We've had a killer frost this morning. Not the first but definitely the stonkiest. You can't help but get sucked into watching the glorious rising of mist when the sun gets warm enough. It doesn't happen until at least mid-morning, so unfortunately not a sight for sore eyes on a work day. Luckily then there are eye-feasting compensations of either the waning moon or the morning sun hitting the horizon.
The big vege garden tidy up is well underway. Hedges are trimmed and weeds are cleared. Peastraw is lined up ready to add to the beds that will be fallowed next year. I'll wait to add this top blanket until the horse arena beds are also cleared of weeds so these can be composted in the vege garden beds too. Though it's huge, the compost bed itself can't take any more volume. It's chocka and I'm trying to avoid the collapse of its back wall. The beds that will be planted next year are happily composting their own weeds. They look untidy but eventually that should all break down. The bulky path weeds were removed, and the rest got sprayed (never a pleasant task).
The currant bed next to the beehives is now vacant. Thank you Peter, that was quite a task! The plants were all quite old and only produced a minimal crop this season. The cuttings I took are coming away nicely, and if I'd labelled them properly, they could go in now. I plan to have separate beds for black, red and white currants so will just have to leave them in their pots until the colour of their fruit is revealed. Karyn - stop smirking. Labelling isn't everything you know. I'll compost the beds and cover them with some of our old living room carpet.
The buckwheat has been magically transformed - milled into flour and hulls by Billy. The amaranth has also been harvested. That's it there in that old jam jar, the total crop. A pocket-sized volume but least the crop also served the purpose of being very graceful plants. The stalks were cut off and laid on an old sheet to dry further. Then it was all beaten to release more of the seeds and sieved to get rid of the chaff. An interesting kind of process which I'm sure could use some refinement.
The ginger and turmeric were also harvested, and the total sum of the crop was marginally more than was planted. Hmmm, maybe the Onamalutu climate can't really be manipulated to suit these tropical plants after all, even with Madame Cholet's tender care. Anyway, there was enough to make a 5L batch of Ginger Wine and another of Ginger and Turmeric. One of the methods involved boiling and the other steeping. I opted for boiling this time, as it's quicker, but would be keen to try the steeping sometime. I couldn't find a recipe for Turmeric Wine and did have a moment when I wondered if that was a message from the universe - if no-one else has ever made it then probably there's a good reason. But then again, maybe there isn't. And on that note I went for the compromise of Ginger and Turmeric.
Some of the olive trees have actually produced a crop this year, that might have been worth harvesting. They have produced olives before, but very sporadically. I'd kind of given up on them really. The trees have been providing wind protection and decorative height, but if they may actually crop properly, then I'd better work out what the heck to do with them. There is a community press in town, but they require a minimum volume and unless you have a massive amount, there's no guarantee that the oil you get comes from your own olives.
The calves continue to be delightful and have been behaving themselves lately. We've been feeding out hay on frosty mornings. They're finally getting more interested in eating the hay, rather than lying down on it, and still like to come over for a head-stroke. Poseidon, Billy's steer, will meet his maker next week. Then we'll start keeping Noddy, Attis and Apollo separate from the girls, Athena, Nike and Pandora, as we don't want any teenage pregnancies.
I finally got round to dipping pine cones in wax to use as fire-starters. The first batch got melted soy wax from the remains of a big candle that was past lighting, and the next batch got dipped in precious beeswax. They make very effective fire-starters, ideal for getting the fire going quickly.
The fabulous autumn colour is hanging in there, but undoubtedly on its way out. I'll go into the beehives on the next warm day to take out the miticide strips and do the final wintering down. I'm optimistic that the remaining outdoor tasks will be completed before spring, though once the hives are sorted, that's the priorities dealt with.
The new window which can be opened (unlike the old one) in the garage sleepout has been fitted, so we'll finally be able to convert that little room into a proper bedroom. The sleepout itself can then be used as more of a living area, and in time can accommodate Airbnb families, rather than just couples. I'll also be able to run my birth classes in there. The electrics, carpet and painting will need to be done first, so we won't be short of a winter project or two.
We're really excited that Lucas and Laura now have plans to come back to New Zealand to live, rather than Australia. The sleepout might well have them as occupants until they decide where they'd like to settle. Molly is still in the process of getting her NZ Residency - already a long process with no obvious end in sight yet. Billy is temporarily living with her and Sam, in the hope that this will increase his chances of an earlier Covid vaccine, so we're home alone (yippee....) for now. As a health worker, I've already had my Covid vaccines. I'm now good-to-go as a Covid and flu vaccinator and have got some work doing flu vaccs in early June. Once the next batch of Covid vaccines arrives in the country and Group 3s become eligible, those clinics will be run off their feet. The Trans-Tasman bubble has burst a few times since being created, and Melbourne is back in lockdown - world normality still seems a long way off. Aside from the news, including the heart-breaking scenes from India, things all feel pretty normal around here. Definitely time for us to smell the roses and count every one of our blessings.
“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”
— Yoko Ono
