The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Thursday 4 April 2019

Feather your Nest Friday, 5th April, 2019.

It was another good and busy week and the farm is busy as today is the start of shearing!  I kind of like all the activity!  

Some of the ways I got ahead and built up our home were:

I made lots of apple pies.   Some were for the freezer and some for Chloe and Luke and their freezer.


Much of my week was working on the bounty of apples and other produce.  Setting things to good use!  I also baked apples with a roast pork. I am amazed how much free food we have now after being here for six months my reliance on the shops is so much less.  Instead of planning what to buy I am busy trying to use up what we have.  At the moment I have eggs eggs eggs and masses of spinach so impossible quiches are calling too.
During the week Andy feasted on mud crabs that Luke caught.
I had pears in the dehydrator as these ones were getting away from me so I thought to dry them...


They taste just beautiful!!  So I will do apples next.

The last of the figs I made into fig, cream cheese and prosciutto pizzas.  I top them with rocket and sticky balsamic vinegar.  (Mimi's recipe)  They are so nice!


Whatever you have use it up!  I have pears still... Chloe suggested Pear and Camembert as a pizza topping so that will be next week.

Then the last few figs I made fig and almond jam.  This is an all time favourite with Andy and Dad.


It is just regular fig jam with blanched almonds thrown in towards the end.  I use tons more than necessary since Dad and I used to fight over the almonds!  Now it has many!  It is just beautiful. 

I planted beetroot, more silver beet and climbing beans into the veggie garden.

I also bought an Aloe Vera plant and as I went to plant it I realised it had many babies around it.  So I divided it and got eight plants!  I put them in various spots around the garden in case one spot they don't do well.   If they go ok later I will start potting up  the babies to use as gifts and swaps.

Andy spread fertiliser over our lawn.  The lawn is a lot of focus as it is huge and we are trying to get it really nice! 

We went wood cutting a few times.  Our wood heap is growing and each spot we work in we are tidying up fallen branches, we build a bon fire for the mess and left overs but these will not be lit up for a few weeks yet.  So several areas now look neat and tidy and our wood supply is increased.   Over night right out the back a huge branch came down from a gum tree.... so more wood cutting today! 

Yesterday I made pasties.  I made heaps and they are a large man sized pasty.  We had them for dinner with the relish I made.  So nice!   I will add lots of easy meals to the freezer.


They look rustic! haha! But anyway they are delicious (if I do say so myself..)  and Chloe is picking some up since shearing is so busy this will help her.

Tomorrow Mum and I are heading off to see the girls!   So this afternoon I will be making little cakes. I also made some sleep essential oil mixes as Harper is old enough now to have a half strength formula so I made sleep roller and sleep pillow spray (she is a terrible sleeper) and a cold and flu mix as well.


I mean to teach the girls how to use essential oils since this is a life skill that is a game changer for your health.  

I also sewed up some very soft large sized hankies for my niece.  She likes camping and rock climbing hence the print... she is a farmer too and needs decent sized hankies and requested them.


So that is my week!  It was busy, I guess some of these things took up a lot of time.  Building bon fires and carting wood is tiring I can tell you that I have been sleeping well!

This week I saw lots of kangaroos.  And Wallabies too which I really love.  And Andy saw an Echidna in one of the back paddocks. 

How did you build up your nest this week?  I hope you had good things come your way and opportunities to get ahead!  

Have a wonderful weekend! xxx




40 comments:

  1. Every thing looks so delicious. I'm very hungry now! Your a great grandma to teach the girls such a great skill. Have a great day.

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    1. Thanks Vickie, I wish I knew about essential oils sooner. But I am still learning myself. I have my cakes baked now ready for tomorrow. Have a lovely weekend! Love Annabel.xxx

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  2. What an abundant life you are leading! All that wonderful food! I know how exhausting it can be processing it though. My limes and pomegranates are ripening now. I had a lovely time on the back patio table cutting them and so on for the freezer. DH came to help, so it made it more fun. Lots more on the trees, though!

