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

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

day by day 14.04.2020

Hello.

I was up out of bed this morning to bake mum's sourdough loaves.


Once the bread was baked, it was down the road and back again. Another lovely day, 30C {86F}, no clouds to speak of and no wind. Plenty of sticky flies though!


Things are looking dry again.


Phil has placed a dummy bee hive out the back and we are tracking the sun, trying to work out a good position to "maybe" relocate the hives. The sun and shade have to be right for these hard workers. This was first thing this morning.



Shade starting to move over the hive at 12pm.


These elephant ears are getting so big. Will need to put them in bigger pots soon.


Could it be?


A tiny flower forming on the pawpaw tree? This tree is in a pot and has done really well out in the sheltered area of the veggie patch.


I created a tomato teepee.


 Grow baby spinach grow.



A bit hard to see but there is a sugar pea plant growing among the silver beet

 

This is one of those good luck bamboo plants that was given to me many years ago. It outgrew its tiny pot, so I put it in some potting soil and placed outside on the side step. The other day I noticed new shoots coming up through the glass pebbles and out of the stem in a couple of places. It must like its new location.


 Wash day again...


Getting frugal by saving on gas/money using thermos flasks to keep water hot.


I have been saving baby wipes to reuse. Once they have been used I stick them in a bucket of laundry soak, rinse and hang in the sun to dry. Better than tossing them away. I read somewhere that you can use these as filters in face masks.


I will make up a mix of shampoo, eucalyptus and water to add to these and use them again.


Autumn colours at days end. The Flinder's Ranges in the background over our fence. We can see the pretty colours change from the kitchen table.




My lemon tree is just outside the kitchen in a large pot. This year it has bunches of lemons on it like these. Must be the worm wee I put on there now and then.


 I chopped the guavas, then whizzed and strained them.


They are now simmering on the stove as I write this.


Another day of staying at home. I only left the driveway to go for a walk.

How about you? What did you get up to today?

xTania

20 comments:

  1. I had trouble getting past the bread.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I lived closer I would bring you some :-)

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  2. The Autumn evening colours are beautiful..still 30 degrees that's hot for Autumn. We had 30 degrees on Saturday here. Have a good week.

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    Replies
    1. Autumn is the best time of the year, but unfortunately it is followed by winter. I cant wait until spring right now, as with this virus around, winter may not be a good time for many. Although staying home keeps us safer.

      xTania

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  3. YOur garden is looking great. Yes it is quiet but we are kept busy.

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    Replies
    1. Forced quietness cant be a bad thing, but I see troubled times ahead. Busy gives me something to do so I don't dwell on the other things that are happening. So far we are better off in Australia, but I am feeling the pain of the rest of the world and worried it will eventually happen in our country.

      In the meantime I will enjoy this beautiful weather.

      xTania

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  4. Tania jump onto thekiwicountrygirl IG page and she has "pasta" in her highlights...get a coffee and watch her stories...pasta making is a bit like bread making when you first start you think it's scary and difficult and it's not. It's super simple and tastes so much better than store bought pasta. Our little pasta machine was $15 from Kmart which we bought years ago. Her highlight stories will make it super easy to watch and make some pasta. My advice is to make it thin but watch her highlights on how she does it. Have a good week. Kathy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just found thekiwicountrygirl IG page, thanks Kathy.

      I am also browsing her blog, I'm enjoying it immensely!

      I have the pasta machine down off the shelf ready to go, after I blow the dust off lol!

      Thank you for your assistance,
      xTania

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  5. Love the smell of washing that’s dried in the sun
    I left the house today to do a grocery shop.
    The clock was an hour fast. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve driven it. Lol

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  6. Your sourdough loaves look amazing, Tania. I've got two types of heritage cherry tomato in, one of each variety,and so they have needed frames as they are growing well. I am going to save seeds from both when they fruit.

    MegXx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Meg,

      I like my sourdough crusty and rustic, but it is too hard for my parents to chew. So I make them a lot softer loaf.

      Hope your cherry tomatoes do well. I am also saving more seed from my veggies this year.

      xTania

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  7. Did you put pectin in the jam? A lot of the recipes I consulted said not to
    because feijoas (and presumably guavas) have natural pectin. I don't
    know whether to put in the pectin and risk rock hard, impossible to dislodge
    from the jar, jam or not put it in and get feijoa soup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Barbara,

      I did add a 50gm packet of jam setter which has pectin in it. This was for 2 kilo of guava. I also added 1kg of sugar, and lime juice that I had in the freezer. I did add a cup of water {as stated in one recipe I read} but I don't think that is needed. The jam was a bit foamy towards the end and still quite runny, but still tastes delicious! Of course it has set more now it is cooled. Later on I will post a photo of the finished jam in today's post.

      xTania

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    2. I might try 25gm of Jamsetta and see what I get. The irony is that when we're
      normally away this time of year the woman who housesits for us often makes us
      jam from the feijoas but I don't want her recipe because it's always comes out
      too hard!

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    3. I hope The jam works out for you Barbara. I am not sure about the difference between guavas and feijoas, it could make a difference in how the jam turns out.

      Good luck.
      xTania

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  8. Your sourdough loaves look amazing Tania. I would love to give this bread baking a go. We have had some rain so things are not quite so dry here now. Your photos are always stunning xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do it Julie! Once you try bread making you will be hooked.

      Fantastic to hear you have had rain. Woohoo!

      It is 34C here today, hot with blustery wind and dirt!

      xTania

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  9. Yesterday I went out for the first time in a long while. I had my haircut and then went to the Post Office to send off my Grandies Birthday present. I went for a quick run through Woollies to see if there was any flower to be had. Then it was straight home. Today I had to run to the sewing centre for some embroidery thread and new sewing needles. I went to a small local business not to Spotty. I've been busy getting the second Grandies Birthday present made. I do go out for a walk most mornings at the beach. I keep and eye on the tide. If the tide is a good way out I go for a walk. If the tide is high I stay home. Life is currently quite an interesting journey. Love your garden and how well it is all growing.

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  10. Oh, yes, sticky flies! We've had them here too. They refuse to leave no matter how many times you brush them away! When building my small retaining wall project, they're so annoying. I've been doing a lot of propagation recently. Trying to make new plants for the garden, hoping they'll make it through to the next growing season. I can only give it a go. I hope your pawpaw, is productive for you. All that worm wee will certainly help! And guava. I can only dream! Fruit fly is pretty brutal with soft fruits, here.

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