February Garden. A Brief Update On The Pantry War

February is the time of year my poor old Farmhouse garden suffers.  It is hot and dry and often quite windy.  Flowers quickly turn brown and without attention there is always a few casualties.  It is a tough gig out there.

This year (so far) nothing has died.  Everything has remained kind of green but the flower situation is dire.  I have given up expecting much in the shape of non-scorched roses until March...

A few plants are still doing well though.

Petunias, Valiantly Fighting On

These guys seem to love summer.

Pretty Frilly Nanna Succulent

Cool, Sculptural Nanna Succulent

When I first moved to The Farm I turned my nose up at succulents...  I don't anymore.  They have a funky Nanna style that I adore.  And they are survivors.  Got to love a garden survivor by mid February.

Anyway - soon it will cool down a bit and my garden will be able to do more than just survive.  I can't wait.

In other Farm news - I have caught 8 mice so far in my War on Rodents.  I am hoping that the rest will wave the white flag and make a strategic retreat back to the great outdoors, but I have left the traps set. I have seen enough war movies to know there is always a few foolhardy rebels who remain after a defeat.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday.  My aim is to get through the day without any conversations with Telstra.  Some of my experiences on the phone yesterday could have doubled for Monty Python sketches....

Country Style For February

I have always loved houses with verandahs.  Something about them looks particularly gracious and welcoming.  So I was impressed when I picked up this month's Country Style. It comes complete with a stylish verandah on the cover.  This appeals to me particularly, as on the stylish veranda there is a gorgeous cane armchair with Nanna flowers and Nanna cushions.

A Very Lovely Place To Sit

Unfortunately sitting on such a chair on the The Farmhouse verandah in February would not be a stylish option. There would be so many flies they may well carry away the flowers and the cushion.  It would also be super hot, even under a shady verandah.  Oh well, I will keep dreaming.  As always my authentic Australian Country Style lifestyle does not live up to magazine standard....

With the mid week public holiday, things have been pretty busy at the beach.  All the houses in our little street have been full.   On Tuesday night the house next door was full of young guys in their late teens.  As you would expect they got quite rowdy.  I did get the giggles at one point when we overheard a word by word argument between one guy and his (potentially ex) girlfriend about whether he had or hadn't "hooked up" with someone else on New Year's Eve. (Surely it is not eavesdropping when people are shouting about 10 metres away from your bedroom window?!?).  Just when things were getting interesting she stormed off.  I keep wanting to wander next door and ask how the fight ended.  Neighbours take some getting used to when you usually live in the middle of a paddock...

I have been mulling over topics for potential blog posts.  I always have lots of ideas, but was thinking I may ask all of you out there if there is anything in particular about being on a farm you would like to know. Let me know any ideas you have...  And once again, thank you for reading.  I am still continually amazed by the amount of support my blog gets!

Soap From SSG, Some Blog Recognition, Introducing The Hunter Gatherers

We have had a great few days. On Tuesday The Farmer picked up the mail whilst he was back at The Farm for some meetings (we are still doing lots of admin, even on holiday).  He came back with a parcel. For me.  Yay!  I love a good parcel (particularly one I didn't purchase for myself on the internet...)  The lovely Sydney Shop Girl had sent me a special prize I won in her giveaway.

The most exciting thing about this parcel was its smell. It  smelt gorgeous and Nanna-like before I even opened it.  Regular readers of this blog will know about my strong inner-Nanna.  Hence a parcel that smelt of scented soap was always going to be a hit.  Even The Farmer liked it, his ute now smells lovely after driving with the parcel in the cab, just like a Nanna's bathroom only without the crocheted loo roll covers...

When I opened the parcel it was even more exciting.  SSG had also sent me some extra gifts for The Farmchildren.  Thanks SSG, they were super excited.  Keep an eye on your mail box, something from The Farm will come through post holiday, I promise.

Gorgeous Special Nanna Soap, Perfect For Knicker Drawers

In other happy news I was quickly checking my blog comments on Tuesday night when I saw that the lovely Allison at Life In A Pink Fibro had mentioned me in her Australia Day Honours Blog list.  I was completely thrilled by this, as I have loads of respect for Allison.  Her blog is fantastic and she writes beautifully.  It made my day, Allison, thank you.

