It is the last week of summer vacation in Australia, and Bear and I have been working from dawn until dusk making the most of these long, sunshiny days.

Although we’ve been working hard, we’ve been having so much fun together.

Bear taught me how to drive a tractor. This gorgeous old red tractor, to be precise.

old red tractor

My lesson may have included the following conversation:

Bear – “OK, ease up on the throttle.”
Me – “What’s a throttle? Is this it? AAAH! How do I stop this thing???”

It was grand fun, and I am proud to say that I can now start, drive AND stop this beauty without running over anybody or into anything.

While we built two new paddocks for our goats I found this shady nook under a tree in a flower-filled meadow. I love hiding away here for a quiet break with my journal and a sparkly green pen.

purple wildflowers

Today my project was jazzing up my trusty farm stool.

Bear has the cutest little orange stool that we both love, so I decided it was high time to turn my wonky old stool made from black metal chair legs and a slab of wood into something equally charming. I sanded it down, applied two coats of red paint and added a perky little yellow bird on top. It cheers me up no end.

farm stools

We’ve added a whole gaggle of birds to our farm family this week.

I’m smitten by the Muscovy babies and their parents – they’re so quiet and gentle.

Gus, our Pilgrim gander, is thrilled to leave his bachelor days behind thanks to the arrival of four girls: Sister Mary Kate (we think she looks like a nun), Gertrude, Annabelle and Anika.

Pilgrim geese

After the decadence of the holidays, I’m drawn to familiar, comforting food: oatmeal cookies, ham sandwiches, and this Toasted Coconut Peach Crumble. It’s so easy to throw together with whatever bits of stone fruit are on hand. Although the following recipe is for peaches, it’s works just dandy with plums or nectarines.

Coconut Peach Crumble

What projects have you been tackling this week?

Toasted Coconut Peach Crumble Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
8-10 peaches and/or nectarines, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp each of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (about 200 degrees C).
  2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add sliced fruit and brown sugar and cook for five minutes. Add spices and continue cooking until fruit browns and begins to break down and get juicy, about five more minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour into buttered baking dish.
  4. In a medium bowl stir remaining ingredients except butter together. Add melted butter and stir until mixture clumps together loosely.
  5. Sprinkle evenly over fruit.
  6. Place in oven and bake 30-40 minutes until topping is nicely toasted.
  7. Serve with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream.