Happy Holidays and a Bright & Cheery 2013

Hello All,

I hope you all had as relaxed a Christmas day as we did yesterday and enjoyed time with family and friends.  I am finally on holidays after a couple of incredibly busy months and already l-o-v-i-n-g it.

These are some recent photos I think that paint the perfect picture of our warm sub tropical Summers.  In December the sun shines warmth upon our faces and we play outside for what seems like endless days and eat watermelon in the shade of old trees to cool down.  Yes our Christmases are quite different to our northern hemisphere folk but can be just as special.

And now my love and best wishes to you all for 2013.

Love,

Me xo

Just Like A Heat Wave...

I'm not sure if we've been given a glimpse of Summer already but we've had some very hot, dry days.  I mean, the grass is not meant to be crunchy!!  The rain dancing outfit is making its way to the front of my wardrobe as I seriously consider taking it up.

This Sunday saw me take some of my family out to visit the country to look at real estate (only just for fun...or maybe not?) and visit The Rose Gardens I posted recently about.  The heat was zapping.  The roses were wilting in the unforgiving sun.  And the land was in desperate need of water all around.  We ended the day back in Ipswich at The Community Garden in Leichardt where it was lush, and a gentle cool breeze picked up not to mention the recently watered soil was so deliciously refreshing to dig your hands in to.  It was such a relief and helped to ease the earlier heat of the day.

So in pictures here was our Sunday...

For all you Green Thumbs out there...

This week I had a display of some of my favourite things in the garden at The Sunset Markets.  Some of these include bamboo cloches, planters, seed containers and more.



You will also see my long spouted galvanised watering can, which has been a perfect find for watering seedlings and potted plants.  And of course some very English style of trugs wonderful for collecting your garden harvest or some flower goodness to arrange in the home.



We also have available a large range of Heritage Seed varieties ready for sowing this season.  You'll find our display out the front of Precious Packages (17 Ellenborouh Street, Top of Town, Ipswich) every week at The Sunset Markets so you too can grow your own veg.  For those who cannot make it there, it will soon also be available online to buy.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend so far, whether it's in the garden, experimenting with a recipe, enjoying the outdoors, spending it with family and whatever else makes your heart sing xo  

How to Eat Strawberries

We are enjoying the abundance of strawberries at the moment (not from our garden unfortunately, we are lucky to pick a couple each day that haven't been gotten to before us by some wriggly garden foe).  But just how do you eat your strawberries?

I enjoy making a meringue smash with lashings of whipped cream and layers of these juicy sweet strawberries.

Lily chooses to use the strawberries as a garnish and sprinkles cinnamon (her choice but apparently tastes great) over vanilla bean ice cream.

Or perhaps you prefer the simplicity of strawberries and cream??  How do you enjoy eating your strawberries?

P.S. This makes for a delicious holiday treat for the whole family and by letting the kids make it for themselves, a really simple activity for them to enjoy.  

Barton's Rose Farm

Earlier this week I mentioned our visit to The Barton Rose Farm in Kalbar.  This is one of my favourite places to visit in the Scenic Rim and about 40minutes from our doorstep.  


I love the seclusion of this place as it's off the main thoroughfare and without the signage, you would hardly know it was there.  It does however attract serious gardeners from around South East Queensland.



The varieties available are vast and you walk down each row, stopping to bend over the different blooms and enjoy their fragrance.



As for kids, walking is not fast enough and the excitement to tell mum that they've found a rose that shares their name bursts out.  Speaking of names, there is a Dolly Parton rose and it is the most excessive over the top red bloom with the most incredible scent  Of course I now wish I had bought it back with me.



I spy some beautiful sprawling lawn for a picnic though you can always enjoy devonshire tea at Bartons. 



These tags are only a small selection of the roses available but I enjoy their colour pinned alongside each other.



Surrounding the farm are beautiful trees always adding to that sense of seclusion.  I love hideaways.



This was one of the roses that came back with us.  Phill remembers it as his grandmother's favourite and has a soft, sweet perfume.



Once we repacked the car with our newly purchased blooms, we stopped by Aratula for some locally made Jam.



I love the honesty box system that you find in the country and the little displays carefully arranged .  

Mmm I think it's time to head back xo  

Making The Spring Clean EASY!!

The BIG spring clean continues at our house. We surround ourselves with keepsakes, the kid's artworks, family photos, much loved vintage pieces, books, collected shells and things that mean something to us. But then there is just "stuff" that begins to take over. I think most of you know the kinda "stuff" I'm speaking of that builds up over time. So in my feisty spring clean mode, we are donating this "stuff" to our local charity shop who are always on the lookout for more items.

If your home is being taken over by this "stuff" but the task seems daunting, it needn't be. You don't need to tackle it all in one go, and in fact don't! Each day grab a carton and dedicate 10minutes to cleaning out a cupboard, shelf, corner of the house and this way it becomes an achievable goal. As I fill a box I deliver it to the charity shop on our way to work etc and it soon becomes someone else's treasure.

The Garden Escape & Update

Our life outside of home has been filled with lots these past few weeks - all exciting projects but just phewww. I need a weekend/break/gap year etc. To be at home and better still in the garden, has been where we've been hiding out this weekend.

Once again our lemon tree is producing beautifully - they always make me so happy. Would love to hear your recipe ideas on how you think they'd best be used. My stomach is waiting in anticipation at the thought.

This weekend we built a proper fence around our kitchen garden and it looks pretty neat don't ya think? Our model here took advantage of the open gate and began enjoying...

this beautiful, rogue cos lettuce. I quickly shoo-shooed her but I am noticing all these gorgeous lettuces coming up from last seasons cos going to seed. This is the "don't-have-to-lift-a-finger" style of gardening I think is amazing as you watch nature go about its thing.

Just look at those luscious leaves, bursting with health and vitality too and begging to be eaten. We have been enjoying them with our lunch this weekend and I'm noticing their underlying fruity flavour when I eat the leaves by themselves.

We have also planted out some Washington Navels in our garden. It must be the weekend for citrus as we caught up with our neighbours at our local garden centre buying a lemon tree too. In fact it must have been the perfect weekend for gardening as the place was buzzing with people. I love how Spring wakes the inner gardner up from a Winter hibernation.

Our pansies are enjoying the Spring weather too as they smile happily up at the morning sun. We also have roses ready to plant which came from the most beautiful rose garden out in the country and I will take you for a little tour around there sometime soon.

Looking forward to seeing how you spent your weekend xo