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