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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Happenings and Holidays

Life has been moving at a hectic pace for me lately, hence my absence from blog posts. I have been taking photos to share but then haven't found the time to do a post, so this one has quite a few photos.

Our garden is producing loads of little tomatoes, I have been giving them away left, right and centre to whoever will take them.

An abundance of Capsicum (bell peppers) as well that I have chopped up and frozen for use in casseroles and the like in Winter.




I thought I might share the recipe for the shake that I have been preparing everyday for a while now. This hopefully helps to keep me healthy and usually I make it for lunch as it tends to be filling.
1 cup milk (I use Pura Heart Active, lowers cholesterol)
3 tbspns of natural yoghurt
some mixed berries
1 banana
1 teaspoon LSA (linseeds, sunflowers & almonds ground up)homemade recipe here
1 egg
3 capsules of fish oil or flax seed oil (I pierce and drain the oil)
1 tspn honey (I use manuka for it's healing benefits)
Blend all together for a couple of minutes and consume.
YUM!


My breakfast every morning for the past few years has been and continues to be;
freshly squeezed orange juice to which I add 2 teaspoons of Psyllium husks for extra fibre, this helps to lower cholesterol.
And PORRIDGE (oatmeal)
with honey for sweetening and pura heart active milk with a teaspoon of LSA sprinkled over.

My hair, skin and stomach problems have definitely improved and I have been given the thumbs up by the doctor and passed the 46 - 52 year old free health check with flying colours. So at least I know that I am doing something right. I find myself consciously thinking about what I eat now and hopefully I can squeeze some exercise into my life. I have lost quite a bit of weight and have roughly another 5 kilos (11 pounds) to go.


These are my first big tomatoes......can anyone tell me why they are splitting at the top? Not sure if it is too much or too little water or something completely different. These tomatoes are so sweet and as you can see I have something in my garden that likes to eat them too!
Warning: the next picture may offend some.

Our hens hatched chickens a few months ago and out of them were five roosters. It has been bedlam in the chook house so now the roosters are residing in the freezer awaiting to be eaten and the hens are all happy and peaceful again lol.




We spent the Easter break in beautiful Port Lincoln.

This view is from the SES tower that we were privileged to have a look at (it is used to spot bush fires as Port Lincoln and surrounding areas get their fair share of them, see here). Five years ago 9 people died in one of these wildfires.

It was very windy up on Winters Hill.
But the views were amazing although there was a bit of haze around.

We even got a chance for some kayaking on a beautiful Autumn morning at nearby North Shields where were staying. It was lovely first thing in the morning down on the crystal clear beach.



Later in the day Hubby and ds went fishing in a friends boat and caught some lovely big salmon that were cooked up for tea/dinner.

The night before we came home there was lightening and thunder with 22mls (88pts) of rain. Not much fun in a leaky camper trailer. The rain eased off at around 1am thank goodness.

We arrived home safely to our dry little block where all the gardens were in need of a drink, as we missed out on the rain again.

Tomorrow I hope to catch up on a few jobs that need doing around here.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods,

Take Care,

xTania

15 comments:

  1. Hi Tania,
    My tomatoes usually split when we get a heap of rain...
    You have a really healthy breaky!Im not so good...cuppa tea and cereal or toast,must improve on that :0)
    Beautiful Pic's the veiws are wonderful!
    Nice to have you back in blogland!

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  2. Here in the states tomatoes split like that when the water schedule is a tad irregular. So if you get rain and youhave already watered or you water less than the rain delivered could be the case. They are very picky about the watering

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  3. Tania as Granny said it is usually to much water or rain that makes them split.
    I have been having porridge for breakfast too, I add some dried apricot, dates or strawberries and a couple of walnuts and sprinkle Chia seeds (the new wonder food) over the top and I have been enjoying it especially as the mornings are cooler now
    The view is wonderful from the tower!

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  4. Fresh garden tomatoes! I am jealous, it will be awhile before we have any of those here and I sure do miss them. The store bought ones have no taste. Thanks for the recipes and healthful food tips!

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  5. Hi Tania, Do you blanch your capsicums before you freeze them? I have heaps of them too!
    Your breakfasts look delish!

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  6. Paola, no I don't blanch the capsicums before freezing, they seem to be okay to add to stews and things, also use them for pizzas.

    Thanks Granny, Alison and Debbie for your hints on the tomatoes splitting. It may have been irregular watering rather than too much. My mum says they dont need very much water.

    Jennifer, thanks for your lovely comment, you are right the store bought tomatoes do not have any taste, the same with other vegies bought from the store. Fresh is best!

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  7. Tania, you are certainly eating healthy. I can, too , now that every major candy holiday is over until next Halloween!

    Liz

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  8. Hi Tania,

    Do you kill and prepare the roosters yourself? I would love to hear more about this.
    Cheers
    Kendall

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  9. Hi Tania,
    Wow - what a post - lovely to see you back!

    The tomatoes are splitting because of too much water. :)

    Port Lincoln is a very beautiful place, isn't it?

    Have a wonderful week,
    Blessings, Jillian ♥

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  10. Thanks for the catch up and all the pictures. Yes, that brekky looks super healthy. I've been having my porridge with honey and no fat skim milk but I really am a savoury person so I crave my toast and vegemite. I swapped to Flora Pro-active Light also. I've been alternating a bit so I don't get bored. Will get some LSA and give that a go, sprinkling it around.
    Tonight we are having schnitzels and veggies (schnitters will be oven baked and veg will be mashed potato, broc/cauli flower in low fat white cheese sauce plus beans, carrots & peas & gravy).

    Have a good weekend,

    Joolz

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  11. You are very healthy, I think you need to be to keep up with your hectic pace. I also have four roosters roaming around that will need to dealt with very soon, its a nusiance that more males are born than females in the chicken world :)

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  12. You certainly have been busy! I'm happy to hear that you are well. Lovely pics (well, I don't know if the rooster is exactly 'lovely'!)

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  13. Hello Tania, I noticed a comment of yours and came over. I put pure whey concentrate powder in my breakfast smoothie, along with the ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, honey, brewers yeast, rice milk and a piece of fruit, mostly a banana, and some ginger powder for taste. It usually lasts me til lunchtime.
    Lovely descriptive post, I've only been to Adelaide and the Mt Gambier area in SA.

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  14. Hi Tania,

    It's been my experience that tomatoes will split from inconsistant watering.
    Looks like you all have had a lovely time over the weekends.
    Mrs.B

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.