Friday, December 22, 2017

mid summer meanderings




This is always a funny little time of the year, don't you think?

The girls are on school holidays, the days are warming up, things seem to be speeding up and at the same time getting ready to slow right down. There are parties to go to, jobs to finish, gardens to water and weeds to pull. Finally the veggie garden feels like it's starting to give back to us, but we're still a long way from fruit. Part of me feels like I'm on holidays - reading in bed in the mornings, watching episodes until too late at night. And part of me feels like it's time to gear up - this is the beginning of crazy time on the farm and the more I get done now, the better I'll feel later on.

So in order to capture this moment in time and make some sort of sense of it all, I'm going to borrow an oldie from such a goodie - Pip at Meet Me At Mikes - the Taking Stock List.

Here we go.

(photo at the top is of Indi's 17th in the new sun-room)

(Indi's 17th once they had left the table to go and dance on the deck)

Drinking: iced coffee with lots of ice and no ice cream...right now even...yum! 

Reading: The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson's Cancer Con, and the darkness at the heart of the wellness industry. Gosh what a crazy story.

Next read: My Mum's library book - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. And then maybe Indi's VCE literature books.

 (the corn flower crown I made for our birthday girl)

Waiting: for some lettuce seeds to germinate. I've had such a bad lettuce season this year.

Disliking: cabbage moths and caterpillars. Leave my veggies alone!!

Playing: the best of 2017 play lists that Spotify is making me.


(our birthday girl)

Bookmarking: ideas to investigate when I start my flower farming course and have more knowledge.

Opening: packets of flower seeds and getting butterflies in my tummy.


(here comes the packing crate deck)

Giggling: at the study timetable on Indi's wall and wondering where she came from.

Enjoying: long sunny summer days and feeling a teensy bit sad that after today they start getting shorter.

Questioning: whether I've planted everything, and enough of everything, and if there's still time for more.


(the first of the two bits of the deck)

Feeling: that old familiar guilt that arrives on school holidays when the girls want to play with me, but I have so much farm work to do.

Looking: at the new deck along the front of our house and wondering where I can find some beautiful outdoor chairs for lounging about, reading books and sipping cocktails.

Admiring: the new deck and feeling so proud of my farmer boy who saw some old packing crates on an instagram page and had the foresight to imagine them as something beautiful. 


(my parents celebrating 50 years of marriage)

Making: knitted crowns for my Mum and Dad. The Ravelry details are here.

Deciding: on my next knitting project, either a pair of socks or a cardigan.

Considering: buying myself some sock blockers. Should I?

Wondering: if I should start a new macrame plant hanger instead.


(my sisters and parents at our golden 50 year anniversary party)

Wearing: my uniform - work overalls and a tee-shirt

Needing: to write up the notes from the interview I did yesterday before I forget the context and can't read my writing. 

Pondering: recording my next interview, so I can capture more detail.

Knowing: that I have four stories to write and that despite my best intentions, I'll probably leave writing them til the very last minute.


(the zinnias start to pop and add some much needed colour to the market garden)

Thinking: about how beautiful the garden will look when it is filled with colourful flowers.

Buying: geraniums for my hanging baskets.

Liking: mowing the orchards and getting ready to net them.

Hoping: for a really good apple season.

Waiting: to open the farm gate stall again, it feels like it's been forever.



(oh my goodness! oh my goodness!)

Following: lots of flower farmer accounts.


Cooking: broad beans in butter, with garlic and herbs on toast.

Hearing: the crash of cutlery being put away and hoping that it's one of the girls doing it and not Bren.

Snacking: on the fresh currants we picked a few nights ago.

Wanting: to go and pick more before the birds discover them.


(the prettiest little dahlias I bought from our local botanical gardens plant sale recently. I should have bought more)

Marvelling: at the magnificence of the flowers as they open up in the garden.

Watching: last season of Australian Survivor - don't judge me.

Cringing: at having to admit that's what I'm watching. I'm calling it research tho as we have a few friends who are auditioning for the next series.

Next watch: I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?

Noticing: the soil on the leaves and petals of the flowers in the market garden and wondering if watering them from above might not be the best thing for them.

Smelling: the next flush of roses.

