Friday morning craft

When we moved here, I felt it important to get involved in things so as to meet local people. I stumbled on a Friday morning card making group run by the lovely Bev Boyle. There are usually around half a dozen women that come along, mostly from surrounding farms, but some from neighboring towns. That's one thing in the country, people don't mind driving an hour or so to do things. Bev always puts on a delicious morning tea with home made scones and her famous home made Mulberry Jam. I love how welcome I've been made and its great going home with my little stash of beautifully created cards.

Rhubarb

We have 5 different types of Rhubarb. Huge red stems with massive leaves. We brought the crowns from the Diggers Club and this is their first year of fruiting. Its amazing how you can eat the stalks but that the leaves are poisonous. I wonder whoever worked that out first.! I stewed some up, made a crumble, a syrup and am trying for the first time Rhubarb Champagne. The recipe is from a new Permaculture magazine called Pip Australian Permaculture.

https://www.pipmagazine.com.au/mmmm-pink-fizzy-rhubarb-champagne-recipe/

Somewhere over the rainbow......

At last, rain. I never, ever thought I would get excited about rain. We have had such an intense Summer. I think had we known how extreme the temperatures could be here we may have reconsidered. Our maximum this Summer was 47.5c. So this morning,  to look at our beautiful view and see this gorgeous rainbow makes me glad we're here.  The garden is smiling too.

Croquet

Embracing the country lifestyle we played a short summer season of Croquet. The Croquet ground is on the banks of the river.  I have always fancied playing Croquet, from scenes in movies of women in long gowns with stunning hats. It evokes a sense of a gentle, elegant sport. The reality is quite different, how they managed to play in all those layers in the intense Australian heat is incredible. We played in the early evening and it was still so hot. 

A red on the terrace

Recently my husband went over to our friends farm, Alby Downs to help with some construction work. After they had finished we relaxed with a red wine on their gorgeous verandah. Recently some one turned up on their door step telling them that in the late 1800's their relatives had built the house. They gave our friends an incredible photograph of their relatives standing on the verandah with their two young children. Such a treasure of a photograph to have.  On the old photograph the floor was originally boards and the verandah roof was bullnosed. They hope to restore the verandah back to original.

Grapes

In just over two weeks the grape vines have gone from being dormant, to being awash with masses of green leaves and bursting with the most minute bunches of baby grapes.

Growing your own gives you such a sense of satisfaction.

Last year we had just two tiny bunches. This year there's hope. Perhaps we should get ready to squish and stomp and make our own wine.

The photo is not the best, but you get the idea. 

Jaundiced Citrus

We have had the wettest September in over 40 years. Our citrus are planted along the fence line. The soil here is rich and loamy, but with the rain it has become a swamp. We have removed all of the pea straw mulch from around them, hoping the soil will dry up. I'm assuming it is because of this water logging that the leaves have started to turn yellow. The trees look very sad.  I have treated them all with Iron Chelate which hopefully should remedy their iron levels. Time will tell......