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    1. Dear Earthmotherwithin, I saw your beautiful pomegranates and limes. I thought the photo was stunning. What a colourful contrast. Whatever we have can be so varied and we just have to set these things to good use! Makes us very inventive! My pears have turned out so well, now on to apples over the weekend. Have a lovely weekend there! with love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Dear Annabel,
    You had another very accomplished week! I love the fact that you have so much food you are in "use it up," mode these days rather than shopping.
    You are always an inspiration with all you do each week.
    Our fruit trees and bushes are beginning to get leaf buds, so we are hoping for a big crop of fruit this summer. Well, as big as possible for living in town 😉
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Dear Glenda,
      I hope you do get a big crop this summer. I know you have lots of herbs too. The pears have worked so well now over the weekend I will dehydrate apples. We are in the middle of a terrible dust storm. This is the worst day I have had here so far. All with shearing going on!
      Have a lovely weekend and thank you for your kind words! With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Sheep sheering is something I have only seen in movies. It sounds like an exciting time there on the farm.

    We got planter boxes set up and I plan to start planting them on Saturday since it will rain tomorrow and I think the rain will get the soil settled and ready to be planted. We have had beautiful weather and sunshine this week. We are so glad to be past the cold weather and all the gray skies.

    Have a wonderful visit with the girls!

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    1. Dear Lana,
      On top of shearing we also had a state wide dust storm! It turned out to be quite a dramatic day and not in a good way!
      The planter boxes will be great! You must be so glad to be into Spring! I got my cakes made and ready to go tomorrow! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  5. Annabel your foods have me drooling as per usual. I can assure you this is not a pretty sight. I am glad that it is almost lunchtime as I am now feeling very hungry. I love the idea of fig and almond jam. I've never had it but know I would love it.
    Katie took to me a specialist Butcher this week. In the Butchers was a shelf of local artisan jams. One was a sweet chilli jam. A small jar of this jam was $14. I made another batch of sweet chilli jam this week.That's 15 jars of this jam in two weeks. My son sent a message asking for the recipe as the jar he took home with him last Saturday is almost all gone.A friend took two jars last Friday and one is gone and the other half finished. Katie took two jars and is ready to get some more. It is delicious.
    I have been transplanting coffee seedlings from under the big tree into pots. Once they get big enough they will be planted into the garden. I tranplanted two tumeric plants that just werent doing well to another spot in the garden. Tomato and lettuce weedlings are coming up everywhere, including in the cracks in the concrete. Like you I have a lot of spinach and silverbeet. I am thinking I will make a spinach and fetta pie or two.
    This week I started cutting out the stips to make a log cabin quilt for my son as a Wedding present in Spetember. I had planned something else but couldnt get enthused by it. The log cabin quilt is in the DIL's colours. I like the log cabin pattern as it is an easy stip pieced pattern.
    It's been a busy week here with getting the house back to normal after the visitors last week. We have finally had some cooler weather arrive. It is still tshirts and shorts weather but the humidity has dropped, making it so much nicer.
    Life is beautiful weather good.


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    1. Dear Jane, I think it is really good to know what shops are charging for the things we are making, even for the things we could make if we realised they are so popular and would make a great gift! You chilli jam sounds amazing!
      I wonder if I could grow turmeric here? I will look into that.
      I think spinach and feta pie would be beautiful. I know I need to get on to using my spinach!
      A quilt for the wedding would be a wonderful gift. This will keep you busy for a good while!
      We also have a warm day today... and a dust storm. It is just awful. The worst day I have ever experienced living here... a terrible sight outside of all the top soil blowing away. I hope it stops soon and some rain comes. Have a lovely weekend! With much love, Annabel.xxx

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  6. Dear Annabel, I love the look of that cooking. My goodness it all looks delicious. I LOVE the sound of the fig and salmon jam, oh my, I bet it tastes delicious. I can only imagine how much it would cost in the shops. Do you serve it with cheese? I also love the sound of your apple pies and pasties. That pizza looks beautiful. I love how you made blends for Harper. That is such a good idea. A gift and a skill all in one. I bet the girls would be so excited when they see your car turn up. I love those hankies too. Everything you make is always beautifully presented and luxurious. I have had a good week. I am still crocheting dish cloths, but picked up some fabric paint to paint some calico bags. I think I will turn them some into children's library bags (paired with a book) and some into kitchen gift bags. My seeds have sprouted and I hope to soon have a vege garden to plant them into. I bought a whole set road signs for little cars/trucks for 50 cents. I think H will love it. Sending you lots of love and to all the Bluebirds. Love, Bridget