Coveting: the fabulous photos of dahlias coming up in my instagram feed and wondering how the 20 tubers I planted are going to perform.


(farmer Bren's favourite thing in the garden at the moment - the leek flower!)

Loving: the flowers on the vegetables in the garden; the tomatoes, the potatoes, the leeks, the beans, the peas, the cucumbers and the rocket. It's such a beautiful and exciting time of the year.

Sorting: the seeds and pulling out those that need to be planted in mid summer.

Gettingready to start braiding the garlic harvest.

Wishing: for a safe, exciting, inspiring and love filled new year for us all.


And that's that! 

If you want to make your own list you can find all the prompts on Pip's blog here.

Or if you feel like telling me what you're snacking on, hoping for, marvelling at, making or any of the other ...ings, you can type your answers into the comments section of this very blog. I'd love to read them.

Wishing you and yours a fabulous summer/winter solstice, a merry Christmas, a fabulous weekend, and enough time.

Lots of love,

Kate xx


10 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas, Kate. Here's to a slow couple of weeks and oodles of time!
    Meryl

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  2. One of my besties was a paramedic on Survivor for quite a few seasons, 3 months in exotic location with the crew setting it all up and then 3 months while they filmed- I will aks for hot tips and I'm not judging.
    I am LOVING: Farm Doc and Writer Bee's love fest and all the love of their love. SORTING: a whle load of crap out of the girls bedrooms. PONDERING: what interview Kate is doing for of whom for what GETTING: emotionally ready for my baby to start school next year NOTICING: how their are so few photos of me in my kids lives. PLANNING: once a month photo session to ensure I am in the photos and buying a new tripod to assist with same. Big love to you xxx

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  3. Ah Kate, life looks, & sounds, beautiful as always.
    Here’s a few of mine-
    Reading- the break by Marion Keyes
    Waiting- to pick my baby girl up from day care
    Listening- to kids & birds & Alex Lahey whenever I can
    Wearing- my cosies, I’ve just been swimming with my middle guys
    Cooking- hardly anything. It’s too hot & im a bit over it right now so meals are super basic & im making meals stretch as far as a possible!
    Watching- The Crown & The Windsor’s. I’m totally into the royals right now. So fascinating!
    Loving- having my MIL around ( she is beyond helpful & great), having everyone on holidays & finally allowing myself to go slow, properly slow.
    Enjoy your days Kate xx

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  4. No to the sock blockers. That sounds blunt but hear me out. Socks are useful objects shaped like feet. Dry them flat and put them on your feet and voila, they are perfect and blocked and functional and like some kind of knitting magic. And for TV that amuses but doesn't tax the mind, Jane the Virgin is hilarious. I did not expect to like it but ended up laughing out loud many, many times. I am usually watching murder mysteries like Shetland, Hinterland or Wallender so good old Jane is a big departure for me. I love your photos! We are so opposite to you with a fresh snowfall and no gardening for many months yet. Thanks for posting. Andrea

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  5. Sending love to you and your beautiful family, Kate. I hope you and your mob have happy days ahead. xx

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  6. Internet can be such fun: I love to see what it is like at this moment at the other side of the world, the side where it is mid summer while we are in the middle of winter. Happy new year!

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  7. Happy Christmas Kate, and thank you for the year of Friday blogs. I am a newby veggie gardener and loving my purple striped beans and prolific zucchini crop. I let the Raab go to seed, so have lots of new Raab flowers attracting the bees. Listening to the magpies in the garden.

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  8. Blessings to you, your photos, your words, your sharing.....enjoying this break from work, taking the time to make fruit salad for breakfast with berries from the garden, sipping nettle and linden infusions, reading Plain Truth, Jodie Picoult at the breakfast table, doing yoga every day and looking forward to the next 30 day journey with Adriene -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UUP0zqPP_E and of course spending long days in the garden, swimming in the dam......and i really enjoyed watching Search Party - sbs.com.au...Sunny Solstice, Funny Festive Season........Love to you and family....xx

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  9. That flower crown 😍
    Don't buy the sock blocker, do start the macrame hanger.
    I agree about the flowers in the garden, is there anything more beautiful?
    Cheers Kate

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  10. Very nice post really ! I apperciate your blog Thanks for sharing,keep sharing more blogs.

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

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