Five months in the life of our oak tree

Yes we love our oak tree.  It's one of the reasons we bought our house.  Last summer when it was very very dry we noticed all the leaves were curling and turning crispy brown and we thought for a while that the tree might perish.  I watered it solidly for weeks and it came good.  It has been great to see it do it's thing again this spring - obviously without any damage from the drought.  We think our oak tree is between 40 and 50 years old.

16 November  2009

25 October 2009

10 October 2009

 

20 September 2009

4 June 2009

Hullo again - still here

Whoops - I have been too busy to update this blog. It's that crazy time of year again  - social life getting busier, Christmas shopping to do, neglected house work and repairs to catch up on and of course the jungle of the garden needing taming after all the recent rain and jack-and-the-beanstalk growth. 

Outside our newly constructed (thank you Bruce) no-dig-raised-vegie-bed has needed lots of 'filling up' with layers of animal manures, newspapers, garden clippings, straw, compost etc. Inside the flat pack containing our new bookshelf from Freedom still sitting in the sunroom six weeks after buying it. Guilt guilt guilt - every time I trip over it but no time or energy to tackle that one yet. Opportunities to sew have been hard to squeeze into my weekends even though all I really want to do is play endlessly with my new sewing machine and overlocker!  Boo working nine to five, boo housework...

On Saturday evening caught up with Noella (birthday girl) and her market stall at the Hobart Fringe Festival.  She was selling some of my purses, a couple of bags and a new design I was trialling for a small dilly milly bag which ties around the waist.  Whoo hoo - all bags sold and lots of the purses too.  Planning on staring production of the milly dilly next weekend.

Yesterday Sue and I visited the first Christmas designers market at the Masonic Temple in Hobart to get a taste for what it is going to be like for our market stall in December.  Gosh was it busy - hard to even get near a stall.  Great to see but the pressure is on now to make more things. In the afternoon I did manage to whip up one bag in the afternoon using some lovely material bought in Burnt Street, Seaforth on a recent trip to Sydney.

Piling in the new vegie garden layers

Showing off our lovely oak tree again - green leaves are darkening every day

(PS Don't let this serene scene deceive you. This is the presentable area of the garden - the other side is where the jungle is taking over)

Bag lady happiness

Oh what joy, ridiculous joy - saw a woman in the street in Hobart today with a millymaker bag casually slung over her shoulder! Nudged husband and pointed this out to him. Made me not feel so bad spending so much money yet again in Spotlight. Here's some of my bags made in recent weeks - getting stock together for the December 13 Christmas market. I am really pleased with this lot so far. Also Sue's sewing efforts last week. Go Sue!
And as promised - oak tree progresss this week. Photo taken yesterday 10 October. No longer looking so 'newbie' in the leaf department. Now a solid adolescent covering. Yesterday the sun shone nearly all day - a rare thing in Hobart recently.

Not enough time weekend

Ha - I just realised as I typed that heading - that yes this is indeed true - we have lost an hour this weekend from the onset on daylight savings. So yes, the weekend was not long enough. Only managed to make one bag - very frustrating as I have oodles of gorgeous fabrics now. The flowery bag turned out well however so I am pleased with this one.

Late yesterday we drove down through the Huon to the Far South Wilderness Lodge at Dover where we were staying overnight with Sue and her merry mix of international students. Rolling hills bathed in late afternoon sun, orchards in blossom, quaint old farmhouses with daffodils, tulips, and rich red rhodos resplendent... It was a lovely drive and a great night away. The three beautiful Chinese girls are all from one-child families. How precious are they to their parents and so far away from home. Jose from Guatemala told Alan he is not looking forward to going home this Christmas as his family lives are all in danger during the current political turmoil. We reflected driving home this morning how lucky we are to live in Tasmania.

I have decided to document the life of our oak tree, which just this week has its early fuzz of green leaves. A little late this year as usually by Bruce's birthday on 29 September the leaves are more advanced. More pics will follow as the oak tree does its 'thing' over the next few weeks.

Here's my new favourite recipe, a no fail yummy and moist banana and raisin loaf - has no sugar or butter but you wouldn't know it...

3 1/2 cups almond meal
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 or 2 mashed bananas
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon

• Mix almond meal, baking salt and salt in food processor
• In separate bowl beat eggs, add yogurt, mashed banana and honey and mix
  
• Add all to food processor and add raisins and cinnamon
• Pour into loaf tin (lined with baking paper)
• Cook in 150 degree oven for about one hour.

I made two of these this weekend!