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    1. Dear Bridge, The little signs sound great. They would be great on the top of a cake with a car roaring through a muddy road (chocolate icing!) too!
      Either shopping or library bags would be a great gift. Anything personalised is also a great gift!
      We usually get a pretty good welcome from the girls, lots of jumping up and down. We usually have a car load of cooking and all sorts of things. I baked cakes this afternoon to take.
      The fig jam does go well with cheese. It is good with cream too i.e. on scones. I love scones!
      I hope your seedlings do well! I just keep planting week by week adding something. It is amazing how soon this give you so much!
      Have a beautiful weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Dear Annabel,
    You've been hard at work with such beautiful results! I can almost smell the apple pies and pasties. I'm so happy for you that you have an abundance of lovely produce.

    I'm still getting some spinach and romain for salads, but they won't last much longer with the warmer weather. We have a few tangelos left for fruit salads and juice. The freezer is stocked with lemon juice and zest. I'm hoping to pick grapefruit and lemons one more time to take to the food pantry.

    We had a great surprise last weekend! Our son and buddies were transporting helicopters and were diverted through a city about 3 hours from us due to weather conditions. We threw some things together and headed out. I made a quick call to our older daughter. She and her husband drove up, as well. We all enjoyed visiting and going to dinner and then breakfast together. We hadn't seen him since November and sister hadn't seen him for about a year. One of the helicopters had mechanical problems, causing them to stay an extra day and a half, so my husband and I were able to spend more time with him the next couple of days. Not glad they had problems, but so grateful to be able to spend time together. We had a little cooler along which provided some beverages and snacks, plus making it possible to bring some leftovers from eating out. Our daughter and son-in-law had to head home after breakfast, They stayed at a friend's home who graciously allowed us to stay there for the two extra nights. We also sent a bag of grapefruit for our DIL and a big chocolate Easter egg and litlle photo album for granddaughter along with our son.

    Wednesday was senior discount day at a couple of my favorite grocery stores, so I picked up mostly sale or clearance items and things that rarely go on sale. One of the best deals was London broil steaks on sale for $1.97 a pound, making it $1.77 a pound after discount. I had 7 pounds ground. Most of it is now repackaged and in the freezer. The freezer is getting so full that I pulled out a bag of frozen bananas to make room. I plan to make banana muffins tomorrow.

    Wishing you all a lovely weekend!
    With
    love from Arizona,
    Elaine

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    1. Dear Elaine, It is so good you grabbed that opportunity to see your son! It sounds like he has an interesting job! It sounds like it was wonderful and a blessing with the extra nights! So it was a very good week for you!
      You did well with the discounts and also your own produce! My freezer is like yours I have to take something out to make room for something else! I am so pleased you saw your son like this and Im sure he loved that you all make such an effort to see him! That is just lovely! Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. Hi Annabel
    What a lovely week! I am so pleased for you that you are getting so much free food! And I love that none of it will go to waste. I hate it when I have to throw food out! I hope the sleep blend helps Harper, I'm sure Lucy will be hoping the same.

    We have one week left of school before the first term holidays. It has been a long term and everyone is tired. So I'm really looking forward to them.

    I cleared out four cupboards and donated four boxes of things to the op shop and a box of packing supplies to a friend who will use them more quickly than I will.

    I am on the eighth letter of the cross stitch alphabet, there is a lot of shading so it's slow going! I'm loving the result though.

    I have just made a white chocolate and berry cheesecake as we've been invited out for dinner tomorrow night. I hope it sets because I licked the bowl and it is yum lol.

    Have a lovely day with the girls and a wonderful weekend!

