Flowers For You!

You lovely ladies are all so sweet with your wonderful comments, that I've gone out into our garden and picked you, yes you, a little posy of flowers.  Not bad for the middle of winter is it?  Honestly our winter is just pathetic this year.  Some days we go out without jumpers or jackets on it's so warm.  Most days it's at least 16 degrees on the weather report.  Don't get me wrong here, I'm very much not complaining!

Remember I showed you the Homegrown Magazine last time?  Well at the back of it I found there more in titles in the series.  I have since got my mother to order the first Homegrown and the fruit tree one.  She subscribes to their monthly magazine so is able to get these at a much discounted rate.  She also has a great stack of the magazines for me to pick up and read through.  I just love the layout of them and the very useful info they contain.  Lots of ideas, recipes, hints and practical advice.  I must buy their garden dairy too when it comes out. 

Now I'm never going back to buying pre-grown plants after seeing just how quickly my seeds have grown.  Just look at my sweet babies!  All the trays but one have sprouted.  I am learning so much about gardening that sometimes I can sound quite intelligent when asked a question.  Imagine that?

Just before nodding off the other night, I suddenly had a super duper idea.  I just had to wake hubby up and tell him.  I thought, why do we have a pretty blossom tree when we can have an apple tree in it's place.  Well why wouldn't you?  Luckily he whole heartily agreed with me. 

I'm hanging apples off this tree anyway, imagine having apples that we could pick and eat.  You can get triple grafted trees which have three varieties on the same tree.  How neat is that?  I've got ideas about buying a pear tree with two different pear varieties (that would truly be a pair tree then!) and a lemon tree too.

These lemons were an absolute bargain so I am going to use them to make lemon curd and lemon cordial.  Homemade is so much tastier and I really enjoy that sort of cooking. 

My new green scheme is going very well thank you, only one hiccup when I forgot to take my bag into the shop.  Not to worry, I have systems now!  It's amazing just how quickly the shop people pop stuff in bags.  You practically have to tell them upfront that you have your own bags. 

My little one and I went supermarket shopping after visiting the plant shop this morning.  It's a brilliant plant shop.  They have a trampoline, two rabbits that she was allowed to feed, and fish.  It's a special outing to go there.  We must remember that it takes well over one hour to buy a packet of seeds and a bag of garden mix in future!

Anyway back to the supermarket, just look at how little I bought there.  There's a bag of garden mix in there too. What you see is what I bought.  A few bulk items to save money and packaging of course.  That's my shopping done for another week.

There was really not much in my trolley at all and it came to $174 which isn't much at all considering we are a family of six.  I am buying my fruit and veggies at a newly discovered shop, much cheaper and great quality.  Next week I am going to buy pears and bottle them.  I'd hand over the meal cooking any day but I love preserving food.  Is that strange?

I've just been eating my chicken salad while typing to you.  Doesn't it look good?  The salad leaves were from market day last Saturday. I hadn't been there for so long and it was lovely to be back buying locally grown delights.  My veggies last very well because I have wonderful Tupperware containers that keep the food fresh for well over a week.  Worth every cent I spent on them.  And they cost quite a few cents too!  Took hubby a wee while to get over that purchase last year. 

Anyway must go and pick up those mags.  It's nice to know so many of you are also very good recyclers and gardeners too.  See you!!