It’s been a quiet, pottering sort of week as Bear and I recovered from our first colds and flu’s of Spring. It’s been rather nice to move leisurely through our days, working steadily but taking the breaks we need to get better.

We’ve had lots of fresh fruit smoothies and cuppas and seen the most beautiful sunrises that make getting up early absolutely worth it.

Spring sunrise

My biggest project was finishing the planting of our second orchard. I put 16 more trees in: blood oranges, hazelnuts, chestnuts, lemons, limes, mandarins, and several types of oranges. It feels so good to have them all in the ground and to see them blossoming and leafing out beautifully. The plums and apples I planted earlier are doing well too and we’re so excited to see our first harvest in a few months.

Our lunches have been simple: veggies from our gardens, eggs from our chickens and ducks. It’s so nice to have weather warm enough for us to eat outside on the veranda.

Spring lunchBear gave me the most wonderful gift when he designed and built me two new wheelbarrows. Most wheelbarrows have narrow floors that make it good for hauling leaves or dirt but lousy for transporting anything that needs to be flat and stable. These new beauties are absolutely wonderful for nearly every job I do on the farm: hauling trees, transporting potted plants, gathering and washing veggies, moving cages, etc. They’re strong but light and the mesh bottoms make clean up a breeze. I love them.

new wheelbarrowsWhile I waited for feedback on the first draft of my history book, I started work on my Christmas book, experimenting with recipes and craft ideas I’ve been jotting down for months. I’ve decided that making chutney is the best thing to do for anyone with a head cold. The copious amounts of vinegar and onions clear sinuses up faster than anything I know. And the kitchen smelled absolutely scrumptious as I stirred and tasted pots full of bubbling chutney.

stirring chutneyI also made my first batch of Tomato Chili Jam and had to keep stealing tastes, imagining how good it will be slathered on hamburgers when we dust off the BBQ this week.

Tomato Chili JamThis week it’s back to writing the history book, finishing the final draft and choosing the photos, maps, and illustrations to accompany the text. But first I get a day off to go to Toowoomba with my mates, Oma and Ann. It’s time for the Carnival of Flowers and we’re off for a thoroughly girlie day of touring gardens, doing lunch, and talking a mile a minute.

What are you looking forward to most this week? xo