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 21 November 2019

Feather your Nest Friday, 22nd November, 2019.

Reviewing the week really helps me realise just how much we did.  I am always amazed what is possible in a week.   We also really need to take a break of the list of things that need doing and be still for a minute and appreciate all the good things that happened.    Being still for a little bit is lovely in fact!

This week was special because I stayed overnight at Lucy's house so that I could baby sit the girls Tuesday afternoon then also Wednesday morning as Lucy had appointments.  It was beautiful.  Of course I took crafts to do and we went for walks and picked roses and inspected fruit trees.   After dinner Tuesday night the power went out.  I had a torch, (flashlight)  a good book and it was cool so it was ok.
I came home with glorious pink roses that smell heavenly.


I had some good special buys including some brie quarters for $1 each and a whole huge Camembert for $4.   One night I crumbed and fried Camembert and served it with cranberry sauce, rocket, pear, walnuts and sticky balsamic vinegar salad.  It was beautiful!

In the garden I have hundreds of tiny parsley plants coming up to form a border.  I need to be watering a lot now it is warm.
I planted broccoli and chives.
I have zucchini almost ready to harvest.
I planted butternut pumpkins.
And I potted up Aloe Vera babies into pots.
The young fruit trees are all doing well.   The big fruit trees..... the apple tree is covered and the pear trees have small pears.  I am watering them daily.

Andy has been cleaning and staining the decks.  I have been staining the trims and edge bits.  One area is finished now so today I can put back my furniture and plants.
While the pressure cleaner was out I decided to have a go at cleaning a cane chair and stool that has been outside several years.  To me it looked grubby.  Well it was amazing!  It has come up like new! 
Then I decided the door steps looked neglected.  Mum has always polished or oiled her doorsteps.   So I stained them with several coats of stain.  They look 100% better!  Sometimes a small thing like this makes a huge difference! 

I washed up my curtains that I rescued from the shed at Lucys.   It is the most enormous amount of material.


I can see shopping bags, cushions,  heat packs, pot holders... kitchen towels...  aprons..
With quality fabric prices old curtains and bed linens are the most wonderful source of fabric.

I made a batch of gluten free scones for myself.

Before I went to see the girls I made them some chocolate cakes.


In the op shop I got the girls some little tops, a huge ball of pure wool for 50c and a lace table runner.
Also a free bunch of Rosemary.

With the weather being warmer we have had thousands of birds.  (To the extent sometimes it is nearly deafening!)   Firstly it was late evening and I could hear "whoosh whoosh whoosh" as it a helicopter was overhead.  I looked out and hundreds of huge Ibis were defending into the trees.  This has happened every night.   They make a goose like honking noise.  The trees look like giant heavily laden Christmas trees.   In the morning they are gone.

Then there are hundreds of Corella's  on the lawn, down the driveway and in the front paddocks.  


They are playful and noisy! 

And there are hundreds of Lorikeets.  They come down to drink from the trough of water we have for the calf, goat and lamb.  They are like jewels! 


The bright blue on top of their head like a little hat is my favourite! 



Yesterday Luke came with the tractor.  The last of the wood from the trees out the back is cleared away.   A man is coming to cut up the largest bits to make furniture.  This was fantastic and the end of another really big job.


I have had my broody bantam sitting on some chicken eggs from Lucy's chickens.  Her chickens were all killed by a fox and I had collected these eggs the day before that happened! 
I hab November 19 written in my diary as hatch day.  So when I came back from my trip the first thing I did was race up to the chicken house!   And this is what I found...


One baby chicken!   I checked again later... still one.   I am not going to make the poultry breeders hall of fame but none the less this is the first chicken my chooks have ever hatched and it is so exciting!
I have four bantams and they often go broody.  I think from now on if I have a broody bantam I will seek out some fertile eggs. I might even consider having a rooster.  Maybe this baby will be a rooster!? 

So that was my week!   We have a reasonably mild few days today and coming up.  I am so grateful for this!   I will get stuck into getting everything well watered,  some cooking,  setting up my newly stained deck and so on.   I have learned that in summer (which is a week away) that you do all you can in decent weather as when the heat hits you really have to stay out of it and work inside as much as possible.   I am also working to stock up my fridge and freezer with drinks and water bottles.   Andy is filling the fuel cans for the generator and testing the back up systems.   

How did you build up your home, save or get ahead this week?
Do you have season related preparations that you have been doing or need to get on to?

Have a wonderful weekend! xxx















31 comments:

  1. I love it when I can see the grandchildren first thing in the morning by spending the night. It is fun to see how they wake up and their bed Head hair. The first words out of out two year old grandson is 'Eat, eat!'. I am glad you could enjoy an overnight visit with the girls.

    We completely changed our schedule this week and I think it will help us to have more time for fun things. This will be such a blessing since we have been trying to come up with a better plan for some time now.

    I have been feeling for some time that it is not the time for us to move and that God has something for us here. This week we have the beginning of a friendship with a retired couple down the street. We have all lived here for 25 years but rarely spoken. I am excited to see what God has for us with these new friends.

    Enjoy your beautiful deck this weekend. Much love, Lana

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    1. Dear Lana, It is lovely! They both jumped in bed with me and are wigglier than worms. Paper said "it is time to get up Nan Nan Bel" and I said "you cant be serious?" she replied "yes, Im serious!" haha
      I think local friendships are a very good thing. We can all help and support each other. A big help and very enjoyable.
      You will know for sure if you are meant to move. Sounds like you have a lovely situation where you are. Have a very good new week. With love Annabel.xxx

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  2. I often get to the end of the week and wonder what I have managed to achieve. I like to review my journal and usually find that Bluey and I have really achieved a lot. We have had high heat and lots of smoke haze since we got home. I have been forced to spend a lot of time locked up in my sewing room with the air con on. I simply cant be outside when the smoke settles. Mind you being locked up in my sewing room is not a difficulty.
    As a result there has been quite a bit sewn up. Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas Scrunchies, Embroidered Christmas stocking and a couple of little outfits have been made. I have strips ready to be made up into placemats for a Christmas gift. I have completed two hand embroideries and need to make some quilted edging for these and then they will be gifts completed.
    Bluey has been working at getting all the large pot plants healthy. We had a couple of trees that haven't done well or have died. He has pulled these out and is replacing them with the mango and avocado seedlings that we started from seeds last year. He also picked up a Hawaiian Guava and a Gramanchina to plant out.
    Katie has been over and has made her first Christmas Pudding without any help from me. She makes this for her fiancé and his family as a Christmas gift and as her contribution to the large Christmas dinner that they have. I have usually done most of the work with her assistance. This year she did it all herself. I love that I can pass this legacy on to her. I made up two smaller ones. One for us and one to send to our son, currently on overseas deployment.
    Here's hoping the heatwave finally wears itself out. We desperately need rain right across the country.
    Have a great week. Life is hot and sweaty good.

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    1. Dear Jane,
      I truly would forget half of what we did if I didnt write things down and have a bit of a review. It is good. I hope the smoke is subsiding as it is not good for anyone especially asthmatics.
      I love your indues work! Getting to sew and stay out of the heat and smoke is the best idea.
      It is great that Katie made her first pudding! A great tradition started for her. Passing on skills is the best thing!
      If only it would rain. Now I am hearing of water restrictions in so many places. Not to mention the reality of dying animals, farmers who cant keep going.... just awful.
      I hope the new week will be good! With love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Dear Annabel,

    Looks like everything is in full swing for summer at your place.

    So many pretty things in this post. Those roses are gorgeous as is the curtain material, cakes and birds.

    Sounds like you live in a very beautiful area.

    What an horrific week this one was. One of our friends lost her home of ten years in the Edithburg fire. She lost everything including her two very much loved cats and jewelry and other special things she inherited from her grandmother. Thankfully she and her two teenage boys are okay. One of her best friends has started a Go Fund Me page raising money for her, and the community is there to support her. She works at the local school. So sad...she only had time to grab a bag of clothes.

    Having something like this happen to someone I know, makes me realise how fragile life can be, and how unprepared I am should something like that happen here. The likely hood is low, but all the same, I am going to organise important things to grab and leave if I have to.

    Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

    Lots of love,
    Tania xxx

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    1. Dear Tania!

      I am thinking of your friend who just lost her family’s home in the Edithburg fire. This must be a traumatic experience, particularly losing pets and inherited treasures. I think of the emotional injury, the administrative chores, and the whole task of starting again from scratch. Somehow, through all the pain, may the Almighty make a refreshing experience come out of this.
      Edithburg looks like a lovely place!

      Rachel

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    2. Dear Tania, I am so sorry for your friend. How horrific. I love Edithburg it is the loveliest little town and we have stayed there. I really couldnt imagine this fire. I hope your friend can rebuild and glad they are save. I would be broken hearted to lose pets. So hard.
      I will add this to my preps... what to grab that you really want to save. It would be hard to think when only minutes to go!
      Lets hope no more fires.
      Thank you re the roses and curtains... the birds continue! As I write at night I watch the Ibis come to land in the trees to roost. They honk and get settled in then go quiet.
      I think we are set for a cooler week... hope so for you too! With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. I have bought some Christmas gifts and have ham stashed in the fridge. I have sewn a little. I have been watering what plants I have left. I am only watering food plants. Despite my watering my finger lime, an Australian native, and mandarin plants have died. My passionfruit has started a second fruiting. My lemon has dropped all its fruit. We will get better.