We also had some really good friends arrive on Tuesday evening to spend Australia Day with us.  They have given me permission to include them in my blog and we spent some interesting time coming up with suitable identities...  He is an excellent SCUBA diver and catches lots of crayfish and stuff, so I have decided on Hunter Gatherer, Mrs Hunter Gatherer and HG Boy.

Anyway Hunter Gatherer, HG Boy and The Farmer went diving on Australia Day morning and came back with some of these.

Fresh Crayfish

Hunter Gatherer and Mrs Hunter Gatherer used them to make the best seafood pizza ever.  I should have taken a photo but forgot (I was celebrating Australia Day with a couple of glasses of Tasmanian bubbly and this always plays havoc with my photo taking).  The Hunter Gatherers are brilliant cooks and are responsible for my best seafood recipes.  Hunter Gatherer was the one who put me onto the cray marinade in my last crustacean related blog post...

All in all we have had a fantastic few days.  Our holiday is drawing to its end but I am feeling ready to get back to The Farm and get stuck into what is going to be a huge year.

A New Look Blog

I have channelled my Inner Nanna and have a gorgeous new look for my blog.  I did have some help with this one.  Aqua Poppy designs came up with this pretty design for me.

I hope you all like it....

Jurassic Park Goes Coastal

We have had an absolutely fantastic weekend here at The Beach House.  The weather has been stunning and we have done lots of beaching, eating, drinking and spending time with friends. I now have that lovely, sleepy, relaxed feeling you get after spending a day near the ocean.

However The Farmer and Farmboy have been interfering with the casual, nanna by the sea style vibe I have been aiming for in the Beach House decor department.

Look.

Tyrannosaurus Rex and Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton, Both Very Scary

I have been invaded by dinosaurs.

Cupcake Carnage aka The Baking Gods Are Cross

Today I am hosting a ladies brunch for one of my dearest friend's birthday.  All of my friends are getting pretty tired and a bit fed up with harvest and the endless hours of work being done by their husbands.  So I thought a little celebration would be a nice idea.

I have decided to use all of my best "Nanna Style" china and want things to look all lovely and flowery.

 I managed to find these gorgeous cupcake cases.

Gorgeous Nanna Style Patty Pan

Whilst they may be super cute, they are also about half a cupcake larger than the cases I would usually use.

I busily got baking yesterday afternoon.

Busy Baking Scene In The Farmhouse Kitchen

Unfortunately I misjudged the baking time due to the bigger cases. Or The Baking Gods were frowning on me.  Either way I pulled cupcakes out of the oven that looked like this.

Cupcake With Big Crater In Middle

I quickly whipped up another batch and made a few adjustments and had a little word with The Baking Gods.  The next lot looked like this.

Lovely Craterless Cupcake

Unfortunately there are not enough nice ones.  I can't be bothered baking anymore.  I have a couple of standard recovery methods from baking failures.  The first is to give everyone enough champagne that they don't even notice.  The second is to cover the failed baked goods with mountains of whipped cream and rose petals...

Here is a photo of how I rescued some dodgy cupcakes and turned them into Farmgirl's Christening Cake.

Puddings At Farmgirl's Christening

I am going to get onto the whipped cream first thing this morning.

If all else fails I have one other plan.... Fussy Eater's Mum is coming today and has made this beautiful chocolate ball tree.  If I can't come up with anything else I am going to give people lots of champagne.  And try and persuade them I made it.

A Red Dress For A Farm Christmas

I am very excited as I went to the Post Office yesterday and there was a present. For Me!  Admittedly from me too, but that is how internet shopping goes.  I had ordered a dress to wear on Christmas Day.  I have longheld the belief that Christmas is as good an excuse as any for a new dress.

Just for a little while I want everyone to pretend I am a stylish fashion blogger type person.  The lovely Sydney Shop Girl posts beautiful pictures of her outfits and I thought I would channel her.  Only for today though, I think if I posted what I wore every day people would get sick of T-shirts, jeans, boots and thongs....

