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

Thursday, February 23, 2017

february reflections

It was the month of Summer we never saw coming. Up until this point the weather had been pretty mild with just a scattering of hot days among many pleasant, sometimes wet days. Well that all changed in week two of February.

We had rain on the Monday, and then to see these temperatures pop up, we knew we were in for one very long hot week!


Tuesday reached 38C
then this...
Wednesday  46C (114.8F) 
Thursday 46.9C (116.4F) 
Friday 48C (118.4F) 
Saturday was cooler at 35C but the humidity was stifling. 
We broke records! 




We finally gave in and had one of these installed. As yet we haven't had to use it, but next time all will be okay. No more melting from humidity.



The vegetables suffered. 
Every day I went out in the middle of the day to add cool water to the top of the barrels, and this is what got them through.








The good news is that most of the vegetables have recovered. The fruit trees however did not fare so well. I lost apples, mandarins and nectarines. They fell from the trees due to heat stress. It did not matter how much water I put on them, they still succumbed. 






I picked the leftover grapes just before the heat hit.



Even the spiders were feeling hot. I saw a lot of dead ones that didn't survive the extreme weather.



Apart from the heat slowing us down for that week, life has gone on as usual.

I took a photo of this flower at a lady's house I clean. She had them sitting in pink food colouring and they looked so pretty.



Look at this clever art work. My friend purchased this crab made from spark plugs and other bits and pieces when she visited Perth recently.


Toadstools in my lawn again.


As well as a lady bug.



We had a nice drop of rain just before the heatwave. 








A lucky find at the op shop.  Two metres of holly hobbie type fabric in really good condition.  I do not think it has even been washed.





Sorting through photos for someones fiftieth. 





And this little cherub has turned one.

Peek a boo!


Our family celebrated with a simple barbeque in the park.

Grumpoo and his boys.


I stopped using chemicals on my body years ago when I decided to live a healthier life.  Recently I found this recipe for Homemade Anti Aging daily cleanser. 
Recipe can be found here.  
I simplified it by using almond meal, rice flour and powdered milk.  That's it. 
I have been using this for a week or so and my skin is loving it. Just a small amount mixed with water and rub gently over face before rinsing off.


I also made some of my own toner (rose water) by soaking rose petals in water to use after the above scrub. Keep in the fridge and your skin will feel so refreshed, especially in hot weather.
I follow up with a moisturiser using a mix of sweet almond oil and aloe vera gently massaged into the skin.
My night time cream is coconut oil. 
These are all natural and work remarkably well.


Roadside foraging.


Apples.


Peaches.


These were white peaches and so juicy and sweet.


White figs off our tree. Surprisingly the heat didn't ruin all of them.


The figs have never tasted as good as they do this year.  They are nice and plump and this one had a touch of pink.


Pickings.


I think I will have enough tomatoes for making relish soon.


 Frugal fruit cake. Recipe here. 


Delish!



It is now just two weeks until our son moves into his own home. We are sure going to miss having him around, but I have the feeling he is going to miss us more ~smiles.

We are making plans for the new season in our lives. When our house is quieter it will be an ideal time for a fresh coat of paint throughout the house. I have chosen a new colour and plan a little rearranging also. I am looking forward to the fresh new look. 

More travel is also on the agenda.  I have a feeling that I am not going to have time to be bored.

Thank you for visiting here today dear friends. Hope you are all well.

Tell me what you have been up to lately? How did you cope with the awful hot weather?

Cheerio for now xx

31 comments:

  1. Love the holly hobby fabric
    Yes the weather has been terrible for you guys. We had some hot days but fortunately not for long.
    I think I'll stick to winter vegetable gardens and grown just a little in the summer. I just don't do heat we'll ever since I got sick

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe I will stick with winter veggies too Angela. Our summers are way too hot. Lucky I managed to get all mine established before the hot months. This gave them more chance of survival.

      Heat never used to bother me, but now I am older, it can be quite unbearable. I will blame it on my age lol!

      xTania

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  2. We're supposed to be having winter here in West Virginia, but it's often been in the 60's and 70'sF.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's incredible Gorges!

      The weather all over the world seems to be a bit strange this year. My dad said he remembers it being like this is the 50's, so I am guessing it is just natures cycle.

      xTania

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  3. Hello Tania, I absolutely adore your Hollie Hobbie fabric - what a find. Gosh you sure have had it hot!!! I am sitting typing this & have just turned our air con on. This will be an exciting new chapter in your lives when your son moves out. I kind of felt lost for awhile when my last one left, but then I soon learned to enjoy it. Have a great week Tania ..... hope you get some cooler temps soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel lost already Julie, but also looking forward to the next chapter of our life story.

      I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that lovely hollie hobbie fabric. I ummed and arred a little, went out of the shop and was about to get in the car when I decided to go back and grab it. So glad I did now :)

      It's cooler this week but hotting up again next week.

      You have a lovely week too Julie,

      xTania

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  4. Oh dear! It looks like your fruit literally cooked on the tree!!
    We've been having that type of heat here for several weeks, and FINALLY this week has seen much milder temperatures, there is even a coolness in the early mornings and at night...so welcomed!
    That fabric is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Cheryl,

      The fruit did bake on the tree. They look like baked apples. I am surprised they haven't fallen off yet.

      It has been cooler here this week also, but more hot weather headed our way next week. Hopefully not like the last blast!

      xTania

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  5. Tania - We have also had obscene temperatures here, but not as high as yours!!! Your poor fruit and veggies. I have read that freezing half lemons is beneficial as when you then use them (preferably finely grated in the frozen state) there are beneficial oils which are released (http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2015/03/heres-why-you-should-always-freeze-your.html) Naturally, you can also squeeze the defrosted lemons for their juice - freezing makes squeezing them much easier. Question is, do you have a big enough freezer...?