    Jen in NZ

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    1. Dear Jen,
      I remember how tired the girls were by end of term. They really badly needed a rest by then. It will come at a good time, build up their immune systems etc before flu season. I noticed with the rest the girls often grew in the holidays suddenly!
      I cant wait to see your cross stitch sampler! It is a lot of work I know!
      I bet your cheesecake worked out beautifully and was a hit! I think a pavlova or cheesecake is always a big hit with people!
      Have a good new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  9. Hello Annabel and everyone :).

    Annabel you are making such good use of all your apples and blessing other family members too. It is a bit like that on a farm where you have lots of produce and have to have an assembly line to preserve and cook it all :).

    Our Vicky challenge added up to $309.84 in savings this week :).

    In the kitchen -

    - Cooked all meals and bread from scratch.
    - Made 2 batches of MOO yoghurt.

    In the craft/sewing room -

    - Priced and packaged homemade items to take to the school fete to sell tomorrow as we are having a stall there. It is run by the BlueLight disco to raise funds for them. Wish us luck.

    In the gardens -

    - Did a yard cleanup and got rid of any rotted wood from the vineyard destruction, old grapevines, venetian blinds that were not working and a broken down fan to the tip. It looks much neater and tidier now.
    - DH mowed and whipper snipped the yard and we mulched around the mulberry, mandarin tree and native shrubs in the yard.
    - DH earned $150 from paid gardening work this week.

    Finances -

    - Banked quite a bit more money into our emergency kitty from savings in most budget categories over the last few months.

    Purchases -

    - Bought a 5 piece fire tool set and flue cleaning kit on eBay saving $175.04 on buying them locally in our country stores.
    - Purchased 10 cotton long sleeved t-shirts for me saving $30 on usual prices.
    - From the hardware store DH purchased out of his earnings from gardening a 216 m roll of whipper snipper cord (the larger rolls worked out to be just over half the price per metre than the smaller rolls) and a 250kg load furniture removalist trolley on special saving $104.80 on usual prices.

    Hope everyone has had a wonderful week :).

    sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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    1. Dear Sewingcreaions, I hope the school fete paid off for you! I am sure you would have sold lots! Also it is interesting to find out what is a big seller etc as I am sure different ways of selling i.e. eBay vs a fete produce different results.
      It sounds like you are making great progress with the yard. It will be very satisfying now you can see so much difference!
      I need a fire tool set! HAs yours arrived yet? If you are happy with it I would love to know the store.
      It was great your husband invested his earnings into such good things! Both the whipper snipper and furniture trolley will be extremely useful. Good investments I would say!
      Have a lovely Sunday after a very busy week. We are in catch up mode here, there was a giant dust storm and the mess is just terrible! I will be glad for a new week! With lots of love, Annabel.xxx

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    2. Oh Annabel I hate dust storms and fortunately I have to say we are over them for the meantime since we had rain but the dust gets everywhere :o .

      I have since found out that bunnings sell them at a quite reasonable price now after I purchased the other one off eBay coming from the UK (although cheap). You may be better given the shipping time to go with Bunnings and ring them before you go in and get them to put a set aside for you as their website says they have them in stock when they haven't we have found a lot of times.

      The local markets here were a flop unfortunately but we did manage to sell a few things for the RSL sub branch to raise funds for them as we volunteered to man that for the club as they are a not for profit organisation. We also got our school fete stall for free since we were helping the RSL club and running both stalls so nothing lost. I will just stick with eBay as the market here is about $2 - $5 secondhand items we found and as we all know different areas have different markets.

      Try to have a great week other than the dust.

      Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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    3. Lorna thank you for that we will check in Bunnings. For some reason I never even thought of them!! xxx

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  10. Dear Annabelle, your pasties look delicious! What recipe do you use to make that amount of pastry?
    I am still away from home but am able to stock up my son’s wardrobe shopping frugally for him. He is just realising there is life after school uniform and it doesn’t have to be only jeans and tee shirts! I found him two Superdry shirts, an extremely good quality trench coat and a waxed jacket with change from £40, which is very good value indeed.
    I am looking forwards to going home, where I know there will be a mountain of eggs building up ready to use. I am thinking that rhubarb curd might be a good start as this spring crop should be up soon, now the snow has finally melted!

