It’s raining sort of…
Drizzling
Grey skies
Soggy washing on the line
Wet washing languishing in basket
Dew drop beads of rain on washing line
Don’t accidentally knock the line, or
Big cold drops on your head

But….
Green grass
Mowed lawns
No more drooping plants
Now vibrant and crisp herbs appeased
Weeds a-growing abundantly
Happy not to get poisoned today,
in the space where hedge will grow…

Autumn has arrived much too quick!

Can you see me…

Here I am , a busy bee after the rain

A little bit of rain yet so many impressions…affecting the laundry, garden, and nature. Broaden it out and it’s endless as can be seen by some of the tag words I’ve used

Why is it raining, refreshing, washing, water, rain, save water, rain drops, Basil, Nasturtium, Lavender, vegetable garden, herbs, fresh herbs, bees, pollination , herb garden, grow your own vegetables, grow your own herbs.

So if there’s no bees then no honey and so the circle continues on…I don’t think I’ll ever think of a wet day in a stereotype way again!

This post started off as being a short poem …it grew from there.

To all, have a blessed day and try to find the best in maybe a grey sort of feeling day…in Sydney anyway…spring happenings to you all in the northern hemisphere.

From Alexa

Content written and photos belong to

http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com

Home made

Inspiring …Inspired
Motivating …Motivated
Take it all in and ready to continue on…

Washing all done and packing all put away….

Isn’t that the best feeling after a weekend away.

We had to take linen and bedding, so took our trusty always pull out spare Doonas and not really matching sheets….pillow cases did sort of match though!

A good drive was had home from up the coast back to Sydney.

….It must be the rejuvenation of a refreshing break that gets one into into tidying up, and as seeing the temperature was really pleasant and it being not yet dark I piled sheets and quilt covers and towels etc in loads into that machine. All freshly laundered with a few drops of eucalyptus added to wash water the loads gradually filled the line as they got hung out in the fresh air…..hooray, now no washing to do in the morning…..isn’t that the best, especially for a Monday!

Such a simple thing to rejoice over.

Two more loads to go….but look at that young Lavender hedge in the night light!

My always on hand pre-wash that I use is as follows…

As you can see by the photo, I use my recycled and repurpose the Cloudy Ammonia bottles. I mark my empty bottle into thirds with permanent marker.

1/3 water…in first so you don’t get an overflow of bubbles …I’ve learnt the hard way and have found that if I don’t concentrate I tend to put liquids in the wrong order….ahhh

1/3 Cloudy Ammonia

1/3 Dish washing detergent…can be less…I’m going to try the Home Brand Laundry liquid for my next batch.

Sometimes if I have enough Eucalyptus I add about a small Half TEAspoon.

When I make a batch my measurements are not accurate. Also I make a few bottles at a time.

Home made Pre Wash Spray

So here’s to clean washing and not having to buy preWash Spray.

A little thing you say….but it’s the little things that can add up.

Anyway, have a good day all even if you have to do a spot of washing.

Find the simple joy in -

…clean fresh smelling washing
…fresh water and ready access to abundant supply
…that you are able to hang it in the breeze here in Australia
…thereby you save on power and stressing about the bill
…clothes not wearing out through having to use the dryer constantly
…having a huge variety of clothing etc in the first place
…reducing your Carbon footprint
…by “being green”
…and what else- can YOU think of more
…being thankful that we have the climate so we CAN choose to not use the dryer. Many climates and parts of the world do not have this luxury especially at this moment in their winter.

Just think, an everyday chore we do without thinking and sometimes groan about yet all of the above!

Till later
Alexa

Photographs and content belong to- http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com

Also on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Alexaasimplelife

Black hen and Red Barn
Courtesy revwarheart

Chicken talk… Memories of chickens.
My parents kept about 300 chickens for eggs when I was about 10. They came as pullets and gradually grew till they were old enough to lay eggs. The idea being that it would provide a bit of extra income for Life’s journey. Mum and dad were and had to be very resourceful. They did not have access to a Livestock Batchelors Degree online.

There was always work to be done, especially the preparation stage in building the fences and shelters. If a chicken was sick it had to be made better quickly or butchered so it was not just eating the whole wheat grain. (This bit was hard as a child to comprehend) The end product had to be eggs for money.

Courtesy of morgueFile free photos

I don’t recall how dad got the chickens to the place we were renting in the rural Adelaide Hills as we had no car. But do remember dad taking the stacked up big trays of eggs on the back of his motor bike. Well tied on.

It was not very far to the railway station but it was hilly and I don’t think he ever lost any!…. Money was precious and had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Being frugal before the word was fashionable.

We had no fridge in those days so foods that spoiled were purchased as needed and stored in a small room downstairs which was quite cold. Our fresh milk came daily delivered by the milkman who measured and poured it into our billy can which hung over the gate post and was brought in by us to be boiled and the cream separated. THAT was the best…..to be had on toast with jam….either butter and jam or jam and cream , and not all three together. Today I am too spoilt as I do love all three together.

Once dad had been working for a while at GMH …Holden’s for short, he was able to purchase a Fridge for us, so we didn’t need to scald the milk any more. Compare this to how we take it so for granted that everyone has a fridge . And it’s needed straight away as soon as a household is set up!

…but I digress from chickens. When dad had to butcher chickens, most parts were used even the unshelled eggs which were inside the butchered carcasses and because we had no fridge for a time mum had to use them up quickly.

Frugal Egg Custard
Courtesy morgueFile free photos

She baked or made custards or Spetzler which are like small dropped by spoonfuls dough and cooked in boiling water. These were then added to scrambled eggs. Very sustaining and I can still taste them especially if we had a bit of bacon added to the dish. All these frugal dishes are now classed as a bit gourmet.

