It was the most amazing day, blue skies that went forever, not a puff of wind and was even a little warm when you weren’t in the shade. But I had to do my inside book keeping thingy. The kids were making a good job of being free range and feral and making a bit of a mess and so the morning passed quickly.
Come lunch time I realised that all this gardening had caused a terrible situation in the kitchen. We were running out of things. We’d been nipping into town for things we needed, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done a big shop. The up side of this is we saved loads of money by not going shopping and making do with what we had. But the amount of things we had was dwindling down to the point where shopping was necessary.
The down side of this was I had to take the kids with me to the supermarket. This is never a good idea. I shop better alone! Things found their way into the trolley that would never have been there if it was just me. But the items did go a long way to assist with contented free range and feral kids.
Finally I was liberated from the mundane and able to get to my gardening. I wanted a chore that didn’t use muscles, so I chose to mow the orchard. The problem was, someone had used all the fuel and not refilled the can and Hubby the Un-Gardener had to take the car for a meeting in the city. Luckily he insisted there was enough time to refill the can, if I left immediately. So a quick dash into town and I was soon mowing up and down between the trees.
I had to use the lawn mower and not the ride on as the grass was too long, which was just as well as Hubby the Un-Gardener told me later that the ride on had a flat tire. For the record, mowing does use muscles – just not the same ones used in weeding. I ache in different places.
The sun began to set over the hill and I was forced to come back inside with the task only two thirds done. I thought I’d take a photo the next day to show you my progress, as with a day so gorgeous it is hard to imagine that the following day could be so very different. So you will have to take my word for how lovely it was.
I did bring back some old apples I found and will go on a mammoth juicing session and will freeze it all for a hot summer’s day.
Come again soon – I’m really making progress.
Sarah the Gardener : o )
I love to hear that others have feral kids too – it makes me feel better. I prefer to call them “free range” though. 🙂 Trade you some weather.. its been 30C for days and so humid that it feels like walking into sweat when you step outside.
Hi Heidi. I’d love some of your hot weather. Maybe if I gave you half my cold and you gave me half your hot we could both end up warm!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Love the grass. That’s a big area to mow! It looks great! Nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass.
HI There. The orchard ended up having a really sweet grass smell. It was so lovely to do the mowing and it always ends up looking so good.
Cheers Sarah : o )
A sterling effort Sarah, now if I can use your wonderful lead to get me up out of this computer chair and into the frigid Northern Tassie air out there “I” might be able to get something accomplished this winter! ;). Have you tried juicing your apples and then reducing the juice down to a concentrate? It would last a whole lot longer and would be a thick healthy syrup that would go amazingly well on pancakes, sort of apple molasses? I have a bag of apples that I am just about to attempt to do this with. Isn’t it always the way that it will rain all week when you want to get out in the garden and when you absolutely positively CAN’T get out there it’s gorgeous and sunny…”Murphy…you are a bollocks!” 😉
Hi Fran. I never thought to reduce the apple juice. I got 2.5L of juice and froze 500ml into ziplock sandwich bags, Ready for a hot summers day. The kids said it was the nicest apple juice they had ever had. I also froze my lemon juice in my muffin tin and will pull them out and put them in ziplock bags for when I only need a little bit in my cooking.
The gorgeous non gardening days are the most frustrating.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Almost as bad as the days where you HAVE to get outside and it is pouring down and blowing a gale 😉
For me mowing is right there up with weeding! Are your kids old enough to mow yet?
Hi There. Sadly the kids a still a little bit young to mow, however when it comes to mowing around my veggie garden I prefer to do it myself as other people seem to have no respect for trailing cucumber vines and other escapees. It is just better for everyone if I do my own mowing.
Cheers Sarah : o )
I hear ya! 🙂
Lovely straight lines Sarah, you do have a lot of land. It must be lovely for the children, especially during the holidays.
I am enjoying reading your blog, you work so hard on your land – it’s looking good.
Hi Jean. I’m so glad you are enjoying my blog. I’m really enjoying creating it and it is really motivating me to get stuff done in the garden. Spring will be here before we know it.
Cheers Sarah : o )