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    1. Dear Gill,
      When I do big batches like this I just use pastry sheets, the frozen ones. I get them on special and always keep them on hand. That way I can make a quick pie out of any leftovers. I also get a GF one. So I cheat but I dont think I would succeed with big batches otherwise.
      What good deals you got for your son! A good coat is such an investment piece too. That is amazing!
      I havent ever seen rhubarb curd so if you make that please show us! A to of eggs will be handy... I am making up some mini quiches to freeze as they are quite good even for breakfasts! And they freeze well!
      Have a good week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  11. Annabel,
    Your pies look so delicious. So happy that you are able to put all your blessings to good use. You are wise to teach your Granddaughters about essential oils starting at a young age, there is so much I wish my Grandmothers had taught me.
    Enjoy your trip down to the girls with you Mum, have a lovely time together.

    I had a stressful week, husband left on a business trip the same day I had to locate my brother to run my Dad to Urgent Care. Being 5 1/2 hours away didn't help. My Son came over after work with Chinese take-out, he said he was concerned I wasn't eating due to the stress, he stayed with me till we heard back from my Brother and a bit longer into the night to make sure I was settled. I realized home my Son had grown into a very caring loving man.

    I ate all meals at home using up what was in the frig.
    I baked 2 banana breads in preparation for Easter weekend when all family will be here, using bananas we had froze.

    I have been working on another crocheted market bag as a Christmas present. I know if I don't start this early in the year I will not have presents made in time. Plus crocheting relaxes me at night.

    I did Seasonal Cleaning in kitchen, transferring all food stock from old canisters to new. from round to rectangular so that they fit better into my small cabinet. Labeling them so husband knows what is in them, can't blame him, I can tell what type of flour is in a canister by look, he doesn't work with it enough to know. There are 5 different flours in that cabinet.

    I also was able to clean one corner of our basement that was stacked with boxes and organized the 2 pantry closets down there. So I am making some progress in basement.

    My first few flowers popped up out of the ground, I have a tiny patch of crocus, Spring is here.

    May you have a Blessed Weekend and a wonderful time with Family.
    Love,
    Rosanne

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    1. Dear Rosanne, I am so glad your Dad was ok. It is terrible to go through when these things happen. I have been there a few times now...
      I am so glad you have Spring! Flowers coming up would be so nice!
      You still made a lot of progress in the house and with organisation. it is endless really ... I have been here six months... now organisation is around getting ready for winter, colds and flu, fires etc.
      I am also getting ready for Easter! I have warm pyjamas for the girls, practical things mostly. I wrapped them all yesterday.
      I hope your new week goes well!
      With love,
      Annabel.xxx

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  12. I shouldn't read your blog when I'm hungry! I love gifts of food.
    Definitely get you influenza oil mix ready. My husband and I both immunized still got it. I have asthma so that got stirred up a bit too. It is usually done in USA by now, but unfortunately still around. The fatigue that goes with is terrible. I spent about 10 minutes on the sewing machine doing repairs and was tired just from focusing on that.
    I have the same freezer problem with too much stuff. Trying to use up last years rhubarb as our new crop is finally not buried in a snowbank. Not sure how you use yours frozen, but I drain mine in a colander. It makes the rhubarb crumble a bit chewer, but preferred by the man who eats it, here over watery.
    The frost is still not out of the ground yet so no planting yet.
    Tomorrow taking grandkids to my parents. They make maple syrup for the family. My favorite way to end winter! Yes I'm spoiled.
    Sheila
    Michigan USA