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    1. Dear Suzan,
      It is great to have the ham in the fridge. I am watching for the sales and will be doing the same. I love to bake a ham too at any time so if they are on sale I am in! It is great you have some Christmas gifts done too. You are in a water restriction area, I am taking it. It is very hard. We are on rain and bore water so we conserve it but not in shortage. I am watching my fruit trees closely. I did have two lemons nearly die and I moved them. Lemons like no wind so I moved to behind fences and walls and now they are recovering... (fingers crossed!)
      I think I will plant a passionfruit! Yours sounds like it is doing very well! Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Oh yes, try passionfruit! They’re hardy, and delicious, and can do really well when they have something to climb along! My chooks are passionfruit growers, using their yard as a trellis!! Summer shade!!
      Rachel

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  5. season related preparations? it's only been recently that i taken more notice of what grows seasonally; always bought food from the supermarket & never gave much thought to the seasons! now trying to grow my own is a big hit & miss working out what grows when :)) fun in the learning
    great post but am wondering if you are going to continue doing the 'Nan' posts? i really enjoy those
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Dear Selina, Yes I will be continuing Nana posts as I can hopefully one will be soon. I have a lot of good subjects coming up!
      I could make seasonal preparations one of them actually now that you mention it. These depend on where you live. So we are going into summer but many of my friends are going into winter. They have massive preparations. But some of our summer ones are... filling the fridges and freezes so if the power goes out they will stay cold and solid for along time. Stocking a lot of cold drinks, making up homemade eclctrolytes, getting all the water bottles out so there is always water in the vehicles. Testing the gerneator and sprinkler system and fire plan. Setting all animals up to have back up water and shade... I could go on for several pages but you get the idea. There is a lot to do on change of seasons.
      If you buy locally grown produce you soon will know what is seasonal. It will usually be cheaper too due to abundance and not far to travel.
      I hope you have a wonderful new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  6. The fabric is lovely. Oh those birds are beautiful. Such color and beauty. Congrats on the baby!!!!!

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    1. Thanks Cheryl. The chicken is going well so far! The lone chicken lol!
      I think after Christmas I will have time to sew again and that is good on hot days so I will get into this material. Have a great new week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  7. Annabel, those roses are just gorgeous! Do you know what variety they are? You've had a memory making time with your grands and then came home to a new member in your animal family! I know you enjoyed it all! We are busy coping with earlier than normal winter temps, thankfully we were prepared. Have a great weekend everyone!

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    1. Dear Patsy, The roses are old ones in Lucys yard. They run all along the side of a shed and across the front too. I dont know what they are called. They smell so nice. I did hear you were getting early cold weather. I am glad you are prepared. In fact I have followed all you have done and you made such good use of time with many good projects! Have a wonderful week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  8. Ohh how I love that curtain fabric ...Those florals are amazing.... Love your farm pictures too and that is the cutest lil baby chic....

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    1. Thanks Tammy! Have a lovely Sunday and new week! xxx

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  9. Hi Annabel!
    Your poultry breeders hall of fame comment made me laugh! Congrats on saving the chicken that you did. Your overnight stay with the girls sounds so lovely. I bet they enjoyed it as much as you did. Does Scarlett still say 'cake'when you arrive?!

    I've continued the painting this week, now into the lounge. It makes the most amazing difference. Looks very much like we will be selling this house soon as well, so I'm doing what I can to improve it.

    I'm feeling very well prepared for Christmas, there have been times this year where I've felt like the stash of presents I have been putting away was just an out of control mess. But getting it all out and deciding who gets what has made me realise that I now have very little left to do. So I'm pretty happy about it now!

    Have a lovely weekend
    Jen in NZ

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    1. Dear Jen, Scarlett is now a very big talker! She can say anything and great long sentences. But now they basically always ask me what did I make? Where is the cake? And now I ask them what shall I make next time and this week it will be peanut butter biscuits!
      I agree on painting. Partly it is also a clean, clear out, rearrange... plus fresh new colour. Exhausting but amazing. Oh my goodness are you moving!?
      I am so glad about your presents. My gift cupboard got the same way. I just kept putting things in there. But the time getting it all out, working out who gets what... all of that meant I had so many gifts done for Christmas and also quite a few birthdays. Really what a saving! We have to be happy with this!
      I hope you have a wonderful new week, with love Annabel.xxx

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  10. Such lovely roses and curtain fabric, Annabel. I imagine you'll sew that fabric into gorgeous things! I have two kitchen curtains, that I found at an op-shop and that are covered with Australian wildflowers, that I want to make into cushions as a gift for a friend. I started my Xmas sewing this past week and made three little drawstring bags with fabrics (leftover from past sewing projects) and some reclaimed ribbon. I am putting scented bath products in them and gifting them with organic cotton hand towels I purchased at Aldi earlier in the year for great price. It was decided this past week that family will come here for Xmas day this year so I will be working out a simple menu this weekend. Have a lovely week. Meg:)

