Painting update 2

One of the nicest features of our little old house is the lilac windows in the bedrooms and bathroom. They're jolly fiddly to sand around though, you'd think I'd have quite good fine motor skills but they don't seem to work on this sort of thing. I admire people who renovate their houses especially scraping off years of paint to reveal real wood. It takes alot of energy and elbow grease, I think I may have lost weight or toned up some muscles I didn't know I had at least. Thank goodness I'm onto painting now.

The red head has been surprisingly good, the teen is babysitting with alot of complaining, even though all he's done is put DVDs on for Red to watch while Teen plays games, I think they've eaten cheese on toast every day which is all the teen is interested in making. (Note to self, more cooking lessons) Never mind the paintings gotta be easier right? Have to admit it's not my thing at all!

Am so GRATEFUL to at least have my own home though and want to put some effort into maintaining it. Mum reckons it's going to look like a hospital room all white, but I got a cheap deal on paint so white it will be.

Am missing being in my garden.

Bags and skirts

I had to have a break from the bathroom today. L worked hard before he went on holiday to replace the rotten wood and I feel like I've been working hard but not getting far. I don't enjoy sanding but quite like scraping big flakes of paint off. I was one of those irritating children who couldn't resist picking at a bit of peeling paint. Anyway, day off. The red head (3 and a half now) just wouldn't stay out of mischief all day. He did quite alot of pruning to my tomato plants while I was loading some new items in my shop . They are some of my absolute favorites which I've made over the last few months.

How to plait garlic

As promised this is how I plait my garlic. I have photographed the technique without flowers because it's easier to see but if you want flowers just plait them in with the bulbs, or substitute a bulb for a bunch of flowers.
It's like doing hair in a french plait.
Tie three large bulbs together and lay them in front of you as pictured. I find it easier when the stalks are still green but they must have been dried in the sun for at least 3 or 4 days so the plait doesn't rot.Next find a bulb which sort of snugly fits in the middle, lay it's stalk on the middle stalk.Snuggle the next bulb in on the left, you will plait it's stalk and the left stalk over the middle ones. They then become the left stalks and the previous left ones are now in the middle.Snuggle one in on the right and cross the two right stalks over the middle ones as before.Find another one to snuggle in the middle and repeat the process to make the plait as long as you like. I use smaller and smaller bulbs as I move up.
When you have added as many garlic as you want plait the stalks and tie the top. It is now ready to hang and use. Many people plait their garlic, feel free to link to this post. I would hope that any learning or perfecting their technique from me would respect that I sell my original garlic plaits locally (motueka and surrounds) to help provide for my family.

Painting update

Found rotten wood, quite alot.
Sulking, need a handyman.
Off swimming.

Janurary slipping away

I have taken the photos for my garlic plait tutorial, problem is the teenager has gone and decided to get a social life and the technology has gone and done something unexpected so I can't upload my photos. What were we thinking when we bought him a scooter?
It's alright really, he's with his cousins and one of my" fabulous Aunts". She has her granddaughter staying and her own later in life baby is around the (terrible/fabulous) teens age. They play tennis and go off to the beach all day while eating copious amounts of corn chips and junk. Extended families are so awesome, make sure you utilise them if you have them. We've also done our fair share of overnight stays during the holidays, not much family but friends bringing the total of kids on some nights up to 7. Dinner is made in a soup pot or roasting pan on those occasions and I'm getting quite good at massive bacon and egg pies with herbs and zucchini. L is home on annual leave for a month, so at least I'm getting some reprieve.
I'm celebrating a whole year as a part time solo Mum of four and am doing a wicked job if I do say so myself. Goodness knows how four kids survived infancy actually as last year I killed two Kefir bugs, a passion fruit vine, a tree tomato and two old rabbits. Thankfully for me the wonderful wet coast Sandra has sent me some more Kefir which is thriving and I am on the "Gillybean lazy diet" consisting of Kefir/blueberry/raspberry/banana smoothies,no coffee, less red meat and cheese, more sushi and no exercise (yet), diet.

The Pokororo fair was great! A chance to catch up on many of my old valley friends while selling a bit of garlic and sewing, I also came home with some lovely culinary lavender, 6lb of blueberries and some award winning essential oil. The cover has been on my sewing machine since then while I do my annual school holiday declutter and painting which I LOATHE! This year it's the bathroom and it's just going to be WHITE. As long as it gets rid of the peeling paint and mould I'll be happy.
L is off on holiday to his family next week with two of the kids so I hope I can get it finished, a bit of a summer social life in the evenings to top off the painting would be nice too.

I've updated my "Self sufficiency project" list and would like to introduce my good friend Melissa who is joining the awesome list of Kiwi bloggers.

Teen will be home soon to help with computer and babysitting.

Scraping horrible paint tomorrow!!

Come visiting and give me an excuse to stop work and make coffee!!!

garden notes Jan

Quick word before the fair. This week has been all about garlic!! I'm sick of it. Yesterday my attention span was about 20 minutes before I had to get up and do something else. The big plait is seed for planting in winter it's very heavy but I probably haven't saved quite enough yet.All going well this week I will show how I plait garlic. Here they are waiting for me to put tags on. The Pokororo Fair is on tomorrow I'm cringing at the thought of windy weather as there is nothing worse at the fairs than holding onto a gazebo all day. Hopefully the fore casted rain will hold off even though I want it for my garden. As you can imagine there are big gaps in the garden that need to be filled now the garlic is out. Better get the winter brassicas, beans and lettuces in quick!

