How to get one's funk back!?!!...

Fun,

Funk,

Funky,

hmmm....

All words that I have now seemed to have lost touch with. This was me a good few years ago, living it up and having a ball.

 Adventure caving in Borneo, Malaysia.

 Don't ask about my London days!

We'll just look at this lovely pic of me at Kew gardens and forget the other 2 1/2 years ;)

(I'm not game enough to post any incriminating photos!)

 .... And Venice?!!! What happens on tour, stays on tour!

But now there is a whole NEW me,

sort of,

in a grown up kinda of way.

And i have had lots of days of late where i've realised that most people i know, don't really know my past and what my life entailed before i had children and moved to Filly. Do i class that person as "The Old Me"?, or is that the me that lead to the "ME" who i've grown into.
Corr, two wines WILL make you think that way!

I'm happy with now.

Reminising isn't so bad,
We need to recall where we've been to see how far we've come.

(twas fun though wasn't it... those of you who rememeber!)

MOVING ON....

My blog is actually about my garden, my family and my effort to feed them from it.

So.... I have hunted thru my photos
 from the last 3 months looking for something decent to post about my garden. This is what i found ...

THE MASSIVE DAY I SPENT MAKING PASTA SAUCE...

...PEACH CHUTNEY AND PEAR AND GINGER JAM!

This was the one and only day that Hazel slept for more than 2 hrs during the day.

(Actually more than 30 minutes!)

So far as I can see or work out;

Life will move on, no matter what we want, how we feel or think things should be. Our struggle is to learn to accept it... and if all possible make the most of it.

- on a good day... get all the washing done!

- on a GREAT day... make chutney as well!

Just cos I can,

This is my beautiful friend Ruth....

She's is the best thing that came out of my few years away.

And this is her and Reuben,

Lucky Reubs... she's a wonderful god mother.

204 days...

...since I last had anything remotely interesting to say to the world at large (interesting by my standards at least!) I find it amazing how 6 months can zoom by so fast that you can barley catch a moment to just think about everything you've achieved. Remember how long 6 months was when you were 5, or even 15. Why does life speed up as we get older??? Is it just because we are too busy to appreciate the small things, those that become so everyday and mundane?

My garden has been abysmal this year. A combination of neglect, bad weather and the neighbours tree which sucks the goodness from the soil. Luckily we are tough enough to survive on 25 dozen zucchini (6 plants worth), a crop of half sized sweetcorn, a hat full of disfigured tomatoes and a truck load of rocket. My inability to grow anything worthwhile in the garden, is completely overshadowed by the fact that I grew this...

 

...in my belly.

We welcomed our beautiful Hazel Alice into the world (5 days late) at 10.45pm on Christmas night. I wasn't kidding the kids when I told them the baby would be here at Christmas . Unfortunately I missed out on the HUGE Christmas lunch I had planned on eating (breastfeeding and all) due to the fact that I was in labour all day.

But it is now march and that is all long forgotten...

... the months since however, have been a complete muddle. you'd would think that after 3 babies one would have the hang of things and all would be a breeze. But where is the fun in knowing just what to do, being organised and coping with all the day to day things we are expected to cope with??? The washing pile is just the tip of the ice berg (a monstrous ice berg, which is mostly hiding in the cupboards and in wardrobes)...

just keeping it all together is such hard work.

I'm tired to say the least,

but glad that by the end of this week I don't at least feel as though I'm drowning in it all (couldn't say that this time last week... hence writing this tonight...not last Friday!) It's so hard some days to pull yourself out of the doldrums and get on with what we know we need to get on with, and its so wrong that we don't allow ourselves to ask for help. I know that my friends and family would drop everything to give hand when i'm feeling overwhelmed... I must remind myself next time not to try and be so tough. One can't be so brave all the time!

Look at this though...

                                         

look at what I have achieved and what I have to be proud of!

And I am SO proud... these are my beautiful, wonderful, funny, kind and loving children

They make all my lifes trials worth it!

Mounting tension....

So this morning I woke with butterflies in my belly. Nope, not from the joy of today being the 1st day of spring, nor from the flutter of tiny feet in my puku. This month my blood, sweat and tears (not to mention sleepless nights and random bouts of manic laughter) will come to fruition on the 24th, when the Kindergarten fundraiser I've been planning most of the year will be held.

So far, so good! Venue booked, speakers sorted, advertising posters and tickets looking fantastic, and sponsorship and donations flowing in steadily. Catering... No worries!

Tickets sold to date.....2.....!

It sounds worse than it is i think . I know of at least 30 or so people who are defiantly coming, but I'll certainly feel better when they have actually purchased their tickets ... and told their friends and family to buy theirs as well. I know there is no need to feel like my insides are jelly, the workshop is going to be great and all 230 tickets WILL sell... I guess this nervousness is just all part of planning an event. Who the hell would be an event planner!!! They must love living on the adrenalin the stress creates... Me... I prefer the nervous anticipation of waiting for my first tomato seedlings to appear, or seeing if the mixed capsicum seed will this year surprise me with some of those lovely orange peppers... not just green ones.

So, those of you who would be interested, here's the flyer for the fundraiser.

Please come ...

... and make your friends (mums, grandmas, and husbands) come too. Lynda Hallinan (my idol) is a fantastic speaker and will be full of good juicy info for us all. Anyone wanting more info or to buy tickets can leave me a message and I'll be in touch.

Hibernation....

So, months have past since my last blog, but with a lack of heating near the computer, who can blame me. Here's a wee peek at whats been happening at Dukerville HQ.

