggs so I checked them also to see if any have hatched.



I gave the garden a good watering and checked the peach tree which is nearly ready to be picked. Dave was now up and was watering the front yard plants. I popped inside to put the porridge on and finished helping Dave with watering. We have a huge dam up in the top paddock and the water is gravity fed which is good to be able to do extra watering on these hot days.

Time to go inside and have breakfast together, after tidying the kitchen I was off to get ready for work. I help Dave load my truck with a cupboard that I was going to deliver today for a customer. It was water damaged and needed to be repaired and stained a job which we don't normally do but the customers were very nice a appreciative. Anyway I delivered that in the morning and the customer was very happy and thankful.


I Opened up the shop for business and made a few phone calls did a bit of book work and general duties. The day was heating up and the fan was just moving the warm air around. Because the day was in the high 30's the shop was a bit quiet so I did a bit of work on my blog which is always fun.

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The local council worked all day in that heat wave doing the road works on the round about. It was so hot I felt sorry for them.




This truck below was trying to maneuver around but was having a bit of difficulty. Having the shop on the corner I see a lot of things happen and many wide and really large loaded trucks go through. We have a few mines around us and some times they haul the really extra large dozers and machinery they use at the mines through the round about and it is just amazing looking at the enormity of them.


I usually take my lunch to work and today I had home grown roast beef on a wholemeal roll with homemade pickles and homegrown cucumber and of course a cup of coffee. Yummy!



After a long hot day I closed the shop at about 5pm went to visit my daughter who was staying in town with a friend for a catch up and a hug then I was off to fill up my water bottles for home.
There is a water main in town for people to fill up from and I usually fill up once a week, this water I use for my washing machine. It doesn't take long to fill up and I'm off home which is a 54km drive on dirt and tar roads.



It was good to get home and relax in the coolness of the house and put my feet up for a few minutes. Dave and I wandered around outside in the coolness of the night and a light breeze was starting to blow the temperature was still 30 degrees. We had a light dinner, I made Dave toasted roast beef sandwiches and I had boiled eggs.
We decided to give the dogs a bath they were hot and bothered and a little on the nose. I have a hose in the shower so I washed them and Dave rubbed them down, there were smiley faces everywhere :)

A nice cup of tea on the lounge, a little bit of TV to unwind then it was off to bed

I'll have Cheese with my Whine! and MORE!

Last year I was on the front page of our local paper talking about the condition of the major round about that is at the entry of our town which happens to be where our business is located. On one corner is our business across the road is (Ronald) McDonald s then over from them is our Fire Station and on the remaining corner is our local tennis courts. Well the RTA has agreed for the round about to be fixed and the Council has notified that it will be closing the access for the round about in the beginning of February for up to 3 weeks. They have been digging up just down the road from me and have now ventured up to the round about, as the picture shows they have started digging it up. It won't be long and I will be surrounded by rubble, pounding machinary, trucks, workers and a lot of dust. I am glad the round about is getting fixed as it is disgusting, unsafe and not very pleasant as you are entering in to a town but I'm not looking forward to the daily noise and dust and not to mention my business suffering and the inconvience for my customers thats if I get any :(
Well I think I'm done with my whining for the day I'll have my cheese and crackers later :)








I've decided to participate in Jenny Wrens A day in my life which I will post on the 14th of every month about my day. I will journal what happens in that whole day and record in on the next days post.

It will be interesting to look back over at the end of the year and see if my days have change, I am sure they will have because I have lost the use of the word normal in my life and no two days are the same and I hope I'm not scaring you. Anyway hop over to Jenny Wrens and see who else are partakers of this great idea:)

Veggie Patch Update

The Veggie Patch is slowly giving us our delicious and long awaited fruit and veg. The potatoes are still growing and we are waiting with baited breath to dig into that soil for the bounty, hopefully not to be disappointed. The pumpkin still have a long way to go but I suppose all good things come to those who wait.
I put in 5kgs of organic potatoes so I'm hoping for a good return. The pumpkins I grew from seed but I think they were held back a bit by the last frost.

The climbing beans are now off and taking after a slow start. We have had a few meals with these so far with many more on the horizon.


We picked the peaches yesterday and they are so large and the juice just runs down your chin, delicious! I will be bottling some and making peach pies and maybe peach jam with the undesirables.The tomatoes just need to be ripened and we will be swamped with them. Tomato sauce, pasta sauce, sun dried tomatoes, relish and puree will be made with these beauties.
The capsicums are doing well now with the hotter weather. We will be having stuffed capsicums regularly and some will be used in pickles and relishes.

My herbs are doing really well but next season they will be set out in two large tanks in my extended veggie patch.

The shallots always do well as they self seed and give me heaps.

The corn has also done well with this heat and taken off. I cant wait to sink my teeth into a juicy
cob or two.
The spinach is always providing and hopefully takes right upto and through winter.

Celebrations Of The Heart

This is another lovely poem by Helen Steiner Rice from her book Celebrations of the Heart. As I read this poem I thought of my blogging buddy Lisa from Laughing Orca Ranch who is recovering from knee surgery after falling from her horse. She is in pain. bored and frustrated that she can not get around to look after her family and enjoy their pets especially her beautiful horse Baby Doll.

