A Visit to Irene Dairy Farm

Last week we travelled through to Pretoria to visit our doctor with Jenna and on our way back we decided to pop in at Irene Dairy Farm for lunch. We haven't visited there for a while and I wasn't even expecting it to be open but what a lovely surprise when we arrived and it was! It's the most picturesque place! Large rambling farmland and beautiful green fields for their cows. The scenery is really breathtaking.

We had a delicious lunch with mama chickens and their chicks scurrying around everywhere, (both on the tables and off, so sweet!) and then we walked up to see the young calves. As we walked back towards the main buildings all the cows were walking up from the fields, no one was with them, they just seemed to know that it was lunch time, all made their way to the watering hole and then into their cow shed, so wonderful!

They also have a shop there where they sell homemade produce and certified raw milk and cream, I really should have bought more, it was so sweet and delicious! Can't wait to visit Irene again.

I hope you have had a lovely week.
Linda

Our Week

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and messages about Beans the Cat Pattern, I am so happy you like him and a few Beans patterns have already been knitted up and shared on Ravelry. I really love seeing your knitted projects so thanks for sharing them:) I will be adding a few more free patterns soon over the next few days.

It has been a cold week here in Johannesburg. The fires are lit early in the mornings so we can keep warm. Our homes here in South Africa aren't built for really cold weather so when the temperature drops below -1C  it's usually colder inside our home than outside!

We've had a scare with Jen this week, she hasn't been feeling too well, she has been for blood tests and we have discovered that her insulin levels are four times higher than they should be! We have a wonderful doctor who is guiding us through this. We are changing our diet to low GI, cutting out all refined sugar, white pasta and flour etc... and we will move forward from here. Please would you keep her in your thoughts...

Do you remember this wool blanket that I made on my knitting machine? It's finally finished, Jen and I crocheted a border around the edge and it's so lovely and soft...

This morning we cooked our feathered girls some oats for breakfast to keep them warm.

Early morning frost on out roof.

We have been pruning and cutting back some of our trees, all the wood is dried out in bags and will be used for next winter's fires.

 
I love finding little drawings on the walls outside, so sweet:)

I'm really not sure what's been eating my spinach and lettuce, it isn't birds, our veggie garden is enclosed with shade cloth, perhaps it's rats or insects?? So this is what I have decided to do to try and combat the problem. I am going to recycle my milk bottles into little cloches to try and give these plants a chance. I really would like my veggies to grow so I can use them in salads and green juices. I'll let you know how it goes. Any advice here would be appreciated.

The frost also took three of our potato plants. We pulled them out today and I was so happy to find a few potatoes still looking amazing underground.

Have a lovely weekend!
Linda

Our Start to the Week

Our beautiful Buff Orpingtons were sunning themselves this morning. It was -1C, pretty cold, even though the sun was shining, it was freezing out there.

I love to sit and crochet by this fireplace in the mornings, I have found an old wip, a knitted blanket that needs a crochet border. It's amazing how you put knitting down for months (ahem) years and then, one day you see it lying over there on a shelf, out of the way and you just pick it up and finish it off.

Erin with her favourite chicken, Willa. Willa has become so tame, if Erin sits on the grass, she will rush over and sit on her lap, too precious. Erin is wearing her knitted ear warmer, pattern to follow soon:)

A winter morning sky...

Calendula flowers growing in the veggie garden, hopefully attracting all sorts of insects.

Our potatoes are growing so beautifully next to this flowering Rosemary plant.

I had fun knitting up this little kitty today. If you like I can share the pattern here with you, Meow! :)

How has your Monday been so far? 
Do have a lovely week.

The Weekend

We had a lovely Father's day yesterday, celebrating my wonderful dad (he will be 84 this year) and this good man on the couch above. 

Jen has been making the sweetest dream catchers inspired by all the chicken feathers we find in the garden. She would like to post a little tutorial here for one soon.

I just love knitting these slippers for Kye, they are so warm and cozy... Our weather has been freezing lately and Kye really doesn't like to wear shoes indoors, so these thick, chunky slipper / socks are just perfect to keep him warm. (I tried to take a photo when I finished knitting them but he put them on straight away so they have a worn in look to them:)

I found this little pattern in a book called The Children's Year, such a beautiful book  I have modified it slightly though, here is the link to the pattern on Ravelry for you. I didn't like knitting this pattern flat and having to sewing up seams on the top of the slipper, so I knitted the foot part of the slipper in the round with the Magic Loop technique. I then decreased k1, k 2 together, knit 1 round, k1, knit 2 together, knit 1 round when I finished off.