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    1. Dear Sheila, Thank you for telling me this. I am always in two minds over the shots but one year I got encephalitis and was in hospital and two doctors told me to always get the shot after that. But two years ago Lucy had the shot and she got the flu terribly anyway. A different strain I guess. I am very wary of it now that I know how dreadfully sick you can get. Thawed rhubarb is ok in pie, muffins, crumble... I am wanting to try Rhubarb wine that was posted in the Tuesday club it looked like Moscato!
      I hope you had a wonderful day at your parents! Homemade maple syrup! Oh wow that would be beautiful!
      Have a good new week! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  13. Annabel,
    What a busy week you've had! Taking care of wood is alot work by itself and your getting alot of food production done on top of it!
    It is still a bit slow here as we are waiting for nice weather, but Rick had to repair my truck and after a call we found out it saved us $400. I also had several samples come in the mail and the one is a full sized bottle of laundry detergent. I love samples they are so handy. I also found yarn at the thrift store that exactly matches what I'm using yay! I made a turkey and we have gotten several meals from it and all that's left is the bones to make broth. Bone broth is $6-$8 a jar here. I have been use my drying rack, but hopefully soon I'll be able to use my clothesline again. I hope the garden does well this year I have lots of canning planned. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Dear Vicky,
      I love to see a good wood heap. To me it is like the pantry... being well ahead is insurance! It was so good that Rick could fix your truck for you!
      How handy finding matching yarn! That really was lucky!
      I am seeing bone broth for sale everywhere and for a lot. Personally I wouldnt trust bought stuff and it is so easy to make. That is on my list this week, to do a good strong organic chicken stock.
      I hope your garden is great this year too! Your garden is the best ever! I will be keen to see it. I guess you are starting to plant now.
      Have a good week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  14. Hello Annabel,
    You sure are a busy girl! Can I ask what recipe you use for your pastry, it always looks so lovely. Hope you have a lovely weekend. Fi

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    1. Dear Fiona, When doing a huge batch like this I just use homebrand sheets of frozen puff pastry. When I make pastry I made Maggie Beers gluten Free pastry mostly. But bulk things I just cheat and use sheets or I dont think I would ever get it done. I keep them always in the freezer so I can quickly make left overs into pies. This results in some many meals it is amazing.
      Have a wonderful new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. If you roast a chicken, apple is really lovely roasted in with it and potatoes and carrots and onions. It adds a subtle bit of something to the dish. And for pears, here of late I'm really enjoying romaine, sliced pears, chopped nuts and blue cheese crumbles along with a bit of turkey (or chicken). It makes a lovely salad for a main dish salad.

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    1. Dear Terri, Thank you! I didnt think of with chicken. I have been roasting figs with chicken and this is delicious! Now I love what you are saying with the pears... I do pear, rocket, walnut and balsamic vinegar. it is amazing. Now I will be trying the blue cheese thank you! Chloe did pear and camembert pizza... that was really good too. This all brings out some inventiveness to use what we have. Have a good new week! Love Annabel.xxx

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  16. Dear Annabel and bluebird friends,
    I have been having trouble commenting so I hope this works.
    Annabel I love the look and sound of your pizzas, also the pies look yummy.
    The hankies for your niece look great, she will love them.
    I have had some good savings lately including buying my tea bags halft price , I bought 8 boxes and saved $44 as well as stocking up on tea bags , the savings has gone to my slush fund.
    A few weeks ago I bought some dresses and a top for a lot less than regular price , I got one dress for $30 instead of $129.95.
    I have had a week or so of staying with my parents due to my ill health and pain.i saved on food and electricity although I did contribute towards food.
    I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.
    Love Barb W.

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    1. Dear Barb, Thank you! Remember what you did this time, if it is any different, as it worked!
      I am glad you got your nice tea bags half price. I stock up then too! What a good bargain on your new dress!
      It was just wonderful how your parents helped you when so unwell. What a blessing they are. I really hope this week will be much better for you. With much love, Annabel.xxx

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  17. Dear Annabel,

    Sounds like you have as many apples to deal with as I have mandarines!
    Sadly I can't save all the fallen fruit, it's a mammoth job, and would require far too much time and freezer space! But I'm content with saving what I can, and I've been making jars and jars of marmalade. They are stocking my pantry, and will also make lovely gifts.

    I have also been bottling my Olives, I just have the black olives to go, they are in a brine/vinegar solution, but the olives still taste quite bitter to me, so I'm not ready to bottle them yet.

    I hope to get to the markets today, and buy 3 olive tree's of my very own!