A Bend in the Road

When we feel we have nothing to give, and we're sure that the song has ended,
When our day seems over and the shadows fall and the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength to valiantly keep on trying?
Where can we find the hand that will dry the tears that the heart is crying?
There's but one place to go and that is to God, and dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint and gain strength with Him at our side.
And together we stand at life's crossroads and view what we think is the end,
But God has a much bigger vision, and He tells us it's only a bend.
For the road goes on and is smoother, and the pause in the song is a rest,
And the part that's unsung and unfinished is the sweetest and richest and best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger, let go and let God share your load,
Your work is not finished or ended, you've just come to a bend in the road.

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Garden pleasures

These are my hydrangeas I picked this morning and the beautiful smelling Lincoln Rose. I just love when my garden produces flowers I can admire and display in my home. My garden had been through a drought and harsh weather and was looking just like that, until my lovely neighbour encourage me to get clippings and to just plant them into pots until they were established enough to be planted. Well as I looked at my stick plants sitting in my pots looking rather glum , the stick and me I thought no way was the stick going to give me a beautiful garden. Well I water these sticks and buds started to grow and little green shoots were coming from these sticks and before I knew it they were growing. I have now planted these cuttings and they are now big healthy plants.



One of my favourite (sticks) cuttings I have produce from is the Buddleia. They have a tubular flower that is attractive to butterflys, it grows upto 5m high, most flowers are lavender or purple but can vary in colour from white through to pink and mauve. When they are in flower they look fantastic and I just love them and I now have a garden that produces amazing beauty for me to admire what more could you ask for :)

Off With Her Head!

Yahoo! I have been given a "Marie Antoinette Keeping it Real Award" by Kate from Our Red House, which by the way is a Great Blog so go over there and check it out.
I briefly read up about Marie Antoinette because the only thing I knew about her was that she lost her head, which I could relate to over the years but thank goodness now is firmly in place. Marie Antoinette was the Queen of France during the French Revolution. Resented by the French citizenry for her foreign birth and extravagant lifestyle, Marie Antoinette has gone down in history as the arrogant and apathetic monarch who said "let them eat cake" when told the peasants were starving because they had no bread. Well all I could add to that was that I REALLY love cake. So I think I will pass this unusual award to these Great and Amazing Blogs :-

The Tin House
The Laughing Orca Ranch
Gingerbread Gifts
A Homesteading Neophyte

Now I'm off to have me sum cake!....(hehehe)

Celebrations of the Heart

The days lately have been long and hot and salads are just the thing to be eaten along with mangoes and peaches. There is a forecast of rain coming up this week but we will have to wait and see. The shop has been slow in sales but January is usually slower being the holiday period. We still have a few orders to go out and Dave has been fighting the heat and flies in his shed. Jess has been relaxing with her friends and playing her Wii game, which is so addicting and the time just flies while you are laughing and having so much fun. I love the Spiderman game because I just love Spiderman but you need a lot of eye and hand coordination which sometimes has me rolling with laughter as poor Spiderman gets thrashed.

I have a book of Poems by Helen Steiner Rice that I pull out every now and then to read and ponder and I was thinking about the New Year and wandering what the year will bring and thought this poem would be a good one to share Her book is called 'Celebration of the Heart' and the poem I have today is called..

Quit Supposin'

Don't start your day supposin'
that trouble is just ahead,
It's better to stop supposin'
and start with a prayer instead,
And make it a prayer of thanksgiving
for the wonderful things God has wrought
Like the beautiful sunrise and sunset,
God's gifts that are free and not brought.
For what is the use of supposin'
the dire things that could happen to you
And worrying about some misfortune
that seldom if ever comes true?
But instead of just idle supposin'
step forward to meet each new day
Secure in the knowledge God's near you
to lead you each step of the way.
For supposin' the worst things will happen
only helps to make them come true,
And you darken the bright, happy moments
that the dear Lord has given to you.
So if you desire to be happy
and get rid of the misery of dread,
Just give up supposin' the worst things
and look for the best things instead.

Well the New Year has started!
Our Christmas was lovely as my eldest daughter and son-in-law came up and stayed with us for five days. We just mainly relaxed and enjoyed each others company and of course had a beautiful Christmas day meal and then delicious left overs for a few more days.

We had a few really stinking hot days and on Christmas Eve and I was out in my garden picking a bunch of flowers for my table center piece and I had one of my little dogs, Sarabie, out there with me and she was sniffing around the shrubs and I turned my back to greet a friend arriving to say hello and a Red Belly Black Snake came crawling out where I was picking. I was startled but noticed that he was in just as much of a hurry as I was to get away.

We relaxed and unwind over those few days after christmas I think the build up to Christmas was pretty hectic with the rush of getting orders out and deliveries for customers was taking its toll on all of us. We still have a few more orders to get out but they are not as urgent and Dave has his work area to clean up after the frenzy.

We had a quiet New Years Eve and on the following day we had a few neighbours around for a BBQ. It was good to catch up with them and share a meal at the start of a new year, a year that I know will bring many challenges for all of us.

We also worked around the yard and finally extended the veggie patch and I will post those photos a little bit later and we are also planning to re-arrange the shop and add more furniture so I might post about that too. I just wanted to send greeting of a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and prayers that we will all persevere with whatever 2009 throws at us.

Sue xxx