January 6  2015

Still no rain!  The ground is turning to dust and hungry animals are complaining that there is nothing to eat between meals. The poly house has taken on yet another role as a boat-building workshop. Our two eldest kids have sailing boats that need repair so we have put them up on trestle and work has started on the repair jobs. Just at the moment it is too hot to do anything un-essential so the work has not progressed very far.

I seem to spend most of my time watering vegetables and trees. So far the trees we planted last winter have survived which is encouraging. Today there were swarms of insects over the flowering trees and a cloud of white butterflies around the agapanthus. The flowering gum by the ruins has been buzzing with bees after the pollen all week. I wonder if they are Indies bees coming down from the gravel pit paddock or just the usual mob.

It is blackberry season and Indi has picked bucket loads. We stewed some up with plums to make breakfast fruit and they were delicious. The blackberries were so sweet that the tartness of the plums made them taste even better. The little celery seedlings I planted are growing well and we have the largest pumpkins I have ever grown. The apple cucumbers are very prolific and now we have long hairy Armenian cucumbers as well. I haven’t tasted one yet.

I am still making cheese several times a week and we are eating the ones we made at the start of the season.  Some have the salt content just right and some are not so good. I do not have a foolproof recipe yet. The garlic has been harvested but our beans have been a bit crowded out by the tomatoes and pumpkins. I have put in a second lot as a last resort.

Indi, my eldest grand daughter moved out of her share house and set herself up in the donga as soon as the wwoofers moved on. She arrived with two dogs, plants, furniture and even an old bath!  The idea is that she can save money and continue her studies. Luckily she is a helpful person to have around.