    I did a lot of preparation work on cleaning glass jars ready for future bottling, it is time consuming and fiddly to remove all the labels, but well worth the effort. I was so lucky this week to pick up some glass jars with the rubber seals on them from the op-shop for 50 cents and $1. I'm wanting to transfer my pantry goods from plastic containers to glass, and this is how I intend to do it on a budget. I like the look of the glass, but mostly I'm worried about toxins leeching from plastic containers into food.

    It's been a busy week, I worked an extra shift this week, so two shifts instead of one, and they are 10hr days, so there really is no time for much else on a work day, just cook dinner, tidy up and go to bed, to do it all again the next day! But the money will bless our household.

    Hope you have another lovely and productive week, oh and it finally feels like Autumn on the far north coast, and I am loving it!!

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    1. Dear Cheryl, Yes marmalade would make great gifts! Also maybe you could trade mandarins with someone. Andy loves them and will eat one a day happily. Well done on the olives. That is quite a process but the need result is wonderful.
      I am often soaking jars. I fill the laundry sink with hot water and a dish washer tablet and leave over night. This seems to get them off really well. Sometimes I get jars in the op shop too if I am lucky!
      Well done on some extra work hours. That is getting ahead and as you say that extra money can be a big help.
      You have a good new week too! With love Annabel.xxx

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  18. Hi Annabel,
    It has been ages since I last commented but I have been reading along every week. Life has been very busy of late. Work is going well and I really enjoy my new colleagues. It is nearly 12 months since I left my old toxic work place. I am pleased to say things have improved for my close friends who are still there. The powers to be saw right through the old manager and held her to account. She has consequently left, still blaming eveyone else, and they have a lovely new manager. I went to visit them on a day off a few weeks back and it was great. I am so happy as I still have a very strong connection to there.
    Last weekend we attended the wedding of our close friends eledest daughter. It was a beautiful wedding and so much fun. We have known this young woman all her life and she and her sisters are like our surigatte daughters to us.
    You and Andy have certainly been working hard on your new home and property. I love hearing about and seeing what you have been doing. As I have gotten older I have appreciated more and more the opportunity to be out of the city, the quiet of the beach or country. Having said that we are saving for a trip to New York at the end of next year to celebrate my 50th birthday. Due to health and other reasons I did not get to travel as much as I would have liked when I was younger. Plan to change that for the future I hope.
    All my best wishes to you, Andy and family. I so appreciate all the time, energy and thought you put into The Bluebirds are Nesting. It is a bright light in a sometimes dark world.

    Mandy(NZ)

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    1. Dear Mandy, Bullying is just terrible and despite "policies" I never see much done about it. Now I am seeing bullying in the media which is equally wrong and they dont seem to be held to account either! But I am very glad things are better for you and also your old colleagues.
      What a beautiful wedding that would have been! A true celebration.
      I am so glad you are still reading and yes we have been working hard. I am at the point of avoiding cities but we go to Adelaide when necessary. Saying that Adelaide is more like a country town compared to the big cities!
      Go for it re your holiday and your 50th! You will have a wonderful time. We do need to be bright lights where we can, small things do seem to make a big difference! With much love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Hi Annabel,
      Yes you are so right, small things do make a difference. All the little moments and thoughts of kindness that seem insignificant, can make a great impact in someones day.

      Mandy(NZ)

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  19. So good to see how you added to your stores. I agree with Mandy, Bluebirds is such a bright spot!
    We have been busy preparing our new city digs for Spring. We have put in 4 raised beds and built up flowerbeds to handle produce. A nearby church has spare produce after they pass it out to the less fortunate. Most of this is damaged and won't last another day. I take this home for my chickens and the people are glad not to toss it. But we have been able to process much of it before it is too bad. I now have a year supply of guacamole in my freezer! And several loaves of bread and gallons of fruit for pies. God is good!

    Blessings,
    Leslie

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

Spam is never published... if you are advertising a product or selling website your comment wont be published. I am inundated with stuff about drugs, horses and weird things! I am not going to publish this stuff! Thank you.