Incidentally I am lucky enough to have known SSG for many years ( we went to the same Uni ) and she is just as sweet and glamorous in real life as she is in the blogging world.

Anyway, back to the dress.  I searched a big shopping centre in Perth a week or so ago for what I wanted and found absolutely nothing.  That night I hopped online and found exactly what I wanted in ten minutes. It was a sign from The Shopping Gods.  So I click clacked away and bought it.  Should I be concerned I know my Visa details by heart?

Here it is.

My New Red Dress

It is made of a soft swishy jersey.  I love it.  On Christmas Day I am going to wear it with my Holster sparkly thongs.  I have had them for a long time and they make me happy.  They have a strong "Nanna On The Gold Coast" vibe which I adore. They even have glitter embedded in the clear rubber.  If ever there is a time for plastic-fantastic blingy footwear it is Christmas in Australia.

I bought the dress from Max Shop which is a NZ based company.  The prices are reasonable, the delivery time is rapid and the quality (particularly of their knitwear) is amazing.  Their range is huge, not all of it is to my taste, but I can always find something I like....

So there you have it - what I will be wearing on Christmas Day.

Bring on The Nannas - A Garden Update.

Saturday's fete purchase of a succulent has reminded me of my liking for succulents and how hard they work in The Farmhouse garden.

I have said before on this blog how much I love Nanna-Style gardens.  I can't help it - it is something to do with my inner-Nanna.  In summer some of my favorite Nanna plants are my succulents.  They tick all the boxes required to get an ongoing gig in The Farmhouse garden.  They don't need much water, they look pretty and they are incredibly difficult to kill.  Having said that, earlier in my gardening career I committed the heinous crime of killing several.  I had to try hard to do this, however I can truthfully report that if you put them in non draining pots and overwater them, they will eventually drown.

Here are some from my garden that are not drowning.

Succulent, Complete With Nanna Pot 

Echeveria

I also absolutely love the fact that you can just tear a bit off, stick it in the ground and it grows.  I do this often, particularly when I am bored or The Farmchildren have accidentally torn one to pieces.

I am not sure why I associate them with grandmothers/nannas etc.  They are actually very trendy at the moment but to me they will always retain their innate nannaness.  I think the association has something to do with seeing them on so many old ladies' verandahs over the years.  Usually in a painted cement pot.  They are gentle and comforting to me.  I particularly love the soft greens and pinks that so often make up their foliage.

 Garden show presenters rave about their sculptural form, the way they echo architecture and that sort of garden design stuff.  I just look at them and think of both my grandmothers.  Maybe that is why I like them so much.

Echeveria, Nanna Name "Hens and Chickens"

Stroppy Roses and Other Pretty Things

I have a beautiful burgundy iceberg rose growing in my garden.  I always have a smile when I see it. It reminds me of the time I googled iceberg roses to find out about some kind of disease my roses had.   Whatever it was I fixed it but I can remember that one lady had written how she hated the burgundy iceberg because it was too "moody".  How can a rose be moody?  I had pictures in my head of one rosebush refusing to speak to any of the other plants because it had got itself in a bit of a strop.

There is no time for moodiness in this farmhouse garden because all the plants need to direct their attention solely toward survival!  It's a pretty tough gig out there and anyone who loses focus does so at their peril...

Anyway my burgundy iceberg seems very happy with its lot.  It is blooming beautifully and seems to be in accord with all other plants in its garden bed.

Here is my burgundy iceberg, no signs of stroppy tendencies whatsoever.

No matter what plans I have I always seem to wind up with what I call a Nanna Style garden.  I think there are two reasons for this.  The first is that I seem to have a strong "inner nanna".  I find myself drawn towards pretty and quite old fashioned plants.  The other reason is that many Nannas, particularly those on farms, picked plants that were super tough and good at surviving.  If you had to water your plants with a bucket of water you had drained out of your twin tub then you tended to plant wisely.

Their is also a big old Cape Lilac tree out the back of the farmhouse.  It is absolutely smothered with blossoms.

Here it is.

It smells lovely and when I open the windows near the kitchen table the smell wafts in.