Glimpses

Monday, February 22, 2016












 
 
 








 






 
 




 
Summer continues to fly swiftly by with all it's warmth and beauty.  Our gardens continue to produce prolifically & we are just abundantly blessed by the bounty given to us.  Our corn reached up to the heavens & since Miss Ellie is 5'3" & is standing on the garden bed, you get an idea of the height of it in the first photo. This was taken a few weeks ago & we have since harvested all the corn & frozen some of it.  I wondered what the frozen corn would be like, but we tried some the other night & it was very sweet & tasty.  I told Dave that at the rate we are eating it, we will have to plant three times that amount of corn next year.  We've never had garden fresh corn before & we are using it far more often than I predicted.

School is back into the swing of things & it is lovely to get into routine again.  I do struggle with juggling it & the ripening gardens as I attempt to can some of the produce though.  I am freezing far more than I should be.  This is fine now, but at butchering time when I am wanting every spare inch of my freezer space, I am going to be regretting my laziness. 

We journeyed to Ikea in late January to get school desks for our newly painted ( & with a new ceiling) school room. Ikea opened a shop in Canberra in November last year,  So far we have only gone twice (ummm... yes, that is rather often for people who live this far away).  We do love Ikea! As for the schoolroom, it is awaiting carpet & in the meantime these humbling 70's tiles that I am EAGER to cover are still very dominant.  The carpet will come hopefully by the end of the year.  
On our first trip we purchased desks for all the children.  We got them to put their own desk together.  Dave & I helped the twins, but Zai & Ellie did their own completely independently (well, with a few questions answered if needed).  In the photo is Jud & myself working out how to construct this thing from the diagrams they give.  I always wonder why Ikea can't include words in their instructions.  I know that it makes them able to be used for many countries, but it would be easier when you are trying to work out which piece is what.   Jud & I did put the top on back to front (we fixed it when we realised our mistake), but otherwise we worked it out.  Ellie was the only one who did it without any mistakes ( oh & Dave, but that doesn't count as putting things together is his thing). It seems Ellie is our practical child!

I grew calendula for the first time this year & I am drying it on my kitchen bench. It's intended use is calendula oil as  I've heard it has fantastic health properties. I do love the calendula plant as well.  It is always covered in blossoms & just makes you smile every time you walk past it. 

Zai & Ellie have begun Textile studies as part of their Technology subject  this year.   I am enjoying pulling out my old sewing machine & introducing them to it's proper use.  They have made a basic pillow so far (which I knew they would both do easily as they have both had instruction in sewing previously).  Ellie decided to 'dress up' with fabric so scare her Daddy when he arrived home from work.  I'm not sure how 'scared' he was, but I am thankful he has such a strong back as she jumped right on him.  With the twins added as well, it was quite a weight!

And so I must conclude as our washing machine has just beeped & I'm sure I have a little boy who I must remind to focus back on his maths :)
Have a wonderful week friends
Blessings

 
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