    Happy Birthday Phil :D

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the tip/link Dani and the birthday wishes :)

      How did you know my freezers were all full to the top lol? We have now plugged in our camping fridge/freezer for more storage.

      xTania

      xTania

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  6. I thought it was hot here, Tania, but nowhere near as hot as your place! I will be glad when the Autumn comes this year, because I like the cooler weather too. Thanks for recipe link for face scrub. I'm going to make some of that. I use coconut oil too...brilliant stuff isn't it! Meg:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Meg, bring on Autumn! The latest forecast is for more hot weather and it will last well into Autumn. Not what I wanted to hear lol!

      Let me know what you think of the scrub. I love coconut oil and its many uses :)

      xTania

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  7. Hello Mrs. Tania,

    Wow! your weather has been HOT!! I'm glad your garden has recovered a bit from all the heat stress. When we lived in S.E. Texas August was the month that would finish off our gardens.
    Happy Birthday to your hubby! Although I always enjoy your posts, I especially enjoy the ones of your family ... most specifically your grandchildren. Could this be because I'm about to become a first time grandmother?
    I am patiently awaiting the day when our apple trees mature enough to begin producing. When we lived in Texas we also had a figs - Your photos make me miss them.
    Blessings,
    Mrs.B

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Mrs B,

      So lovely to hear from you again. You will love being a grandmother, it is a different kind of love you share with them. I love mine to bits :)

      I am going to use my apples to make apple cake, apple pie and maybe mix them with some rhubarb for a dessert :)

      More hot weather coming for us this week. Hopefully not as extreme as the last lot though. I am a bit over the heat for this year.

      God Bless,
      xTania

      Delete
  8. Loving your home made beauty routine. You forgot to mention that it "decreases the APPEARANCE of wrinkles". That phrase on the side of bottles always makes me laugh. I love avocado both on my skin and in my mouth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have heard of using avacodo Lynda, but haven't tried it yet.

      Of course my products decrease the appearance of wrinkles. Guaranteed lol!

      Great to hear from you again,

      xTania

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  9. Tania we didn't have your heat levels but it was hot and humid. It's still in the low to mid 30's every day, but the humidity has dropped right off. We've just moved up to stage 2 water restrictions and looking at stage 3 by the end of March if we don't get some decent rain. On Fraser Island vehicles are continuously getting bogged as the sand is so dry everything just sinks. Our once grassed driveway is down to sand and this is coming into the house as a very fine dust. We have a bore and this is keeping my veg garden alive. We've noticed the pressure on this dropping right down as well. It's been dry here before but never as bad as this. The weather report is for some rain over the weekend. Here's hoping they are right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jane,

      I dont miss water restrictions. We were on them a few years ago. It must be your turn now :)

      I hope you get that much needed rain soon to break the drought.

      We are hotting up again next week. Bring on Autumn, I am so over summer.

      xTania

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  10. yes, that darn weather for 2 weeks was almost unbearable, Sun 12 it got to 55'c here at 2:45pm outside! was 41'c in my kitchen at that time, it stayed in the 40s here for another week! it's now gone back down to the 30s & high humidity
    ohhh my, just love Holly Hobble! what adorable fabric you scored
    well, lets hope the weather is kinder to us in the coming weeks, send on the rain Huey!
    thanx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness Selina, 55C! That's incredible! Everything would have definitely keeled over.

      Hope you are enjoying cooler days now. We have for the past week, but in for another hot one this week!

      Take care,
      xTania

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  11. Has been a very strange summer all over Aus. It is getting harder to grow vege successfully during summer, either too dry, too hot or too wet, that's Aus. Love that pretty pink fabric, very girly.

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    1. Oh yes I hear you Deb. My veggies have done really well this season, very unusual for this part of the country.

      Wishing you a lovely week,
      xTania

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  12. It was hot here too, glad your garden bounced back. Great to read all your news :)

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  13. we didn't get any hot weather but this next week is really heating up for us, well not like your weather (mid to high 30's) that's hot enough for me. I think I'll make some of your skincare as I also stopped using chemicals years ago, thanks for the info.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do let me know what you think of the skincare recipes Sue. I find them really good on my type of skin :)

      Lucky you not getting that awful heat. We have it coming starting tomorrow with 38C!

      Have a great week,

      xTania

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  14. Dear Tania,
    You really got the hot weather. We never got those temperatures. I hate to see the garden taking such a beating! I am so happy you got airconditioning! Also I love that fabric!
    I am pleased it is Autumn but I know until mid March we are not in the clear!
    The cleanser sounds lovely. I make one with almond meal and clay, it is really nice. I pinched the recipe from Lush.
    Sorry I was slow to get here, still catching up from not being well. With lots of love, Annabel.xxxx

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  15. I love your posts - they take a full 30 mins to read and look at properly. Always guaranteed a proper sit down.

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  16. It is so sad that you lost so much fruit! I live in the USA and we are more likely to lose fruit because of Spring frosts. That fabric is so charming! Thank you for the instructions for making natural skin care things. I, too, try very hard to stay away from chemicals as much as I can. Take care. :)

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  17. Oh my, Tania! The temperature is beyond my imagination! LOL... I expect you couldn't imagine our snow, either or freezing temps.. Just whatever one is used to, thank the Lord.. What a wonderful interesting post.. Just so different from Canada but lovely... Take care, dear girl! xox

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  18. OMG Fiona! Somehow I missed reading this post and I've just caught up but the temperatures aren't why I'm shocked (I am from Queensland so we're sort of used to the heat and humidity). The photo of you in that gorgeous blue dress with the bouquet of daisies is what made me stand up and take notice. My wedding dress was the same colour and you guessed it...my bouquet was daisies! :)
    x Susan

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