Friday 22 February 2013

Fast Moving Silverside.

I finished working a year ago and although I'm just loving being at home, I have been suffering 'the guilts' for most of that time because I'm not bringing in an income.  So I've thrown myself into studying, de-cluttering, growing a vegie patch, cooking wholesome meals, and anything else I can think of to prove my usefulness.  But since reading 'Down to Earth' by Rhonda Hetzel and discovering her blog at Down to Earth a few weeks back, I'm slowly realising that it's actually okay to not be working for an income.  To work in the home is healing, calming, nurturing to the family and very productive. 

I'm actually really enjoying finding my groove in the home.  My appliances however have never seen so much activity.....almost a frenzy in fact.  In the past week my u-beaut Dyson vacuum cleaner has conked out necessitating three trips to Bunnings to find a suitable box to send it away for repairs.  I've also managed to snap the head off my mop with my vigour and enthusiasm (no, I didn't hit an air pocket while riding it thank you very much).

I've once again started cooking from scratch, mostly because it's economical but also because I enjoy it.  I'd forgotten how much pleasure I get from cooking when I've actually got the time (and the energy to stay awake!)


This shot of my beautifully cooked silverside and salad  is certainly not how things started out today though.
I decided to take my time and cook the silverside properly.  You know, use a good old fashioned recipe, let it cool in it's own liquid and then take my time slicing and vacuum packing it so we'd have beautiful moist home cooked cold meat for lunches.......not to mention the dollars saved.  I was certainly a woman with a mission this morning. Everything was going along very nicely until the slippery thing shot off the chopping board at breakneck speed and skidded across the kitchen floor picking up dog hairs and bits of fluff on it's journey (thank you broken Dyson).  The poor old kitchen lino is so shiny, thanks to my new-found enthusiasm for cleaning which knows no boundaries let me tell you.  What started as an almost ethereal, meditative, feel-good cooking session suddenly became a frantic squealing race between me and the dog, which I only won because she did so many wheelies on my shiny lino she became quite disoriented. 


Thursday 14 February 2013

First Lime Fruit.

This is my first and only lime for this year.


Whoopy doo.

I guess I'll be making my next cocktail in a thimble.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Guaranteed not to grow.

Two weeks ago I purchased some tomato seedlings from the 'seedling man' at our local Farmers Market.  Well, I didn't purchase them exactly, they were given to me because they were guaranteed not to grow.  
"Really?" I said....."Why?"
"Well" said the seedling man "It's because of the planetary alignment".
"Oh........hmmmm" and I nodded my head. 
(Guaranteed not to grow?  Are you kidding me?  Oh boy, do I love a challenge.  What planetary alignment?)

I insisted on paying for the seedlings, he insisted I take them for free, I insisted I give him at least half price, he said "Ok" and gave me two punnets.......because they won't grow anyway apparently.

So I gave one to my neighbour, and now we're having a tomato competition.

I planted mine with lots of love, and talked to them the whole time.  So far things are going along nicely.


Happy happy happy.  Hum-de-dum-de-dum.  Water water water.  Grow grow grow.


Yikes,  these tomato plants are huge.  They've only been in the ground for two weeks. 

Watch this space. 
(Look out Jack and the Beanstalk).

PS  I'd like to tell you a bit about the 'seedling man'.  He's only little and so so cute.  He walks with such a spring in his step and he's all crinkly and raggedy round the edges.  I'm sure he has inside information about the plant world and he said I have to take him one of the tomato fruits if I get any, because they will be "very special indeed" and he'll need to preserve the seeds. This is going to be fun.