::: monday's summer pics :::

Week 11.
While still reeling from the fact we are in week 11...ELEVEN... of summer already...here is one from the archives (well this summers archives).
Appropriate because we are getting so much soaking stormy rain right now.
Beautiful after such a long drought...
and with the garden winding down and tired after our hot Australian summer it is giving it some greenness, saving it from looking too sad, summer bug munched and well...spent.
It's almost time for that overhaul.
The emptying of beds and enriching with compost.
The sowing of all my favourite nourishing leafy winter greens and beans.
Though with gratitude the *girls* are laying again...the worms are breeding and we've still been enjoying the last of the cucumbers plus cherry tomatoes (with beautiful swelling Roma's still to come), finger eggplants, sunflowers, mint, rocket, basil, strawberries and amaranth.
We are also looking forward to more papaya's, lemons, capsicum, chilli and probably an extra excess of banana's to come again now in Autumn.

And with each downpour and midnight storm we gently seem to be waking to subtly cooler mornings and shadows that lay just a little longer across the ground.
It's not just the garden that is winding down.

chambakka jelly

With thanks to an Indian door to door salesman munching on a pretty little pink fruit we now have jars of sweet jelly in our kitchen.
Known as Chambakkas in his native language... or here (after a little investigation) known commonly as Wax Jambus or Water Roseapples.
They grow on the nature strip across the street!
A large tree I hadn't paid heed to before and neither it seems had many others in the neighbourhood because the fruit, abundant and pink lay fallen and uneaten across the grass, as well as squished so sadly in a mass of waste on the road.
A quick courteous visit to these neighbours was in order before Mia and I promptly filled our basket with fruit and made our way to the kitchen to get boiling, squishing and jelly making.
How could such a source of unusual crunchy deliciousness have been so unknown to us for so long?

It was with big smiles that that salesman left our door that day.
Him without a sale but having had a most friendly chat in a new *world* he admitted he had few friends in, plus crisp fruit reminding him of home... and me with an amusing lesson in his native tongue (it feels good to know my clumsy accent gave him a giggle that day) and the knowledge of another new tree full of exotic goodness right outside home here.
Did you know in India *akka* means fruit and *chamb* is this type of fruit?
I do....now.

::: monday's summer pics :::

Week 10.
Swept back with pretty ribbons.

handmades and hankies

The January birthdays are all over now.
The handmades are finally finished and the time is right to safely show one off.
An apron with a vintage family doily, my Grandmothers lace and a handkerchief for embellishment.
Actually the handkerchief was mine. A gift...one of three given to me on my holy communion day...some thirty plus years ago.
I thought the lemon rosettes went beautifully with the vintage sheet....another family goodie.
I simply copied this pattern from another apron here at home and made the rest up as I went.
I wonder if you remember the original pillow case?
The matching sheet was found recently which I claimed just for this project...the remainder of which is still sitting in my stash ready for some autumn lounge pants for the girl and I perhaps?
And with the serious doily love that is going on in this house of late maybe they will be embellished with the same somehow...
Oh yes...there is a stack of recently claimed doilies and embroidery here ( making me smile and flip through it every time I walk passed....a serious time stealer) destined for some big and delicious crafting...after the mothering and study is done of course.

In the meantime there are some gorgeous examples of doily love here from a book I am ever so desperate to get my hands on.....and seeing as there is a satiated supply of crochet goodies here for now maybe a book is on the cards for an April birthday? *wink*

::: monday's summer pics :::

Week 9.

This was us today...just hours ago.

Enveloped and basking in Mooball Creek.

We took one last end of Summer holiday escape to the serenity of *the farm* and all the soul satisfying goodness it has to offer....

and to spend some time wrapped up in the company of my Mum and Dad.

We will sleep soundly tonight to the sound of aqua water lapping in our dreams.

excess and deficit

We're still in the thick of cucumbers here. Giant Russian cucumbers.

Our little lemon cucumber vine has succumbed to mildew (unlike our, true to description, giant Russian vine) but not after giving us basket after basket full of crispy apple like fruit to munch freshly plucked in the garden or to fill our daily salads. It's space in the garden has now been quickly occupied by some rather pretty looking red Mekong amaranth. Mmm.

The giant vine powers on carrying close to half a dozen fast maturing gold beauties at a time. All carefully bagged of course to foil that pesky Queensland fruit fly. He is not a welcome visitor at our place that's for sure...but perhaps more on that later.
And so everyday I've popped out to cradle each hard fat small football fruit in my hands and wonder, as I smile broadly with a bit of pride at my successes in the cucurbit world, just what I am really going to do with them all.
And while attending to my garden meandering yesterday and plucking said giant golden cucumbers in preparation for my solution to our small glut...our excess....I spied the other protection bag I like to cradle often in anticipation.... it held the single apple on our little apple tree. And it was glowing slightly pink through the white bag and feeling rather excitedly round and plump until alas I felt that dreaded squishy feeling on it's base. Could it be blossom end rot from all the crazy rain lately....I couldn't be sure.

But what I was sure of however was that we were going to all eat that apple nevertheless (minus the squishiness of course), and with giant bites and squeals of pleasure at our small homegrown victory and the novelty of it, we passed it from hands to hands as we did exactly that. And it was the best tasting apple containing more of our garden's excess and deficit in that one swollen fruit!

And then, with my mouth still tingly with tasty satisfaction, it was back to the kitchen and the solution to our other excess which I found here. (scroll down just a little from her Mum's first reply)

And my oh my what a solution!

With memories of being teenage and *borrowing* jars of gherkins at lunchtime from the Home Economics rooms at high school (really what was I thinking...they are barely even recognisable as cucumbers.... and that acrid vinegar...well) I made this up last night.

And this morning we played here at home in the garden with our own homemade jar of fresh pickles and sunshine accompanying us... just for snacking of course... in excess

I highly recommend this super easy recipe. And I recommend you add the sesame oil.
I used just one giant cucumber and added a bit more pickling and I used white wine vinegar.

The chilli, well, I don't have any fresh fruiting in the garden yet so I added flakes from the pantry and my little one's don't mind a bit of zing...let me tell you they have inherited their Mama's love of pickley things...but I'll leave that up to you if you try it.

Happy pickles.

I'm off to pluck out another one...or two.

::: monday's summer pics :::

Week 8.

Salads with homegrown sprouts, cucumbers, papaya, lettuce and chard.

Sharing fresh spoils and maybe an icy beer in the balmy fading light of afternoon.

Listening to the laughter of friends and the squeals of barefoot children as they delight in the wildness of the garden at the end of a hot day...

but not to drown out the sweet sweet sounds of beautiful Australian musical artists....

month of days

January seems to be our family's month.
The birthday cluster month.
Do you have one of those?
We have six...yup SIX...close family birthdays within this luna cycle every year.

So we've been merry making, gift making (but Mama is still a little behind on some of that makin' and there is family still awaiting some special gifts from her hands...sorry!) and devilishly baking.

The birthday tablecloth has been pulled out and the bunting hung. The completed gifts have been lovingly wrapped and the homemade cards joyfully coloured and written in readiness for the post.

Phew. That's some celebrating.

Throw in some spotty/measly virus and teeth problems and our feet are truly off the ground and we are being swept along by our party wings alone.....
Maybe February, after this months blue moon, will see this Mama caught up and ready to sink herself (and her feet) into some homely steady comforting rhythm of the new months ahead....

::: monday's summer pics :::

Week 7.

"Mama, wanna haf wing?"
"Sure Baby sure."