Seed saving for next year

This year I am trying to economise. Seed for the garden actually costs a lot. Still cheaper than buying plants but I do go through a good bit of seed. For the last couple of years I have saved tomato seed from my mother, which came from my uncle, which came from my granddad. It has worked well. This year I have saved berlotti beans, lettuce, the tomatoes seeds you see (no longer just one type) and am waiting for my current climbing beans to set seed. Not prolific yet but starting.

What else can you do with blackboy peaches?

I have managed to bottle 20 jars of black boy peaches. I have learnt from previous attempts that it makes aweful jam. So I struck the thought of making black boy peach sauce (like tomatoe or plum sauce).
While making it I was disappointed as it was sharp and not tasty. Added a bit of brown sugar to the recipe and by the time it was all blended together it was yum. We had to have fish and chips for tea to make sure that it would be useful. Very happy with the result.

Awesome quinces

Yet again the quince tree has produced a prolific crop. This is just a smattering of them. I am giving away by the dozen. I love trees that produce so much that I can be generous to others.

In other years I have tried preserving quinces many ways. The traditional bottling methods I have found to be incredibly difficult and time consuming. Even then often the quince cores are rock solid.

This year by shear chance I came across my new and permanent method. No more trying to peel rock solid quinces or decore them.

Now I quarter the quinces, take a full slice out that removes the core section, put them in a single layer and only just cover with water. They go in the bottom of the oven with whatever else I am cooking and whatever temp. I leave them in the oven when it is cooling. Make a sugar syrup of 3 parts water to 1 part sugar and boil well. Remove hotish quinces from the oven, the skin just peels off. Put them into sterilised jars, top up with sugar syrup and seal. Sooo easy.

Our Earthquake Break-away

We have been meaning to have a long weekend at Mt Cook ever since a very cold show weekend when Eli was 1. Well Jess, Stephen and Mieke were leaving our house after nearly four weeks and we decided to have a family time away.
Mt Cook on Friday driving there was shrouded in mist and so we walked into the Tasman Glacier and viewed all the icebergs which dropped off the glacier face on the September earthquake.

picking mushrooms at Fairlie

Tasman Glacier and lots of adventuring

Panorama of Tasman Glacier lake and the icebergs

Taking a break near the top

The view from the motel window first thing in the morning

 That night we stayed at a motel at the Hermitage and it was amazing. We woke in the morning, opened the curtains and were stunned. Even the boys got really excited. All we saw was glaciers, snow and ice. Had a fantastic breakfast with a view of Mt Cook and then walked into the Glacier. It was hot, which we had not expected, and we were sunburnt and tired by the time we got back - 5 hours later.

The Panorama of the view

An awesome breakfast and spectacular scenery

On our way again

More climbing for the boys

And yet more adventuring. No sticking to the paths for them

Mt Cook in all it's glory

And the full Panorama

The gorgeous men in our family.

Busy baking day

I bought a cheap box of tomatoes and so made a pile of Jamie Olivers pasta sauce. Yummy just on pasta or great as a sauce for cannelloni. Then iced the yoyo's made yesterday and threw together a batch of Afgans. I still haven't attended to the blackboy peaches that have fallen off the tree. Maybe tonight.

My sister had both hands operated on this week.

The goodies for the invalid. Blackboy peaches, pears and dahlias all from the garden. Some bok choy and lettuce seedlings.

It was a hair dying and drying day. Forgot to take a photo of the finished product.

Silly Mark needs to learn that if he takes self portraits on my camera then I will use them.

Mother - being the main helper for the invalid and doing a fantastic job.

Homework time

Well in our house we have homework time, normally before dinner. As Mieke is also staying she is participating fully and will be the brainiest 8 month old ever. (or so doting uncle aaron says)

Keeping the boys occupied

Eli walked home from church today and arrived with an armload of twigs etc. He wanted to make a fire like Bear Griles does on "Man vs Wild".

He wanted to use a flint to start the fire. So first we built an oven. 

then we made the pikelet mix

then the fire needed to start.

Start the cooking!!! Very pleased with the result

Yum Yum

All the better for the eating.

A chook house for a chocolate cake.

the said cake

 I made a deal with my wonderful brother in law. I made a gorgeous dense chocolate cake (real chocolate, ground almonds - Kris Parkinson's recipe) and he was to help me make a chook house. In reality he made the chook house and I did labouring. The only bit I had to make and measure by myself (the door) I completely stuffed up. So much for girl power! But in four hinges and a bit of plywoods time, I will have a fantastic new house and my chooks wont know where to turn.

being clamped in with no escape!

this is where it got finished to.

Looking almost finished and gorgeous.

a lovely entrance for the chooky girls.

Mieke is with us again



Yes it has been horrendous and we did not expect to have to live through a second event like this. But the earthquake does have it's upsides. We have Jess, Stephen and Mieke living with us again. The boys are estatic and fantastic baby entertaining machines, Morris is thrilled and has managed to stop licking her every time he sees her and we are lucky to have this time with her.



The boys snuggling up together in one room. Eli having moved for Mieke.





The Eigth Birthday Party

 Yes Jakob has turned 8. Amazing. Sunday 20th February was a great day. Two days later the pool

we went to was severely damaged with fences falling on cars etc. 

Jakob was smooth and stylish



We took 6 kids out for the day. First 10 pin bowling. Spencer won with an amazing 107 points (that is more than I normally get!!) and Brooklyn who had never been bowling before came in a point behind. (But he did get two strikes). After 10 pin bowling we went to the Waltham swimming pool. A lovely outdoor pool in Christchurch and the added attraction that it has a free open hydroslide.

Eli's great moves

Jorja



Jakob

Eli



Liam and Jakob making the dash to start again



the duo - Brooklyn and Eli

Spencer the hoon