The Pink Game

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there for tomorrow.  My dad got his present early when I spent half a week in Perth recently helping out, mum now has a sparkly non-cataract eye and is doing well.  I hope you enjoy your DVDs dad xx.

This is what the kids gave Steve, a natty, easy to use coffee aero press.  It sits atop your mug, the bottom filled with ground coffee.  You fill it up with boiling water and push, and coffee appears in your cup.  He also has a nifty little milk frother and some bags of yummy Yahava coffee (Steve has declared Zumo to be his favourite one), he is one happy coffee drinker.  Thanks kids! xx

 

Me, I hate coffee, but I do like hot chocolate.  The milk frother comes in handy for making splendiferous hot chocolate. :-)

 

 As winter comes to an end, there has been quite a bit of harvest from the vegie patch as plants wind up their winter growth, ready to be pulled up and added to the compost heap.  We are very excited about these, being that we really enjoy growing our own potatoes.... it is something that we are truly self sufficient in.  This variety, that we grew for the first time, are Kipflers.  Smaller than other varieties, and distinctively long, skinny and knobbly, they taste delicious!

The English spinach has gone mental.  I've been picking leaves only, a big bucketful at a time, giving it a good rinse and briefly boiling it, then squishing the liquid out of it and freezing it in blocks for later on.  I also made a giant spinach and ricotta lasagne that was shared around the family and declared to be yummy, goodo.  :-)

The celery is ready too, I love growing celery, it does much better down here in the cooler air than Perth.  One of my favourite things to do with it is make gallons of Cream Of Celery soup, which I freeze.  It is delicious! 

How is this for a healthy lunch, homemade hummus and fresh veg.  We can't claim to have grown everything, the capsicum are store-bought..... it's something we struggle to grow - a challenge, once day we will succeed! 

The roos have been relishing the odd sunny day, taking the time to sun themselves for hours.  It's a hard life.  That's Lucy the old girl at the front, right outside the house.

They know how to make themselves comfortable.  That's Lucky spread out snoring under the lime tree.  He was Lucy's joey two years ago and is so named as he nearly got grabbed by a big wedgetailed eagle when he was a wee boy just out of Lucy's pouch.

May I introduce Chip and Jane.  Chip is one of the newer big males, he probably ranks second or third in the hierarchy.  He is named Chip as he has a very dark nose with lighter fur around his eyes and cheeks, and when he looks at you head-on, he looks a bit like a chipmunk.  Jane is named as Plain Jane, she has no distinguishing marks at all, which is how I know who she is, as all the others have something to identify them.  Her new joey's head is just visible between her legs.

 

I haven't told you about Neo's morning ritual, we have called it The Pink Game.  On the end of our bed is an ancient, holey, pink cardigan, and every morning without fail, when I get dressed, Neo burrows underneath it, waiting for The Pink Game.  He can see through it, and waits for hands to hover over him, and attacks!  He can get a little carried away, I have a few scars to show for this fun game, he is such a dag.  :-)

He has good fun playing it, and will stay under the cardigan for ages after I've got bored.

Even better when his best toy, a little koala that Stevie gave him, is involved.

 

BITS AND BOBS
Water status - both water tanks overflowing.  Total water storage 125000 litres
What we are eating from the garden - cabbage, broccolini, English spinach, celery, sugar snap peas,  King Edward, Dutch Cream, Kipfler, Norland and Almera potatoes, bell chillies, herbs, citrus (lime, lemon and orange) and passionfruit.
Egg status - a couple a week, we need more chooks!
What am I making - on a crochet binge at the moment, currently making a shopping bag.  Also having a go at knitting Stevie and Riley beanies with a hole in the top for ponytail to poke through, not sure what they will make of them! :-)