Octobers Close & Gardening

Hello and welcome to anyone who stops by,

Another month has flown by here at the Little Homestead and Christmas is closer than ever...(one of my favorite times of the year)... !

I wanted to take the time to write a little about my days right now. This month has seen my husband and I very busy and spending a lot of time outdoors tidying up our BBQ area and tending to the garden which had become sadly neglected over the last few years.  I took some photos the other day to show our progress in the garden, partly because I like to keep a record of what we do around the property and it's enjoyable to read back over my blogs from previous years.  

The garden for me is a place of immense Joy where any worries are quickly washed away.. It's a Joy that I find hard to even explain, but when my hands are in the soil, or I just sit back and gaze with wonder at it all..my thoughts 'always' quickly turn to the Lord...and I thank Him for creation, for seasons, for the sound of birds chirping, for the busy insect life, for continuity, for variation in flower and leaf, for hope, for inner peace and joy. I know there's a quote that says "One is never closer to their creator than when they're in a garden" and for me this is so true. 

At the moment I'm trying to garden every day (weather permitting) and making the most of it before the very hot weather arrives. When I finally come in after an hour or two of planting and weeding, I like to sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and read a book. My husband always asks me about my day when he gets home and if I say I've been gardening, he says "Well I hope you took some time to rest"?  In the past I wasn't so good at taking breaks, but now that I'm older my energy levels arn't quite the same and I do better if I have little breaks. 

One of the books I've just finished during these garden 'rest' times is 'A Quilt for Christmas' ~ by Sandra Dallas. 

In Sandra Dallas' novel A Quilt for Christmas, it is 1864 and Eliza Spooner's husband Will has joined the Kansas volunteers to fight the Confederates, leaving her with their two children and in charge of their home and land. Eliza is confident that he will return home, and she helps pass the months making a special quilt to keep Will warm during his winter in the army. When the unthinkable happens, she takes in a woman and child who have been left alone and made vulnerable by the war, and she finds solace and camaraderie among the women of her quilting group. And when she is asked to help hide an escaped slave, she must decide for herself what is right, and who can she can count on to help her.~

I thoroughly enjoyed  this book, the research that went into it and also her style of writing. If you enjoy period dramas, you may enjoy her books too :)

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 I'll close this post with pictures of the garden and little bits and pieces from around home.

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Photos of the garden October 2017

~ GOD'S Beautiful BLESSINGS ~

 - the vegetable patch, new fruit trees, berries and flowers that are blooming.

~ Roses ~

I bought this pretty very pale pink rose with darker pink on the edge of it's petals

from the supermarket last year..such beauty in an every day place. I'm sure it was happy to come home to this garden :) 

~ My ever faithful Iceberg Rose ~

always returns, no matter if there's drought or neglect

~ Majestic Gladioli ~

~ Black currants ~

so many memories of childhood are wrapped up in the scent of

the leaves of this plant. Aromatherapy ? :)

~Elder flower and busy bee ~

~ Sweet scented Jasmine ~

~ Plum Promises ~

~ Pom Pom Tree ~

 ~ A carpet of pretty white petals ~

Up Close ~ so delicate and pretty 

~ Lavender ~

~The Vegetable Garden 2017 ~

Planted:

Green Beans, Silverbeet, Lettuce

Kumera (Sweet Potato)

Potatoes

Courgettes

Tomatoes, Peppers

Seeds: Beetroot, Carrot, Radish

Yet to be planted: (possibly tomorrow): 

Chilies, Eggplant, Cabbage, Spinach

Herbs: Lemongrass, Coriander more Thyme

~

~ 2 of our apple trees - Granny Smith & Cox's Orange Pippin

and we just purchased another apple tree:  'Golden Delicious'

I look forward to its fruit over the next few years

A new garden bed I started down the back of the property based on 

the 3 Sisters (Native American style Garden) Corn, Beans, Squash..newly sown)

I'll update with pictures of it's progress over the summer.

 ~ New Fig Tree ~

Kumera plants I ordered online...happy to be out of the box

 Cherry Tomato plants

and around home...

I baked Whoopie Pies :) I hadn't made them for a few years, but we needed a little treat on the weekend and I'm so glad I made the effort, they are delicious !

A sweet friend gave me a new Kombucha scobie, as she knew I had yet another head cold and Kombucha is supposed to be good for the immune system. I've made it up according to the directions she gave me, and even after a week there doesn't seem to be even the slightest bit of fizz to it. Last time I made Kombucha (a few years ago), it was a tiny bit effervescent. Does anyone else make Kombucha and is yours fizzy ?

Well that's about all from me at the moment. We have our little granddaughter Kora's 4th birthday this weekend, so that will be a lovely day to look forward to (She was the star of my previous post.)

Bye for now I'll leave you all with these lovely visual gardening quotes

- God's Blessings  xo

xo Linda