“Digging in the green manure” is not nearly as gross as it sounds. For one thing, there’s no poop involved! On Fathers’ Day we came home from ten pin bowling to discover a brief moment of sunshine, and two sleeping children in the back of the car. Hello, opportunity! So, I took half a momentContinue reading “Digging in the green manure”
Author Archives: Jessica Norris
Weeds get forked
The other day we experienced a respite from the endless rain, at which point I noticed our garlic patch had become rather overgrown with weeds: Garlic (and other alliums) don’t really like having competition, so I decided to take advantage of the brief sunshine and nip those weeds out. Usually when I do this task,Continue reading “Weeds get forked”
Big. Wet. Garden.
The other day I mentioned that we built our raised garden beds to counteract the periodic flooding we experience. Well, here is a good example! This water will sit here for about a week, slowly dissipating (if it stops raining, that is!). If we had put our vegetables directly into the ground, here, we wouldContinue reading “Big. Wet. Garden.”
Removing stickers painlessly
Hey everyone! Last time my kids went to preschool, they were honouring Daffodil Day — promoting awareness about cancer, and asking for a small donation. William got a real kick out of getting his Daffodil Day sticker, so he was totally unimpressed when it turned out that I had thoughtlessly washed it from his redContinue reading “Removing stickers painlessly”
Birds in the bush
Despite the dry weather recently, we have had a remarkable amount of wildlife visiting our garden in recent months. Our most frequent and obvious visitor is a Brush Turkey who comes over our neighbour’s fence, into our orchard: Here he is, hiding at the back of the orchard, where I chased him for a photo.Continue reading “Birds in the bush”
The winter garden
I have been taking photographs and composing blog posts in my head, but somehow, not making it to my keyboard to actually type these things up! Bad blogger, no biscuit for you! So, here’s a bunch of garden pictures from mid winter to mildly amuse you. A little background to these shots — it hasContinue reading “The winter garden”
The Great Pantry Caper
It all started with the capers. Well, actually, it all started with putting the pantry doors back on! My tidy open-shelf pantry quickly deteriorated into a disorganised shemozzle as soon as I put the doors back on. Within about ten minutes, I swear! Lately it has been difficult to shop effectively with my pantry in thisContinue reading “The Great Pantry Caper”
Eating less meat – beef stew
Well golly, just where did that whole month go? I’ve been busy — apparently quite busy. But I’ve had some posts cooking away in the back of my mind, and I’ve finally found some time to sit down and write one up! A while back my local butcher changed hands again, and when it opened backContinue reading “Eating less meat – beef stew”
The coup in the coop
Yesterday, it seems, the balance of power in our chicken coop shifted. Our ‘boss’ hen, Raven, remains in her happy (and oblivious) position at the top of the pecking order, but something has upset Harriet’s apple cart. I can’t say I’m terribly sorry for her, as it appears Harriet has grown into a bit ofContinue reading “The coup in the coop”
Home-made tomato sauce
Recently I realised I wouldn’t be able to purchase my favourite bottled tomato sauce — Roasted Garlic and Onion — from my organic box supplier. This is a total bummer, because I *love* that stuff, it’s delicious. It also comes in wonderful brown glass bottles which are great to re-use, as the brown colour helpsContinue reading “Home-made tomato sauce”
Simple Crafty Life 