A pair for Jen, I am going to sew soles underneath these ones, not sure what I'm going to use yet though... This is a pattern I am writing and I will share it here when it is finished.

Wishing you an inspired week...
Linda

Weaving and Bike Riding

Photo taken with Instagram

Kye has been working on his rainbow stick weaving today, he sat there for about 45 minutes totally absorbed in what he was doing. He just has to weave the last colour band of mauve and then his scarf is finished. Caiden is going to make one next.

Other wonderful news is that Kye can ride his bike, by himself! He is thrilled! Isn't it fantastic when children reach certain milestones, sometimes early, sometimes later but always at the perfect time that is right for each of them. 

Have a lovely day, I'm off to find a sunny spot and read Wuthering Heights...
Linda

I am Filled with Gratitude...

I have been knitting on my Tea Leaves cardi in the evenings now that our weather is really cold. I sit beside the fire and knit stocking stitch back and forth, it's like a meditation and I am almost at the end now.

Today we went on a short road trip to Pretoria to see our doctor, a wonderful homoeopath that is helping our little Kye gently along the path to wellness. My cardi came with and I was able to knit a few rows while Richard drove.

Caiden made a wooden castle for his brother Kye, oh, the excitement when Kye discovered it waiting for him on the dining room table!

Our Petria is in bloom...

Photo taken by Erin, she really loved how the fire was burning through the hole in the piece of wood.

Our Flax, Garlic and Lupins are all thriving well in this raised bed.

I am so pleased with our lemons this season, every tree in our garden is laden with lemons, I will have to send some to our neighbours...

We have had a few colds in our home recently and lemons are amazing for fighting the flu. As soon as a cold or flu raises its nasty head we start with honey, lemon and ginger Rooibos tea.

Honey, Lemon and Ginger Rooibos Tea:

Make a cup of Rooibos tea and add:
The juice of 1 lemon
1 and a half teaspoons of honey
about an inch of grated ginger that's been peeled
add a little cold water if too hot and sip slowly

This really helps to cut the phlegm and makes you feel better overall.

Seeds from my Goldenrod plant. I need more Goldenrod to grow in our garden so that I can use it for dyeing my wool.

This is Richard's favourite tree in our garden, he loves how the ivy is climbing up its branches.

Today I am filled with so much gratitude that Kye is on the road to health...

Our Lovely Weekend

This has been such a lovely weekend...
Our beautiful Jenna turned 15 years old yesterday, time has flown...

I went for a walk around our garden early this morning after feeding the chickens. It was -1 degree Celsius, really freezing, my hands were burning after taking the ice out of their water, but how lovely to be out there. I looked up at our neighbours tree with the moon in the background and had to go and grab my camera. I do know that this tree is indigenous to Australia and has a thorny bark with the most gorgeous pink flowers, such a sight to see...( if you know its name please could you let us know)

This little pond by our front door is frozen over...(It was 3 degrees inside our home this morning, the fires are blazing now)

Yesterday family and old friends come over to celebrate with Jen, she has had a special time...

Our chickens' warming themselves among the Lavender bushes in the early morning sunshine...

Frozen water in the chickens enclosure...

Jenna's birth orchids...
This beautiful orchid was given to me on the day of Jenna's birth 15 years ago. It was a single orchid in bloom. It was given to me by my wonderful mom-in-law as a gift. Each year around the time of Jenna's birthday it give us the most beautiful show of flowers. It has become a huge plant with many blooms and I probably should divide the bulbs but it seems so happy on our front veranda, just as it is.

I spotted some Violets flowering in a pot outside, do you see the mesh? This has been placed here to prevent our curious chickens from jumping up into our pots and scratching every piece of greenery out while they search for little grubs to eat.

Here I am squinting into my camera, taking a photo through a window reflecting off a mirror inside our house. I am wearing my Shalom cardi and I must tell you, it is so incredibly warm, I love it!

The Red Hot Pokers are flowering again, their bright colours make me so happy...

Even Jack popped out in the cold for an early morning snack.

Have a lovely week.
Linda