…to the everyday person having chickens has a romantic, green, frugal lifestyle feel to it but there’s so much more.

I do love chickens
Courtesy morgueFile free photos

Are you permitted to keep them in your suburban yard.
Are you rural
Is your yard layout suitable.
If you have pets will everyone get on together safely without a huge amount of effort on your part.
Do you know enough about keeping hens…or are you prepared to learn about them.
Have you easy access to their required food needs.
Do you know which hens are the best layers.
Which hens are the most children friendly.
Are you going to free range the hens.
Can you keep your hens safe from predators
How many hens for your yard
Have you enough time to care for your flock
Do you go away often, if so, who can care for your flock
What about shelters and laying boxes for them
Or are you going to use a chicken tractor…

Suburban garden for hens
Courtesy S349142

I have collated some photos below which show a story about chickens or hens and their needs. They love freshly foraged greens and love a morsel in the shape of a snail of worm. Watch out if you have bare feet though because your toes look like worms and hens DO peck very hard!

Dried and green foods.
Access to fresh water.
Space to roam.
Free from predators.

Hay fields Courtesy Jpkwitter

Chicken feed
Courtesy Krosseel

Green clover
Courtesy dharder

Hens love Dandelions
Courtesy fedegrafo

Beware the Predator
Courtesy Monosodium at MorgueFile.com

Rural Water pump & bucket
Courtesy Docron at morgueFile.com

Fresh water from red tap
Courtesy morgueFiles free photos . Photographer from Orlando

So a little chicken talk turned into a story, which goes to show how much is involved if one chooses to keep these feathered friends.

As with everything in life we need to investigate, learn and prepare …and learn some more. Life can be an adventure….

Alexa

Refreshing water on grass (by Rollingroscoe)

Hallo

Word picture written on a Thursday 5th December 2013:-

Sights and sounds of summer yesterday…
A hot still blue sky
Cicadas chirping, um screeching
Missing the hiss of a sprinkler
….old fashioned sound from my youth …no water restrictions
….Children’s hysterical laughter as they run and play, chase and scream under the sprinkler’s rainbow

A summer day (By imelenchon)

Word picture written on Monday 16th December 2013:-

A new lavender hedge grown enough to proudly show off its plump flower buds….look at me, look at me,
Overcast skies and an occasional sprinkling of light rain but with a balmy temperature
…Hope you can enjoy a lovely moment today if only briefly
Love you dearest sister
Hugs and God Bless you and all yours

Sounds this summer morning Friday 10th January 2014
Listen…..What’s that screeching buzzing noise …. Ahh Cicadas. That’s what set the theme for this post.

Now at this very moment of writing….At it’s usual
time ..the amphibious water taxi flying l.o.w. and s.l.o.w. overhead on its way from base to Rose Bay close to Sydney Harbour.

What a fabulous job being able to fly over our beautiful Sydney Harbour and surrounds each day in nice weather. Then back again to base at 5pm. L.o.w. and s.l.o.w. A nostalgic sight. Always makes me think of the “Biggles” books our son read many, many moons ago.

Now the mundane everyday happenings which keep a household running smoothly. Give the veggie patch some water and put snail bait out for the pesky slugs getting to my lush young Basil plants. Check the new rocket seedlings. All looking good for tasty additions to salads. Oh, and those spring onions are shooting nicely where I planted the white onion bulb ends from bought spring onions / shallots.

Wash a woollen blanket for a quick dry today so I can sort out some spare linen and quilts and put away in space bags. Tidy cupboard. Yay!

…and so a day continues in its cycle. Heavy work, easy work, paper work, thinking work, planning work, finishing work. A balance and a harmony.

Hand washing country style by jdurham

Life can be a struggle sometimes don’t you think…and when it gets a bit too much find something beautiful in the day.

Alexa

Memories… walking through fields of grass  

Photo courtesy Proven Winners

Son newly practicing  his abseiling skills using the huge gum tree in our yard with all his ropes and tackle instead of the cliffs and canyons.

Same son lying on lounge in his suit utterly spent after a gruelling day at American Consulate for his interview to migrate? and live in USA to be with his now wife.

At Sydney Airport with family saying our goodbyes with tears  in our hearts. Son and his wife entering restricted area for  Customs where we could not follow but only look and observe them walking away as they returned to USA….a little 2 year old voice calls out plaintifly…. “come back!!!!” . Our son told us later it was the hardest thing he had to do to keep walking and not look back. As I write this it makes me tear up again.

Son writing some poetry…I saw a quote recently…”Poetry is Code” . That must be why he is a programmer.

The smiles on daughters and sons in law faces  at the birth of their dear children.

Me knocking on daughter’s locked front door- knock, knock,knock….little voice from the other side calling “mummy” , footsteps running,  “grandma.”

Me carrying a restless unhappy  little boy who is trying to wake up properly. Whistling occasionally as I walk around among big gum trees  in the still Australian bush beyond the back fence-line …a little voice pipes up “Music”

Me going for a walk in the same still bush on last day of this year with 2 little boys, cousins, trying to find where the tractor that we can hear chug chugging away is. We find it, and holding my hands we just stand there listening and watching from  a distance…chug chug chug, a tractor connected to pump water from a dam for the cows….Very soon its time to go back for tea. One little boy runs to a huge tree and tries to hug  and climb it. Arms are MUCH too little so I lift him up and he walks up the tree horizontally… up and up, way above my head. Another voice pipes up “me too, me too”. So up we go and again and again till grandma’s arms wear out!

“Grandma, God is little cause he can come under the door…he can see everything”.

…and a little funny one, “Grandma can you lick the gravy off my meat I don’t like gravy” from someone quite a few years ago now

Life is full of memories or is it the other way round, memories are life