Back to Basics Challenge

Belinda is celebrating over a year of Back to Basics!

Sowing seed or Planting

• I was tempted to buy one of those giant punnets of petunias, but didn't. Very tempting. We did put those lavenders we potted up into the ground. The digging was very hard. My husband hasn't finished the whole bed yet. He did bring the soaker hose so maybe this weekend he will dig some more. This will be the third attempt apart from spot places for plants he planted in the winter. It is nice to see the soils mixed, wish we had gypsum, but think it will be the perfect garden bed. The first bed that took two years to get to this stage makes a huge difference to the place which looked like it had a spare block that no one wanted and was just waiting to sell it off.
• The artichokes I mentioned in June here and here I forgot to mention, one day we decided to weed the bed we made for them. We had given up on them, thought we planted them too early and they rotted. Amongst the weeds there they were! There weeds were not too bad. One had been chewed, but it was salvagable as they were small and the heart was still there just the leaves chewed. I haven't had them since the 80s and 90s. We made soup and pickles with them, and I think possibly roasted them?

Planning for The Future

• Planning on using up the silverbeet we grew. I also did an involved menu (actually I got as far as doing 2 1/2 fortnightly menus) to use the Christmas hampers that are coming starting this week. We also brought the freezer back to this house after defrosting it another day, for this event!
• I have been looking at I think new recipes for sumac, since I like it so much. I have also read through the catalogues for next year's hampers and like the ones with brussels sprouts (Hamper King) but may not order much, I need to keep some money aside for uni for my son. We had to put a security deposit down this week even though he hasn't a place yet, but that is another story.

Working for the Future

• My daughter made a lychee and mango sorbet (Belinda's post made me think of mentioning it), a microwave Turkish delight (she left out the pistachios, I bought them but she wasn't game, I think they were stale anyway) and she cooked a chicken holkein noodle dish as well. It was for school homework, she found the recipes in food magazines. My husband loved the turkish delight and we both loved the sorbet, though I had trouble buying canned mango which is strange.
  
• My husband went to the tip and got a wheel from a lawn mower. It turned out the wheels were better than the original as they had old-fashioned metal bearings. It saved some money, it costs nothing to go there and look. He also got an urn that was very carefully placed so someone could take it home. He actually needed the wheel so saved himself some money, he went there especially to find one.
• The girls have gotten all interested in berries. My daughter potted up some raspberries and blackberries (wild ones) and brought them to this house. Not sure why yet. Their hanging strawberries are doing well, though we had a near miss with the watering lately.
• We have been mulching as we have been going along with our late weeding. We used up the last of the free straw and also use our grass clippings which we have a lot of at the newer house. It was a bit hard going mowing my husband said after the wheel went. It is fixed now.
• We have caught up on the washing of bedding from mould at the new house, and mice, and feel nearly ready to have another go at sleeping there after we finish painting the ceiling. I bought a painting for the main bedroom, either for me or to help sell it. Hope that turns out to be a good use of money. (You can see it here if you scroll down.)
• My Mum and I discussed my son's uni and what he needed and she organised some cutlery, something I had done but we are using it. Her solution was better than mine anyway. It was something that worked well for our first son when he was at uni. We also got a tray to put them in, as I don't think they actually have a drawer.
• We got some pond plants from a paddock pond (I hope it wasn't an escaped plant originally) it seemed to be one that you can buy, red that looks like ferns with the roots hanging down.
  

Building Community

• I dropped my daughter in another town, and went to the op-shop while I was there with my other two girls. We were delighted that the op-shop was still open as there were plans for the council to close it. I met my daughter's boyfriends' Mum and we had a good chat.

Learn a new Skill



This meme comes from Belinda's blog.