this weekend

A garage sale or two yielded goodness in blues and yellow. A cup and saucer to add to the collection (below). I'm a big fan of mismatched crockery which is increasingly hard to find and expensive even in op shops these days. I'm dreaming about painting our house white all through the inside even though we are renting. I can see how beautiful it will be all fresh and white. I hope we can live here for at least another 7 years.

Abuelo had Bee Business in Bendigo on Friday and scored MAJOR brownie points for going into Bendigo Woollen Mills and buying three balls of gorgeous yarn for me. I've started knitting my Maeve shrug for next winter in Stellar Aquamarine. Abuelo shall be rewarded for his bravery and thoughtfulness with a knitted garment. Socks or a vest. It's so good to be knitting again! 

 We had the fathers from Bella's class come here yesterday and cut out shield bases so the kids can take them to the blacksmith on Tuesday and make the copper center pieces for them. They are learning about Norse mythology in Class 4. The men-folk got straight down to it and finished in time to sit back with a cold beer. We have such a lovely community of people around our children's classes. There have been many sewing bees, gatherings, and meetings and there will continue to be. Such is the bonus of traveling the school journey with the same children and families. 

I finished The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) and howled for hours after the final sentence. I think more than anything it deeply touched the protective maternal nerve; a young boy in the world with too many periods without solid ground... Now I have the Hundred Foot Journey and Dead Europe, two very different stories but set in places I love. 

What are you reading, knitting, collecting.?

Listening to Agnes Obel, Xylouris Ensemble, Lorde, Jenny Thomas and the System.

In the Garden this weekend

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Noticing all the fruit trees flowering and budding; Fuji apples, olives, apricots and chestnuts...

Renovating and fox-proofing on account of these lovely new ladies. Our last three were eaten by a fox and so grander measures were taken to make sure that sad event doesn't happen again...

Fixing the fence and nailing chicken wire to the floor of the chook house so foxy can't dig underneath....

"Five star...."

Everything overseen and approved by the United Nations Garden Committee.

Lots of Beehive orders and LOTS of bees until they head off to their new homes......

 

At the end of the day their must be tavlis and red wine and all is well.

Good Day

It was a good day for the sun it did shine all the while....

I pulled up these beauties....

And these......

Witnessed the magnificence of Men's Business in the shed.....

Planted some of this.....

Succumbed to these.......

Spent the afternoon here......

Playing music with these gorgeous ladies.....

And looking forward to getting into this after I eat the feast Abuelo has prepared. He and Beau have gone to the cinema to see Indiana Jones, dressed, if you please, in costume. I will take a photo upon their return because it's gotta be good......

Rehearsing, quietly celebrating, planting and reading....Oh that there were some knitting to add to this list! Too long between projects.

Abuelo just now; "If you get up early you get s*** done!"

Yep. That's true enough.

 

getting our mettle from nettle..

images -http://dxline.info/herbs/nettle-herb-benefits

There's nettle growing wild and untamed in our vege patch and I'm harvesting it gingerly and feeding it to us in various ways - this time as tea I think - I will dry it out tomorrow in the warm spring sun. So good for the blood it is. Tonight I have added some to the minestrone, and previously it has filled up spanakopita and gone into pesto..all you have to do is pick it (with good thick gardening gloves and long sleeves!)and blanch it in boiling water and it is tamed from there on. I love the taste of it and the knowledge that it is so health giving. Like Cavelo Nero. Those dark green leafy gifts from nature that mountain-dwelling Mediterranean peasants have been living off for centuries and living to ripe old ages. 

I was officially back in the Office as of today......

Any nettle recipes to share? Any other weeds I should be looking out for?