Summer Garden

I have been giving the garden a bit of loving lately and it has been giving me back lots of veges and fruit.
I think we are the only place in Australia that hasn't been having rain - just want enough to fill up the tanks and water the garden thanks. It has rained all down the coast, skips us and goes out to sea and then rains all down south! So a lot of my summer gardening involves watering.

I have been picking lots of basil, parsley, chillis and other lovely herbs. The chillis are fantastic this year and I have been using them in cooking, dried lots and yesterday I made a very hot chilli paste.


Most of the fruit trees are still young and not fruiting just yet. I live in suburbia on an average sized block and I have over 15 different sorts of fruit trees. Some are in pots and some in the garden. Some are dwarf varieties because of size issues - like the banana, one of the lemon trees and avocado.
I have loads of lemons and cherry guavas. The tree below fruited fantastically this year. It is a peacharine tree. Unfortunately fruit fly has got to all the fruit that wasn't in exclusion netting. The tree has at least 50 fruit on it still and they are very close to being ripe. All the branches were full of fruit until those horrible pests got to them. Next year I will use exclusion netting on the whole tree.

Veges are also going well. I have tomatoes, carrots green beans, eggplants and artichokes. This is my first year growing artichokes and it wont be my last. They are so pretty when allowed to flower.

Really nothing tastes better than the yumminess of freshly picked and eaten produce.

Licorice All sorts

I love licorice allsorts! They are one of my favourite lollies. We recieved a big tin full of them for Christmas this year and boy, were they delicious.

At the moment I am making lots of different felt foods and the empty tin has inspired me to make some licorice allsorts from felt. Quick and fun to make and the little munchkin is enjoying playing with them too. They really look so life like that I swear I can smell the licorice!

Felt food lollies are great for me at the moment too - guilt free and calorie free.

One of my goals this year to to improve my health and part of that is to reduce my weight. So as of last Friday I have began a healthy weight for life program. Sounds better than saying a diet doesn't it! I like to make goals for the year rather than resolutions.

I also like to review the last years goals and look back on all I have done and accomplished.

This years goals includes things such as paint lounge room, renovate main bathroom, improve health by loosing weight and becoming fitter, gym regularly and increased community activities.

Cards

I have been making cards and thought I would share a few of them.

These are all for sale at Ciao Meow.

Ciao Meow is a lovely shop in Newcastle. It sells lots of handmade goodies, from jewellery to clothes, to artwork and of course cards. It is at 169 King Street Newcastle so if you are in the area do pop in and have a look at all the lovelies in there.

Relaxing

Wishing all my wonderful readers out there in blog land a wonderfully relaxing summer time.

My family and I are thoroughly enjoying summer holidays. There have been lots of days spent on the water - fishing (no catches to brag about), paddling, kyaking, swimming. I am enjoying having my munchkins on holidays and loving their company.

Any creating at the moment is kiddy craft - you know the stuff colouring in, making stuff out of cardboard boxes etc.

Although, I have a few new goodies planned for my Made It shop after the holidays are over.