Family picnic on the way to Grandad Tony's in Auckland.

Stopping at the army museum on the way home from Auckland and leaving a Poppy for Papa.

Winning Soccer on a FREEZING Saturday morning.

Snow in Filly!!! 

Possum piklet making one wet afternoon...yummo!

This is our new addition to Dukerville... welcome Kermit Mcdermot, or just Dermot if you prefer ;)

Baby growing. (by far the toughest job of all)

Chugging along nicely for 23 weeks. This little rascal is due on 20th December so I'll be setting up a manger under the Chrissy tree this year. Bring on a very merry Christmas... And a lots of lovely warm weather and long happy sunny summers days! Only about 133 days to go....*sigh*

Remedys for a bad week.

Anyone else had the flu this year?? I don't recommend it.

The word flu doesn't do the illness justice... nope, not at all... i tend to think of words more along the lines of 'steamroller' or possibly 'trainwreck'!

3 solid days in bed, would of been 5 if i hadn't had to go to work on the first two. Never before have i actually been so 'out of action' that my lovely husband has had to stay home from work so the kids weren't left to fend for themselves. Adam did an awesome job keeping the household together while i was suffering on my death bed, but by Wednesday night he was feeling a little frazzled. Washing piled so high you could barley get into the laundry, no idea what should go in the school lunches for the next day and "DINNER... Ah crap, I'd forgotten about that!" Nanny Ali to the rescue with a lamb casserole and a HUUUGGGE bunch of scented stock for me. Not that i have any sense of smell. Although the hyacinths that Nana arrived with the following day i can certainly smell... as can the rest of Feilding I'm sure!

Amazing what a few flowers can do to lift the soul... but having once been a florist, i guess i can be a little more sensitive to the good they do then some others.

Hmmm, other things that have turned this week around for me:

1. Making 1 million mini piklets for the Kindy disco tonight



2. Finding this picture of the kids from a couple of years ago :)

3. The New Zealand Gardener being delivered in this mornings post. Saturday morning will now go something like this.... Kitchen and Garden show on Radio live blaring to drown out the 'Little Einstines'  tune from the telly, Fresh poached egg on toast, Tea, Gardener magazine and evil eye ready for anyone who tries to disturb me!

4. Easy... Feeling #4 baby wiggling around inside my belly! (*Happiness*)

What's to love about Autumn?

 Little Layla and I spent the afternoon in the backyard a couple of days ago, and it reminded me why Autumn is my favourite season.

- Warm enough to hang out in a tee shirt, but not so hot you have to hide under the apple tree for fear of sunstroke.

- Hose is made redundant and is retired to the shed till next summer.

- Vegetable garden grows like snot.

- ANNNDDDDD there are still raspberries to pick and have on top the pav. (Chooks AKA Lovely ladies are looking a little worse for wear due to the annual shedding of feathers, but still providing more than enough fresh eggy goodness!)

Also, you can't go past the simple pleasure of raking up all those leaves... even having to do it 3 times after  Lil and Maggie insisted on rolling around in them after I'd got them into a nice big pile.

I grew Kumara for the first time this year. I wasn't overly confident that I would have any luck as they are notoriously tricky to grow. Also, I didn't have too much room to spare so I planted all the sprouts along one trench, when in hindsight I probably should of only put one or two sprouts per trench. With nervous excitement (of the type one can only experience when digging spuds, pulling carrots or any other root type vegetable!!!!) Lil and I slowly forked up the plants. I did a wee dance when the first one came up, and in 10 minutes we had half a bucket full. Not all huge, actually some were down right tiny, but I'm pretty chuffed with my first attempt. And seen it's turned so miserably cold, I thought I might make curried kumara soup for dinner tonight. Will put some bread dough on in a minutes so we can have garlic bread too...yummo!

The Vegetable garden is still doing it's duty and keeping us well feed. Although the lettuces I planted are taking much much much to long and in desperation I brought one from the supermarket yesterday. (The supermarket checkout operator looked pleased, I have a feeling she thinks I only serve my kids frozen peas as they are the only vegetable I ever buy!) I have quite a few cabbages coming on at once which is worrying me, I mean how much coleslaw can one family eat. If anyone has a good cabbagey recipe, please send it my way! I'm off to the library now to trawl through the recipe books there!

Easter goodness....

Crap... I hate it when you write nearly a whole blog... then accidentally

 delete it!

Woooh... a whole calender month since I last blogged!

When did my life become so crazy busy, that finding a couple of minutes to jot down a few words on the most memorable moments of the past few days, seems like a total luxury?....

Tonight I have my babes in bed early, lovely husband out of a bit, dishes and washing done...

and that damn box OFF!!!

off off off off (off out to the bin if I had my way!)

Yesterday... wonderful sunny warm Easter Friday, I spent (FINALLY) in the flower garden, which has become some what neglected in the last month due to the demands of the vegetable garden... obviously it has pretty tough job seeing us thru the winter...($100 a week is proving to be seriously tough for the 5 of us!) (TIPS WELCOME!)

I am pleased though. I think it looks great for this time of year and am proud that we have made it blossom from this in August last year...

To pretty flower garden now...

Lots of thanks to my Nan, Mum, Aunty Al and neighbours Rena and Daphne for their contributions of cuttings...  oooh and Em too, for the standard roses from her garden.

The vegetable garden is going awesome too...except...

My spuds... they actually look HUGE here.

The biggest one here was smaller than a 10 cent piece... lucky we had rice in the cupboard :)