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    1. Dear Meg, The curtains sound perfect for cushions! A lovely gift!
      I love the idea of your little bags full of scented bath products. Very nice! A am a big time bath lover and love all things to do with soaking and pampering. I often make bubble bath as gifts or luxury body power. These are all expensive to buy kind of things too!
      It sounds like your Christmas plans are well under way! With love Annabel.xxx

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  11. Yay a baby chicken how adorable Annabel as are the rainbow lorikeets and the corellas. You must be relieved to have gotten to the end of your wood clearing session which has been mammoth but really happy your firewood pile is well stocked too :).

    Our Vicky challenge added up to $87.04 in savings last week :).

    In the kitchen -
    - Cooked all meals and bread from scratch.

    In the gardens -
    - Picked 7 bunches of silverbeet and 1kg of green beans saving $29.50 over purchasing them in the shops. We blanched and froze most of them for advanced stocks for the freezer.

    Internet listings -
    - Listed 10 items on eBay a free listing promotion saving $16.50 on usual listing fees.

    Purchases -
    - On price reductions we purchased 6 pk grain jumbo bread rolls, 1 x 6pk jumbo wholemeal bread rolls, 3 x 6 pk wholemeal dinner bread rolls, a pepperoni pizza loaf and 12 pk of donuts saving $5.71 on usual prices.
    - Ordered a gift card from RACQ for groceries saving 5% or $7.63 on usual prices.
    - Did an online order for a fortnights worth of groceries and coupled a $15 off promotional code and weekly specials to save $23.70 on usual prices.
    - Purchased from IGA 2 x 200g of butter mushrooms on clearance for $2 total saving $4 on usual prices. They were fried with steak one night and used on a homemade pizza which will last us another 2 nights for dinner.

    Water preservation -
    - Did the usual and used grey water from our tanks to water fruit and berry trees, saved shower water to water potted plants, fill up drink bottles and clean the bathroom and toilets with and dish rinsing water to water potted and ornamental plants.

    Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead :).


    Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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    1. Dear Lorna, Thank you, yes the end of a big job is very nice! Next Friday the man is coming to cut the slabs he wants. This will leave scraps too which will become kindling and fire wood. Nothing is wasted! Also from this there will be saw dust. I am going to use that too!
      You do very well on listing things with Ebay with the free listings. Very smart to list so much this way! I really need to follow your example with the silver beat. A lot of mine is near the end having gone to seed and a bit of a mess. I am feeding a lot to chickens and have replanted two rows.
      You found good specials also! I am wondering if the Kangaroos are still coming for food and water? We had had wallabies coming i closer but I havent managed a photo. We are trying to install a water trough that would be good for our calf and lambs but also this would give the wallabies a watering hole as it is quite scrubby then comes on to a cleaning ... good position.
      I hope you have a lovely Sunday and a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. Hi Annabel,we are moving this week to our new home,in the hills, the views are lovely we discovered we have 2 lemmon trees one Loquat tree can i make jam with the Loquats? we are taking 2 of our chickens and giving other 3 to a friend i just love your baby chic.

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    1. Dear Melissa, Oh wow this sounds lovely! Lemon trees are wonderful to have. I will ask Dad about Loquats as he grew up on them but also google for ideas as this is how I discover a lot of things when I come across something to use. You will be extremely busy so I hope the move goes well! With love Annabel.xxx

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  13. Ah, such wonderful photos, thank you. Especially the amazing birds that land in your yard! Hilogene in Arizona

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    1. Thank you Hilogene, I do really adore all the birds. It varies year round too. It is quite amazing and the numbers are often massive. Spring is the busiest of all! xxx

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  14. I so enjoyed reading your post and all the commenters this evening. You are in lovely late Spring & warmth and the growing season, while we are in the midst of the bid winter storm that is going across the middle part of the US. It is our Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday and so many want/need to travel but it's not safe, at least not here. It's dark when I leave work at 5:30 and it makes the evening so long. In the summer, it stays light until 9-9:30 and I get so much done. Now I make supper and run the days laundry and then we just "cocoon." Not a bad thing I guess.

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    1. Dear Kay, I would not want to travel at all in those conditions. Your days do sound so long and you leave so very early! In summer it stays light to about the same hours as you have. I also love this as I will be out watering the garden etc of an evening in the cooler part of the day. But in winter I get a ton of crochet and sewing done and those kinds of things so I love that also. We have to use the time we are in... planting is my time now! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. I would love to see photos Lorna. I would love to be able to get friendly with some of ours here. xxx

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