June in pictures

Hi all :)
I thought I would photo blog June, or otherwise all the pics I took throughout the month were in vain.
June was a month that reminded me that Winter brings with it many challenges: Laundry...cold dreary, dark days (which make me feel a bit blue at times) and flu bugs. Most people I know are sick at the moment..& thankfully after 4 days in bed I am almost over the worst of it. Yes all those things we so quickly forget about once Spring is in the air and Summer well under way. Autumn woos us with its lovely shades and welcomed cooler days and then BAM !! hello Winter is back to stay :)

 The positive aspects of Winter for me: Soup, Wooly's, coats and scarfs, the sound of the fire crackling away and gratitude in my heart for these blessings, as I know many don't have them.

Life slows down somewhat here at The Little Homestead (at least in the soap making side of things), and it gives me time to plan new things...think about what to plant in the garden in Spring, and also time to get around to little jobs I have neglected..cough cough..such as washing a few curtains etc..anyway on with the pics (some are a bit blurry) of what I achieved, surprises etc this month.

 I gathered the last of our apples (Sturmer), cooked and bottled them, to use in crumble puddings. The rest I put in the fridge to use for muffins etc.

 I quite forgot about the beetroot we planted in summer..oops. As I was getting the last jar out of the preserves pantry I remembered it. I thought it might have gone woody, but decided to pick it all and cook it up. It did take over an hour to cook as some of the beets were very big. I canned about 7 x 1 pound/500g jars of pickled beets. 

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 Lovely hubby helping with the dishes after one of my many messes xo

Just another banana cake...we seem to have it quite often :)

 Bread : I spent several hours one day baking a huge batch of bread (3 loaves - that's huge for me)..and I was so proud of myself...wait for it...then at the final stage, what did I do? You guessed it, I overcooked it :(   I didn't even think I could slice it, so left it covered with a tea towel over night and then the next morning I was able to slice it thickly. I just froze the whole lot and we've been gradually making our way through it as toast. It's still delicous..but I was very dissapointed in myself !!

 This is the latest book hubby has been reading me while I cook dinner.

Surprise !!! a big fat cute rabbit appeared in the garden one afternoon. !! I spotted him the next day too, but then he disapeared, just as quickly as he arrived. I almost felt like Alice in Wonderland.

My new soap stamp arrived - that was exciting :) (Heart and Hand)

 I found this lovely poem book that was in the 'Free Box' at a Homeschoolers weekend I attended with my daughter (so I could help with the grand baby). What a lovely weekend it was too. Anyway - the poem book. I loved so many of A.A. Milne's poems as a child, but didn't even realise who the author was. Maybe we read them aloud in the classroom or something. It's a bit vague in my memory, I just know they are familiar and they bring me joy, at their silliness. I've been reading some of them to our grandson Alex and he's enjoyed them too :)

 A book out of the library. Shibori is something I'm interested in. I used to do batik many many moons ago when my children were small, but all the complicated heating of wax, ironing it out of the fabric etc put me off....because I just didn't have the time back then. However Shibori doesn't involve wax, its just sort of tie-dying with Indigo. I love the finished patterns and the bright contrast of deepest navy and white.

This months second hand store find $2.00. Its a ravioli mold, with an enamel base :) I haven't used it yet, but plan too. I do made my own pasta every now and then and even purchased a wooden dowel stand thingy that you drape the pasta over to dry. In the past I've just used my broom handle propped up. Maybe winter might give me a chance to get back to some of those activities and venture into Ravioli making too :)

More baking: Blueberry muffins with Lemon Zest and a little bit of lemon glaze icing drizzled on top.

 My little preserves pantry. I also keep some jars in anther large pantry, as this little one doesn't like too much weight on the legs.

Tasha Tudor Pantry art

and that's all for June, as now we're already into July..phew :) Time for me to go to bed. 

Blessings to anyone who reads this. Please leave a comment if you feel to. I'd love to hear what's happening in your corner of the world :)

 ~ Linda

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 

John Steinbeck