Apparently I'm Weird

According to teenage son I'm weird. He bought some friends home after a party. They feasted in the garden but didn't come inside. I peeked out the window to see them eating all my heirloom "Alderman tall climbing" peas which I was saving for seed. (never mind) So later I asked him why he didn't bring them in to say hi and got told I am weird, for the following reasons:

I was cooking a ham bone for soup, no one not weird eats soup ya know.

I was wearing a purple apron with black and white flowers on it, aprons just aren't cool they're weird.

I have a sewing machine in my lounge room, duuhhhh.

There is garlic everywhere.

I ask kids questions!

The best one though is because I'm skinny! no one else's Mum is. That totally cracked me up because I'm not!

It's kinda cool to be weird. I was much more weird when he was little cos no one else I knew made clothes or knitted for their kids, so with him at least I get to be the young, weird (I think I'm cool) Mum.

With the red head I'm a bit of a Nana, cos everyone else with a three year old is sewing, knitting, growing and downshifting.

Weird stuff I've done today: Just flipped when I found these tiny bits of fabric, perfect for bags.

( Excuse photo, still having trouble)

Midsummer Holidays

When we were little it was haymaking and shearing the sheep that kept us at home during the Christmas holidays, now it's the garlic and fruit. I don't mind really, our holiday town is full to the brim so I haven't been anywhere near town or to the beach for at least a week. Another reason I don't have to go far is that much of our extended family head back here for Christmas and New Year so I don't need to go far to catch up with my cousins and their growing broods. My kids are loving the time with family, they went water skiing at Kina beach the other day and have played paintball today. The red head is at a bit of a loss though when the big kids head off he's usually left at home and I'm pretty boring to spend time with. See what I mean below:

All that garlic needs cleaning and plaiting, while the fruit is being chucked in the freezer so I can get myself sorted for the markets. Say Hi if you are out at the Pokororo Fair next weekend. Hopefully I'll be the one smiling behind loads of garlic plaits and beautiful bags. (Faking that I'm not about to topple over in the heat or from sleep deprivation) :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy holidays

At gillybean's garden the lead up to Christmas has been alternating between quite manic and then subdued. Today I spent half the day tidying my room and the rest of the day lying in it. I tried to upload more photos but haven't had any success today. So you will have to imagine the little pot pourri (from my garden) pillows inside these packets for the "fabulous Aunts" My Dad's older sisters; op shoppers and thriftier extraordinaries, creative cooks, inspiring crafters, self esteem builders and generally good examples of givers. The afore mentioned red Christmas stockings weren't up to scratch so were unraveled. I 'm pleased with these though, the wrapping is from old patterns from a German sewing magazine.


On the manic front the garlic is getting to that stage where it needs to be dug, I did some on the solstice and deduced it wasn't quite ready but must keep an eye on it now so it doesn't get mildew. The ones I dug need peeling, drying and plaiting. The red currants have been picked and stored in the freezer, but I noticed the blackbirds are feasting on the black ones. Poppy seeds are being collected in paper bags and plums picked to either be made into sauce or fruit leather. We're still harvesting heaps of cucumbers but only one tomato a day yet. Basil is rampant! Have fingers crossed for melons, can't believe we've had the longest day already. Weather's been HOT so the kids are swimming at the school pool heaps, the 6 week summer school holiday bliss has already worn off and I havn't even had a decent sleep in yet.


Quiet moments are being spent knitting and checking to see if the chickens have hatched. Also I'm desperately trying to figure out if I am meant to give up crafting and mothering full time and get a real job or WHAT!! Does Christmas and New Year do that to anyone else?


Our kids have had an early Christmas because their Dad has to work tomorrow. Santa will visit them tonight though. We will all go to Church tomorrow and then spend the rest of the day with family. I hope everyone who reads here has a lovely day whatever they are doing. Thanks so much for all the connection you've provided this past year while I've parented on my own, it's almost like having someone to talk to in the evenings.Thanks Christy for the Christmas card it made my day and if that picture is of one of your quilts I am in awe! Happy New Year to you all if I don't find the time to post before then.

Aphids

In reply to Bonnie.
I find aphids often attack young or stressed plants. My tomatoes were a bit stressed for water in my glasshouse recently and were getting attacked. My first line of defence is to support the leaves with my hand and squirt the aphids off with a hose. Then I give the plant a good feed of worm wee or comfrey tea and a good soak with water and that often sorts them out. Squashing aphids is also quite satisfying. If that isn't doing the trick you can brew up a soapy water, garlic or rhubarb leaf spray for them. Exact recipes could be found in any good organic book, I'd just chuck half a dozen garlic cloves in boiling water, chop up a rhubarb leaf, cool and then add a dash of soap, sieve, dilute and spray. Probably diluting by 1:10 but to be honest I usually trust my sense of smell and stop adding water when it doesn't smell too toxic. Or use natural pyrethrum spray which you can make or buy, beware though it can kill the good bugs too. I have to confess I haven't bothered with these methods for a couple of years as the water and feed method usually works for me. Also establishing a good balance of other insects in the garden will help keep aphids in balance. Lady bugs and praying mantis LOVE aphids to eat. I catch them off my poor neglected roses and place them on the precious vege plants. I grow cleome, mustard and flowering herbs to attract the good guys into the garden. Also they love things like parsley, rocket, carrot and parsnip left to go to seed. Good luck hope you can find something here that works, perhaps others can add comments if they have any other suggestions.