Drumroll please

Well its duck day tommorrow. little nervous.
boxed each duck individually today - we need a better quarantine system than cardboard boxes. It also means that i cant easily include water with them without them knocking it over.
the idea is to take away food for 24 hours before and give them just water before they are dispatched.
Sigh.. i need to say it and stop using avoidance words. Kill. We are going to kill four ducks tommorrow. there i said it.
Handling them today was odd. they fight and poo on you so you dont feel that nice towards them, but have lovely new soft, pristine white feathers. quite pretty. until the stink!
the females are a bit small, but meat is still meat. thats the difference - we are raised to believe that whole meat birds should be a certain size, like a roast chicken at woolworths, but thats an artificial size and actually too big. it feels convinient and value but how much is kept as leftovers, how big are the portions per person. king size? Hopefully one female duck will do one meal for 2 people when combined with stirfy vegetables or mash and steamed veg etc.

its a dark meat which will take some getting used to but that doesn't mean its a bad meat. just different. i've really enjoyed the duck i've had a restaurants and in take away curries and if anyone thinks its inferior to chicken - grow some balls and have a taste. you'll change your mind, especially if it becomes more readily available and cheap (ie. home grown)

thats my 2 cents today.....

More Frost No. 2

So cold last night that the dog kennel was moved to the verandah and I (silly girl that i am) boiled the kettle and tucked a hot water bottle in under the carpet of the kennel. stupid hey. i guess i could say i didn't want Loki howling and keeping me awake but it was more sappy than that. Frosted beans this morning. even up in the raised box next to he verandah, top of the block. not happy abou that.
wonder if coriander, celery and strawberries are frost tolerant?

Frosty

This morning was cold!
It was handy, i could see the pockets of frost, especially the orchard and next to the chookpen. Unfortunately the bok choy, broad beans, cabbages and brocolli dont look so hot.
Had to break ice on the chook water bucket.
we'll soon see what survives the frost. even as i walked to work the footprints left from yesterday we're little frost pockets because they was little traps that the sun hadn't got into yet.

What to write about....

Well. there is not much happening at the moment. mid week and all.
Need to ring a man about a chook, still.
Almond is blossoming. Mulberry is fruiting. Chickens laying. Cabbage getting bigger everyday.
oh, my herbs sprouted a few days ago. cant remember what i planted. Probably celery, mustard, dill, fennel and lettuce mixture.
Clock ticks closer to D-Day. gettting ready to say goodbye to ducks that are still lovely, white and stately. i was hoping they'd be uglier by now. sigh. what comes around....

Geese gone to a better home. no really, they're at Sanderson.
Contemplating another lamb to share with neighbour, Twelftrees of Lobethal and our freezer. probablem is.. our freezer is still full of mutton. AND needs to accomodate 7 ducks in one week.
Anybody want a whole, fresh, country killed duck? Bananablue have 180g duck breast for $9.00 and two leg packs for $11.00. That makes a whole free range organic duck worth about $35.00 by my calculation. lol. just kidding. Checked and the average price is $13/kg conventional for frozen whole duck.


Really liking the new Woolworths ad. has anyone noticed it? the kids with avocado's. obviously people are growing more food at home and they now acknowledge that. Interesting.

Mail Order Food

I'm still waiting on a Diggers club order placed mid May.





I rang them and i was told Mid July for the cane fruits and potatoes.


It's been so long that i have a new catalogue now and want to place a new order. Does anyone else order plants and how long does it take?





The garden paths are now heavily mulched with pine mulch thanks to My Lovely Husband and the chook aviary is thick with gum mulch thanks to the collossal efforts of Warwick and Jimmy. (and Kiahs chicken was greeeeaaaat too). That should stop my morning slip and slide as i let the chickens out. Although - in hindsight .......nah - slip and slide paths would not have been a good idea when i stop and think about why they were slippery.





Sunday - not that productive, knitting, washing, folding, pancakes and "High Tea" complete with cupcakes, scones, china and muscato. mmmmmm yum. Thanks Jane!

Successful day

well 90% of the gum tree is gone but the cardboard boxes are still there. oh well they go under compost as i turn it each time.

Great day yesterday

• turned compost
• planted 3 more asparagus
• weeded driveway
• weeded house
• chipped up gum tree
• mulched chook aviary

O.k. now that i review it doesn't sound like much, but turning that compost was HARD!

Also the surprising factor was i had more and fatter worms on the driveway than anywhere else. Strange. Oh and yes i did weed the house. Had so many big tough weeds growing out of the concrete!

Sunshine and Granola-pops

Fabulous.
Today is the first day in a very long time that i could comfortably (in flannel pyjamas and fleece dressing gown) sit out at the verandah table and eat my breakfast! I'm absolutely stoked. Spring is coming - eventually

I have to conclude that Sunshine has a profound effect on my mood.
That and automatic timer switches.
oh and electric blankets.... Soooooo energy efficient (apparently) when compared to heating a whole room before bed.


i still dread the electricity bill, guilt free 100% green power but consumption is still consuption, and more so now that the heater is set to come on at 5am and again at 5pm. ...we'll see.


I have just heard that today is mulcher day!
there goes half a gum tree and (hopefully) a tonne of cardboard boxes from the shed.

Died tommorrow

Had a customer remark that she absolutely loves living in Nairne - she moved here a few months a ago expecting to buy vegetables from peoples houses (??) and told me that she is so happy since she moved out of the concrete jungle that if she died tomorrow she'd die happy..

strange.

Kar Kar Island Donuts

Recipe found in a 50c book at Flinders Street Church book table.


Ingredients

1 & 1/2 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 cups lukewarm water or milk


1 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm butter
5- 5&1/2 cups plain flour
1 tbs milk powder (if water used above)
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1 egg


Method

Combine yeast, sugar, warm milk/water. Stand in warm place for 20mins

Stir in remaining ingredients. Knead. Cover. Keep warm to allow mixture to rise and double in size.

Knead well. Roll out on a floured board. Cut onto rounds like a cooked scone. (or half as think and put 1/2-1 tsp of jam in the middle of one. Top with a second circle and press edges together.) Stand to rise again.

Deep fry in hot oil. Roll in sugar and cinnamon.

Cannibalism

Well in typical Nairne Funny Farm Fashion.. (i should patent that phrase)

I get home from work with 10seconds of daylight left and rush down to let the loyal chickadees back into they're shed for din-dins and nesting. Find that the large ducklings (4) had been out with them all day and are still alive (not cat-napped)

One duckling had a bloody bum and one other duckling had very suspicious red colouring all over its beak. I sat and watched and it turns out to my horror .....

CANNIBAL DUCK!!

So (sigh) let the good birds in to roost, GRAB Cannibal Bill and stick him in the verandah yard.

Go inside, rug up and have a stiff drink. Stupid duck cheeps for an hour or so before realising that yes i do hate him, gives up and settles.

Later in the evening we had to do something 'cos the neighbors cats have neglected their duty and left him alive. He has two weeks to live and i dont want to be taking him in and out of a box each morning and night so My Lovely Husband rigged up a division in the shed, to separate the bugger. So he's on the Naughty Step for now. Husband had to brave cold, wet, sticky, dark shed but thankfully i was able to reward him with Cauliflower cheese, fish fingers and home made deep fried jam donuts.

Job well done.

Just Beginning

Damnit

Now i have Facebook, Hotmail, Google and Blogger as well as being in various forums.

When will it end!

The thing is i have nothing interesting to say.
Just a little proud of my garden - the mess that it is and like to get photos on every available medium.

Hopefully, you guys can move (very slowly) with me as we get closer and closer to permaculture and sustainability.