It’s Monday night and I’m cooking dinner. It just so happens I have a chicken, leek and mushy pie in the oven – recipe courtesy of Annabel Langbein. I feel a bit cheated too, as I have no idea where the weekend went to, all I know is that today is Monday and I have been super busy and I’m starving!

Minus volumes of wool and looking very smart!

I got the sheep shorn last week by our shearer Murray, a great bloke who lives down south. He did a sterling job as always .. and believe me it is a toughie shearing those 2, as my girls are on the plump side (I’m lying .. they are fat). I have no idea how he manages to manoeuvre them while bending over and holding onto a weighty hand held shearer .. I guess he has had loads of practice. As always once they are shorn the weather strangely enough becomes inclement … Murphy’s law in the sheep world I suspect. Mind you, they are nonplussed about the loss of their wool, in fact they appear to become rather lively whizzing around in their new outfits.

Garlic garden a total jumble of plants

Spring time is a guarantee that the weekends will be spent weeding and strimming the drive and orchard with my petrol powered unit (weedeater). As the garlic and onions are growing like mad, I fuss over them ensuring that they aren’t being swamped by neighbouring plants – truth is they don’t much like company. We have much to do in our garden over the next few weeks, I have to take deep breaths when I think about it. Mulch all our olive trees and orchard alike, spray seaweed brew over those lucky trees and then start my comfrey tea – which Sarah from The Fig Tree explains brilliantly!

So pretty …

Spud action – slug action too!

My seedlings are starting to look a tad uncomfortable in their pots too, but I they aren’t due for planting just yet. I still have to hoist out one of the raised beds and load it up with organic material. Those spuds are looking good but it appears that I’m sharing their greenery with some slugs, hmmm.  I’m hauling out the odd beetroot, juicing herbs, silver beet, sorrel and brassica leaves … and throwing lots of leaf over the fence to the chooks who are waiting patiently on the other side.

Spring onion going to seed

If you have an interest in biodynamics then you will no doubt enjoy our Saturday endeavours. A good buddy of mine who has studied biodynamics arrived on Saturday with her wealth of knowledge and some preparations – 500 and CPP. Biodynamics is quite simply another approach to organic farming involving a spiritual and ecological approach to food production and nutrition while utilising the various phases of the moon and recycling through composts and liquid manures.

Doyenne du Comice blossom … it is laden!

A good healthy approach and certainly a beneficial one for you and your land. So after 3 pm we stirred approx 75g of prep 500 in 34 litres of rain water .. endeavouring to follow the Steiner technique. Once the hour was up, we then added some of the CPP to the brew and then tipped the lovely chocolate coloured liquid into buckets. Each manned with one of these we walked various areas of the property via the vege garden and through the orchard, using brushes to flick the liquid over trees and ground alike. I’m sure there are those that will ‘pooh pooh’ this approach and that’s fair enough too. Me? Well I have me seen properties that practice BD and they are amazing, but then so are the people who do this too, as they are incredibly dedicated and it shows.

They’re back – paper wasp busy making the nest. Loving my new camera lens! By the way – these guys pollinate too

Happy gardening!