Friday, March 31, 2017

I know! I know! I'm useless...so spank me...


Maybe I should edit the title and change the word 'spank', some Googlers might be mightily disappointed with their search if they end up here. That'll teach 'em; and if you are here after searching for something else you're just dirty pervs! Now go spank yourselves.....
Anyway, enough of that debauchery, how have you been? It's been crazy busy here, one lot of visitors leave and then we prepare for the next.
I hate weeds, I mean like, really hate them. It's a good job there are such people as HelpXers because I don't think I would be able to keep on top of our gardens on my own, not  without their help anyway. Not only do they do a grand job in the garden and the house, they are all such lovely young people. It's such fun having them stay and I'm always sorry to see them go, partly because I can't find things in my kitchen! They help clean up after meals and on the whole most things go back where they are supposed to. Some things don't though and I can spend a lot of time looking for things that have moved. Mind you I should be used to that really, we've been here 9 1/2 years and Joe still can't put things back where he found them. It's a man thing I reckon.
So what have we been up to? Well I'll tell you....
Before our friends from the UK arrived last December, we had two HelpXers help work the garden, tidy the barn and stuff, they did a grand job and everywhere looked great. Here they are..
Alexis and Lena
from France and Germany
 Our friends came and went and the weeds grew, after they left it rained, a lot, and two weeks ago everywhere looked like this....
Somewhere in that lot are trees!


 We had four helpers this time, Joe and Alex a couple from the UK, Courtney from Canada and Lisa from Bavaria, it was quite the United Nations here. Courtney and Lisa were with us for 4 days, Joe & Alex stayed for 10 days. Joe will herein after be called Little Joe. Obviously my Joe is big Joe or Joe the elder.
The gardens now look like this.....





 This border needs more plants.
 There are other areas they worked on to but I haven't taken photos of them, the above were taken from the deck. I shall return to that magnificent erection in a moment. So now everywhere is presentable again and ready for our next lot of visitors, also from the UK. They arrive a week today. One of my bestest friends, Monica, we've know each other since high school, her hubby and their four kids, so we're looking forward to seeing them again, it's been a while.

 Our helpers, gotta keep them fuelled up. 
Michael & Tash came and joined us for Sunday dinner.
 L-R below
 Big Joe, Alex, Courtney, Lisa & me, in the front, Little Joe

I have also been Queen kitchen bitch, harvesting and preserving.
Some seriously hot chillies
 Capsicums/peppers
 Tomatoes, which are all but finished now
My pantry still isn't finished, we've been too busy, 
but when it is I've a few jars to put on the shelves.



Can't wait to put them in the pantry.........one day....sigh!

Are you ready for this? Are you ready for one mighty erection, Joe's biggus deckus?
Oh heck, just thought of the Googlers! PERVS!
So the long awaited deck handrail went up last Saturday. Would you believe they got it up in one day! They worked like hard working, working things. Michael was putting the last battens up in the dark with a miners lamp on his head in the dark. Last batten went up around 9pm Saturday night. We are beyond happy with it and relieved it is finally safe to walk on.
I'll let the photos do the talking.





















Isn't it the most beautiful thing you ever saw? 

I think that will do today, I'll try to make sure that these posts aren't just monthly events.
Have a good weekend ya'all



12 comments:

  1. Still haven't gone to bed! The place is looking fabulous, thank goodness for your helpers. You have a huge property to look after. Love all the canning you have done. I made 31 jars of jam and used your method and didn't bother with the water bath canner. Much easier and all the jars sealed so I'll be doing it that way in the future. Definitely going to bed now. Talk later. Bye.

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  2. Glad you like it, we love it :-D The method I use works just fine eh, if any don't pop down then I pop them in a large pan of hot water, the water bath method is a good back up x

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  3. Joe's biggus deckus - very impressive!

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  4. It really is beautiful and totally worth the wait.

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  5. Anonymous2:44 pm

    The deck looks fabulous!!

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  6. I'm so glad you decided to stay there, it's all looking wonderful and you are enjoying it so much x

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    1. Hi Sue good to hear from you, we are enjoying it now, we didn't for a while.

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  7. So lovely to see the deck all finished and I'm sure you will spend heaps of time out there relaxing and enjoying 'the serenity '
    Cooling down quite a bit here, fingers crossed you get the pantry finished when the weather conditions mean inside work.

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    1. We did spend a lot of time out there, until the blasted wasps turned up! Oh how I hate them, but I saw the other day that they pollinate fig trees and we have a fig tree so not I'm conflicted!

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